Polygoon

Thanks Javis. I agree with you test results too. Trying the Maya and Max tga. in the Compatability test, using the "GreenTest obj.", well, niether looked any good at all in Modo, with any variation of swizzle. Importing in the Maya or Max one to 3D Coat first, then exporting to Modo (801 sp2) using the "Maya_after_2013" preset worked best I think but its very close. This is a bit confusing. Why didn't the Maya tga work with the GreenTest obj. then? I guess it must be the triangulation and mesh normals and how they match is different. Interesting anyway. Using the "3DS_Max, LW" export option does work though too if you invert the green channel in Modo. All other settings, a reasonable result is possible with a inverting channels in Modo also it would seem. I guess that is a bit subjective to how you want your render to look though. One other important thing perhaps, is that importing the obj's. exported from 3D Coat the normal map is always set to "Bump" in the effects when loaded in Modo. Its no big deal to change it to normal though. I tried editing the mtl. file, changing the last line from map_bump to map_normal, but this didn't even load any texture map. I guess it may be Modo thats at fault with that.

Get a discount for *25% off the MODO 701 Individual License price when adding both MODO and MeshFusion to your cart. Clickhere hurry as this offer won't last for long! If you have any questions, or want to be part of the chatter, come visit us in the forums! MODO + MeshFusion is seriously changing the game. Don't take our word for it, though. See why Core77 is saying that MODO + MeshFusion is "the best design software in a decade".

Thanks! Thats a great feature.

Makes sense that 0 hieght is 50% grey on your HieghtMap layer of a brush, but having it 50% still is effecting hieght when using the brush, leaving a circle around the intended brush shape. I have tried 49% & 51%, but this only increases the problem. Then I have tried to mask out area outside the brush shape on the hieght map, which works to a certain extent, but when the brush is loaded it only masks a rectangular shape the size of the brush shape. Why doesn't it follow the shape of the mask? Or even better what exactly is zero value? clearly its not 50%. Any body have any solutions? Thanks. Edit : Well I have it working properly now, just put masks on other layers. I am still confused as to whats going on here though, it doesn't show as being any different on the thumbs that pop up when you hover over the brush. Wouldn't it just work if the alpha shows as being correct there? apparently not.

+1, What he said.

^ Same here. I use both too. I agree with all statements above. Another thing that is really good in 3D coat is the UV tools, a lot better control and very nice to use. Texturing, with Per Pixel at least, (I haven't used the other modes that much), is also very good and integrates with photoshop beautifully.

Is "Freezing" in Live Clay tied directly to freezing in polypaint? I am sure that I had it working like this before to contact / expand freezing, but 3D coat just hangs on me right now. Using latest build. All frozen areas applied in LC show in the painting room, so it makes sense. Or is there a way to expand / contract freeze in the LC room. Ctrl + numpad + & Ctrl + numpad - don't seem to work in LC room.

I have had this problem before. I think from memory, it was the modem. Try switching it off, unplugging everything and leaving for about 30 secs. There may be a reset button somewhere also. Hook every thing back up and switch/ reset it back on. Worked for me. Don't know why it happened. Perhaps it accumulated a static charge or something. Other than that you may need to contact you internet provider and get them to check everything is right their end. BTW 800kb/sec, I don't think I have ever had that fast. 150kb/sec is quite good where I am. Also do you use a download manager with your browser? This can also help. Explorer and Firefox have them, not sure about others.

Awesome!!!

Hi Raul, welcome back. Neat tweaks! Agree +1 Of course there is "freeze" also. Could they become 1 tool, to be more universal and streamlined? Or do I misunderstand the differences? To add, masking( or freezing) by cavity etc. for sculpting is a bit un-streamlined right now, having to go to polypaint, paint more in cavity to a layer, freeze painted pixels, apply contract freeze, smooth etc. Then go to Voxel/LC rm. and sculpt with freeze mask. Perhaps the top panel could be included in the V/S room. to do this. Speaking of which, I can't see that option anymore in the paint rm.! Edit; Oh! OK, I see now.

My desktop short cuts have stopped working for 18A.

Yes, This is understandable. The community may be essential, but it is also a privilege to the community. How many creations have already been made with the use of the beta tools? Created free of charge? Yes!. Just an idea, perhaps in future, you could have the option to pre - order for the next version at a certain stage of development of the next version. Pre - order customers are given a pre - determined price, which could be the tricky part, but pre - order customers & only pre - order customers are able to use beta builds. Many game dev companies do this for add-ons / extensions to games. Customers that originally purchased the game and like it, pretty much know they will like the add-on and are all the more keen to beta test it and have input to ensure that they will. Really its not a whole lot different to how it is now. Not for me at least, I would have pre - ordered and will absolutely be purchasing V4. The pre - order thing is just a formality really but everyone knows where they stand straight up. Keep up the Great work Andrew and thank you for the privilege.

Don't get me wrong. I truly respect the clever people and companies that put in the all the work to discovering these things and I think they deserve credit for it. But if it is being more important than saving peoples lives and or reducing real suffering, for me its a no brainer. I don't think that anyone is to blame. More so it is the nature of business. We all no where that can lead, and I personally think it is starting to have all the hallmarks of what went wrong with the financial sector a few years ago. It will inevitably get so out of hand it will become untenable and go full circle.

I would most certainly have to agree with what he has said. Patents, particularly coming from huge US company's, are getting out of hand. There is a small medical research company here in Australia that are developing a cure's / treatments for some cancers, yet their efforts looked like they will be stymied by patents on human genes by companies that discovered the genes. Here's a link on whats happening; http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-05-14/mp-urges-labor-to-back-gene-patenting-overhaul/4010612 Surely, at some point, common sense will prevail and laws will uphold what is the right thing to do, not what is most profitable. I really hope so, though I'm not getting my hopes up just yet.

Yes, agreed. You could create a single row first, or even half a row, then make instances to make additional rows and systematically increase the amount of rows \ columns you make instances from to speed things up. But yeh! x rows * x columns at x distance apart on x,y,z axis would be fastest.

The retopo mesh can be used for hard surfacing armor and the like on characters or just general hard surfacing. This technique is used before a final retopo or can be used in a reverse fashion like how in ZBrush you bake a higher Sub division's details to a lower subdivision. In Zbrush you have "crease" for hard edges, but it can be time consuming and awkward. 3D Coat, with its very nice edge selection ability , would make it a very attractive alternative IMHO.

Agreed, to the point of rendering, but what if you are creating geometry for conversion to voxels, LC? Just thinking this would be a handy thing.

Yes, in a way the bevel tool to me is like a bevel tool, no pun intended, not a true hard edge. The hard edges I am talking about creates no extra edges in close proximity to negate smoothing of a surface when using a Catmull Clark type subdivision. With the Hard edges I am talking about, no extra edges are created. I believe the edge is given an extra normal, sort of an extra edge in exactly the same position. Less geometry and is sharper and has the same effect if there is need of a seam on a 90 corner that bevel can be used for, but when further subdivision is applied it will not round off and smooth at all.

I do not have this problem and I can't see why you would have the problem. I am using Windows 7 64 with Cuda, version 3.7.16A. Perhaps it is specific to your OS or something.

Yes, throw in a way to create hard edges / crease edges by just selecting an edge or edge loop and pressing a button. Extrude polygons/edges along axis, extrude polygons/edges along normals & perhaps an extrude along curves using bi - rail or something like B surfaces in Blender would be real cool. I have to say I am exited to hear that poly modeling is coming to 3D Coat and I am looking forward to seeing what we will be able to do.

Yes you can do it by using the numerical values for the position of the merge objects(double click the position values in the tool options panel to type in desired value, as you would for pen depth) . Eg., center first object say at x = 0, y = 15, z = 0. Position the next object at say x = 10, y = 15, z = 0, then the next at x = -10, y = 15 , z = 0, then next at x = -10, y = 15, z = 10 and so on and so forth. Of course to do this easily you should align them along an axis to create the array. If you create the array to its own layer you may then reposition, scale the whole array to where ever you want.

Usually when I find that this is happening, its because the vertices I am trying to weld are in different groups / layers. Are you certain that this is not also the case for you?

Me too! Perhaps even Pilgway should hire you or Javis or someone to do a ZClassroom type role like Michael Pavlovich. Personally, when looking to buy a new program, using a trial version, these type of tutorials are the deciding factor. Far more so than flashy displays of features of what can be done. A new user needs to know that they can achieve what they are after themselves with a reasonable amount of study, not just what can be achieved by professionals who have used the program for many years. I think your vid's are perfect for this, Even the more seasoned users would appreciate the ins an outs of new features too, I think. Thank you kindly for spending the time.

Edit; Well I feel silly . This is already there, in the options panel.

Hi all, Just been doing some work in LC painting some freeze about when it just up and stopped working. It sill works in the paint rm and will transfer to the LC rm, so no big deal but it still seems a bit erratic. Has anyone else had this happen? I was wondering if I have inadvertently changed a setting somewhere that made it stop. I have tried re-startng 3DCoat but it still wont work anymore. Using 3.7.14A. Cheers.