@You : "...If you don't have a really good UV Mapper, then that would be a really good reason to use 3DC..."
I totally agree!
IMHO 3D-Coat with this new version 4.8 (actually in beta test) it is increasingly becoming a killer app!
Under 400 USD it's really hard to find better alternatives.
And if you don't need exporting outside 3DC but what you want to do is a super fast production of prototypes and concepts,
I strongly suggest you the fastest workflow actually available inside 3DC :
1) voxels (also in surface mode) : modelling directly in Sculpt Room or importing models created outside (for example obj exported from Moi)
2) Apply Shaders in Sculpt Room
3) Use PBR builtin render.
No UV, NO retopo, NO texturing, NO exporting, nothing.
Of course, using that workflow you can't get photorealistic results, but in less than 2 hours you can create a complete
model, for example a of a medium complexity mechanical object, from scratch to render.
Thanks for the info Chip and Marco, much appreciated. The cannon looks great! This brings me on another possible reason to go for 3D Coat: how good is its capacity to auto-generate a hollow model with just the right wall thickness?
In ZBrush you can use the Dynamesh Shell function to create a wall thickness based on voxels, but in practice the Shapeways 3D print auto-check still finds weak areas with insufficient wall thickness, so ZBrush Dynamesh Shell isn't the one-stop solution I'm looking for.
Talking about again the old and ever green Bryce 7, I'm glad to tell you
that David Brinnen has completely redesigned from scratch his excellent https://www.bryce-tutorials.info/
You have 3 possibilities of nature styles - Deep, Thin, Dream : in one you can input your own images as support of style so infinite possibilities!
and a result with a standard style "Deep" (less 3 minutes)
with "Deep" + my own style (less 3 minutes)
With "Thin" + a style(s) standard (less 40 seconds)
With "Dream" (less 40 seconds) : the original concept of the computer vision in clouds! ;)
4 Possibilities : Standard, Spirit, Neuron, Valyrian, Your own!
Here standard
"3D Coat: how good is its capacity to auto-generate a hollow model with just the right wall thickness?"
Very simple with 3D Coat. In fact I would suppose voxels are the absolute best for complicated shelling as the voxel unit is so small and offsetting it mathematically is fairly simple (I believe). In any case, I've never seen any problems with even the most complicated shelling offsets...positive or negative.
It's one reason why I use 3D Coat for complex 3D Printing of models.
Chip and Marco: I've bought 3D Coat! I hope you're proud of me now. ;) I expect to spend the next few months not sleeping but watching about 8723984 3D Coat video tutorials, including yours, Chip. :)
You'll also find 3D Coat GREAT and EASY for UV mapping MoI OBJ exports. Very simple once you get things figured out. Glad to hear you purchased it. A bit of a learning curve (I'm still learning) but the results, IMO, are worth it.
Thanks Chipp! (Sorry for writing your name incorrectly up to now, I always thought your name was Chip P. Walters :) )
I'm currently happily swimming around in the lake of 3D Coat video tutorials, including yours.
I'm impressed by the versatility of 3D Coat. The highlights to me so far are:
• Very accessible and customizable UI. I'm very glad I could change the viewport navigation controls to what I'm used to, because sadly ZBrush doesn't allow navigation customization.
• Great and very flexible arsenal of primitives. Love the fact that they remain intact for further manipulation, and that you can instantly use Boolean operations when hitting Apply.
• Retopo tools. I did some first tests, comparing ZRemesher results to Autopo results, and most of the time Autopo has a slight advantage, especially when using curve guides. But the manual retopo tools are fabulous as well. 3D Coat will be my retopo tool for sure.
• I also love the many stroke types, including powerful curve tools. Curve tools are a weakness of ZBrush.
I still have to dive into the UV room and Smart Materials. Looking forward to that too.
Glad you're getting up to speed w/3DC. Please do keep us posted on your findings...as I'm not a ZBrush user but I do have a couple people working with me who are, and I'd certainly like to stay up-to-date on the procons.
