cakeller

Also - just found that CUDA was not showing up in the Geometry menu of the sculpting room. hmm... I went looking for it also when I was first looking for solutions. Use CUDA and CUDA Smooth Boost were not available when I was having the problem (and I assumed they had been moved/removed or something) but now they are there, so... perhaps that is relevant?

Finally found this thread, and so happy I did. OS Name Microsoft Windows 10 Pro Version 10.0.18362 Build 18362 System Manufacturer Dell Inc., System Model Precision 7720, System Type x64-based PC Processor Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU E3-1535M v6 @ 3.10GHz, 3101 Mhz, 4 Core(s), 4 Logical Processor(s) Installed Physical Memory (RAM) 32.0 GB Quadro P5000 (mobile) Nvidia Driver v 416.78 (now 431.94) 3D Connection Space Pilot drivers installed, but device unplugged (I did not bother testing with it plugged in, I needed this problem solved ASAP, and might bother to try with it plugged in, but probably not - using the space pilot is rare) Try and do anything in 3D Coat, and the input lag is crazy 0.5-1s between location samples. Yet pan/dolly/spin works just fine. Disabled the 3D Connection service and killed the drivers, but ** upon starting 3D Coat the processes all started up again. ** << this might be important to Andrew ;-) Uninstalled the 3D Connection drivers, and the problem disappears - didn't even restart. === I've been using 3D Coat for a LONG time! like over 8 years... maybe 10. But it's not my day-to-day thing. I've never had lag issues before so when this came up after not having used 3D coat for a while, and recently having installed the latest available release (4.9.05), I was like ok ok maybe there's an issue with the transfer of settings. so I deleted all my prefs. nope. so I reverted to an older version... still no. so I took to the forums looking for answers and this is what frustrated me most - the highest hits have lots of posts complaining about trolling - sorry - since there is a potentially REAL issue, it would be nice if that post that contributes very little to solving people's problems was taken down a notch or 100. FINALLY found this post and deinstalled my 3D connection drivers, as the Space Pilot is usually unplugged and only used on rare occasions. 100% completely fixed my lag. I REALLY wish this was the top hit for slow performance in the forum. And this should be the first question, not Nvidia drivers. If someone with a non-ancient system says "I have horrible lag", I'd first, before anything else, ask if they ever had a space mouse and if it's unplugged! (haha - sure that's me selfishly wishing that was the first thing I found) anyway... hopefully bumping this issue up helps someone else find the solution quicker than I did.

Actually yes, to be able to see the problem you have to move the retopo mesh. I was mistaken about the origin and bounds of the shift+a. It is set by the sculpt (or paint object). if you position the sculpt object where the retopo object is, you are tricked into believing that the shift+a zoom function is working correctly (ish). however if you transform the retopo object somewhere where there is no sculpt(or paint) object, then the shift+a does not behave as needed. I have attached a video to show what I mean. * lesaint, importing to the painting room, is a workaround similar to what I had done in the past of importing the retopo room as voxel or surface to make it an object. but what a pain in the b. to make the UI do what should come naturally instantly many many times over a day, I would have to create bogus geometry? And while I understand the Space Navigator works for some folks, I find it awful and awkward. Not for lack of trying. I've had a few over the years - and they always end up collecting dust after the initial excitement wears off and I have to get real work done. manipulation and the UI need to be second nature. the UI needs to get out of the way of the work. And I need to keep my hands connected to the input devices so I'm never fumbling around. Being able to focus in on the area where you are working instantaneously is a critical to an efficient workflow. I did find something pretty useful - Shift+Z - GREAT tool... too bad it 1/2 suffers from the same problem as Shift+A. That is, if there is a sculpt, then it will prefer the sculpt over the retopo. However since I am trying to do UVing on an object that never had a sculpt in the first place, it appears that SHIFT+Z might do the trick. It's still not fluid enough. SHIFT+A should simply just zoom to the extents of what is visible, including ALL geometry, retopo or otherwise. You then hide what you're not working on and SHIFT+A would zoom to those bounds every time. simple-clean-effective. And how MOST(?ALL?) 3D programs I've used do it. I can't think of another that has a problem with this concept. thanks for the replies. 2018-02-08_10h26_11.mp4

@Oleg_Shapo or @anyone - It's been a month since I first asked this question and at least the third time reposting. Working UVing an imported mesh, and trying to work on different areas is incredibly painful to navigate. imagine you're working on uving a finger and every time you want to zoom out to the hand shift+a instead takes you down to the feet and zoomed in. basically the retopo-type geometry has no bearing on the model extents. if it's what you are zooming in to - nothing is seen and therefore you are zoomed right to the origin. I gave up using 3D-COAT for this project because I had to get it done (a long time ago) but now I definitely would have to use a different workflow, especially if there's not even an acknowledgement of if the problem is user-error? or if this is intended functionality? or if it is, in fact, a bug. if it's user error - help!!! if it's a bug - just need to know it'll eventually get fixed - if it's intended functionality... WHY? haha. It just seems like such an easy thing to confirm. Really shift+a in the retopo and uv rooms should have an option shift+ctrl+a to zoom to selected visible layer. that'd be very nice. but at the very least it should recognize retopo and UV geometry as part of the extents with relation to zooming. Again - this is unless I'm doing something wrong and this is already possible? Thanks

Hi again... Still having the same problem - just tested and 4.8.09 still does not zoom extents by using Shift+A for retopo geometry if there is no surface or voxel underlying it. It only works for surface and voxel objects. Since I'm trying to layout UVs on my low-poly mesh, I need the zoop extents (shift+a) to work in retopo even when there's no surface or voxel. If there is only a retopo object but no sculpt object, then Shift+A centers to the origin instead of the center of, or bounds of the selected retopo object. You can test this by: 1) create a simple object in sculpt room. 2) move it away from the origin (or don't, as long as it is not at the origin in the end) 3) Autotopo the sculpt. 4) Delete the sculpt object 5) Switch to the Retop Room, click "Select" tool, then select anything - a face, an edge, a vertext, the whole shell. 6) Press Shift+A and the result is that 3D Coat zooms to the origin, not to the bounding box of the selection. Again - this does not happen if you have a sculpt object, it is only when you are trying to zoom to the extents of a retopo only object.

Sorry for the repeated post here, but I wanted to separate the still existing problem from the one that was fixed. Using Shift+A to zoom to the bounds of the selected object, does not appear to work on retopo objects, only on sculpt objects. If there is only a retopo object but no sculpt object, then Shift+A centers to the origin instead of the center of, or bounds of the selected retopo object. You can test this by: 1) create a simple object in sculpt room. 2) move it away from the origin (or don't, as long as it is not at the origin in the end) 3) Autotopo the sculpt. 4) Delete the sculpt object 5) Switch to the Retop Room, click "Select" tool, then select anything - a face, an edge, a vertext, the whole shell. 6) Press Shift+A and the result is that 3D Coat zooms to the origin, not to the bounding box of the selection. Again - this does not happen if you have a sculpt object, it is only when you are trying to zoom to the extents of a retopo only object. Is this intended behavior? Am I missing something? The UV Layout tools are pretty outstanding in 3D Coat, and I want to be able to use them fro doing UV layout on outside models.

Thanks I'll try the 4.8.07 as for the framing problem. The behavior in voxel room is correct. However on my imported OBJ file that I am not voxelizing, only using to lay out UVs, Shift+A centers on the origin. I will see if this persists in 4.8.07. EDIT: Tested 4.8.07, and you're right now the UV islands can be moved! yay - at least there's that one. However, I tested the Shift+A in 4.8.07, and same results as before. The Shift+A does work on sculpt objects, however, it does not work on retopo only objects. if there is only a retopo object but no sculpt object, then Shift+A centers to the origin. You can test this by: 1) create a simple object in sculpt room. 2) move it away from the origin (or don't, as long as it is not at the origin in the end) 3) Autotopo the sculpt. 4) Delete the sculpt object 5) Switch to the Retop Room, click "Select" tool, then select anything - a face, an edge, a vertext, the whole shell. 6) Press Shift+A and the result is that 3D Coat zooms to the origin, not to the bounding box of the selection. Again - this does not happen if you have a sculpt object, it is only when you are trying to zoom to the extents of a retopo only object.

I've been using 3DC for over 8 years, but never did any texturing with it. I'm just starting to learn this part - so my apologies if I'm doin' something wrong. Does seems like these are just a couple of bugs. -------------------------------------- In Retopo Room: Shift-A with an object selected does not zoom to the bounding box of the object. Instead it centers around global origin. NOTE: I am retopologizing and laying out UVs on an imported OBJ. There are no voxels or any objects in the sculpt room. Perhaps I am doing something wrong? -------------------------------------- In UV Room: If I undock the UV Preview Panel then I can no-longer use the gizmo to move the islands or uv's around. -------------------------------------- 3D Coat :Version 4.8.05 GL (also checked on DX version)

You are AMAHHHHHHZING!! The joint tool was pretty good already - but this was the thing I thought... would be so cool if it had. OMG! You added it so fast! As always Andrew - you are so "the man!"

Im a little confused about the shader situation... while I agree an update to the UI regarding shaders is truly needed... and to separate SHADER from shader settings would also be nice... the idea that a shader + settings is a "shader" is obnoxious - but the shading engine is great. 1) I'd like to be able to have a shader adjustment box that allows me to adjust the settings of the current objects' shader 2) I'd like to be able to save those shader adjustments as a preset, not a whole new shader 3) I'd like to be able to "connect up" shader reference textures, rather than have them be a fixed part of the shader Truly the shaders are actually VERY VERY powerful as they are GLSL and HLSL shaders - ANYONE can write one as simple or as complex as you like. The trick is to make them more functionally easy to adjust and use. Who wants to always make an orange colored car? - uh, ok, so you copy that orange shader, edit the texture map in PS and now you have a blue car shader... so to have a rainbow of colors for the gamut of shader types, we have shader explosion... not so great. Anyway - just my two cents... and for what it's worth, a lot of the limitations on shading are directly related to the fact that it's GLSL/HLSL shading - so all shaders have to be written in those shading languages... they don't really do light scattering or transparency very well. OH that's another enhancement I'd like to see - better 2-sided transparent surfaces/see thu-ness. but that also might simply be a GLSL/HLSL limitation. long and short - better shader/settings UI paradigm, and better transparency appearance, otherwise - the rest works really well (IMO) for the purposes I use it for -previs.

Oh man, I so totally agree!!!

Tested by deleting all my settings, and found that Bas Relief was fixed, as well as Undercuts. Putting back Options_Presets broke both again... however, replacing just the old Options Presets with a "fresh" copy did not fix it. I had to delete the Tool_Presets folder, and options_presets.xml

All versions of Beta 11 on Windows 7 x64 (GL/Cuda or No, DX/Cudor or No) - Bas Relief and Undercuts appear to be broken. Bas Relief cuts away only the back material but adds no material.

Really incredible shaders! nice work.

Now if only the ZOOM limit was literally the focal point... or at least if that was an option. so frustrating Zooming PAST your look point.. in actuality it would be nice if ZOOM (DOLLY ACTUALLY - as zoom would change the FOV).... anyway would be nice if you could DOLLY TOWARD A PARTICULAR POINT... OR JUST DOLLY in Camera Z space.... both are useful, but when you get close to the focal point - wouldn't it be nice to have finer control?... I mean the purpose of ZOOMING in, is so you can edit smaller details... get's rather pointless if navigation is still as coarse as it is when zoomed way out. but yes, this little thing that was fixed is GOOD.

+1 +1 +1 +1 Ohhhhh yeah that would be so awesome!

I believe that is the case - when you convert back to voxel mode the resolution will only be as high as it was at the current voxel resolution. If you want the resolution to preserve the details you've added in live clay, I think you have to adjust the voxel resolution by doing a "resample" Alternatively this is the final step (live clay) before retopo and just never go back to voxel mode. you can also export the mesh from surface mode - and then import as high res reference mesh. hope this helps?

I was about to rant about how ridiculous it was not to have it, reading andrew's post thinking how silly a suggestion to use axial symmetry with instan.... wait - instancing??? they update as they get painted? oh oh ok... I see... however - the only problem with that is that with this method you cannot paint across the boundary of the rotational symmetry. STILL it is at least a reasonable workaround until radial symmetry is complete... PLEASE tell me this is not the final solution? really I WANT multi-node painting... IOW - I want to be able to give an equation for symmetry... e.g. Brush0 = normal brush, Brush1 = Brush0 * XForm [Origin[0,0,0], Rotation[0,0,0], Scale[-1,1,1] ], Brush2 =... etc etc... this allows translation, rotation, and scale effects. not scaling of the brush, but scaling of the stroke... e.g. you paint 1:1 on the left side of the object, and maybe you want the right side to be 2:1... like a pantagraph effect. anyway...

You can also clone the original layer then flip X (or Y or Z, whichever to mirror it) then rotate it into place, and then use the COPY tool to paint what you want from that... you then forgo all the global space stuff... you can even chop away all the stuff you know you won't need from the mirrored layer, that makes it then even easier to position your flipped clone object... \ obviously you'll need to work the blend region by hand... you can also make the original layer a semi-transparent material (about 60% opacity) so you can see where you're positioning the mirror as well... just adding another way, nothing wrong with the above mentioned workflows... this one works for non-symmetrical copying as well.... copying modified pose feature etc...

Absolutely agree... The software is AMAZINGLY feature rich - but understanding the logic around what gets baked to what, and how to manipulate things - is really a bit hap-hazard. I'm completely sure it's just a matter of features evolving, but at some point - someone has to go over and through the interface and make it right... I don't mean make up a new GUI... I mean a re-organization/restructuring of the "rooms".... seriously why are there rooms anyway? look at maya, it has menu-sets but everything is accessed within the same room. .... one small caveat, I don't think Cut-Off should be called boolean... a boolean is an intersection of two objects, so no it wouldn't make immediate sense to me looking at a tool called boolean that it was a FAST CUTTING tool... however if it doesn't work with the brushes (X the brushes out, so you immediately understand it's intended for uses with the polygon tools) and perhaps call it FAST CUT, or BOOLEAN CUT... because it doesn't seem to be worth anything special when used as an additive tool. ramble... sorry... my $0.02, for what it's worth.

Grrr.... yeah most of the voxel tools seem broken - I am deleting the install folder, and my prefs folder. will report back if it fixes anything - I kinda doubt it though.

Same OS with latest 3.5.23 Airbrush is acting like the inversion of "Fade on Edge".... like instead of less effect at the edge, it's less effect away from the edge, and only effect at the edge So Yes, same problem here Win 7 x64, 3D-Coat w/CUDA 3.5.23

YAY!!! how cool, however, would it be, if symmetry was unlimited and defined by our own equation! ... ok I know that's just silly, right? As an example: Point 1: X, Y, Z Point 2: -X, Y, Z Point 3: X, Y(+60°), Z Point 4: -X, Y(-60°), Z Point 5: X, Y(+120°), Z Point 6: -X, Y(-120°), Z would be like basically having 3 radially symmetric points, on one side of X, and a mirror of them on the other. With this method, it is theoretically possible to have limitless versions of symmetry... including other types of symmetry. man, is that too much to ask for? - if you could create whatever symmetry you wanted?... translational, scale, rotation seems more robust and flexible than just mirror and radial symmetries. however, in lieu of that - i really hope that we get access to ALL symmetry at the same time... X, Y, Z + Axial... uh, which axis? how is it defined? can't wait to see.

MacBook Pro 15" with nVidia GeForce 320M

I have a cross platform license, because when I travel I use the mac. yes, the interface isn't conformant to windows, or mac. But IMO it's ALWAYS been relatively easy to use. You say you're going to try ZBrush... I have, and OMG! the UI is... well, you'll see. (talk about non-conformant) Autodesk switched to a cross-platform UI dev kit called QT because the cost of doing all the same work on all 3 platforms, and keeping up with platform specific bugs gets ridiculously expensive. I'm happy to say, I personally have had the SAME experience in 3D-Coat on both mac and windows. I've Never had permissions problems on either system. Windows, I am definitely geek, mac a relative noob. On occasion - preference files do have to get tossed... IF YOU tend to keep up with the latest build but skip builds. I haven't had to toss any, but I update pretty much with every 1-2 builds... Most important, to me, is to make the point - in my very personal opinon: I TAKE STABLE FEATURES IN A NON-CONFORMANT UI, OVER A CONFORMANT INTERFACE WITH LESS FESTURES, ABSOLUTELY EVERY SINGLE TIME. every features andrew's crew adds, has added value to my experience. the speed improvements are INCREDIBLE!... you say you want a conformant UI? I want live clay finalized. I want radial symmetry. and whatever other cool things are coming down the line. and yeah, I do want them stable. --- if you want conformant, go with mudbox. --- if you want top of the line features, go with whatever has them, and learn the UI. --- if you want your cake, even after you've eaten it: wait a few years... and then lets talk. just my opinion - not saying your desire, as a non-geek non-hacker, isn't valid... I'm just sayin' I prefer development to be on the underlying technology, rather than the UI. Why waste 1/3 of your dev budget maintaining 3 different UIs? Mac users are not "Lucky to have 3D-Coat available" we are ALL lucky. ONE LAST THING: if you have specific issues/problems. Post them, without a rant, and 9 times out of 10 someone else has seen it and can help you get it fixed.