Terrain workflow - cannot succeed - desperate.

[nirsul]

Hi all

I am new here. I am trying to create a texture for a terrain and fail repeatedly:

1. I imported an OBJ file I created in 3ds max which is basically the basis for voxel modeling inside 3DCOAT. (I tried this workflow doesens of times woth or without UVMapping inside 3ds max) - Once I modeled it and painted it I could not create and export a color texture - I tried baking both in the retopo and in Paint rooms. For some reason after Importing a mesh - I sometimes do not see it in the UV or the Reopo rooms.

 

I have seen doesens of videos on youtube but none deals with a somewhat big terrain with cliffs  and in most of the case the UV is already ,mapped.

Also  -the AutoRetopo for that big terrain - always crashed 3DCOAT or is just palin bad. I tried all the methods I managed to learn in the last 10 days and always fail.

 

I did manage to vcreae a small boulder + painting + Uving it

 

Am I doomed to not succeed ? I have quie a strong PC (24 gigs of RAM + Win7 64)

 

I may say that If I manage to work this out - This is a sure buy - Other than exporting a texture - I managed to model and paint my dream terrain for the 3D viZ I make for living.

 

Regards

 

NIR

 

 

[Carlosan]

Hi !

 

Do you need nm or displacement map ?

 

Import for PPP at paint room ?

 

Have you tried one of the sample projects just to see if it works ? 

[TimmyZDesign]

If you are not getting a color map when exporting, as Carlosa suggested, you probably did not merge your model into the Paint Room from the Sculpt (Voxel) Room. It is possible to see your model in the Paint Room (and even paint on it) even though it has not yet been merged into the Paint Room. It is possible to Paint your model without merging because some people choose to paint the vertices of the model instead of painting on a UV map texture. If you want to use UVs instead of vertex painting, you must merge your model to the Paint Room. In order to merge it into the Paint Room, you must choose Merge for Per Pixel Painting from the Retopo Room menu. Make sure your model has been retopoed and it is properly UV mapped before merging to the Paint Room (also make sure to click on Apply UVs at the end of your UV session). Creating UVs can be done in either the Retopo Room or the UV Room. If your model can't be seen in the UV Room, then you must create your UVs in the Retopo Room.

If you want to create a displacement map from the Paint Room, choose instead to Merge for Microvertex Painting instead of Per Pixel Painting. Once the model is merged to the Paint Room, you can paint it, but be sure that Show Voxels In The Paint Room is not selected. Also, do not paint on Layer 0. When done painting, go to the file menu and choose Export. It will bake your color map etc. there.

[nirsul]

Hi !

 

Do you need nm or displacement map ?

 

Import for PPP at paint room ?

 

Have you tried one of the sample projects just to see if it works ? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hola Carlos ! (Gracias por tu respuesta)

 

I think I may live without displ. maps or normal maps for now. I prefer using a high polymesh for the renders Although I think of using those maps shortly after I get to do learn more of 3d-coat.

 

Whare those sample projects files are ?

[nirsul]

If you are not getting a color map when exporting, as Carlosa suggested, you probably did not merge your model into the Paint Room from the Sculpt (Voxel) Room. It is possible to see your model in the Paint Room (and even paint on it) even though it has not yet been merged into the Paint Room. It is possible to Paint your model without merging because some people choose to paint the vertices of the model instead of painting on a UV map texture. If you want to use UVs instead of vertex painting, you must merge your model to the Paint Room. In order to merge it into the Paint Room, you must choose Merge for Per Pixel Painting from the Retopo Room menu. Make sure your model has been retopoed and it is properly UV mapped before merging to the Paint Room (also make sure to click on Apply UVs at the end of your UV session). Creating UVs can be done in either the Retopo Room or the UV Room. If your model can't be seen in the UV Room, then you must create your UVs in the Retopo Room.

If you want to create a displacement map from the Paint Room, choose instead to Merge for Microvertex Painting instead of Per Pixel Painting. Once the model is merged to the Paint Room, you can paint it, but be sure that Show Voxels In The Paint Room is not selected. Also, do not paint on Layer 0. When done painting, go to the file menu and choose Export. It will bake your color map etc. there.

 

THX

You suggest many workflows but most of them I cannot even perform since:

1. I dont see the merge operations  in the menus (not even in the Vox menu right click menu.

2. My files seem to hog the Coat's memoery - even though they are not big surface inside 3ds max.

 

Also - Can I insert a UVmapped mesh and sculpt it ? I dont see it in the sculpt room and cant "move" it there. I tried many combinations of trials - failing in all.

 

In the attached image you can see the patch in 3ds max - I want to import to Coat and sculpt and paint and export

The problem is that once I import it - Coat may ctrash (I have 24 gigs of RAM !!!) and if I tried to Reopo - it also hangs the system or takes hours to do and than create a joke of retopo. (most of the time I do not bother waiting)

 

It is frustrating since yesterday I tried doing it with Mudbox and managed to do it the first time but I came to like coat so much that I am struggling to choose it over Mudbox.

 

:-(

 

 

 

If you are not getting a color map when exporting, as Carlosa suggested, you probably did not merge your model into the Paint Room from the Sculpt (Voxel) Room. It is possible to see your model in the Paint Room (and even paint on it) even though it has not yet been merged into the Paint Room. It is possible to Paint your model without merging because some people choose to paint the vertices of the model instead of painting on a UV map texture. If you want to use UVs instead of vertex painting, you must merge your model to the Paint Room. In order to merge it into the Paint Room, you must choose Merge for Per Pixel Painting from the Retopo Room menu. Make sure your model has been retopoed and it is properly UV mapped before merging to the Paint Room (also make sure to click on Apply UVs at the end of your UV session). Creating UVs can be done in either the Retopo Room or the UV Room. If your model can't be seen in the UV Room, then you must create your UVs in the Retopo Room.

If you want to create a displacement map from the Paint Room, choose instead to Merge for Microvertex Painting instead of Per Pixel Painting. Once the model is merged to the Paint Room, you can paint it, but be sure that Show Voxels In The Paint Room is not selected. Also, do not paint on Layer 0. When done painting, go to the file menu and choose Export. It will bake your color map etc. there.

[nirsul]

I sort of managed to Retopo the mesh  manually and managed to export an OBJ + map but I cannot resume sculpting in Coat - any suggestion ?

 

Nir

[Carlosan]

this is the usual workflow

 

- Retopo room - import external low retopo mesh (will be used as low poly mesh for bake process later)

 

- Sculpt room - import the same retopo model from retopo room to sculpt room

 

- Tool option - select pick from retopo

 

- sculpt

 

- then at retopo room > make UVlayout > apply UV > bake

 

-At paint room, paint the baked model

 

- Export model

[Javis]

FWIW "Merge" in that context, was changed to "Bake".

[nirsul]

Carlos and Javis - Thanks - I will look into it.

Carlos - i think your hints are what I missed - the small buttons one always overlooks :-)

 

Javis - Your videos are awesome.

 

BTW - My website is here:

 

http://orvatsel.com/eng/

 

Regards

 

NIR

[nirsul]

this is the usual workflow

 

- Retopo room - import external low retopo mesh (will be used as low poly mesh for bake process later)

- Sculpt room - import the same retopo model from retopo room to sculpt room

 

 

 

mmm.. I tried importing to Sculpt from Retopo and after I pressing the Apply button - it disappears..

What was I doing wrong ?

Edited September 30, 2014 by nirsul

[Carlosan]

are you using the ?

Import Tool (new version) or Merge Tool (old version)

 

which 3DC version are you working on ?

 

Here the link to the last beta

http://3d-coat.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=10395

 

-----------------------------------------------

related

http://3d-coat.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=15085

[nirsul]

are you using the ?

Import Tool (new version) or Merge Tool (old version)

 

which 3DC version are you working on ?

 

 

1. IMPORT TOOL

2. 4.1.13

 

BTW - Carlos - are you from BsAs ?

I lived there for 5 years.

Edited September 30, 2014 by nirsul

[Carlosan]

Was a good living time ?

 

Try last beta version, is far superior

http://3d-coat.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=10395

[nirsul]

Was a good living time ?

 

Best time of my life - Really !

1989-1993

StudieD @ Universidad De Belgrano

 

L@st time I visited was 1995 - Long time ago ! :-)

[Carlosan]