Adding customized brushes

[themacguy]

Hi Everybody...

I'm trying to do the "Lathe" tutorial, http://www.cgdigg.com/rw3d.php

--with sincere thanks to "Journyman"!!! I owe you a "cup of coffee" as soon as I have some spare coins... :-)

The tutorial looks GREAT, (as nearly all tutorials do..) except for missing a few key steps.... :-)

I just got a Connexion "Space Navigator" 3-D mouse/joystick, and want to import your suggested/provided .PSD file (in this case 256x256 pixels, WHITE square)

However---How DO you add this customized brush to the brushes menu?

I'm presuming that the brush shape is defined by a black and white image (in this case a white square)

--with the black being what would be used to create a more "complex" shape of brush?

...But exactly what's the procedure? What format (in an external editor, presumably Photoshop) do you save the brush-file as?

How do you create a visual "icon" for that brush, so you can recognize it in the brush-palette?

Are there special naming-conventions for naming a brush in the brush-palette?

And, probably most important....WHERE exactly does the new brush go,

---so that it will be loaded into 3d-Coat, the next time you load the program??

Either as part of the "default set", OR, As part of aa "custom set" for general use, OR, for use with a specific project?

Where ARE the "brush libraries" stored for 3DC? (I'm on a Mac...)

Are there any optional libraries that can be "loaded" and "unloaded" as the need arises?If so, where and how?

The same range of questions apply for adding to or customizing "Materials" "Textures" "Shaders". "Masks" etc. etc...

I can see that, as the user continues to add "special" and "custom" and "project related" files to 3D-Coat...

---that "support file management" is going to become an item of MAJOR concern...

File-formats and naming and saving conventions, to impose some "order over the chaos" will need to be SPELLED OUT.! :-)

I wouldn't want to have an installation of a newer version of 3DC or a RE-installation to fix a corrupted copy...

---TOTALLY obliterate a carefully built up set of brushes, textures and whatnot...

Just for the "newbie" mistake of having stored those customized/extra items in "the wrong place"...

So, a very clear DIAGRAM of folder hierarchies to PRECISELY define the "WHERE" for all of this stuff to go...

---would be a GREAT thing to add to the Manual, and the WIKI.. :-)

b.t.w.... Is anybody else using a 3D "Space Navigator" type of joystick?

Let's get together here and share tips and techniques...

(configuring it PROPERLY seems to be something that is "non-trivial")

---I haven't got the hang of that yet, either ! But it looks like it could be a LOT of fun! ;-)

[Tom K]

just click on the folder icon in the brush panel and load a file. that's it. on the bottom it will tell you all the file types. ( not just an image. could also be an object )

Your new brush is now part of the brush panel. right click on any brush to edit or delete.

If you want, you can click the little down arrow in the upper right corner and create your own folder and load the brushes into that folder instead of the default one.

Tom

[Tom K]

Where ARE the "brush libraries" stored for 3DC? (I'm on a Mac...)

Upper left corner of 3d-coat

Click on FILE then BROWSE pick a category. this will show you where they're at.

Tom

[Tom K]

I'm presuming that the brush shape is defined by a black and white image (in this case a white square)

--with the black being what would be used to create a more "complex" shape of brush?

Greyscale actually. black is lowest white is highest.

How do you create a visual "icon" for that brush, so you can recognize it in the brush-palette?

The brush is the icon.

Tom

[Tom K]

Ok, here's a little experiment for you.

create a new scene .

pick voxel cube.

on the voxel tree to the right of the trash can click duplicate.

click on the first object layer.

do a little sculpting on one side of the cube. ( raising the surface )

click on the second object layer (which will be the unsculpted cube.)

right click and choose subtract from, and pick the first layer ( the sculpted cube )

now you have only the sculpted features.

export object.

pick on the folder icon in the brush panel and load the object you just saved.

click on the axis button that will give the correct view of your object and click create

Try out your new brush.

Tom

[Psmith]

Tom:

Great brush creation tip! It needs to go in the Tip Hall Of Fame. I'll see to it.

Greg Smith

[themacguy]

Ok, here's a little experiment for you.

create a new scene .

pick voxel cube.

on the voxel tree to the right of the trash can click duplicate.

click on the first object layer.

do a little sculpting on one side of the cube. ( raising the surface )

click on the second object layer (which will be the unsculpted cube.)

right click and choose subtract from, and pick the first layer ( the sculpted cube )

now you have only the sculpted features.

export object.

pick on the folder icon in the brush panel and load the object you just saved.

click on the axis button that will give the correct view of your object and click create

Try out your new brush.

Tom

HI Tom...

Thanks for the tip---seems to work okay!

I'm still having trouble getthing the Lather tutorial to give me results that match what happens in the tutorial...

There seems to be a problem with the smoothness of the "Carve" results---no matter what brush I use, hard or soft circle, large or small, or the 256x256 square "lathe" brush used in the tutorial

ALL of these seem to generate rather "rough" results---as if all the brushes have "nicks" in the blade, so that any carving done with them gives a flawed results...

Any idea how this happened, and how to prevent it? I have the "lathe" locked off, so that it is a VERY solid "turntable", and the cylindrical object I'm working on is PRECISELY centred in world-space

oriented along the Y-axis...

However I get rough edged results, no matter what brush settings or brush size that I use.... It's also rough when I use the "Invert Tool Action" button, so that I'm ADDING voxels instead of carving them...

Have a look at the attached... <sigh>

[themacguy]

Tom:

Great brush creation tip! It needs to go in the Tip Hall Of Fame. I'll see to it.

Greg Smith

Hi Greg!

I agree,,, now please tell me WHERE is this "Tip Hall of Fame" located??? ;-}}

((I need all the help I can get! ))

Thanks! :-)

[Tom K]

However I get rough edged results, no matter what brush settings or brush size that I use.... It's also rough when I use the "Invert Tool Action" button, so that I'm ADDING voxels instead of carving them...

Have a look at the attached... <sigh>

Try increasing the resolution of your voxel object. "res+" bottom left corner

If your object has too coarse of a resolution for the features you are trying to make, it will look that way. sharp corner needs fine resolution.

Try this. zoom in on the rough area. press on the "W" key. this will show what's happening.

Tom

[Tom K]

Great brush creation tip! It needs to go in the Tip Hall Of Fame. I'll see to it.

Greg Smith

Thanks.

Tom