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Stating a Character From Scratch: Best Way


bobzilla
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I'm about to start a character (creature) and was wondering what is the recomended method.

 

It will be animated. Should I bring in a low res model and start from that? Bring into voxel room? Start in voxel room? Or bring into one of the other texturing areas?

 

I have no experience sculpting, so I don;t know how fast I would pick that up from scratch.

 

So, any help would be appreciated.

 

Also, I'm in v3.7.

 

Thanks.

 

Bob

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Hi bobzilla,

 

I've only started with 3DCoat as well, but I think I can still give you some pointers. No doubt the more veteran users will have something to say as well.

 

You've got a lot of options. I think the "best way" is whatever method you're most comfortable with that complements your other 3D software.

 

*) Start with high res traditional modeling in another program, bring it in and detail it and/or paint it using the voxel and/or paint rooms. Retopo and unwrap it in 3DCoat, bake it, and import into your animation software.

 

*) Start from scratch in 3DCoat using voxels. Has a learning curve if you're just starting with sculpting, but enables you to skip the first step in the previous method, which is a time saver once you gain experience. Paint, retopo, unwrap, bake, import to animation software.

 

*) Any mix of Traditional, Voxel, Paint, Retopo, Unwrapping, Baking. 3D Coat can be supplementary or primary.

 

Start by blocking out your shape using primitives or the curves tool in the voxel room (or other tools). Use the lowest possible resolution at all times--helps avoid lumpiness and cleaning frustration. So at 1x resolution it'd be your general shape of the body--torso, head, legs, body, some slight muscle definition. Toes and fingers may have to wait for higher resolutions. Then Res+, and work with that fully until you can't do any more at that resolution. Then Res+, and so on until you're satisfied. Use separate layers for separate objects, will help your performance at higher resolutions.

 

Personally I recommend diving straight in by starting in the voxel room. Get that orientation done and over with, and then you can work wonders.

Edited by Cowtail
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If U've had NO experience in sculpting the only way is to start learning it. Really! Open Youtube and start watching tons of ZBrush / Sculptris / Mudbox tutorials to get an idea about general patterns and principles of 3D-sculpting. 3D-Coat tutorials are also available, but, unfortunately, not much was produced. See this forum also, http://3d-coat.com/forum/index.php?showforum=15. Then simply start practicing. All other - from what to start - from "Curves" (z-spheres in ZBrush) or from Primitives or from whatever - makes no sence, it's just working patterns depending on user's own convenience and deeply varying from one artist to another. For instance, I prefer to combine: I sculpt a torso from a primitive (sphere / blob) and the limbs - with the Curves tool - in a Voxel Room. Then, smaller details can be added with LiveClay.

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Retopo is where you create the actual geometry that the finished object will have. Naturally, many folks try to make quads and Autopo does that too. The tris in Live Clay merely describe the surface on which you will construct the final mesh and are virtual and wont survive the retopo/autopo export object process unless you save the 3b file, in which case you can take it up again to make changes.

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LiveClay  works only in tris, right? Does retoping after you're done take car of making everything quads?

 

Bob

The Voxel Room is your extremely High Resolution/Polygon model/sculpting environment. The Retopo room is where you either trace new topology onto the high poly version....to produce a low poly version that will play nice in a typical 3D app or Game engine. If you created a base model in your major 3D app first, then you can simply use (import) that in the Retopo Room...instead of building it from scratch.

 

 

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I followed the Rat tutorial (which was very informative) and I now realize...I SUCK at sculpting!

 

Aside from that, how can you get all quads or make sure there are no n-gons or tris when retoplogizing? My character will be animated and they need clean, quad only meshes.

 

Thanks.

 

Bob

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No n-gons or tris is up to you.

If you want 100% quads, you have to retopo it manualy, i always, would prefer that instead of autopo.

 

Sometimes autopo is good, sometimes it is realy bad. It creates tris and n-gons, but thats normal for a caluclatet algorythmus.

It depends always on your needs

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OK. So here's the new plan:

 

1. Build a base mesh in Cinema 4D (I'm not really comfortable sculpting from scratch yet)

2. Bring into 3D Coat for sculpting, texture, painting.

3. Export .obj and normal map (Is that correct?)

 

At what point do I need UVs? Should the obj I'm importing have UVs? Are UVs needed for sculpting or just for texture/painting?

 

Thanks.

 

Bob

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If your sculpting has been so minimal that you could use your original UV, you can keep it. If you have made substantial changes, you would proceed to Autopo/Retopo. UVs play no role in sculpting, but you need them to paint and to export.

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An answer from Digman in a recent thread which is very sound advice

 

Main rule of thumb in surface mode is keep your mesh smooth as you work up to the higher polygon count. The more polygons the harder it becomes to correct areas. I know how and of course other experience users as well but not a newer user.

Thinking of lower resolutions as the basic volume of your virtual clay armature to begin your work is the best way forward.

Serge T offered great advice on the principle as there truly is no definitive method.

 

Glad to read  that you found a way your comfortable to work with.

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