Full Version: Moi3D to 3D-Coat to Cinema4D workflow tutorial

Hi Moi people!

Here's a quick'n'dirty workflow example i tested tonight which allows for relative smooth transfers of data between Moi3D, 3D-Coat and Cinema4D. There is only one problem and it's that it requires RipTide Pro for Cinema4D or else this will not work. The plugin is cheap to buy and it's a great investment for any Cinema4D user out there. Anyhow here's what to do..

1. Start by modeling something in Moi3D and exporting it out as .obj with similar settings, the exact settings you should use ofcourse depends on what your model looks like. Use this more as a guideline.
http://img02.picoodle.com/img/img02/3/1/30/f_AMoi3Dnurbsm_63d44ac.jpg
http://img18.picoodle.com/img/img18/3/1/30/f_Moi3DOBJexpm_3b8eb29.jpg

2. Import your previously exported .obj model from Moi3D with similar settings to 3D-Coat ([i]smoothing can be either on or off, doesn't seem to make a difference[/i])
http://img37.picoodle.com/img/img37/3/1/30/f_3DCImportsem_f798f9a.jpg

3 Then do your thing in 3D-Coat with the paint tools..
http://img26.picoodle.com/img/img26/3/1/30/f_B3DCoattextm_cce3f6d.jpg

4. Export your model including any textures you painted for it as you normally do with 3D-Coat, default settings works fine in 3D-Coat's export dialogbox.

5. Now import the .obj file you exported from 3D-Coat into Cinema4D using RipTide Pro with the following settings, this is the crucial part of the workflow or else it won't work correctly. Make sure you have ticked in Flip X Axis and Flip UV Vertically to get your texturemaps aligned with your mesh, otherwise the mesh and/or the texturemaps are imported flipped.
http://img02.picoodle.com/img/img02/3/1/30/f_C4DRipTidePm_4b22a00.jpg

6. Last thing to do is to play with the Phong Angle setting in your Phong Tag on your objects so you get a nice clean smooth mesh without any visual artifacts. However this is working kinda weird.. because you may still get artifacts in your mesh and you might have to go back to 3D-Coat to rebuild a new topology on your Moi3D mesh, that's a worst case scenario. In most cases just playing around a bit with the phong angle is enough to get a usable mesh that you can render.
Here's a screenshot from what it looks like when i imported my mesh with it's texture into Cinema4D. :) works like a charm!
http://img32.picoodle.com/img/img32/3/1/30/f_CCinema4Drim_e6d84c7.jpg

Good luck!

/ Magnus

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Thanks for sharing your settings. I always import OBJ in Max without welding vertices and I have some little problem. I give your workflow a try for sure (maybe is the right time for evaluate Cinema 4D ....).

Don't you need to make th UVMapping inside 3DCoat (or with another package like Roadkill)?

Ciao
Luca

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You're welcome Luca :) most likely the settings apply to any 3d application out there, but it also depends on how good it's obj importer is, some have better and some have real crappy importers. Cinema4D with RipTide Pro is a strong combined package to work with, i personally love it. Makes working with 3d so much easier and more fun.

That's the thing with 3D-Coat, you can utilize it's auto UV mapping thingy directly upon import of your model, and it automatically unwraps it and creates a empty texturemap of the size you want and then you can directly start painting on it. And when you're done, you simply export your model and texture and it exports with the UV's it automatically generated intact. :) this could not be any easier.

If for some reason your mesh is fucked up, you can use 3D-Coat's retopology tools to rebuild a whole new topology ontop of your Moi mesh and unwrap that new topomesh and then texture it within 3D-Coat. All this may sound like a headache generator but it's not! :D

/ Magnus

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Having both Cinema 4D w/Riptide and 3D-Coat, I appreciate you posting your workflow.


I've been avoiding 3DC for now since it requires you to "mush" your models upon import. I don't want to subdivide my spaceship models if I don't absolutely have to.

I see you're using the v3 alpha which I haven't really worked with yet but I hear that it will be worked on being able to paint without the subdivide requirement (if I understood the roadmap correctly).

Keith's Riptide plugin is a lifesaver I must say and his new Ogre exporter may be a boon for me as well getting my animated models into the game engine I'm working with.

-Will

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Hi Max,

Thanks for the good info about MOI, C4D & 3DC

Why do you use 3DC instead of BodyPaint? Or is it
like comparing apples & oranges?


Cal

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Will: You're welcome :) and thanks for reading and adding your comments to my thread. I know what you mean about subdiving objects when you import them into 3DC, that's a bit annoying. But it seems that altough when i imported the Moi mesh into 3DC it did subdivide it, however once i painted the mesh i could export it as a lowpoly mesh with the autogenerated UVmap and the texture i painted on it. So the millions of polys 3DC normally subdivide with didn't cause a problem here. It could ofcourse cause problems with other meshes, but that has to be sorted out once you run into such problems. I'm sure it can be resolved without too much trouble. The latest 3DC 3.0 alpha is what i used, but as far as i know the 'paint-on-lowpoly-models' is not yet implemented in this release :( Andrew should add it asap instead of spending so much time on the sculpting stuff. But most users begs him for the sculpt tools so the rest of us who work with lowpoly models won't get heard. It kinda sucks..
RipTide Pro kicks ass, great plugin and well worth it's low price! i haven't tried Ogre tho..

Cal: You can probably use Bodypaint just fine, i can't guarantee it works as well and as easily as this does. I use 3DC because it's good when you use hardsurface models much like what you get from Moi, 3DC's auto-UV tool and texturepainting capabilities helps you solve many issues you run into when you work with Moi models which has no real meshflow or topology. They can sometimes be a nightmare to unwrap in a normal 3d application. The texturepainting tools in Bodypaint is real good, in many ways better than 3DC, so i'm not gonna say there's anything wrong with them. :) the tools you choose for your work depends on you and what fits best in your workflow, what i show here is only what i think is the best and easiest solution when i work with meshes coming from Moi.

/ Magnus

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