3DS Max to 3D Coat

[ScrotieFlapWack]

Hi Guys,

 

I made a simple brick wall model in 3DS Max using basic primitive (the cube to be precise). I have exported this as a .OBJ file and when I import it into 3D Coat so I can sculpt on my bricks all the layers are in surface mode and it doesn't let me sculpt. When I change a layer for a brick to voxel mode 3D Coat asks me to enter a poly count. I am still pretty new to all this and not to sure what I am doing. All I want to do is export my model of the wall from 3DS Max and sculpt on the bricks in 3D Coat. Am I doing something wrong whilst exporting or is it because I used the cube primitive to make my wall and its just a hollow cube with no polygons? I'm not entirely sure where I am going wrong and some advice would be highly appreciated

 

If you need some screenies I'll be happy to upload them. 

[AbnRanger]

Hi Guys,

 

I made a simple brick wall model in 3DS Max using basic primitive (the cube to be precise). I have exported this as a .OBJ file and when I import it into 3D Coat so I can sculpt on my bricks all the layers are in surface mode and it doesn't let me sculpt. When I change a layer for a brick to voxel mode 3D Coat asks me to enter a poly count. I am still pretty new to all this and not to sure what I am doing. All I want to do is export my model of the wall from 3DS Max and sculpt on the bricks in 3D Coat. Am I doing something wrong whilst exporting or is it because I used the cube primitive to make my wall and its just a hollow cube with no polygons? I'm not entirely sure where I am going wrong and some advice would be highly appreciated

 

If you need some screenies I'll be happy to upload them. 

Is there any way to can use some kind of screen recording, like JING (free and can upload videos to there hosting site, screencast.com)? This would help considerably. If not, please at least ALT + SHIFT + S to capture a screenshot inside of 3D Coat, and it immediately uploads it to their server. Otherwise, we are flying blind, here, trying to help.

 

[ScrotieFlapWack]

Thanks for the reply AbnRanger but I think I solved the problem. I used the applink for Max which I got today. I had to turn each brick from surface to voxel mode and enter in the polygon amount after I did that I was able to sculpt onto all the bricks and they are all in separate layers aswell which is pretty handy

[AbnRanger]

Thanks for the reply AbnRanger but I think I solved the problem. I used the applink for Max which I got today. I had to turn each brick from surface to voxel mode and enter in the polygon amount after I did that I was able to sculpt onto all the bricks and they are all in separate layers aswell which is pretty handy

Once you hit APPLY or the ENTER key to commit the object to a layer, it shouldn't be necessary to switch from Voxel to Surface....just to sculpt.

[ScrotieFlapWack]

Sorry, just tried again and I still got the same problem. I've recorded for you using Jing so you can see whats happening (sorry about that wasn't thinking before posting :P). 

 

I have two screens, on the screen you can't see I have 3DS Max up with my model loaded, I am using the AppLink to bring my model in from 3DS Max to 3D Coat. Sorry about the first few attempts I was rushing to show you and forgot to pick the voxel object option on the applink and kept bringing it into the paint room (I am still pretty much new to all this).

 

Anyway as follows here is the video, when I get my model into the voxel room you'll see all the layers I was talking about in my previous post they all have S next to them and when I change it from S to V I have to enter a polygon amount and then once I done that and select the layer I am able to sculpt surely though this shouldn't be the correct way. Also when I pick the top layer and choose the combine with children my object changes and there is no longer my bricks it just changes to a complete mess lol. I can record again if you want a better look at it all. As I said I am still learning so I am very sorry if I am being completely stupid and just missing something very basic. 

 

http://screencast.com/t/82rpbZZ9Z

[ScrotieFlapWack]

Been trying to fix this all day and its not going very well lol. Don't know what I am missing, really want to get a brick effect like this one:

 

 

It's for a wall I want to make for a game project I am working on. 

Edited January 21, 2014 by ScrotieFlapWack

[AbnRanger]

Ah...I got it. From within 3ds Max, when you click on the 3D Coat Applink, a panel pops up and you have a host of options. Those options send the selected object(s) directly to the Workspace/Room you want to work in, based on what you want to do. In this case you want to "Voxelize the model for sculpting" or something to that effect. It will send the model(s) directly to the Voxel Room, from there, you hit the ENTER key to commit it to a layer, and you should be ready to roll.

 

3D Coat is effectively a handful of applications rolled into one...and it's not always easy to access content from one room or another unless you understand the pipeline/structure of the app. There are effectively two major points of entry, into the application. One is to import into the Paint Room, where you can texture paint, Layout/Edit UV's (UV Room), do some Image based sculpting, and basic mesh transforms/sculpting (Tweak Room). But an object you import into the Paint Room is not accessable in either the Retopo Room.

 

There is a reason for that, though. It's typically counter to the workflow in 3D Coat. If you want to Voxel Sculpt > Retopologize> Create/Layout UV's (includes using Ptex to bypass UV's altogether) > Texture Paint, then 3D Coat is ideally set up for that....but you need to START in the Voxel Workspace/Room. That's the other major point of entry into the app.

 

So, if you want to use 3D Coat's Voxel sculpting tools, that is where you want to start. You merge/import directly into that Room. That applink will send the models directly there, though.

 

Your other issue is that you were trying to sculpt a PARENT LAYER. Often times, you may want to create a Parent layer for a group of objects...like those bricks, maybe teeth, etc. But the Parent can be an object or just a blank layer, that you can use to quickly move/transform the whole group. In this case, when sending the objects to the Voxel Room, 3D Coat created a blank parent layer and assigned all the individual bricks to child layers. If you want to sculpt all of them as the same time, then you need to merge them together (right-click the parent layer > choose MERGE SUBTREE)

 

 

[AbnRanger]

Been trying to fix this all day and its not going very well lol. Don't know what I am missing, really want to get a brick effect like this one: It's for a wall I want to make for a game project I am working on. 

You could use the Instancer tool in the Voxel Room to tile your bricks like that, and propagate changes/edits on one to another.

 

Edited January 22, 2014 by AbnRanger