Psmith

After a little experimentation, I found an "internal" 3D-Coat method for producing the effect you may be looking for: 1) In an external app, create a plain white, sparsely speckled, random pattern of very small dots on top of a square, pure black background. Save it as a .png. 2) Import the Brush alpha into the "Brushes panel" with the large "+" icon. 3) Set the transparency of the Brush to something like 48. 4) Set the Brush "Options" as shown in the picture, below. (Overall "Jitter" is set to .28) 5) Use varying colors, overlapped on one layer - or use separate layers for each color. Greg Smith

It's still coming . . . Greg Smith

Paulrus: I think I'd use a set of custom materials that contain both the color you need, with the "spotty" texture you require. It's easier to create that antique look in a dedicated Paint application - even an old one that features the "speckled" kind of airbrush. Not any easy thing to reproduce, directly, with 3D-Coat Brushes. Greg Smith

This is a bug, for sure. It's been reported, but, in the mean time try deleting the "Options.xml" file from your "MyDocuments/3dCoat" directory. Sometimes this eliminates the problem. Greg Smith

Mr_Nitro: Unfortunately, there are no "inter-application" standards regarding scale and position. For that matter, there are no "inter-application" standards for "normal" X,Y and Z coordinates, either. So, everything, when exporting to external apps, is a matter of trial and error. You have to learn what works and what doesn't. Greg Smith

Not to make light of it, (he says in fear), but this image looks very like a "grumpy sun". Are they just making these images up and feeding them to us? Greg Smith

Rich: Did you try simply using the "File/Export model" option? Doing it this way seems to be quite reliable. But, maybe C4D has some quirks that I'm unaware of. Greg Smith

I don't know if you are open to using Blender, but if you import your object and use the "Mesh/Normals/Recalculate outside" function, (in the Mesh menu) - it's pretty fast and easy to correct these kinds of problems. Just export your corrected mesh as an .obj and import into 3D-Coat. Greg Smith

Michalis: True. Not all tools exist, in 3D-Coat, yet. Especially really efficient posing tools. The dilemma, I think, for Andrew is that good posing tools imply "skeletal", armature-based tools. If he is going to work that hard, (it is very hard to develop) - then he might as well go all the way and include some time-based posing - animation tools. And, once you get into animation - all the "experts" come climbing out of the woodwork, demanding that advanced rigging tools and modifiers get developed too. It becomes a development nightmare. All you have to do is look at Zbrush development: first Ofer implemented very basic posing tools, then people screamed for better ones - he develops those - and people screamed even more for animation tools, (since the posing tools implied such usage). Now, I think Ofer always wanted animation in his program, but because of the potential development nightmare, he has postponed these tools and functions until "the end". I imagine Andrew might follow the same course, (by popular demand). Greg Smith

Crumbaker: To make use of AUTOPO on an object you wish to produce topology the very first time, just start by clicking the "folder" icon in the 3D-Coat opening "wizard", and, when you get the Transform widget, enlarge your imported object about 150 per cent and click "enter". In the resulting Voxel Layer, on the right, you will find the menu that contains AUTOPO in its various forms - by right clicking on the layer name. The names of the functions are different, now, than when that video was produced - but you can start with "AUTOPO". Try running the algorithm without giving it any guidance in the opening dialogs - other than setting the desired resolution to something like 6000 - leaving everything else at its default. Don't provide any density shading or guides, at this point, (just click the "Next" button twice). Let it run and check the result. Then, tell us about it, here. Greg Smith

Truly, up until the present, good topology has been the starting point for any and all sculpting operations. Which, if you think about it, is exactly the opposite of what should be. To thoroughly mimic "real" media, one should be able to start with a block of material and add to it or take away from it, at will - without needing to think about what kind of "skin" might need to be placed "over" it, upon completion of the sculpt. Also, too much emphasis has been placed by 3D traditionalists on "perfect" topology for all applications. Unless an object will be subject to extreme close-up, static rendering or closely rendered animation, "perfect" topology is not necessary - and often, producing it is just a waste of time. Now, with algorithms like AUTOPO for organic shape meshing and algorithms such as are found in Groboto 3, for hard surface meshing - the sculptor can just sculpt and the modeler can just model. The responsibility for producing good topology always should have fallen to the computer and its algorithms, rather than to the artist and his required technical prowess - and now - this is becoming a reality. I would suggest that Andrew's AUTOPO produces very good organic topology with very little assistance - and that Groboto 3's new hard surface meshing algorithm produces more than adequate topology - even for close-up rendered subjects. So, some of us will have to adapt, (or not), to this new "right side up" approach to creating models. You can bet some folks and their technical skills will suffer from the introduction of these kinds of "automatic" tools. Greg Smith

Michalis: No misunderstanding, (on my part), at all. By combining the "post topology" functions found in the Sculpt Room with the "Surface" mode, found in the Voxel Room, everyone is made happy - for, not only can one switch back and forth between voxel sculpting and polygon sculpting, (in a temporary way), one can use the same tools, (because all polygonal tools exist in one Room) - all over again - after polygonal topology has been permanently created, via the Retopo Room. Greg Smith

Giddy: Just save your model as a .lwo file and launch 3D-Coat. When the starting wizard appears, position your mouse over the "Voxel sculpting" section and then click on the "folder" icon. Navigate to your saved .lwo file, and, when the object appears, resize it a little with the Transform widget - for good measure. There you go - .lwo converted, with little effort, into voxels. Greg Smith

Many people don't realize it, but 3D-Coat also has a surface sculpting mode, (Surface tools), and, in this mode, the voxel model is truly being sculpted on its surface only - complete with polygon stretching as found in "Brand X". This functionality is the equivalent of "going back and forth" between voxels and polygons. To be convinced of this fact, just take any voxel sculpture into "Surface" mode and start sculpting with a Brush set at an extreme depth - you'll soon begin to see the individual polygon faced "skin" start to stretch - and you will hit the limits of such stretching. Then there is this other Room that also has polygonal sculpting tools - for those rare occasions when you realize you forgot something while working in voxel space. (I'd like to see the functions and tools found in the "Sculpt Room" transferred into the "Surface" area, myself). Now that the brush engine is nearing its final iterations, in its quest toward completion, it should be quite easy for Andrew to add more surface sculpting tools, (and maybe even polygon functions beyond this)- those that mimic all the tools found in "Brands X & Y, and Z". Greg Smith

Digiman: I, for one, have benefited greatly from your obsessive tendency to help - and I truly mean HELP. If you have erred in any of your advice, I'm not aware of it. 3D-Coat is very deep, (coming from the innermost brain of Andrew Shpagin), and the various uses of all of its functions are not always apparent. This is where the kind of help you continue to give pays great dividends - well, not cash ones - but, intangible sorts of rewards. We all are saved countless hours of trial and error, (since you have done this for us). Anyway, who says helping is not the most creative endeavor? Not me. Greg Smith

Maybe you can upload a couple of pictures of your mesh, (before importing) - this could help us solve this. Greg Smith

Right now, the safest and best way to import external models for texturing is through the "wizard" which is the dialog you see when you first launch 3D-Coat. When you select either per-pixel or micro-vertex methods of importing, (through this wizard), you will see parameters appear in one of 2 additional dialogs: 1) "Initial subdivision" is the number that allows you to apply "virtual" resolution to your imported model, using the per-pixel method. Try various settings until you see the crispness that you need. 2) "Millions of polygons", as well as "Carcass resolution" are the 2 fields that allow you to add more "virtual" resolution in the micro-vertex mode. Experiment with these, as well. Greg Smith

b33nine: Make sure that, when the opening wizard gives you the opportunity, to set the "virtual" resolution high enough to render crisp edges. If you show the steps you are taking with each mode, perhaps someone could spot where the trouble lies. Greg Smith

GrphxMan: In my experience, when re-opening a .3b file that has run AUTOPO before, that the "density" shading is not saved, but the "guide strokes" are saved, as AbnRanger has stated. Try it again and see if this is not the case. Ultimately, both density markings and guide strokes should be saved with every file. Greg Smith

Jamie: If you are creating your sculpture in the Voxel Room, are you using the AUTOPO algorithm to automatically create topology and UV's for you, or are you doing this manually? In either case, make sure that you are allotting enough "virtual" subdivision to accommodate the details you want to resolve while painting. If you set this virtual subdivision level too low, you will not see the smallest voxel details translated into the paintable mesh. Greg Smith

There really is a face on the sun. Greg Smith

Jamie: The different painting modes and their best uses are confusing, I agree. When you are importing external meshes as .obj or .lwo, etc., the opening wizard lets you choose between micro-vertex texturing, (painting) and per pixel texturing, (painting). Both allow an initial form of "virtual" subdividing for the purpose of painting perceived detail on the imported mesh - whether this imported mesh is made of few or many polygons. So, if you are importing your mesh, you can add as much perceived subdivision as you need through the opening dialog. This virtual subdivision is also used to internally, (behind the scenes), render the various maps you will need when you export your textured mesh to external apps for rendering and animation. The above scenario represents the most basic use of 3D-Coat - so there are other, more complex scenarios, as well. So, in answer to your question about detailed creature texturing - per-pixel painting does not "actually", in reality add displacement to your imported mesh - but it can simulate displacement by means of a normal map and also by means of a diffuse and specular map. This kind of simulated displacement, however, has a limit with regard to how extreme of an effect you need, (how deep are the cavities and how high are the protrusions of texture) - and how believable the results are. So, quite naturally, if you are producing a low poly model for use in a game, per-pixel texturing is often a good choice. For an imported model that has low - all the way to high - resolution actual detail, (low to high polygon count) - and you want to add both fine detail and real and somewhat extreme "actual" displacement, micro-vertex texturing is best, accompanied by a 4k or above texture map size. This explanation may still be clear as mud, so I suggest experimenting with both methods using imported meshes of low, medium and high polygon counts as test cases. Greg Smith

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

Jamie: If you want "actual" mesh displacement to be applied while you paint, (in the Paint Room), the best painting method to use is micro-vertex. In fact, its the only one to use for this purpose. You can actually see the real displaced mesh by looking at it in the Sculpt Room - the displacement you see in the Paint Room is a kind of proxy/interpolated version of that actual displacement. Greg Smith

Here's Monday's giant flare, (700,000km long). Greg Smith