Fundamental Paint Room Workflow

[Northvs]

Hi, I'm very new to 3dCoat and although it's incredible, I'm finding some of the basic concepts difficult to grasp.

Currently, I'm trying to understand the best workflow for applying shaders to an imported model with 5 objects.

1. Should one Layer contain the material which is applied to each object?

2. Is it best to use Smart Materials as opposed to Shaders or Materials? The manual on page 141 mentions to use Materials which can be selected from the Materials Panel however, I cannot find this - is this correct or am I missing something obvious? There is also a Masks panel shown, I can't see this either. 

3. There are alot of references to the Layers panel being similar to Photoshop however the Smart Material Editor seems to be where the main power of the shaders is located. Also, can the SME be docked to a panel?  

4. How do I apply a Layer Mask to a Layer. A tutorial mentioned that another layer had to be created onto which, the mask is painted. The layer I want to mask has it's Clip Mask Layer set to the layer which has the mask painted - is this the correct process?

Apologies for the basic questions but, I want to make sure I'm using 3dCoat correctly.

Thanks,

N

[Carlosan]

Hi

1. Yes

2. Smart Material is used on Paint Room, shaders are for Sculpt room

3. Cant, is on todo list

 

[Carlosan]

Please check this videos, hope it help

 

 

[Northvs]

Thank you Carlosan.

[Northvs]

I start modelling in 3ds max and then export using the Applink to 3DC for Sculpting then Painting.

I'm trying to figure out the best way to do this. A tutorial said that the model should be exported using the Retopo - Retopologize option in the App link. I can't figure out how to get the model from the Retopo room to the Sculpt room. A thread says to use "Retopo mesh -> Sculpt mesh" however, I cannot see this option in 3DC.

One last thing I should mention is that the models I am working with are big in real world units so approx. 100 metres x 75 metres - I don't know if this has any bearing on the workflow in 3DC.

[Carlosan]

Hello

The model should be exported to the Retopo Room first 
Yes it is. Sculpt room dont recognize UV maps if any, so the common workflow is to create a retopo model, send it to sculpt to add details, switch back to Retopo room to bake. 
Then the model is send to Paint Room to add details and surface materials.
 
How to get the model from the Retopo room to the Sculpt room
In the latest build you can now go into the Sculpt room > GEOMETRY menu > RETOPO MESH TO SCULPT MESH. It's super fast, but make sure only the mesh you want to send there, is visible in the Retopo Room. 
Before you move polygons from Retopo Room go to: Retopo-> Remove N-Gones. After that, polygons importing correctly

  
Take it into the sculpt room to add details then to add Smart Shaders in the Paint room then export it all back to max.
Here are the steps and they are easy...

Create your low polygon retopo mesh. Send it to Sculpt room selecting (S) Surface mode on the Sculpt layer on Sculpt tree. Sculpt details.

On retopo room, create your uv seams and unwrap.

Choose your baking method and bake. There are several as you know...

Hide the sculpt in the paint room. You can do this before baking too

Now paint your model with all the tools available in the paint room.

Export through the File menu when done.

 

Hope this help.
 
3DCoat basic workflow
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0j3eOUZqug

[Northvs]

That's incredibly helpful, thank you.

When I import an object and start sculpting, I have been adding sculpt layers thinking it would work similar to the paint room however, all the sculpt information seems to stay within the top layer - is this correct or am I missing a key part of the workflow?

Thanks again for your help! 

[Carlosan]

Check if Edit > Preferences > Beta tools tab > Sculpt layers is turned on, If yes turn it off. 

[Northvs]

That was already off.

If you look at the attached screen grabs;

1. Added a primitive

2. Created a new sculpt layer as a child and selected it - did some sculpting

3. It reverts back to the top layer and applied the sculpt to the top layer.

Can you tell me what I'm doing wrong or the best way to do this?

Thanks, N

[sprayer]

Look this video. You mistaken sculpttree, surface layer, and sculpt layer in paint room

n

[Northvs]

Thank you. I had watched that video and understand the general difference.

What I don't understand is whether one piece of geometry can have multiple sculpt layers in the Sculpt Tree?

For example a tree trunk, I would sculpt the bigger forms in one sculpt layer then the mid sized forms on another sculpt layer. The fine detail can then be added in the Paint room.

Is this possible?

Edited January 7, 2021 by Northvs