random ideas

[GabeM]

I'll use this thread to post any thoughts I have while using 3DCoat. I love what the program can do now, but every so often I'll have a question, wish something was different, or find there is something I need but can not do.

Thanks for looking

------------------------------- | Paint room | ---

1) I would like to have a randomizer between the two color swatches I select for the brush, the same as Photoshop. The hue variation doesn't provide the control I'm looking for.

I'm trying to use this to paint some skin detail.

2) Import multiple models at once: I can do this now by combining all parts in another program, but I wish 3D coat would do this on it's own as part of the import operation.

3) For projecting textures, I'd like to have a masking option for the preview using the mesh. Not just fade, but draw the image at 100% opacity on the model, while using the model as the alpha mask.

------------------------------- | Retopo room | ---

1) Auto retopo should be in here, and able to work in small patches. Using the strokes and surrounding geometry to figure out how to fill some areas quickly. A seed or real time preview of the result would be nice.

2) Quads tool should be able to draw a polygon in empty space, and I think it needs a click and drag method added to the list of ways to generate new polygons.

3) Quads tool if used with a selection of edges, should be able to work as an extrude tool. Instead of drawing a single polygon, you can draw a row of them. Maybe add a curve option to this, so you can

guide how the edges curve to reach a different area. Click to start, and drag a line for the new edges fit in to. Alternate would be click to start, and continue clicking to draw a curve, double click on the last point to finish.

4) Strokes tool should be able to draw an edgeloop by clicking on the surface and dragging out. That way you can avoid drawing a loop on multiple parts by accident. I had this problem when trying to draw edge loops on fingers. I got a loop on the finger, the torso and the other hand. Maybe just double click to activate loop mode, then drag a little bit to select the orientation.

5) Cut tool, should be able to cut along multiple faces with a single stroke, or the two click method.

6) Strokes should be able to work as a bridge tool. Draw a stroke between two open edge loops, and a connection will be generated. It could also be a separate tool, but just drawing a line would be good.

------------------------------- | Voxel room | ---

1) The proxy modeling mode could use autotopo to generate subdivision levels. I really need this, it's the biggest problem I have with Voxel sculpting and dynamic tessellation. Having access to lower subdivision levels makes the creation of certain shapes and general modifications a lot easier. I think working with Voxels is awesome at the start, so you can just make the shapes real quick without going in to much detail. Next generate a subdivision mesh from there and continue working, spending most of the time in the Proxy mode. I think that once you have your overall shape in place, there isn't much need for the special abilities of voxel and tessellation methods.

Voxel is good at the start, and tessellation is good at the end, subdivision is good in between.

It wouldn't happen very often, but If you really wanted to make some drastic changes, you could switch back to voxel and when ready, generate a new topology for proxy mode.

Maybe in Proxy mode, you could go to the lowest subdivision, and use the box modeling methods instead or just the brush and have the topology update when called to do so.

Losing detail is another problem the subdivision method doesn't have.

If you want to alter the shape in a more global scale, you can switch to a lower subdivision, leaving the higher details untouched.

2) Something like a free form deformer or bone influence that you can draw on the Voxel mesh. Using the topology tools, if you want to use a polygon modeling method to alter a shape, instead of using the voxel brushes. You would draw some polygons on the surface and move that mesh around with the voxel sticking to it.

I think it'll make modeling some things a lot easier, hard surface modeling, or certain shapes that are hard to do quickly and accurately with the brushes.

There is a way to do this now, make the mesh in a different program, import and merge.

[GabeM]

-------------------- | Paint Room | ---

 

1) The locks on the object list should work like the visibility icons.  I was trying to paint on a single object and had to go through a list of items, locking unwanted parts, instead of just doing the Alt+click to lock all but the one I wanted.

 

2) An option to select parts of the mesh and break it up in to groups that can be hidden like the object list.  What I'm doing now is breaking the model apart in another program like 3dsMax, torso, Left arm, Right arm, ears, jaw, etc.....  That's fine, but it would be nice to make a quick selection when I need it right in 3DCoat.  Select polygons, Grow selection, select by element, the usual selection options for polygons.  Basically the same idea as polygroups in Zbrush, but with a nicer selection method, one that's not so clumsy.