Intro

[tiburbage]

Just spent a couple of weeks going back and forth between ZBrush (which I already own) and 3D-Coat, just to get a feel for how they overlap, how they are different. Decided as good as ZBrush is, 3D-Coat is a very useful tool in its own right, and is pushing the technology in some very interesting directions. 3D-Coat represents a trend I really like in CG software these days, which is away from the huge, monolithic "try to do everything" apps, and toward small, highly focused, rapidly developing apps. It seems like this is where the real innovation is coming from.

It was initially CG-Coat's 3D paint/texturing and UV tools which caught my attention, but the retopo look top notch, and I think the time has finally come in terms of computer horsepower for voxel-based modeling to really show its potential. I've long enjoyed the straight polygonal modeling process, but at the same time it can be incredibly time consuming and at times down right tedious (UV mapping included). I'm really looking forward to thinking more in terms of shape and form and less about topology details. That dovetails nicely with the retopo tools since eventually a good base mesh will have to be derived for external use. Anyway, I'm looking forward to some creative experimentation in the coming months.

By way of a short intro, I've worked for the last 20 years in software development, mostly on the testing side, primarily as a tools and automation systems developer, with Adobe in San Jose for the past 11. However, for a number of years now my real interest has been in CG, with an interest in a professional sense in both video/film and in high end game production areas. I have used LightWave since v6, Maya since v6, and am comfortable with After Effects, PS, ZBrush. I split my creative time between "artist" and "TD" endevours, and would be happy to find production opportunities that are anywhere in the middle of those two poles.

I'm looking forward to how folks are integrating 3D-Coat into their own creative pipelines.

-Tom