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Benefits of voxels/ Surface control (Polygroups etc.)


Dobby
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Hi all!

Could someone explain to me, what the benefits of working with voxels are over polygons? I wonder what use they have workflowwise, because from my newbie-standpoint I cannot yet see what I gain in comparison to ZBrush's Dynamesh.

Also I feel that 3DC does not give me the same level of surface control as ZB does with using polygroups and the related options.

I do not at all mean to bash, I'd really like to make a transition to 3DC, but need some answers first, which maybe you can provide!

 

If that question has been asked already, please link me to it and close/delete this thread. I could not find a thread.

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Hi

3DC Voxel mode is ZB dynamesh equivalent with no polygon limits.

Use Voxel mode for rough beginning, block sketches.

Switch to Surface for detail.

And use Liveclay (Sculptris Dynamic tessellation equivalent) for fine details.

 

Polygroups equivalent is a feature already asked, hope the dev team could find something new soon.

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Use the Smooth all tool entering suface mode. Select tangent smoothing and set your smoothing degree, test different smoothing degrees to see what is the one that works best for your model.

This will help you on getting your voxel mesh ready for surface mode sculpting and smoothing.

In the top menu for your shift key control, choose relax, now when you smooth, you can hold down the shift key and relax the mesh, then keep smoothing.

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I understand that Voxels cannot be subdivided like one would do with polies. I'm reading the thread you linked in your last post and getting a glimpse of understanding. However my understanding seems to lack in terms of 3DC specific workflow. Can you link me to some videos concerning this topic? Best would be one that compares the ZB workflow (multi-res) with 3DC voxel based workflow (does it necessarily include "voxels -> surface"?).

Frankly I still don't see how voxels are superior to the dynamesh-way and feel that I cannot get moderately sharp edges in 3DC. Cranking up the resolution with Voxels just makes 3DC really slow before achieving a proper level of detail on the surface.

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Voxels is used for rough sketches. 1/2M polygons limit are ok to work.

Fine details you get using Surface mode. 3D coat was advertised as a voxel sculpting program so many people don't realize that now it has completely new surface sculpting engine in addition to old voxel one.
Surface mode has its own set of brushes and works just great.

Our youtube channel have several videos that help new users to understand the workflow, please take a look. :)

 

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I cannot get moderately sharp edges in 3DC. Cranking up the resolution with Voxels just makes 3DC really slow before achieving a proper level of detail on the surface.

Hi Dobby, try upping your rez high enough for surface details then switch to surface mode >voxels >decimate > now use your surface brushes to apply mesh polygon detail where required. In other words your working with a dynamic tessellation where detail is required but not subdividing globally.

V4.5 is slow on my system - curious if you ran a 4.1instead version whether you would report better speeds for sculpting.

The voxel workspace is equivalent to working in a permanent state of dynamesh (as Carlosan points out) and shadowbox combined. This makes 3DCoat a very fast method of blocking out form and also testing whether ideas and even scenes will work in 3d early on. In that sense 3DCoat is liberating at this stage and will inspire designs that perhaps may not be reached with ZBrush so intuitively.

Beyond this stage - there is no advantage with regard sculpting, merely personal preference over tool responses.
Throwing your work over to ZBrush for final design adjustments, posing adjustments and the advantages of a polygonal work flow would be recommended with regard time saved. Sculpting wise 3DCoat's weak spot with regard fluidity and speed relates to posing.
Intuitively it has nothing that touches the intuition of the transpose tool nor zsphere rigging.

ZBrush's whole modus operandi is based around a polygonal and polygroup workflow based on your cpu - making it superb for these advantages - there is no direct comparison and therefore a transition per se is not wholly equivalent.

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21 hours ago, Dobby said:

I understand that Voxels cannot be subdivided like one would do with polies. I'm reading the thread you linked in your last post and getting a glimpse of understanding. However my understanding seems to lack in terms of 3DC specific workflow. Can you link me to some videos concerning this topic? Best would be one that compares the ZB workflow (multi-res) with 3DC voxel based workflow (does it necessarily include "voxels -> surface"?).

Frankly I still don't see how voxels are superior to the dynamesh-way and feel that I cannot get moderately sharp edges in 3DC. Cranking up the resolution with Voxels just makes 3DC really slow before achieving a proper level of detail on the surface.

Given there seem to be so many users accustomed to ZB & who are looking to try out 3DC, it may be useful to do a side-by-side comparison of the two going over the key similarities & how they differ? I don't use ZB at all unfortunately =(

Edited by arumiat
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