12 replies to this topic

[probiner]

Been quite a while I've used 3DC sculpting features. Playing around with v4's LiveClay and liking it a lot. But I got a lot of questions and some worries.

 

A- LiveClay uses Surface mode. What are the disavantages?

B- I've noticed that the mesh can become messy and the symmetry lost. Even with the Clean Clay tool does nice, seems that it can't solve it all.

C- Sometimes the pipleline require a polygonal modeling for aproval and then the fine detailing kicks in. Zbrush and Mudbox solve this with subdivision Multi-Resolution meshes. How do you guys deal with assets that only needs detailing and you just want to end up with a mesh close to what you had and some maps? I've noticed that one can import a mesh as  Surface mode in the voxel room. But when I export it back, no UVs...
D- Mostly a LW user with Softimage at work too. How is Vector Displacement Baking in 3DC? VDmaps seem perfect no not being strapped to "shapping" only in the vertex normals, as it seems to happen in the painting room.
E- Had some crashes. How is the stability and perfomance around lately on sculpting? This is something that can make one feel like a fool afterwards
F-How and for what for do you mix Voxel and Surface ? I've notices sometimes changing to Voxels is the only way to fix messy meshes into only surface shell.
G- GAre there masks for voxels, so edits can be isolated?

Cheers

 

 

[AbnRanger]

Check out these two videos, to get a better idea about the Voxel to Retopo workflow.

 

http://www.youtube.c...N6yUd1x&index=2

 

http://www.youtube.c...O8gClZisN6yUd1x

[probiner]

Hi AbnRanger
I kind of know that Workflow. Like I said in the previous post in my work I model first, Lightwave this case, and once models get approved I pass on to detailing, so my question on "C" does 3D-Coat now have a way to import an established model, detail it in 3D vectors (not just vertex normals in microvertex painting) and get a map and maybe a new low poly to render back in LW. I ask this because If I already spent some time modeling the object in a polygonal modeler, I'm not really interested to spend time again in 3D-Coat remaking a topology and control edge loops for subdivision.
This type of flow is what my mates follow with Zbrush, but mostly mudbox. I see I can import a model to Surface Mode, so it has the same topology (+ triangluation) than my polygonal model, unlike voxels that convert them to a resolution.
 I wouldn't feel like working with real voxels given the computer resource limitations. But I guess it's ok to start an object with them and switch to Surface. I only see the need to go back to Voxels when the Surface gets all messed up, self intersecting and the Voxels would recover it, tough with loss of detail. Maybe I'm missing something.

 

I guess next you'll tell me to start my models in 3D-Coat :P And maybe you're right. Just not feeling in control, like in LW.

To me Liveclay replaces Sculptris and Meshmixer, not Mudbox or Zbrush. But those first 2 are free so there's a gap in my humble pov.

Anyway, I'll take a better look at the videos later, but it's noticeable the quality improvements 

 

Cheers

Edited by probiner, 07 June 2013 - 11:19 AM.

[carlosan]

point C

What i do...

 

- Import a mesh as Retopo mesh at retopo room.

- Merge same mesh as Surface mode in the voxel room. (option pick from retopo)

- the i use move to first tweak the overall object shape, BUT with option conform with retopo mesh ON

- then sculpt

- At retopo room i still have the original model with UVs, sometimes i need to move some vertices to snap into the sculpt model -that is used like base mesh- to do merge/bake to paint room

- Bake

 

Note

- i only use surface sculpt paint mode to shape block some colors over the model, not for fine detail

the details was added at paint room later

 

hope its helps

Edited by carlosa, 07 June 2013 - 11:31 AM.

[probiner]

Thanks. I do think it helps Will try to replicate it.

 

Cheers.

[Pix Jigsaw]

Thanks Carlosa.  Your description of the workflow sounds like something that will really work well for me.  (And thanks for asking the good question, probiner)

[probiner]

So I tried to replicate carlosa list but there's something going on wrong on my end. Maybe it's a graphic card issue.

I Import one of the content meshes to Retopo (they already come with a UV) then go to voxels and Merge from Retopo and hit apply. The voxels look transparent... like an object looks like when it has no UV map. Tried to import an object to Retopo room without UV map and seemed to work.

 

What is going on here? You guys get it too? Thanks.
 

Moreover, conform with retopo mesh, seemed to have no effect.

 

Cheers

Edited by probiner, 11 June 2013 - 02:40 AM.

[AbnRanger]

So I tried to replicate carlosa list but there's something going on wrong on my end. Maybe it's a graphic card issue.

I Import one of the content meshes to Retopo (they already come with a UV) then go to voxels and Merge from Retopo and hit apply. The voxels look transparent... like an object looks like when it has no UV map. Tried to import an object to Retopo room without UV map and seemed to work.

 

What is going on here? You guys get it too? Thanks.
 

Moreover, conform with retopo mesh, seemed to have no effect.

 

Cheers

Sounds like you may have inadvertently "Ghosted" the layer (clicked on icon next to the eye/visibility icon on the layer). Can you please provide a screen shot (ALT + SHIFT + S or UPLOAD SCREEN GRAB from HELP menu) so we're not trying to help while blindfolded, here?

 

http://www.youtube.c...N6yUd1x&index=4

[carlosan]

try:

 

delete content meshes's material and add a default clay in the original app before import it to Retopo

[AbnRanger]

try:

 

delete content meshes's material and add a default clay in the original app before import it to Retopo

I don't think that is necessary. When imported, obj's only see texture maps. If it's not Ghosting on the layer, it may be a driver glitch. sometimes I just close the app and restart, and some glitches like that go away. Hard to tell blindfolded. I don't mean to sound harsh, but it is much like being in a college computer lab, asking a teacher or fellow student for help....with the monitor turned off.    Imagine what they'd say. 

 

If you are going to ask for help with an issue, please give folks here something to work with.

[AbnRanger]

.
 

[Rob]

@AbnRanger,

 

Just watched this and have two questions (for now) -

 

1.  Would you explain / clarify which tool you used to make your eyelid?  I love this piece very much.

2.  When is the next version 4 of this overview coming out?  This has been excellent.

 

Thanks for these tutorials.  I'm finding these very helpful.

[AbnRanger]

To save time, I like to place a sphere on a separate layer > click the duplicate layer icon at the bottom of the Vox Tree panel > right-click on the original sphere and choose EXTRUDE (another hidden gem in 3D Coat). Consider this your Eyelid layer and the copied one, the eyeball. Now duplicate the eyeball, to use as a cutter object > move your cursor to the right of this new (cutter) layer and you'll see the MOVE icon > while holding the CTRL key drag that layer onto the eyelid layer. This will cut out the inner volume, so that your eylid layer is a shell and fits perfectly over the eyeball.

 

Make sure you have sufficient resolution on the eyelid layer to hold crisp edges, because you want to now use the Cutoff tool to trim out the eye lid opening. Use the Closed Spline draw mode from the E-Panel to do it. When you are ready to merge it with the head/body layer, you can hold the SHIFT key while moving the eyleid layer on top of the head layer (that will merge them together). This is best done when in Voxel mode. Faster and looks better, I think.

 

I will try to get the rest of those done in the next few days. Been through dozens of revisions, but end up giving into the temptation to make it more comprehensive/extensive than it's supposed to be. Hard to strike a balance between keeping it brief and concise, and risk leaving new users guessing what settings and tools I'm using and why....or explaining more and getting complaints that I'm not sticking to the script and stopping to explain things. If I keep referring to other videos (like explaining the differrence between voxel and surface mode....it takes time to do that)...to keep things brief....it will tick a lot of people off, so it's a tougher chore than it would seem.