CyBorge

Mack, Regarding your vehicles/robot etc. - are these straight 3D Paintovers or are you using Cell-Shading Render with touchup? Great results by the way!

I'm starting this thread to track any launch issues from the community. But First - Let me say thank you to Andrew and team for unbeatable value/price on the upgrade! ( I've never felt cheated when it comes to my 3D-Coat purchases. ) Feedback: I was able to purchase my upgrade using PayPal - Thank you for the option! OK, now for issues related to downloads and site - The first one I downloaded caused a Microsoft Security Warning. I tried to install anyway and it seems to be corrupted. When I went back to the site to download it again - the download link pointed me at 2021 - Release Candidate 3.

I don't know if this would be of any value to Andrew and team but, I found it interesting: UVPackmaster is trying to go the SDK route: https://uvpackmaster.com/software-development-kit-sdk/?fbclid=IwAR2XZ9BWlA1WZnKKvEQ27sXmtVsaGiW_4Y58vrrAEMggktDDAE4UGJlFFiA

First, I just wanted to openly take a minute and thank Andrew and team. As many know, 3D-Coat is truly a gem that doesn't always get the credit it deserves. Plus, the YouTube channel has completely redefined how I evaluate a company's documentation. Moreover, I really want to say, I've never regretted the money I've spent on 3D-Coat. Not just because, it has an amazing price and feature set, but, because I've never felt concerned about the sort of "Overreaching Corporate Mentality" that often leads companies to questionable choices. Context: I was trying Modo 11 (I had stayed with 701 for a long time), and I discovered the "Modo Analytics Folder" and function plus some vague terms in the EULA and Privacy agreement. While I can certainly, respect a company's need to protect its intellectual property and improve user experience, there appears to be a little more going on than mere license protection. Or at least the vague EULA and Privacy terms allow for more than that. I fear that data collection on users has just gotten out of hand, given it's probably a losing/lost battle, because of the "Cell-Phone, Facebook, Instagram, NSA etc. conditioning" that accepts and promotes all invasions of privacy. I think there can be a very open and equitable balance between the proper use of analytics and user privacy but, a lot of companies just don't seem interested in finding it. My two cents anyways.

I've been searching the forums regarding CUDA, OpenCL, and performance of 3D-Coat. I just want to make these things clear for myself and others in one place! - so correct me if I'm wrong: 1. On windows you DON'T need to install the CUDA Toolkit to use CUDA with 3D-Coat. 2. On Linux, you DO have to install the CUDA Toolkit to take advantage of CUDA in 3D-Coat. 3. Most people recommend using the DX builds on Windows for stability. (So DX + CUDA or just DX on Windows) 4. Version 4.5+ of 3D-Coat has been compiled to support CUDA Toolkit 6.5 and up so you can use the NVIDIA 900 Series with good results? (Or is it still stuck on 3.0 as stated here: http://3dcoat.com/files/3DCLinux.pdf ) 5. CUDA is mainly beneficial to the Brushes used in Voxel Sculpting and not much else. 6. OpenCL is now supported in PARTS of 3D-Coat like Ambient Occlusion calcs. I know this is discussed a lot but, it's also spread out all over the forums so please let me know if I'm correct or I missed something important so it's all in one place and newcomer friendly. Thanks!

For what it's worth, I've found the CUDA GL version to run much smoother for me - I was using CUDA DX64 and experiencing slowdowns/issues in other areas of the program. Granted my video card is older than yours and falls into the GL prefered group, but, it's really a simple thing to switch and check.

That does seem to be true at the moment. The current versions of 3D-Coat aren't compiled for the newer versions of CUDA that the Maxwell chips would benefit from. Plus NVIDIA basically crippled Cuda performance in the newer mainstream cards - choosing to focus on gaming performance instead. So an older FERMI GTX580 can outperform most newer cards when it comes to Cuda. Titan cards are an exception - but at a hefty price. The other key exceptions here are the GTX 780s (Which you seem to have) - These cards have remained expensive to buy even though they're replaced by the newer models. The main reasons for their continued high price is that they have higher overall Cuda Performance and a full 384 bit Memory bus for their VRAM - (compared to 9XXs - their on par with a 580 more or less) Look here: You'll see the 580 hanging in there: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-780-performance-review,3516-26.html So if anyone can find the 6GB version of the GTX780 it should be a very good performer with 3D-Coat and offer a nice amount of VRAM, but, it will cost. Another caveat: 7XX series are pretty power hungry compared to newer cards so you'll want a Power Supply that's ready. As for OpenCL and AMD Cards - It doesn't seem to be an option just yet. - However, given that some programs are starting to support OpenCL for rendering, I believe it's only a matter of time.

He's a GRIMM!!! Yes, VRAM is one of the most discussed aspects of performance and "On screen polycount" here in the forums. I think Michaelgdrs is right that my GTX480 is still valid for at least most projects but, that's not going to stop me from upgrading! I've been looking for a good excuse to get a 4K capable card and Monitor. - ( I want to spend late nights basking in the glow of a 40" 4K screen! ) I'm just waiting for the rumors of 8GB GTX980's and 970's to become a reality!

Thank Michaelgdrs, I'm glad to hear your system with a 470 is still a viable solution. I do keep my drivers updated etc. - Currently running version 347.52 of the Nvidia drivers. I'm sure most of my issues are due to my ignorance of exactly how 3D-Coat works underneath or my failure to follow best practices when adding resolution and layers etc. However, I do think a lot of newcomers to 3D-Coat basically have the same questions about performance, hardware, and the aforementioned best practices and hence the call for a resource on the matter. Out of curiosity, how much VRAM on your GTX470 and which version of 3D-Coat do you run on that system? (Cuda+DX64 or OpenGL+Cuda - I've heard arguments for both) I seem to have better performance with the OpenGL version, like the documentation suggests, and I'm running the latest stable 4.1.17D(Cuda)(GL64) - but I was trying the DX64 version when some issues occurred.

Hey arumiat - thanks for that tip! My main system specs are: Intel Core i7-3770K 32GB RAM EVGA GeForce GTX480 with 1536MB VRAM and I run off a Crucial M550 SSD. I know that my video card is long in the tooth and light on VRAM so I plan to upgrade that soon. I typically work on a 24" monitor at 1920x1200 resolution. Typically, I'll experience slow-downs or freezes when upping my voxel res to get smooth results from various operations. I'll have to get you some exact levels/numbers where I start to feel the issues.

So, as many others have stated in the forum - I love 3D-Coat but, I'm often perplexed/confounded by performance issues. I've spent time reading about VRAM, about Page Files/Virtual Mem, System Mem, CPU specs, CUDA Performance, Lack of OpenCL support, extra channels per layer etc. Thus, as I've been reading these various threads it occurs to me: I can't seem to find a consolidated and authoritative resource on the subject. (Yes, I will read the manual but, it's not as COOL as a video.) It ruins my experience with the program when I'm forced to troubleshoot performance. It breaks my creative excitement and I imagine it does the same to others. In fact, Ignorance ( my own and others ) of 3D-Coat's performance nuances may be a main factor in keeping it from being more widely adopted. Moreover, while watching the fantastic official tutorial/feature videos on YouTube ( Note: A big "THANK YOU!" to the 3D-Coat team for all the videos they are a great feature. ), I've noticed that he's often operating at a much higher voxel resolution than I can achieve without experiencing issues etc. I do have a decent system so I'd expect to be able to at least follow along with tutorials etc. and I imagine others may be affected by this as well. Summing up - Given all the questions about what Video Card to use etc. maybe some experienced Guru or Gurus could compile a useful resource. I'd be willing to pay for such a resource. Something like "3D-Coat Performance Tips - Hardware and Concepts". Now, if this exists - please by all means post your "Look here dummy..." links below because, these questions keep coming up on the forum. Or if there's a sticky "Performance Tips&Tricks Thread" please list that with an appropriately pithy insult for my laziness at finding it. If not, maybe someone is due to make some sweet cash by sharing their expertise.

Thanks for making that clear Marc & Grimm. Tony, I do indeed show and tell people how awesome 3D-Coat is along with Andrew and team. Aside from the great product this year, the YouTube channel IMHO has been pure gold. They deserve sales and much respect!

Yes, Spacepainter is exactly right! Some praise for how ambitiously great 3D-Coat, Andrew, and the community here, have been. PBR will just be more "Awesome"! - In fact, Andrew has been such a good boy, maybe he should be posting his Christmas list!

Aleksey, I have not seen 123d - I'll check it out. Mykyl, you're are proably correct about ios being their preference. I'm not sure how Droid got in my head...must of been a Linux thing. I've been smoking a lot of that lately.

Beat - You make solid points. As I said the interface would have to get a tablet friendly upgrade. I do think 3D on a tablet is inevitable but, like you said probably not going to be functional for some time. On a tablet, along with precision, there is the absence of classic hotkeys as well - CTRL ALT SHIFT etc. and the 3 button mouse etc - so problems to solve. However, they said there's going to be a "platform" addition. I was guessing it just might be Droid since they're already "App" developers etc and for the marketing reasons I mentioned above.

- Ha! Beat, I wouldn't put it past them but, I'm enjoying a little "What if..." right now. My guess: Nevercenter will release Silo3D on Droid. Someone made an insightful comment that they were using Silo3d when their computer then was as powerful as the Droid tablets are now. The interface would need some tablet friendly improvements but, a low cost basic modeler could do well in the tablet market for fleshing out ideas etc. That could be an interesting marketing move because, it would be a market where they didn't have to compete with the Modos, Mayas, and Blenders, LW etc. - Poly I completely agree. I and a few others suggested the whole "Community Buy Out" or "Open Source" years back. They said no because the program was still profitable for them. Which I think largely lead to the conclusion they were milking their "dead horse" for all it's worth. Let's hope this is a return to development and not a poor stab at just raking in a few more bucks. Oh, and I think Paint Tool Sai inspired a lot of successful programs so, yeah. - General - Yeah ya know I've watched blender and I have to agree about the hot keys. I like the whole translate in x y z direction hot key thing etc. However, I change the mouse/navigation preferences immediately. I really need to spend some more time modeling with it and see if it doesn't grown on me.

I know most of you "In the know" will roll your eyes, as I did. However, it appears that Nevercenter is finally updating Silo 3D. Evidence is on their Facebook and CGTalk Forum pages - just FYI. I won't fault anyone's skepticism after waiting years myself but, this is good news IMHO. I'm excited because, I've found very few programs that are as intuitive and fun as Silo. Although not perfect, Silo 3D was truly zen and allowed me to feel like an artist when modeling. Plus, Silo + 3D Coat Merge Tool = A Whole Lot of Fun! Regarding Inuitive Programs: Here's my "favorites" list of amazingly well thought out and intuitive programs that stand apart IMHO: 3D-Coat (of course which is why I'm here + just about the best devs and community ever - pardon my fanboy gushing but so many of you have made vids/tutorials etc along with great code + the Photoshop and tablet friendly design is genius. I can't tell you how much I appreciate the little things like customization and menus opening where I'm working instead of me going to them. It's just brilliant.) Mudbox - use it and you'll just know why - simplicity and focus. Sketchbook Pro - Best drawing app (I'm also using Manga Studio 5ex - powerful, but, sketchbook is just so simple an friendly.) Please add your own as I'm always interested in finding tools that bring happiness to my work.

Thanks digman! That's the technical explanation I was needing. I will remember - "Voxels need to be uniform!" You're a scholar and a gentleman!

OK, I was able to use the grow tool and essentially inflate the volume until the issue went away. However, I still don't get why everything looked fine in the viewport but, went to crap as soon as I tried to increase resolution or opened after saving. Someone got a useful insight on that? Fixed with grow tool and large brush radius below:

OK - So I'm starting a new voxel sculpt. Made some floppy ears on a layer with blob tool then pose tool/free-form and everything looked fine. Next, I wanted to increase the res for some detailing but, I couldn't without the ear turning into a jagged mess - see below. So I hit undo and everything looked fine again - saved it and reopened it and I get the same jagged mess that's missing part of the ear. Advice anyone? What am I missing here? TIA!

Made my day! I said it once and I'll say it again - Upgraded and Downloading!!!

- SERIOUSLY! THANK YOU!

Well first Kudos to Digital-Tutors for paying attention! And no, I don't feel cheated of mislead. It was clear from the course descriptions what would be included application wise. I'd just like to see an entire course on 3D-Coat because, often the existing courses utilize programs that aren't in my pipeline. And secondly, Javis - sounds like you just found a new market for your training!