I am developing an inventory user interface for my game in development and I was wondering if I should use ViewportFrames or imported decals from renders in Blender.
Using ViewportFrames:
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I would have to have 18 camera objects, and 18 models within the viewport frames to render an item
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When the player switches the current page, I would have to clear the current models and then load the new models into the viewport frame (using the same viewport frames for each page)
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The viewport frame renders aren’t the greatest (I can easily render something better in Cinema 4D or Blender)
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Viewport frames are relatively new meaning that a future update could potentially ruin my intended render (shadows and such are going to be implemented eventually)
Using Blender (Outside modeling program) to render the items:
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I can easily upload item decals and save the image IDs in a hard-coded table within the code
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When the player switches the current page, I can easily “refresh” the user interface by swapping the next page item IDs into the boxes
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I would manually have to render new items (although I would already have the blender rendering setup to make it consistent and a little easier)
Knowing both sides to 2 possible solutions, what do you guys think is the best choice for rendering characters / items into GUI boxes?
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ViewPorts work much better at a greater size. However, if you want the images to be detailed, blender is the way to go. You can’t add lighting in viewport frames, so items may look weird. However, with viewport frames you could rotate the item around.
Viewport Frames:
-Easy to automate
-Easily add new items without having to hop into blender
-Don’t have to upload and store decals
-Can add cool rotation effect
-Quality is bad unless the frame is pretty big
Blender:
-Quality is much better
-Have to manually upload and render images
-Have to store decals
-Can add shading
-Can add lighting
Summary:
While blender may give better quality, I believe viewport frames will improve over time and will allow you to focus more time on developing. Just make the frames bigger, and it will look better. Also, if you rotate the model slowly around, the quality won’t seem as bad, and it will look cool.
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Although viewportframes have great potential, I think I will be better off using Blender renders considering that the characters / items don’t move, and I can always add effects to the renders in Photoshop to make the items pop-out more.
It’s funny because I’ve tried using viewport frames for my game, and I can’t find a use for them yet.
Example:
- It would not be a good idea to put a 4,000 part map into a viewport frame for a minimap GUI
- The quality of viewport frames on a close-up render with a small viewport window isn’t the best
For other games, I see how viewport frames could be useful (2D platformer, etc.) lol
I mean, It all depends on your use and preference. That’s why I had 2 sides. On the roblox roadmap they had something for improving render quality, which allows blender-like roblox renders. It might end up being easier then blender, who knows.
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Can you upload a link to the roadmap pertaining to render quality (:
Other than what @REALTimothy0812 stated, it’s not just quality that will improve, you can also add additional effects/color correction etc. to the renders that would be impossible to achieve with ViewportFrames.
Personally, I would first look at how many items you would have to render. If it’s on a small scale, let’s say ~20, it’s pretty doable. If it’s going to be many, many more you are probably better off to use ViewportFrames instead. The workflow of importing into blender or cinema, preparing the model, rendering, exporting, retouching and importing seperately for each image could only really pay off at small scale and will take (literally) hours of your time at larger scale.
If I were in your shoes, I would just use ViewportFrames for now so you can spend your developing time better. Once your game is done, you can always upgrade to renders if you deem necessary.
On a last note, if you are going to do the manual render approach, a good lighting rig etc. is recommended for a faster workflow.
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True… You are exactly right about how using ViewportFrames can make the development process more efficient 
So within my shop, I have like 4 different categories, and within each category, there will be eventually be like at least 20 items per category (over time, new stuff will slowly be added in game updates)
Rendering 80+ items in Blender, editing them in Photoshop, and uploading them to Roblox is very tedious (and not exactly worth it).
Looks like I am using ViewportFrames 
