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Alternative to 3DCoat


kenmo
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Since I do most of my work in 2D (Painter, ArtRage, Photoshop) and occassionally model in Hexagon, Wings3D or Scuplteris with compositing in Vue. Whenever I use 3DCoat to texture a model I find it is a steep re-learning curve. I'm not interested in Voxel modeling (sorry it's too confusing and Sculpteris is much easier for me) or repolotolgy. I've used the trial of ZBrush and find it much simplier to use when one only wants to texture a model a few times a year... BUT ZBrush is too expensive for me, especially when you only use it a few times a year...

Any suggestions on a cheap alternative to 3DCoat? One that doesn't have a steep re-learning curve when you only use the app a few times an year?

I no longer have the patience for 3DCoat....

Cheers

Kenmo

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3DCoat... Steep Learning Curve???

This silly little app is so easy to pick up, If all you're looking at is the Paint room.

3DCoat is probably one of the easiest apps to pick up. Everything has useful help popups if you hover over them so just diving in you can learn it pretty quick. A brief look at the docs will get you up to speed if you get stuck.

Don't give up on it. Your alternatives?

Photoshop - You can bring in 3d objects to the latest photoshop if you have it.

BodyPaint - Too expensive

Mari - Too expensive

Blacksmith3d?

Bang for buck 3DC is your best bet, I'd persevere.

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I'm not saying 3DC isn't a great app but when you only use it occassionaly it maybe over kill...

I find with Sculptris I can not use it for 6 months and come back to it and not lose any productivity. Sorry but I can't say the same about 3DCoat Voxel modeling...

AND Yes I did purchase a few 3DC training DVDs on Voxel modeling... The toolset is too awkward & confusing for me.

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stupid question, but why not just use 3D-Coat to do projection painting primarily? That relieves you of the 3D-Coat toolset for a large chunk of the work.

I have to disagree with the learning curve, but I don't think that helps your problem at all.

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I have to agree with b33nine, you mentioned that you'd primarily use it for painting and you can literally pick up the Paint side of 3DC in a few mins.

  1. Just import an obj for Per Pixel Painting
  2. choose the Brush icon
  3. select a layer
  4. start painting away (make sure you set your channels the way you want Depth,Color,Spec).

I don't see that as being a convoluted workflow at all. You're painting directly to pixels so you can just export your finished image.

Sorry I just don't see the issue.

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@kenmo

You could post some artwork first.

I don't know what are you talking about, especially why you're using any 3d app twice a year.

Here's my gallery at Zenfolio.

http://kenmo.zenfolio.com/

I also post on Renderosity....

Cheers

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Here's my gallery at Zenfolio.

http://kenmo.zenfolio.com/

I also post on Renderosity....

Cheers

Here's some 2D art I created using Artrage, Painter, Photoshop....

p372131771-4.jpg

p635481335-4.jpg

p863796944-4.jpg

p1038298843-4.jpg

p609178565-5.jpg

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3D work - Vue Complete, Hexagon, Wings3D, DAZ 3D and some 3DCoat

p1019789932-4.jpg

p85550753-4.jpg

p170928828-4.jpg

p181077321-5.jpg

p600233989-5.jpg

I did model the hot rod tow truck in Hexagon....

I hope this helps...

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I modeled the elephant man in Sculptris and textured in 3DCoat. The Jail was modeled in Hexagon and textured in 3DC. Rendered in Vue....

Post work in ArtRage. I've posted this image here in the past...

p787634156-4.jpg

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3d coat IS the cheap alternative.

C'mon don't be silly, learn the pilgway workflow. do the video tutorials from the website.

It's well worth it.

I agree 3DCoat is awesome but I tend to spend more time in 2D apps (ArtRage, Photoshop) or doing 3D renders in Vue... I don't model that often but I would like to do more modeling... And if I do model something I find it often easier to just apply the materials in Vue.... But for organics I would prefer to do it in 3DC....

Cheers

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • Advanced Member

I'm not saying 3DC isn't a great app but when you only use it occassionaly it maybe over kill...

I find with Sculptris I can not use it for 6 months and come back to it and not lose any productivity. Sorry but I can't say the same about 3DCoat Voxel modeling...

AND Yes I did purchase a few 3DC training DVDs on Voxel modeling... The toolset is too awkward & confusing for me.

I completely AGREE with you. I am 15 years now in this business, worked at a lot of companies seeing many tools in action. Lightwave, Modo, 3dsMAX, Maya, Houdini, Z-brush, Silo, and more... and I can tell you 3D-coat's UI is a big mess. This software has great potential, but first the UI needs a cleanup, the Voxels need to work cleaner without loosing details after merging, AND a very big issue at the moment for me is..I can model some kick ass, trillion billion devastating model...but I won't get it out to 3Dsmax. As I mentioned before..Zbrush models look so much cleaner to me. while 3D-coat seems a nice playground with no production value.

The Paint-Room seems to be easy, BUT, I find the layer system very annoying and counter-productive. And then..no warp tool no tool to adjust the texture before projecting. the paint with splines tool, useless.

The fact that people say " 3D-coat is simple and perfect" shows me WHY 3D-coat is still not production ready. If nobody complains...nothing will change.

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I modeled the elephant man in Sculptris and textured in 3DCoat. The Jail was modeled in Hexagon and textured in 3DC. Rendered in Vue....

Post work in ArtRage. I've posted this image here in the past...

p787634156-4.jpg

don'T u think that you could achieve better results not even using 3D texturing?? I remember times when there was not 3D painting software. We had to save the uv-mesh as an image and import that to Photoshop. and paint over it, render check- repaint, but people did some crazy stuff.

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  • 2 weeks later...
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don'T u think that you could achieve better results not even using 3D texturing?? I remember times when there was not 3D painting software. We had to save the uv-mesh as an image and import that to Photoshop. and paint over it, render check- repaint, but people did some crazy stuff.

Thanks what I'm starting to think as well...

I also agree 3DC's ui is quite messy....

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Thanks what I'm starting to think as well...

I also agree 3DC's ui is quite messy....

I think there is certainly room for improvement, but I actually like the UI. It's a blend of Photoshop and Lightwave. There is no way to please everyone. Some will love it, and others hate it.

If you have the Texture Editor open and docked in the Paint room, you can jump back and forth between 2d painting and 3D. I really love this aspect of 3D Coat. Nothing messy about it.

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Well if they don't straighten out their ui soon, I'll not be upgrading to a newer version. Instead I'll go with Sculptris or even ZBrush...

I love 3DCoat but not it seemed to loose focus with version 3.0....

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Well if they don't straighten out their ui soon, I'll not be upgrading to a newer version. Instead I'll go with Sculptris or even ZBrush...

I love 3DCoat but not it seemed to loose focus with version 3.0....

So, let me get this straight. You can't afford 3D Coat or ZBrush, but you're threatening to....what, buy the more expensive application of the two, because the cheaper one's UI doesn't suit your fancy? Makes perfect sense...I think. :nea: Or not.
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Sculptris is free, has an easier and leaner ui and does a lot of things 3DC does a lot easier...

Sorry you took my post as a threat. It wasn't meant to be...

Since I tend to do mostly 2D stuff, ZBrush has some 2D tools that really appeal to me...and possibly maybe a better fit...

I also find it's ui more intuitive....

I believe 3DCoat is a very inexpensive app and has many features, but since most of the time I'm doing 2D stuff I very seldom use 3DCoat or tap into it's full features...

I have no reason to learn 3DC's convoluted voxel modeling when I can do the near thing in Sculptris....

Cheers

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  • 2 weeks later...
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".I can model some kick ass, trillion billion devastating model...but I won't get it out to 3Dsmax. As I mentioned before..Zbrush models look so much cleaner to me. while 3D-coat seems a nice playground with no production value."

I agree with the above sentiments. I do view 3DCoat Voxel Room and a SINK. But I'll take the "playground with no production value". To be a positive. As much as I love to visit ZBrush central to see some highly polished works with hard clean edges ... I also used to like to visit EAT-POO to see sketchy works and could be blow away by either approach / respository.

A lot of us can have a great deal of fun trying to create edgy, dirty, raw, cool, sketchy things, fast. And for a lot of us .. that is probably enough.

Yeah ... I would like to see some UI things cleaned up. It would be very cool if Andrew could place more value in finding a RUSSIAN to ENGLISH consultant to help simplify a few of the wordings and GEEK-ISMS out of the VOXEL menus ... as well as just streamline them.

But I love 3DCoat. And I want more VOXEL stuff ... less production value efforts (throw rotten tomatoes at me now). JMHO.

".I can model some kick ass, trillion billion devastating model...but I won't get it out to 3Dsmax. As I mentioned before..Zbrush models look so much cleaner to me. while 3D-coat seems a nice playground with no production value."

I agree with the above sentiments. I do view 3DCoat Voxel Room and a SINK. But I'll take the "playground with no production value". To be a positive. As much as I love to visit ZBrush central to see some highly polished works with hard clean edges ... I also used to like to visit EAT-POO to see sketchy works and could be blow away by either approach / respository.

A lot of us can have a great deal of fun trying to create edgy, dirty, raw, cool, sketchy things, fast. And for a lot of us .. that is probably enough.

Yeah ... I would like to see some UI things cleaned up. It would be very cool if Andrew could place more value in finding a RUSSIAN to ENGLISH consultant to help simplify a few of the wordings and GEEK-ISMS out of the VOXEL menus ... as well as just streamline them.

But I love 3DCoat. And I want more VOXEL stuff ... less production value efforts (throw rotten tomatoes at me now). JMHO.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 9 months later...
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Well I'm hoping in the next version the UI is a lot more user friendly...The voxel room is a mess as far as UI...

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Hi Ken!

FWIW, What you see in the latest beta is close to the final version.

Is the beta available to everyone?

Thanks kindly...

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