AbnRanger
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Posts posted by AbnRanger
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The point is...it's rare for Andrew to re-upload, and if he thought it was critical enough to warrant another release #, he would do so. The releases/builds are fast and frequent as they are, so if you don't check the update threads often, chances are that you haven't missed anything. If that offends you...I'm sorry, but that's the reality of it. What I'm concerned about is Andrew deciding NOT to re-upload at all now, and making everyone wait til the next build.Sorry, but it seems as if most of you haven't even read my original post. I'm not claiming the quick fix should go, the re-uploading with only a mention in some post in this thread is what I'm having problems with, making it necessary to follow the whole thread to keep informed on the latest build, making the first post somewhat redundant...
My suggestion was to name a quick fix as such and/or at least mention the re-upload in the first post of this thread.
I resent the earlier remark, that I should just wait for the full release, as this would imply beta's are only for those people "living" on this forum 24/7...
I was just pointing out some IMHO better (and as I can tell from other beta's quite "normal") practice, as every build deserves it's own number and if not at least an extra mention on the "download" page... (the first post in this thread)
But you're probably right: I shouldn't have bothered...
Again, in the rare case that Andrew does re-upload...it's only because of a relatively small bugfix that came at the last moment (and Andrew is being gracious enough to add it in under the current build)...and it's generally for those that reported the bug. Maybe you don't realize that it takes time away from working on the application, to have to go in and not only re-upload a last minute bugfix, but to have to go and change what is listed on the mainpage. In such a case, Andrew could easily decide it can just wait til the next build. Do you follow me? Andrew is being kind enough to add something small at the last minute, and if we start making further demands...you can see where that is headed.
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I'm not real clear about what it is you are asking, but you retopo your voxel model, and then you mark your seams and unwrap from inside the Retopo Room...it has it's own UV tools. It's mostly like the one in the UV Room, but a bit lighter on features. Once you've unwrapped your model, go to the Retopo menu and click "Merge To...." wherever it is you want to go with the model. Once you're in the Paint Room, you can use the UV Room to tweak your UV's further if needed.+1
Starting out with voxels and moving to retopo felt really fluent. Taking that retopo mesh and UV mapping it is giving me some problems though... it seemed to work the first time, but now I can't get anywhere. Alot of the tuts assume some mesh to start with... could someone point me to a tut that goes from sculpt to retopo (so no mesh in paint and UV areas yet) and takes that retopo mesh and brings it over with manual UV's? most I found skipped a part I needed.. wee bit of help appreciated.
The UV Room is essentially there for models that are already in the Paint Room. I wish it wasn't split up like this, but it works...so, I don't have any real issue with it.
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Personally, I'd prefer Andrew keep it the way it is. He's re-uploading only when a critical bug or issue has been fixed, and it's much less time consuming for him to just mention here that he's added the fix and you can just re-download. If you think that is too confusing, then just wait til the next point release...they're frequent as they are.This whole business with re-uploading a new version with the same build number is highly confusing. If you keep doing so, would please be so kind to mention the re-upload on the first page of this thread also, so people don't have to dig through this whole thread just to find out if they have already (some days ago) downloaded the actual latest build or if the actual latest build is a later re-upload.
Hopes this makes sense...
He doesn't usually re-upload. When he does, it is usually done to help get a fix in the hands of those who reported the bugs and may depend on the severity of the issue.
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Thanks Andrew...I had one item disappear when I uncached it. Turns out, it had been re-named while cached, and that seemed to be the root of it. So, the naming convention fix in 3.3.06 still isn't 100%, I don't think.Win version re-uploaded in order to solve cam shortcuts problem.
In addition you can switch between ortho/persp mode using shortcuts.
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That's great news. And the application has really made leaps and bounds since this time last year, so I think it will really impress.
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Yeah...I sympathize with your plight. I have a new laptop (i7 w/ dedicated ATI 5730 1GB) but at the moment, it only has 4GB as well. Some files that I created on my desktop, I can barely open on the laptop. But as long as I manage to keep the RAM amount down under 4GB, it's pretty fast.I have been using the proxy workflow and it has improved things for sure
However my frustration comes from been unable to first of all stay in voxel mode till the end and second the instability of 3DC with anything remotely more complex ( out of memory errors even though I got 4gb of ram )
Thats why I suggested on my other post " Local Resolution in Voxel mode " http://www.3d-coat.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=5921
to have the ability to "Inc. Res. only where its needed, maybe a combination of Proxy and Local Resolution will get us to the ZBrush Performance level
The " do more with less resources " approach will benefit even the users with the " monster sys. " btw so it's a great thing that we are discussing this in this forum.. making 3DC a better app I have no doubts that 3DC will surpass ZBrush at
some point, hopefully soon
: ps: It would be awesome if we had something like Increase Resolution & Decrease Resolution Brush... I think it has been mentioned before on the forum
Now, Leigh Bamforth mentioned some tips (a while back) that essentially give you what you're asking. That is to use the "Copy" tool to paint areas where you want High Resolution, and leave the rest of the mesh lower res...you can merge the (High-Res) copied layer with the lower res, when you're done or ready to.
I'll try to make a quick video demonstrating some of these things in a little bit, so others can get a better idea too.
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Thanks, but I tried it all the way up to 400, and had the same problem. Andrew said it happens with small scale objects and that was supposedly one of the things he addressed with this latest build. The previous builds laid down a lot of points, whereas 3.3.05 was greatly reduced.I see you have the density at 107%, can you crank it up even higher? I found that depending on the scale of the object I might have to crank it way up, but it worked fine once I did.
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I was frustrated too with the performance issues...mainly the long waiting time merging back from Surface Mode to Voxel Volume. That's why I still try to avoid using Surface Mode, even if it is relatively faster than Volume mode...the con outweighs the pros, in my experience. However, with the new Caching and Multi-Res features, it's a HUGE step forward. If you section your model up and cache what you aren't actively working on, you'd be amazed at what you can now do. It sounds like you haven't even tried that workflow yet....
Voxels introduce a lot more freedom in sculpting, but with that comes a bit of cost. Right now, it's that it requires a decent amount of RAM resources. If you could punch holes in models in ZBrush as easily and care free as in Voxels, it would hog RAM resources too...don't forget that. This is why I hope, once a lot of the bugs are squashed, that Andrew next replaces the current mesh editing engine and toolset in the Sculpt Room with the one in Surface Mode. Think of the implications that would bring...
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The only thing I've noticed is that sometimes, when Autosave does its thing, it jumps to an arbitrary camera position instead of where I was.
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Well, I certainly feel much of your frustration...much of the time. I think 3DC really needs to be more efficient with resources as well as fully utilize recent hardware advances. The lack of Multi-threading for the slowest of all functions (merge calculations) certainly remains an impediment. However, I don't think it's realistic to expect 3DC to go through such a dramatic paradigm shift anytime soon. Heck, Mudbox out-muscles ZBrush in raw sculpting speed, but you need a decent, newer system to take advantage of it...and I like a program that scales, in performance, along with your hardware. ZBrush only being 32bit is quite puzzling to me...even if it does fairly well with old technology.
Having said all of that, you do have the ability to Cache your layers, so that you can better manage your work within your system resources...and Caching lead to Multi-Res, which works pretty well. Even in ZBrush, you want to start low-res, and block out your model. Your laptop can handle that.
When you are ready to move up to higher resolutions, you can use the "Split" tool to separate sections of your model and cache the layers/parts you aren't currently working on...that allows you to do higher res work one section at a time. With a fair amount of planning, you can get considerably higher levels of detail, now.
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Thanks...yeah THAT part seems fixed...but don't celebrate just yet. They green line you use to create a cross section with, is not working right now. It was working fine in previous builds, but it's not laying down enough points to accurately follow any curvature.I think 3.3.05 [beta] is a new build as of today, Andrew just didn't update the text I guess. The file size is a little larger than the 3.3.05 [beta] I downloaded the other day, and it seems to work great.
Either that, or it's the heat here in Tennessee has gotten to me!Greg
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I haven't noticed a new build...so, what did you do to resolve the problem?This seems fixed now! Working great as far as I can tell. I've taken down the example video mentioned above. Good work Andrew and thanks!
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I haven't tried that tool lately, but hiding parts doesn't reduce it's memory footprint. The best thing to do is to use the "Split" tool to divide up your parts. That way you can both cache and hide the parts you aren't currently working on. Not that the hiding tools shouldn't be fixed, but that it's not the most efficient method of doing what you want...now that caching has been added.Andrew, does "delete Hidden " and "Separate Hidden part " work in 3.3.05 ?
I have a 25 million sculpt( a sculpture made of several characters) and I would like to split every part(every character)in a different layer,so I can work faster and easier.
But not matter what I do,I can't isolate a part and put the others(hidden)in another layer.
There is another way to do that?
Thank you
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Yeah...I get the same thing, and I've tried everything too. Previously, it was working fine....on a relatively flat object. I seem to remember the Strokes tool always having relatively spotty behavior...same with the Points and faces tool. The only one that I know of that works reliably is the Quads tool.I've posted a video of the problems I'm having here:
In HD!
If the problems are user-inflicted (i.e. if I'm not using that tool right), be sure to tell me.The wait time between hitting enter and what you see was shortened on my video.
I'll be sure to delete it after Andrew watches it.
Greg
Here's another example that shows the strokes often don't form a closed loop and even when they do, it's still not a certainty that it will work properly.
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I was just using the Strokes tool and encountered the exact same issue you were having. I reported it to Andrew, and hopefully it can get fixed. That's been the thing with the retopo tools, that has been really frustrating the dickens out of me. A tool working 75% of the time doesn't help me much...I need it to work reliably, not intermittently. That's why it's best to show Andrew with a video that demonstrates the exact behavior and send the file you were working on.I hadn't really messed with those setting. I'm going to now though!
Greg
He may say, "It works fine here"...but it's hard to argue with video evidence that there is indeed a problem.
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Here ya' go:I need to go look for these. I don't remember ever seeing them.
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It was super slow last week for me too, but that's been about the only time I've noticed it abnormally slow. Download today was fairly normal.Hmm. I have fiber ops 1GPS service :P
http://www.auone-net.jp/service/connect/ftth/net/index.html
2gigs is a few minutes for me.
Dont know why its super slow to download builds.
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Yeah...I always discover some things/tips that come in handy, and think "I need to make a video showing these things," but I always seem pressed for time and forget to. If everyone who has enough experience to get around in the application, would chip in like you have, it would help the community immensely. I think it's one thing that helps ZBrush...the wealth of tutorials.Thanks for sharing,I always pick up a few tips watching everyone's video including yours...
I remember Fugazzi making a bunch of tutorials on the Paint Room...and that's pretty much how I learned to get around, as the Video manual doesn't cover the Paint Room as well as it does other areas.
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What Strokes point density do you have? I usually set it around 50% on objects with a good deal of contour. Maybe 25% or less on more flat opjects. On the whole, this last build seems to be behaving for me.Just tried it in voxel mode, and it does seem a little better. I could be wrong about the speed increase doing retopo in surface mode.
I think what's really bothering me is that sometimes I'll do the strokes, wait, and then nothing - no polygons. Sometimes, do the strokes and some of the polygons show up along with some kind of dotted line looking thing? Like strange artifacts where polygons should be. So, I have to undo and try again, wait, etc.
I'm sure it will all be sorted out in time, but it made me wonder if an older version perhaps didn't have those problems.
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I sent Andrew a bug report with video capture and scene file...that was a few days ago, and he's been fairly silent, so that means he's likely hard at work fixing it among other improvements.Thanks, I was using it in surface mode. I'll try it with voxels instead(strokes tool was the main thing giving me problems). I'll also try the adjustment you mentioned.
Too bad though, cause when I did get strokes to work in surface mode, it seemed much faster than in voxel... just didn't work reliably.
Greg
One thing I noticed on his Twitter page, was that he's enhanced the Strokes tool. I asked if he could allow us to make clean straight lines in a "Point to Point" fashion (click start point, hold SHIFT, and click second/end point). I think that would make Retopo work on non-cylindrical shaped objects much faster and cleaner from the start...removing a lot Clean Up, having to go back and manually straighten up your topolgy. We'll see in the next build, I suppose.
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I'm using the latest (3.3.04 x64 w/CUDA), as I reported a number of things which Andrew has since fixed. What are some of the issues you are having, now? I noticed that the Strokes tool likes Voxel Volume mode better than working on a cached or surface mode model. And if you have trouble with the Points and faces tool, I found that adjusting the "Additional Extrusion" up a bit, tends to make it work better in those circumstances. I usually can bring it back down to 0 shortly thereafter, without any real issues. It's still not 100%, but it's not been nearly as bad as it was a few builds ago....and I'd say it works predictably now about 95-98% of the time.Hi,
I've been having the same retopology problems others have mentioned. Which older version seems to have the most stable, usable retopology tools?
Thanks,
Greg
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And that's why you do it....right?
30min doodle at lunch. (can't use 3dCoat during my day-job so Sculptris is a nice way to relax. I keep freaking out colleagues with wierd sculpts hehe)
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It sounds like a lot...and when you are up against a tight deadline, you might feel like you don't have time to go through these steps...but really, it takes about 10-15min for me, and you'll get something actually done instead of posting on here and often seeing little to no response. If it's a bug, it's best to get these things directly under Andrew's nose, so to speak. He does respond pretty fast.Great - thanks. Oh yes - the bane of reporting problems on forums: 'Works fine for me!'
This has been a problem across two different cards and two or three drivers, though I still wouldn't rule that out of course.
OK, so I'll check some more, maybe sort out a video - haven't got any of those tools but will check now.
But perhaps the key problem is sculpting with the wireframe visible, as you suggest, though the fact the cursor gets hung-up on verts, as opposed to general sluggishness, and the fact it gets worse as you zoom in, tends to suggest there's more going on here.
Thanks again - I'll post more fully shortly in the Bugfixes threads.
Julian.
Jing may be a good one to try first, as it gives you a free screen capture app and will host your videos for free. I use BB Flashback Express (it's free)...and upload the videos to either youtube or Vimeo. As far as sending files...they can get pretty big, so look at Adrive.com (50GB free and no ads...no download wait time). I zip the files before I send them to Andrew, so to save space and upload time.
He says that when he gets a bug report, he generally drops what he is doing and investigates it...so, it's well worth taking the time to go through these steps. It helps you and all of us.
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The only problem I have with trying to do hardsurface sculpting in Voxels, is that it essentially doubles your workload, if you have to Retopologize the thing. But with organic work, you want to use the Voxel clay to create details, and you can quickly generate a base to work from.I'm a little confused about what you're asking for. The wires above are pretty much just how I got them out of 3DC. I wasn't really too careful about the neatness with this one because it didn't have to be absolutely perfect.
It's cool to see what can be done with Voxels, in regard to hard surface work, but when watching Leigh's tutorial on the Scorpion (from Avatar), I was thinking the same thing...it's not very efficient for production purposes. Very nice work on the Audi, BTW.
3D-Coat 3.3 updates thread
in New Releases, Bugs Reports & Development Discussion
Posted
Also, if there is an issue you are having...you can report it in the bugs threads or contact Andrew (with a video example of the problem and a copy of the file that is having the issue). In such a case, Andrew will let you know if he's fixed it and most of the time we simply wait for any subsequent fixes to come in the next build. That's been the standard protocol, and to quote a famous philosopher (Tony Stark, in Iron Man), "It's worked pretty well so far."