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New V4 Training series?


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At the risk of sounding like an idiot, anyone planning on releasing any paid V4 training series soon?  I know Javis and I believe Leigh Bamforth have hinted or mentioned they have something upcoming, but wanted to check to see if anyone else does.  I have seen the free V4 training others have put out (and thank you for them) but I do really well with training series that are project based and take you from start to finish, UI overview, etc.

 

Also does anyone do 1:1 training?  maybe via Skype or something similar?  Just curious and thanks for everyone has done.

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Existe:

 

While you're asking - are there specific subjects/projects that you would like to see (Voxels, Surfaces, Texturing, etc.)?

 

Depending on your skill level and familiarity with 3D-Coat - there may exist something that would help you now.

 

 

Greg Smith

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Sent a PM as well.  I am really just looking for workflow video and/or examples for the sculpting aspect of the application.  I think I got the UV and Paint room understood and use them routinely.  For whatever reason reading about the Voxel vs Surface vs Live Clay is not clicking.  Love to have a project to flow through to get that down or a live demo.  I usually only need to see it once to get or do it myself once.  Thanks.

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Existe:

 

Here are some quick rules of thumb:

 

1) If you have a hardware super-system, use Voxels to keep adding details until your machine becomes too slow to tolerate (Voxel tools have been refined the most and offer a very trouble-free sculpting environment).

 

2) If you have a moderately powerful hardware system - either start with Voxels (adding detail until it becomes too slow), switching to Surface or LiveClay to finish adding detail - or start directly with either Surface or LiveClay tools.

 

3)  If you plan to export your work for rendering or animation elsewhere - there is no need to add all model detail by means of actual geometry - whether in Voxels, Surfaces or LiveClay.  Add the highest frequency details by means of the Paint Room and Bump, Normal and Displacement maps.

 

The original idea for creating the Surface and LiveClay tools was simply to preserve hardware resources - and allow the user to make very detailed models without needing a hardware super system - (as working with pure voxels would do).  This would make 3D-Coat accessible to a lot more "average" users with "average" systems.

 

Remember, also, that no retopology or UV maps become permanent and "real" until you use one of the "Merge" commands from the Retopo Menu - or by using AUTOPO and one of the automatic Paint Room methods (Voxel Layer menu - Right-Click - AUTOPO for per pixel, for example).

 

Once you have taken your model from the Voxel Room, through the Surface or LiveClay modes and into the Paint Room - you are in the "home stretch" - finalizing your model and textures for use elsewhere.

 

If anything still needs explaining - please ask away.

 

 

Greg Smith

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Appreciate the feedback and willingness to help on this subject.

 

To summarize what Psmith has shared for my own understanding:

 

 Depending on PC performance and use case,

 

1.  Start off in the Voxel room, adding resolution to meet the needs for the details desired

2.  At some point most likely move to Surface and LC for the finer details (or if performance is still good continue to use Voxels)

3.  Once completed with sculpting need to retopologize the mesh via the Topo room

4.  After completed with retopo I create my UV layout in the UV room

5.  At this point I merge the low poly mesh with UV layouts into the paint room

6.  Paint etc and then export low poly mesh plus any maps created for 3rd party application or just render inside of 3DC

 

 

Questions/Assumption:

 

1.  When building resolution in the Voxel room is it best to do this in layers or do you sculpt in a single layer for resolution X, then increase and start sculpting now at new resolution over what was done at resolution X?

2.  Any difference to the flow with imported meshes if the intention is to sculpt and export out?

3.  Once completed in the Topo room I am then left with a high-poly and low-poly version of the mesh? 

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1. Increase in new layer where body>head>ear would require it.

2. After sculpt, reuse original mesh in Retopo.

3. Assuming you imported a high poly mesh and created a low poly mesh in retopo, yes. Your 3DC file will always have  a very high poly mesh in Surface sculpt.

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Existe:

 

Also, no editable UV maps become available until you "Merge" into the Paint Room.  Once this has been done, they appear in the UV Room and can be rearranged, islands re-sized, etc.

 

As Tony has said, it may prove to be handy to make a kind of "base head" on one layer - perhaps increasing the resolution once on the way - then add additional layers with higher resolution for those facial features which require it (mouth, eyes/eyelids, ears).  When the whole thing is done to your satisfaction - Merge all layers together and run the AUTOPO routine (just to see how close you can get your topology automatically).  Refine as desired.  

 

I'm working on a head tutorial that illustrates many of these steps - but it will be a little while coming:  "A Few Quick Ones" (Tutorial Section).

 

 

Greg Smith

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  • 2 weeks later...
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Existe:

 

Here are some quick rules of thumb:

 

1) If you have a hardware super-system, use Voxels to keep adding details until your machine becomes too slow to tolerate (Voxel tools have been refined the most and offer a very trouble-free sculpting environment).

 

2) If you have a moderately powerful hardware system - either start with Voxels (adding detail until it becomes too slow), switching to Surface or LiveClay to finish adding detail - or start directly with either Surface or LiveClay tools.

 

3)  If you plan to export your work for rendering or animation elsewhere - there is no need to add all model detail by means of actual geometry - whether in Voxels, Surfaces or LiveClay.  Add the highest frequency details by means of the Paint Room and Bump, Normal and Displacement maps.

 

The original idea for creating the Surface and LiveClay tools was simply to preserve hardware resources - and allow the user to make very detailed models without needing a hardware super system - (as working with pure voxels would do).  This would make 3D-Coat accessible to a lot more "average" users with "average" systems.

 

Remember, also, that no retopology or UV maps become permanent and "real" until you use one of the "Merge" commands from the Retopo Menu - or by using AUTOPO and one of the automatic Paint Room methods (Voxel Layer menu - Right-Click - AUTOPO for per pixel, for example).

 

Once you have taken your model from the Voxel Room, through the Surface or LiveClay modes and into the Paint Room - you are in the "home stretch" - finalizing your model and textures for use elsewhere.

 

If anything still needs explaining - please ask away.

 

 

Greg Smith

 

Seems like there are more brushes for Surface and LC, or maybe it just requires different types based on its function vs Voxels.  Are brushes being developed more for Surface/LC than Voxel?  I have a pretty decent system, but seems like using Surface/LC is not just about resources? or can anything with Voxel brushes be done with Surface/LC just differently?

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I think there has been a shift in focus from Voxels to LiveClay (and Surface) tools - mainly based on the vast amount of interest in this area.

 

Personally, I don't find a need to use so many different (yet amazingly similar) tools to get almost any sculpting job done.  Even though LiveClay has so many tools, and is more economical to use for many things - I like the fact that the voxel tools offer fewer surprises and need fewer workarounds.

 

Straight forwardness - this is what I prefer - so this is what I demonstrate.

 

I did a 3D-Coat demonstration once - for the lead designer at Mattel Toy Co. and he emphatically told me he wouldn't use our product or (a competing) product because - and I quote, "I don't need all this $#T&*@#, just give me 7 good, solid tools, and I can make anything."  Or words to that effect.

 

He was tired of fooling with things and tweaking settings. He just wanted a small array of reliable, predictable tools with which to design toys.

 

 

Greg Smith

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  • 4 months later...
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I know this is a older Thread , but i was reading through and saw it. I have just started the last 2 months learning to 3d model, I have looked into sculpting to and the 2 programs i would like to learn is zbrush and 3d-coat. I have tried to watch a good bit of videos on 3d-coat but still need help if anyone does not mind helping, or even with zbrush to. I have learned alot in this last 2 months but so much more to go. I was just hoping to make some friends in the area that might be able to help teach me 3d coat , and understand it better.

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hello dear guys, what should I doo, if I recognize that sculpting with LiveClay is going slow and slower?! I switched by my last modell very fast du Clay / Liveclay, I could work very fine, but by adding Skin-Structure especially skin wrinkles I couldn't work fluid ... What to do? I did also setting down the LC-Brush-Details (5 very high) to 2 or even 1 and it was only a bit better.

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