AbnRanger

I understand the frustration, but the last few weeks prior to a release, Andrew comes here and says to users like yourself, who may still be encountering issues, to report them. He does this to help insure the release is as stable as he can make it. If you don't report anything, he may not know there is a problem. Send him an email, with screengrabs of the scene or screen recordings of the problem, and explain the circumstances that cause it, as well as what build and OS you are using it on. I've had problems in the past that I blamed on 3DCoat and it turned out to be a graphic card driver one time, another time it was a Wacom driver, and another time it was my Anti-Virus app suddenly and without warning, deciding to flag 3DCoat on it's own. So, not every problem is the fault of the application. A high percentage of it might be, but that's where we can help insure our personal workflow isn't affected....by simply reporting all the problems we encounter. I report a bunch, myself, and Andrew does usually fix them by the next build or two.

The entire period between releases are generally BETA. Prior to a release, Andrew spends weeks doing nothing else but bugfixing. That is when you can expect the most stable versions.

Probably best to just email the Linux/Mac developer directly. support.linux@3dcoat.com

Actually, you already have this workflow...if you are working with a Paint Mesh in Microvertex mode. Single Mesh, but different layers can store different blendshapes, such as phonemes and visemes. I asked Andrew to enable this when using PPP mode, but I don't think he has gotten around to it. Sometimes we have to ask him more than once, because he is often right in the middle of a big feature request. In this case, a new brush engine is on tap. The workflow above is not a huge problem because most Blendshapes/Morph Targets have separate copies of a head mesh with the different expressions, but a Morph modifier is used to drive one mesh with all those different meshes hidden in the outliner panel. So, you could use a base retopo mesh > save it to the RETOPO MODELS pallet and click on that base mesh thumbnail each time you are ready to create a new morph target/blendshape. When you are all done creating the various Blendshapes, using Sculpt Layers for the High Poly sculpt and different Retopo meshes, for the low poly, you can unhide all the new low poly blendshape/morph target meshes in the Retopo Room > go to the RETOPO menu EXPORT. It should export all visible meshes. In an app like Maya or 3ds Max, you just import those in and pick them in your Blendshapes/Morph Target modifier.

Try the MyDocs/Applinks/Exchange folder. I had a similar issue with there being no EXPORT TO folder, after I deleted the BLENDER folder from that path. I is supposed to create a new one when you send a model to or from Blender/3DCoat. What I did was uncheck the applink in the Blender Preferences panel > rechecked it and saved configuration. It seemed to restore the EXPORT TO function.

Another option is to simply import that same (UV-mapped) textured mesh into the Sculpt Workspace directly, and MAKE SURE to check IMPORT WITHOUT VOXELIZATION in the Import Dialog. What 3DCoat will do is bake all the texture information from the UV texture map onto the vertices of the imported mesh (Vertex Paint). Now, you can pose however you want and just export to a render engine that allows Vertex Paint maps. Or RMB the Vox Tree layer and choose RETOPO VIA DECIMATION, to send a copy to the Retopo room for baking all the textures back to a UV mapped version. In the Retopo Room, go to the BAKE Menu, Bake to PPP using Normal Map or Displacement. When you get to the IMPORT dialog during the baking process, there will be an option for KEEP UV in the upper right section. Click that to reveal another option > choose AUTO-UV> Now, you should have your model reposed and keeping all that texture information. Don't forget, in the Paint Room, you have in the TEXTURES menu a Light Baking option, to where you could bake some SSS effect on that create and tweak that SSS baked texture layer.

To send a copy of the Retopo Mesh to the Sculpt workspace, go to the Sculpt workspace > GEOMETRY Menu > RETOPO MESH TO SCULPT MESH.

These 2 videos cover the task of sending copies of a PAINT MESH to the RETOPO and SCULPT Workspace and getting the changes back:

Ok....after almost a full day trying to diagnose the problem to the extent I can (trying to find a workaround/solution), I realized that the EXPORT CONSTRUCTOR was the culprit...probably something got broken in the constructor after the 3DCoat refactoring (build 4.9.06 and newer), because it worked with earlier builds, as evidenced in the Applink video months ago. WITHOUT checking Export Constructor, it works with Blender 2.80, 2.81, and 2.82

When I try to "get back" after starting in Blender, it works. But now the Applink is broke when trying to start from 3DCoat. It's so frustrating to see something working great one day and a few months later it's broke again.

That's probably an element of Sculpt Layers that hasn't yet been implemented.

It's not referring to your VOXTREE object (sometimes people call it a layer, but it's not really. It's an outliner/hiearchy panel). It's talking about the LAYER panel, which should be located directly to the right of the VoxTree panel. Sculpt Layers cannot record sculpt information on a hidden LAYER in the LAYER panel, thus the warning.

The resolution of the UV map may be too low to capture the small bump detail...or the UV shell may be too small on the UV map?

On Windows (4.9.15) it works great. I just used it to Auto-Retopo over a dozen parts and no crashes. Did you test it on a scene from the splash screen or new blank scene, with a primitive? That would help indicate whether it is a problem with the Voxel object underneath or with the application. Trying to underestimate the Polycount can cause problems....like trying to estimate a 1000 polys on a shape that needs 5000 (as an example) or more to account for all the different contours and details. If you have voids or pockets inside an object, that can cause problems. It's why it's a good idea to RMB the layer and click FILL VOIDS on Voxel objects. This has been mentioned in many Auto-Retopo videos.

Send an email to Andrew (support@3dcoat.com) so he may ask follow up questions and such. I didn't notice any such lag on my system.