Are there any tutorials that demonstrate the complete 3D Coat workflow in a single short video?

[Wizardkiss]

I frequently encounter people who are interested in 3D Coat but after trying the demo they don't really understand the full workflow of the app. The problem is I've never come across a short video I can show them that provides a "quick-start" overview of the full process of how to take an asset from creation to export.

There are lots of videos that show how to sculpt things, or paint things, or that show how to use specific tools, but what I've never come across is a single video that shows the full workflow of creating a complete asset for export to another app from start to finish. I'm talking about a video, or short series, that illustrates the full process of moving a simple asset through the stages of sculpting, retopo, unwrapping, painting and export (which is usually going to be to the Unity or Unreal game engines).

Please note that I'm looking for a succinct video, or short series, that I can just pop up and show someone, that demonstrates an overview of the complete process with a simple asset. Not a long multi-part series with hours of somebody sculpting or painting or going over every feature in the app.

Does anyone know of a video like that?

Edited June 12, 2015 by Wizardkiss

[Aleksey]

ive been meaning to make something like this. for the moment i just have this, was showing people how i use 3d coat with cinema4d.

 

[AbnRanger]

I frequently encounter people who are interested in 3D Coat but after trying the demo they don't really understand the full workflow of the app. The problem is I've never come across a short video I can show them that provides a "quick-start" overview of the full process of how to take an asset from creation to export.

There are lots of videos that show how to sculpt things, or paint things, or that show how to use specific tools, but what I've never come across is a single video that shows the full workflow of creating a complete asset for export to another app from start to finish. I'm talking about a video, or short series, that illustrates the full process of moving a simple asset through the stages of sculpting, retopo, unwrapping, painting and export (which is usually going to be to the Unity or Unreal game engines).

Please note that I'm looking for a succinct video, or short series, that I can just pop up and show someone, that demonstrates an overview of the complete process with a simple asset. Not a long multi-part series with hours of somebody sculpting or painting or going over every feature in the app.

Does anyone know of a video like that?

It's hard, if not impossible to do a all in one video, because different people use 3D Coat for different things. So, there is no singular entry point into the application. Nevertheless, these two videos try to layout the overall workflow, including some visual aids to show a diagram of the processes.

 

 

[AbnRanger]

Here is the next video, that goes from the visual aid to actually starting the process of sending an asset from your 3D app directly to the right workspace in 3D Coat.

 

 

This is also a pretty good attempt to cover the gist of the app in one video:

 

[Michaelgdrs]

With those tuts you are on a good start.

[Javis]

There is one issue with your request. It's a deep program, and unless the video is long, one could never cover all of the workflows (because there are many), in one video. This is where a text description or image map of each would be better, or at least the main ones.

 

 

There are a number of workflows, and more with slight variations.

 

 

Sculpt>Retopo>UV>Bake>Paint>Export for Game or Render Engine

Sculpt>Export for Printing a Real Object

Model, Sculpt or Scan Externally>Import for Retopo>UV>Paint>Export for Game or Render Engine

 

 

 

Those are the most common workflows. A few more "minor" workflows as well, such as just importing for Retopo or UVs, sometimes just baking with two meshes you created elsewhere, as well. Hope that helps.

[Wizardkiss]

Thanks for the video links but none of those show making an asset from start to finish.

I did find one on my own (below) which is fairly close to what I was asking for. He shows making a complete asset from start to finish in 12 minutes. Unfortunately it's very old though. It would be nice to have something newer to show people.

[Wizardkiss]

There is one issue with your request. It's a deep program, and unless the video is long, one could never cover all of the workflows (because there are many), in one video. This is where a text description or image map of each would be better, or at least the main ones.

 

I understand what you're saying, but I didn't ask for a video showing every possible workflow in one video (that would be kind of crazy wouldn't it? ). What I run into a lot is people saying "I tried 3D Coat, and made something in the voxel room, but then I couldn't figure out what to do with it from there." I was looking for a quick video I could point them towards to get them going.

If anyone from Pilgway sees this, I would suggest it would be a good thing from a marketing standpoint to have available an up-to-date quick-start video, or several different ones for a few different workflows, showing how to complete a simple asset from start to finish similar to the video I posted above. Lots of apps have something like this so it isn't really an off the wall idea. People trying a demo won't usually have the patience to spend hours watching video after video trying to piece together how an app works. If there isn't anything to get them up and running with the app quickly you'll lose a lot of customers.

[Javis]

I work for Pilgway.

 

 

What does your company primarily focus on? What workflow are you interested in seeing?

[Wizardkiss]

I work for Pilgway.

 

 

What does your company primarily focus on? What workflow are you interested in seeing?

 

I'm retired. I use 3D tools mostly for making game assets as a hobby.

I would think good workflows for basic quick-start videos would be ones like the three you described above with the first one being the most obviously beneficial.

Making a couple to specifically address working with the Unity and Unreal game engines would probably be a savvy thing to do as well.

[The Candy-floss Kid]

3d coat limited overview
Aleksey Voznesenski

Pipeline 00 Introduction & Purpose of the Series

miskyo71
Short series on 3DCoat for retopo +uv of assets - using Max , ZBrush and 3DCoat.

3D Coat -for 2D artists looking to transition into 3D
By Gavin Ball

 

[blackmondy]

I frequently encounter people who are interested in 3D Coat but after trying the demo they don't really understand the full workflow of the app. The problem is I've never come across a short video I can show them that provides a "quick-start" overview of the full process of how to take an asset from creation to export.

There are lots of videos that show how to sculpt things, or paint things, or that show how to use specific tools, but what I've never come across is a single video that shows the full workflow of creating a complete asset for export to another app from start to finish. I'm talking about a video, or short series, that illustrates the full process of moving a simple asset through the stages of sculpting, retopo, unwrapping, painting and export (which is usually going to be to the Unity or Unreal game engines).

Please note that I'm looking for a succinct video, or short series, that I can just pop up and show someone, that demonstrates an overview of the complete process with a simple asset. Not a long multi-part series with hours of somebody sculpting or painting or going over every feature in the app.

Does anyone know of a video like that?

 

 

I second that. A walk through birdeye's-view demo that you would do in a trade show would be wonderful. There is no reason 3D-Coat should play second fiddle to ZBrush in it's current state.

 

[BringItBack]

I agree with the idea of some kind of simple/stupid guide to workflows. I first discovered 3D-Coat about 3 months ago, went through several videos of various vintages (including the rat, which was a good intro), and have spent most of my time in the Sculpting Room. Mostly because it happens to be the most fun for someone who is completely new and not doing this for a living.

 

Having a "30 second elevator pitch" for 3DCoat in it's current state is a challenge, and a good one. My experience as a newbie is as follows. (Long time users here are welcome to roll eyes):

 

Discover 3DCoat

Intrigued by similarities with Photoshop

Start looking at how to Sculpt- watch videos on tools, which tools work best, difference between voxel/surface modes, reducing high poly counts, etc. 

Realization that several videos describe previous versions of 3DCoat, however concepts more or less the same

Become familiar with Sculpt, begin Autopo initial projects into Retopo room

Begin working with UV tools

 

And here is the first major point of confusion for me. It's taken a long time to comprehend that the workflow is not Sculpt/Retopo/UV/Paint, that anything in the Retopo room, is in a transitional state, and that having UV tools in the Retopo Room does not mean that it can go straight to the UV room. At least if I'm understanding correctly, and again, newbie here. 

 

The point I'm at now is understanding the benefits of UV mapping as opposed to taking my high-poly sculpt object straight into the Paint room. I know this may seem like trying to give someone the instructions for painting the Mona Lisa as a paint-by-numbers kit. I'm coming at this as a complete outsider who's worked for years in Photoshop as 2D and is really enjoying the challenge of 3D.

[WillBellJr]

Hi, BringItBack - I think it's totally cool that you're coming straight from Photoshop, in my case, I've been dabbling for years with 3D apps, but likewise, I've just started getting into sculpting.

 

I've had 3D-Coat (and ZBrush) for years, but now since 3DC v4.5, I've really started using the app to where like you, I've followed the Rat tutorial, watched vids on YoutTube and have also become comfortable with sculpting and Retopo in 3DC.

 

I'm slowly transitioning to understanding how to use 3DC's UV and paint tools.

 

Just my opinion, but I'd think that directly painting on a high-poly model would be right at home for a Photoshop user?  Either that or painting with PTex - that way you don't have to be concerned AT ALL with UVs which are such a time soaker; I can't wait till UVs are a thing of the past - not sure HOW that will happen, but I'll be grinning when it does...

 

If your target is mostly illustration, and not export into other 3D apps or game engines, then again, I'd say look into PTex painting and/or vertex color painting (on large amounts of polygons).

 

That IMO, would be the most Photoshop-like experience for you, on your 3D models, freeing you from having to bother with UVs.

 

 

-Will

 

PS - I will add however that I'm not sure about displacements (bumps / normals) being available with just vertex painting, since I have yet to try painting w/3DC myself?

 

If bumps aren't possible (in fact I believe they are NOT with vertex coloring, I would hope with PTex?), then yeah, you'll have to deal with UVs to get the full paint experience - drats!

Edited June 24, 2015 by WillBellJr

[Carlosan]

Hope it help

 

 

[blade33ru]

i have to say i think one of the best things about 3d coat is the extensive video library available on youtube.  It covers just about every feature and has been a great resource in learning the program

[Hugues]

Great help as usual.

But few questions, as I'm completely new to this.

- What's the purpose of UV ? Why can't we paint directly on the 3D model ? Why unwrapping it first ?

- what's Baking exactly ?

- if I'm not going to paint, but only 3D print my models, do I need to retopo ? Is the aim of retopo to only reduce mesh size ?

Thanks guys,

Edited July 9, 2015 by Hugues

[AbnRanger]

Great help as usual.

But few questions, as I'm completely new to this.

- What's the purpose of UV ? Why can't we paint directly on the 3D model ? Why unwrapping it first ?

- what's Baking exactly ?

- if I'm not going to paint, but only 3D print my models, do I need to retopo ? Is the aim of retopo to only reduce mesh size ?

Thanks guys,

If you want to paint only on the vertices of a model, you can. It's called Vertex Painting. Color and glossiness info is being stored in the vertices rather than on an image map with UV coordinates. Problem is, you need a fairly dense mesh to store enough color resolution. Low vertex count = low resolution. High vertex count = High Resolution. If you are 3D printing, you don't necessarily need a low poly object or UV maps. If you are working on a game model or for animation, you need a low poly mesh + UV maps. UV's layout coordinates for your model so that a 2D texture can be properly wrapped or mapped to a 3D model.

 

Vertex painting is an alternative to this method. You can do either in 3D Coat. Baking in the Retopo room uses a low poly cage to calculate the different locations of the vertices on your high poly/voxel object and low poly retopo mesh. It records or BAKES the difference into a normal or displacement map. Renderers will read those maps and on a subdivided version of the model, and at render time, displace the vertices of the subdivided model to more closely match the original high poly sculpt. Normal maps don't displace. They just makes the object look like it has a lot of detail. It's fake displacement detail.

 

It's all sort of a work-around, because most 3D apps and game engines just cannot handle dense meshes well in the 3D viewport. Performance gets very sluggish and almost unworkable, when trying to tumble about the scene and animate with High Poly objects.

[Hugues]

If you want to paint only on the vertices of a model, you can. .....

...

It's all sort of a work-around, because most 3D apps and game engines just cannot handle dense meshes well in the 3D viewport. Performance gets very sluggish and almost unworkable, when trying to tumble about the scene and animate with High Poly objects.

 

Ok, I get the idea, thanks a lot, i should have asked before.

[BringItBack]

Carlosan- Thanks so much for the videos! It was critical for me to understand the relationships between the rooms. I had wrongly assumed that the original hi-poly mesh was available in the Paint room, and couldn't understand the repeated emphasis on importing models- I was thinking, why import when I'm right here in the sculpt room- and I can see it here in the Paint room as well...? Your thoughts on the overall process/workflow within 3DCoat is exactly what I was looking for, and I'll be watching these two videos a few more times. Btw... no trace of any Argentinian accent

 

WBJ - Exactly right, another point that I missed- coming at this from Photoshop- was the difference between end results. A game developer would immediately know the importance of low-poly meshes and working the detail into the UV's... whereas someone with a more illustrative or informal interest in 3D would likely go straight to painting the high-poly mesh. Probably a duh statement for several here, but for me it was a relief to get that. I couldn't grasp why I was going through the Autopo/UV steps just to get to the painting of the mesh. 

Edited July 10, 2015 by BringItBack

[Carlosan]

Ty but the maker of this videos is

AbnRanger