http://forums.polyloop.net/3d-work-progress-finished-works/17603-mac-bear.html

Have a look at this thread. Especially all the variations listed to look at in post 6.
Whilst Mox used Hexagon as the starting modelling app there is no reason why MoI would not be as good--I would think better! (No way I will return to Hexagon after using MoI!)

Two things about the 3D Coat app as a companion to MoI from my perspective.
First the better price. Secondly, far, far easier to learn for me.
(And the way it is going,with the V3 Beta, I can not see any benefit with using Z-Brush--3DC is going to have things that Z-Brushers have wished for.)

You still need a good rendering app----my choice, still, value for money, comprehensive-ness/adaptability as a true 3d app and ease of use/learning is Carrara6.

Brian

(But remember Blender is free if you can adapt to it's workings!)

Hi Anis,

Do you mean a .obj or.lwo file?

The size will be a highpoly mesh of 295k (1/3 Mb)

@Brian...

your review about zbrush & 3d coat is very useful for me.

@Paolo...

yup the obj or lwo file.
I want to see the result from 3d coat by open the file in moi.

Thanks

Hi Anis - the data that is stored in an .lwo or .obj file is polygon mesh data - it is different than the NURBS surface data that MoI is set up to work on.

You can export .lwo or .obj files out from MoI - MoI will calculate a polygon mesh by dicing up the NURBS surfaces into planar facets.

But you can't easily go the other direction.

In general once you are working with polygons you will be using a different set of tools that are focused on working with that kind of data instead.

So MoI can generate that kind of data from its NURBS surfaces, but once you have that data MoI is not the right tool for working on the polygon data further. You need to use a polygon modeling program for that instead of MoI.

- Michael

Hi Michael...

Just want to make this clear, below is the procedure :

1. create the 3d basic shape in moi
2. export to 3dcoat
3. add 3d texture in 3d coat, in this case feather
4. export form 3dcoat to moi
5. open the export result in moi

Here / inside moi I just want to know the surface result, if the result is ok then I will send the data to moldmaker.

Is what I have describes above possible ?

Thanks

< Zbrush / 3D Coat
3D Coat is like Moi , you can speak with the conceptor Andrew !
With the beta 3.0 you have a new technology of sculpting : the "Voxels" : grain of matter!
It's not polygons but really matter (if possible on a screen ;)
If you want enthusiam of creation in perpetual gestation (like Moi) go there!
http://3dbrush.kriska.hvosting.net/forum/index.php?s=0bb9bcdbf07f0f065239442f92e4d104&showforum=20
http://3dbrush.kriska.hvosting.net/forum/index.php?s=0bb9bcdbf07f0f065239442f92e4d104&showforum=16
Must have a strong video card!

Hi Anis - no that full sequence is not possible.

The initial 3 steps are fine - that will work.

But specifically step #4 and #5 that you describe will not work. (the part about bringing it back into MoI at the end).


Once you have exported the data out of MoI as a polygon data file, it is no longer the kind of data that MoI can work on directly. 3D Coat does not work on NURBS data like MoI does, instead it works on polygon data.

After you are done working on the data in 3D Coat, the result is not a kind of data that can be loaded back into MoI, you would just view it in 3D coat or if you want to bring it into another program you would bring it into a polygon modeling program like Modo or Silo.

Since MoI is not a polygon modeling program, you cannot bring polygon mesh data into it, MoI works instead on an entirely different kind of data (NURBS surface data).

Once you have exported as polygons out of MoI then you won't be able to bring that data back in again, it is a completely different kind of data.

Note - just because you cannot bring that final data back into MoI at the end does not mean that you cannot use it to manufacture with.

Like I mentioned previously as a first step contact your mold maker and see if they can work with polygon data (for example STL or OBJ files) or not.

- Michael

Anis

You don't, basically, take stuff from 3D Coat, or Z-Brush, back into MoI. They are poly modellers not Nurbs modellers. (As I see it, you can not properly create Nurbs(3DM) files from .obj files.)

Normally you would take the .obj file from them into a generalised 3D app--for example say Carrara--BUT, it would be an app that saves to the file type you need--Carrara may not be suitable?

Nothing straight forward in 3D unfortunately.

Brian

Hello there

>> First the better price. Secondly, far, far easier to learn for me.
(And the way it is going,with the V3 Beta, I can not see any benefit with using Z-Brush--3DC is going to have things that Z-Brushers have wished for.)

Well I don't agree, it's not because 3dcoat has 1 or 2 better integrated features compare to zbrush that you have to forget the thousand of features zbrush has over 3dcoat.
Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against 3dcoat, I'm closely following the voxel integration.

The amount of details you can bring on a character with zbrush in really amazing, and all the tools available deserve the price imho.

Hi All....

Now lets wait an stl and obj file from Paolo.
Then I will cross check the file to our mold maker and see the result.

Thanks guys....

Hi Paolo...

You can send me any model from 3dcoat if the bird model is too large.
I just want to check the surface result from 3dcoat.

Thanks !

Hi Anis,

I have problems on uploading a 9,89 MB
file on the moi Server, i will try 2 hours
later

You can use this nice program : http://www.freebyte.com/hjsplit/

Ok Anis here they are,

Here is a plane whith different brushes

One note if you are going to use the demo off 3d-coat:
In many cases Moi will export an obj mesh welding
meshsufaces together

If you want a good result in 3d-coat the object
has to be a single mesh in which each polygon
has only one point on each vertex (i have got frustrated
on this)

Paolo
I presume these are supposed to be normal .obj files?
If so, the end numbering, .001-- 2 etc has to be removed to make them .obj files.

Even then, they do not open ----should each not have MTL files attached?

Very odd

Brian

Hi Paolo,

> If you want a good result in 3d-coat the object
> has to be a single mesh in which each polygon
> has only one point on each vertex (i have got frustrated
> on this)

If you want every polygon to have only a single point shared between all adjacent polygons, you should normally be able to do this by enabling the "Weld vertices along edges" option inside of MoI.

To see that option you need to push the small arrow in the lower-left corner of the Meshing options dialog to open it up to see more options.

With that option enabled, does it give you the kind of output that you need for 3d-coat, or have you been seeing problems with welding enabled on output from MoI?

One other note - if you have constructed a model made up of individual surfaces (like by sweeping, etc..) make sure you use Join before exporting, so that MoI will know about the shared edges between the different surfaces. MoI does some extra work when you have shared edges to ensure that the meshing is "watertight" and has a unified structure along those edges. If you have individual surfaces not joined together, they can get meshed separately and get different vertex structures.

- Michael

Hi Paolo,

I am really appreciate your effort...many thanks :)
Below is the result import to solidworks and convert the mesh to surface.
The next step is I will send the data to my mold maker next week and lets wait what will he say....

@Brian....
Paolo split the main file to separates file use this program http://www.freebyte.com/hjsplit/

You can download the program so you can joint all the eight files into single obj file.

Thank You !!!

Anis

Sorry. I am lost!

Why in the world would anyone need a separate app when virtually all 3D apps I know can join files?

Would not a simple zip file containg the all/or original .obj files be all that is required?

Messy stuff like that---way outside the norm/needed tends to drive this old bloke crazy!

Sorry-----never had close to that approach needed in my years with 3D

Brian

Hi Brian,

You are right i was thinking about to
buy a zip conversion program

I wanted to give an answer to Anis in 24 hours
without spending money for one single case

If in the future i need to upload more files i will
certainly consider it

Paolo

Is not Winzip free?

Coming, as standard , with Windows?

I though creating a zip file, on any app, was standard?

http://www.download.com/WinZip/3000-2250_4-10003164.html

Brian