3D-Coat Manual

DEFINITIVE USER GUIDE

LEARN WITH THE
Greg Smith, Javis Jones, Christian Michelin, Don Nash, David
Schoneveld, Luo Chen, Marina Shpagina, Dwayne Ferguson, Dan-
iel Yarmak, Klaus Nordby
Manual design:
Greg Smith
Editors:
Official 3D-Coat web-site: www.3d-coat.com
Lead Programmer:
Andrew Shpagin [email protected]
Web-designer/Webmaster:
Vladimir Popelnukh [email protected]
Sales manager:
Stanislav Chernyshuk [email protected]
PR manager:
Denis Yanev [email protected]
Sharon Helms and Gideon Klindt
CHAPTER 1
Tour
3D-Coat Version 4 represents a substan-
tial upgrade to the application and in
many cases a total re-write of existing
functions, as well as the introduction of a
number of innovative new features. The
interface has changed and new customiza-
tion features allow for a very subjective
user experience.
SECTION 1 - TOUR
The Rooms
3D-Coat is full of deep
functionality. Having a
large selection of tools,
commands, functions and
workows, 3D-Coat is
structured into clearly
dened Rooms which
house all of the
appropriate functions for any given stage of model
development. Think of each room as a thoroughly
connected mini-application.
This structure helps you concentrate on one set of
operations at a time - making all of your working time the
most productive it can be.
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ROOM FUNCTIONALITY
1. Voxel Room
2. Retopo Room
3. Tweak Room
4. UV Room
5. Paint Room
6. Render Room
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1.1 The Voxel Room
Probably the most unique set of tools and functions found
in the 3D sculpting venue reside in this Room.
Nicely divided from other portions of the 3D-
Coat environment - The Voxel Room contains a
set of tools and functions that allow you to
construct the most detailed and elaborate
organic and mechanical models that one could
conceive.
In essence, The Voxel Room is composed of 2
working modes - Pure Voxels and Surface
Mode. Pure Voxels create models with
modiable volume - and Surface Mode allows
you to work with only a skin - which can either
be stretched and re-skinned or expanded and contracted
with an adaptive subdivision mesh (LiveClay) - adding
extra geometry only when you desire, and which you
control the density of.
You can choose to begin in Pure Voxels and eventually
move your sculpture into Surface Mode (for increased
performance, memory preservation and very ne detail
work) - or start from the beginning working with
Surfaces.
Many of the Voxel Room Tools lend themselves to freeform
Brush-Based sculpting operations - giving the artist the
freedom of building with the equivalents of clay, wax,
wood, stone and paint. 3D-Coat also makes full use of
your graphics tablets abilities.
Other tools provide for precision required in
constructing mechanical model forms. Notable
among these are those tools found in the E
Panel - a selection of spline and polygon based
drawing tools which can be positioned and altered
as you work.
Both varieties of tools give the user the fastest,
most uid and accurate ways of constructing any
type of model you might conceive.
Since the Voxel environment is based largely on the use of
Brushes - it is important to grasp their nature and
composition - for it relates to many other areas and Rooms
found within the 3D-Coat application.
Brushes consist primarily of the form of the Brush as
dened by Brush Alphas found in the main Brush Panel,
as well as their corresponding Options found in the
Options Panel.
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-
Voxel Brushes can be adjusted on the y by means of the
Right Mouse Button and horizontal or vertical gestures
within the 3D Viewport.
Corresponding slider settings can be
found within the Brush Parameters
Panel, which show and augment the
Mouse-Based parameters, and are found
at the top of the 3D-Coat interface.
Brush strokes can also be modied by using functions
from the Materials, Masks, Strips, Models and Splines
Panels, when the context is appropriate.
Since voxels are, by nature, memory and processor
intensive - it is important to think of them as a beginning to
the total range of steps needed to nalize a model initiated
within 3D-Coat for nal production and publishing to an
external application. So, it is most practical to start
sculpting in voxels with the least
amount of resolution required to
capture the most basic form of
the overall model.
Once basic form and structure
are achieved, you can
Resample or use the Res+
tool to advance to a higher level of detail.
If youd like to preserve the different stages of modeling -
as represented by resolution (from low to
high) - simply duplicate a layer before
applying Res+ (Resampling) and
proceeding with your sculpting operations.
Use the Voxel Layers Panel to store
different versions of your sculpture, as well
as parts of the model that need different and separate
features and detail. These can all be transferred into
different Retopo Groups for adding unique topology to
each - and ultimately to the Paint Room for nal
displacement, bump and color texture creation.
By Right-Clicking on any Voxel Layer - you obtain
access to the most frequently used functions that deal with
Voxels. More functions can be found in the main Voxel
Menu at the top of the interface.
To view the current statistics of your Voxel Sculpture, or to
obtain Tool Tips in expanded form, just look at the
Statistics Panel located at the bottom left of the
interface.
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Use the File menu to access all Import functions for
bringing in external creations into the Voxel environment -
and use Export functions for producing various direct
Polygonal and Raw Voxel versions of your sculpture - to be
used and modied in external CAD and 3D printing
applications.
1.2 The Retopo Room
All Topology creation
and modication tools
and functions can be
found in this Room.
Whether you are ne
tuning topology
created automatically
with 3D-Coats
AUTOPO routines,
creating your model
topology from scratch
- or adjusting and rening topology started in an external
application, you can nd what you need in the Retopo
Room.
Every Voxel Layer can be worked
on separately via the Retopo
Groups Panel. These can be
created automatically, (when
AUTOPO is used), or manually as you isolate different areas
of your model for different purposes and topology layouts.
Compared to the Voxel Room, the Retopo Room is quite
easy to digest - having merely 4 main areas to learn and
use:
1) The Tool Panel - where you nd all of the tools for
creating and adjusting topology - as well as the tools for
creating UV seams and unwrapping your topology for
further modication in the UV Room.
2) The Retopo Groups Panel - where you can isolate all
of the areas and parts of your model that need specic
topology and texturing.
3) The UV Preview Panel - which does just what it says
- displays a preview of your UV map. Dont mistake this
for an area to edit UVs - this is done in the UV Room
after a model has been Merged into the Paint Room.
4) The Retopo Menu - which makes available all of the
Import/Export functions, Baking and Merging
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Per-Pixel painting has only one
disadvantage when compared to
Micro-Vertex painting: per-pixel
vector
normal
Sometimes this
functionality difference is important,
so we left both approaches as
For example, using the Micro-Vertex
voxel
sculptures gives you better results.
of per pixel
loop, however it runs perpendicular
options - as well as Saving and Restoring of your
specic Retopolgy work.
Make sure that you also pay close attention to the Options
that present themselves in both the Tool Panel and the
Tool Parameters Panel (the top, horizontal panel below
the Menu area). The settings that are available for each
type of work you are performing automatically change in
both Panels.
The Retopo Tools allow you to construct
totally new topology by means of
working with individual polygonal
vertices, polygon edges, polygon faces
and polygon strips (rows of connected,
polygons).
All created topology can automatically be set to Snap to
the nearest Voxel surface. Entire loop networks can be
created instantly by using a combination of Through
Strokes and Freehand Strokes.
Circular Loop Arrays can also be made with a minimum
of effort, by means of Freehand Strokes, as well.
The beginnings of true Polygonal Modeling are also
beginning to appear, function by function, within the
connes of the Retopo Room - as of verison 4 of 3D-Coat.
New Extrude and Bevel functions allow you to extrude
and bevel both edges and faces of your topology - letting
you add all new volume and detail to your original or
imported models.
1.3 The Tweak Room
This Room is often overlooked and underused, yet it
possesses some of the most simple and powerful means to
create after the fact mesh modications, model poses
and morph targets.
All the changes you make here can occur even after you
have created topology, UV maps and textures. Great for
last minute changes of mind - without ruining all of your
hard work.
Even minor sculpting can be
done in the Tweak Room using
Brushes and Brush
Options.
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different: instead of drawing lines around a mesh,

As in other Rooms, the Brush Parameters Panel

contains the common Brush Settings.
It is important to note that all of the Paint Room data relies
on the existence of the Objects found in the Objects
Panel in the Tweak Room.
If for any reason you wish to delete all of your model
textures and start over - you also must delete any objects
found in the Tweak Room Objects Panel by clicking on
the X for each Object.
1.4 The UV Room
Once you have nalized your topology and are
ready to start texturing your model (by
Merging your mesh into the Paint Room) -
the UV Room becomes available with a full
arsenal of tools for modifying your UV Maps,
themselves.
The UV map of a model is like the paper
pattern used to cut out the cloth for your models clothing.
(textures).
As with any decent garment, you would try to avoid making
your pattern from scores of small pieces - but rather, a
good piece of clothing tries to keep all of its component
pieces as large as possible - and as near the same size as
is practical.
The UV Room provides the precise set of tools that enable
you to produce a balanced UV Map.
Like a paper pattern, each clothing part is separated from
the others and economically laid out to make room for all
the rest. The UV Room tools and functions are mainly
designed to deal with positioning, sizing and the
orientation of all the pattern pieces.
Since you may change your mind
regarding the placement of pattern
seams - many tools found in the Retopo
Room that deal with UV Mapping are
also found in the UV Room.
Tools are also present which help you
prevent stretching of pattern pieces
- and how all of the pieces are packed into the space of
the overall Map.
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edit not just islands with these tools, but
themselves. There is also now a Brush
tool, so you can tweak your UVs to your
brush, allowing for smoothing and other
Since one model may have a variety of uses and may be
viewed from various angles - you may nd the need to have
different Maps, each for its own unique purpose in your
nished production.
3D-Coat allows you to make and modify as many different
UV Maps as you need for any project.
Once you have completed your Maps and have Merged
your model into the Paint Room, for texturing - you can use
the Texture UV Editor to place details and labels which
require precision that is difcult to obtain by Painting in the
3D Viewport, itself.
Use the Texture UV Editor to
Paint and position precise details
directly on the UV Map, itself -
utilizing all the tools available in
the Paint Room.
Moving back and forth between
the UV Room and the Paint Room
allows you to make all of the Seam and Island adjustments
to obtain the optimal set of Texture Maps - ready for export
to your external application of choice.
1.5 The Paint Room
Like a 3D version of Photoshop, 3D-Coats Paint Room
makes creating detailed textures for your models extremely
fast and fun.
Maximizing productivity, The
Paint Room allows you to create
3 or 4 kinds of textures,
simultaneously - Diffuse Color,
Bump, Displacement and
Specular Maps.
Paint with any or
all of these functions operating at the same
time. Create layers to contain all the aspects
of your texture map array. All the tools
should be familiar to you, if you are familiar
with Photoshop tools.
Create seamless textures for everything from
organic characters, mechanical objects or
landscape elements - all with a familiar Brush based
interface.
Intuitive brush controls can be changed with the mouse,
alone, on-the-y. Paint with the aid of Masks, Strips of
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repeating patterns and Materials composed of separate
Depth, Diuse Color and Specular textures which operate
only when enabled by the appropriate buttons in the
interface.
Use all the power in your tablet and stylus to produce the
precise textures and effects you need for your models.
Whenever increased precision is required,
use the E Panel Spline and Line based
Brush tools. From this same Panel, utilize
the Stamp tool to place repetitive Brush
shapes.
Export each texture map in exactly the
format you need with or without alpha
channels - and with just the right amount of
padding for your UV maps.
Use the Texture UV Editor to paint only with those
aspects of your texture desired - directly on the UV Map,
itself - for the utmost in precision.
Use Viewport reference images for enhanced guidance -
as well as any image as a Paint Well for color duplication
and reference.
Customize your Brush Alpha Panel with a complete
arsenal of your favorite Brushes and Brush settings - ready
to be used each time you start 3D-Coat.
See exactly what you are going to get, in real time, before
you export to external applications for nal production.
Test your various UV unwrapping schemes within the Paint
Room before you commit to any one of them for export.
Now you can also paint vertex colors
directly on your Voxel Models as well as
utilizing the newest texturing techniques
with Ptex. Bake your vertex colors and
Ptex textures to standard UV Maps for
versatile usage anywhere.
When you need to paint very detailed and
precise textures, but not displacement,
choose the Per-Pixel texturing mode. When you need to
paint with heavier displacement values, choose the Micro-
Vertex mode. Or, you can paint without the concerns of UV
Map seams with Ptex - and paint directly on your voxel
creations with vertex color.
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1.6 The Render Room
This Room allows you to test your model and its textures in
an environment much closer to a 3rd party rendering
environment - and to create animated Turntables and
Fly-throughs of your model and scene.
You can add multiple colored light
sources, adjust the Camera Depth of
Field, soften or accentuate shadow
effects and dene how many Rays will
be traced in the nal rendering.
Real-Time Rendering is also possible,
making it quick and easy to see the many
Lighting, Focus and Ambient Occlusion possibilities - from
any angle or view.
Once you have brought your model all the way to the
Texturing phase, you can
instantaneously view the
results by simply dening your
Render Settings and clicking
on the Render button in the
Render Panel.
Render out stills or Turntables
and Fly-throughs at any resolution, designating clockwise
or anti-clockwise rotation with up to 32 bits of color
information and choose whether to include the Alpha
Channel in your nished rendering.
Upload your animated scenes directly to YouTube or Vimeo
or choose to upload a Screenshot to the Pilgway servers
for sharing with other users - all by means of the Help
menu within 3D-Coat.
1.7 Customizing your 3D-Coat Experience
From directly in the interface, you can assign single and
multi-key shortcuts to nearly every 3D-Coat function or
tool. Simply press the END key while hovering the mouse
over any item - followed by the keyboard combination of
your choice.
If you nd that you rarely or never use certain, more
obscure functions of the application, choose Customize
UI from the Edit menu and uncheck any items that you
wish no longer appear in the interface - thus reducing
unwanted clutter.
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Use the Edit/Preference option to completely customize
the color scheme and appearance of the overall 3D-Coat
interface to whatever suits your fancy.
We want you to make 3D-Coat yours in every way
possible.
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SECTION 2 - TOUR
Cameras & Navigation
3D-Coat has a very intuitive and extensive set of Mouse
Gestures and keyboard shortcuts which help you view your
workspace and 3D scenes.
Weve tried to include, also, the most common navigation
conventions used in the most popular 3D applications - as
well as the means for you to customize these to nearly
anything you like.
12
GESTURES & CONVENTIONS &
1. Defaults
2. Camera Settings
3. Reference Images
4. View Panel Icons
5. Using a Pen Tablet
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1.1 Defaults
Common across all Rooms are the default methods of
viewing your scene and individual models in the 3D
Viewport. Since nearly all input devices use mouse
navigation as a base for dening usage - lets start with
that:
1. When not engaging any of the E Panel tool modes,
dragging in empty space in the Viewport while
holding down the Left mouse button will rotate the
Camera (your view) around the scene. When E
Panel tools are being used (or some specic Voxel
tools), add the Alt/Option key modier to obtain
the same effect. In general, when Left dragging in
the Viewport does NOT rotate your view, engaging
the Alt/Option key modier will remedy this.
Holding down the Shift key will snap the view in
regular rotational intervals.
2. Dragging in empty space in the Viewport while
holding down the Right mouse button will Zoom the
view, in or out, depending on the direction of
movement.
3. Dragging in empty space in the Viewport while
holding down the Middle mouse button or
Scrollwheel button will Pan the view.
1.2 Camera Settings (Drop-Down Menu)
When clicking on the Camera
drop down arrow located at the
upper right side of the interface,
the following options become
available:
Custom navigation: Choose
between 3 styles of navigation -
3D-Coat, 3D-Coat arrows, Maya
or Zbrush style.
Customize navigation: Opens a
panel that allows total
customization of all navigation commands.
Background: A set of options that lets you set a variety of
view backgrounds as visual references.
Orthographic Views: Front, Back, Left, Right, Top and
Bottom.
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Add camera shortcut: Stores camera positions and current
material settings for rendering y-throughs and sequences.
The other choices let you delete and switch these stored
camera positions.
Rotate . . . : These commands set the pivot point for the
view camera.
1.3 Reference Images
There are 2 different kinds
of Backgrounds: those
which simply ll the
background of the 3D
viewport, (and stretch to
ll, if needed) - and those
that are set up manually for
use as sculpting or
painting reference images.
Viewport Background:
Select Use background image and choose your image from
the opening dialog. The default image is a stareld.
Reference Images: The 3 bottom choices allow you to pick
3 separate images - 1 for each view axis, X,Y and Z.
Edit image placement: When selected, this option provides
each image plane on each axis with a Transform widget
and accompanying dialog settings for adjusting its
position, scaling, rotation and view opacity.
1.4 View Panel Icons
The Navigation panel is located on the top right corner of
the viewport. This panel gives you access to the viewport
navigation functions, all of the Camera settings and focus
functions and viewport light positioning and intensity
settings. From left to right, these are the functions of each
icon:
Ambient light intensity: Dragging with the left mouse
button, right or left increases or decreases the scenes
ambient light property.
Primary light intensity: Dragging with the left mouse
button, right or left increases or decreases the intensity of
the primary scene light.
Primary light direction: Dragging with the left mouse
button adjusts the position of the primary light in 3D space.
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Rotate the view: Dragging with the left mouse button
adjusts the user view by rotating the main camera around
object in focus.
Pan the view: Dragging with the left mouse button adjusts
the user view by moving the main camera right, left, up and
down.
Zoom the view: Dragging with the left mouse button right
or left moves the main camera closer or farther away from
the object in focus
Vary the eld of view: RMB to reset it to default.
Frame the View: around all visible objects.
Focus the View: at the location of the Brush.
Reset the View: to the default
Toggle: between a Perspective View and an Orthographic
View.
1.5 Using a Pen Tablet
Navigation within the 3D Viewport is also really intuitive
and convenient when using a Stylus:
Tap and Drag outside the model (in empty space) to rotate
the Camera view.
Tap and Drag right or left with the Right Mouse button
held down (in empty space) to Pan the View.
Hover over empty space with the Right Mouse button
held down and Drag to Zoom the View.
Brush adjustments are equally intuitive:
Hover over the model and Drag right or left with the button
assigned to Right Mouse Button held down to change
the Size of the Brush.
Hover over the model and Drag up or down with the
Right Mouse button depressed to adjust the Depth of
the Brush.
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SECTION 3
Brushes & Their Options
Many of 3D-Coats functions are implemented with a
familiar Brush interface that both correspond to real
world equivalents and go beyond and extend the abilities
that real world tools of similar nature are capable.
Add and remove volume - extrude and imprint detail - add
accurate hard surface features with the control of splines
and curves, circles, ellipses and polygons - add realistic
media textures and displacements - paint curve-based
repetitive elements - precisely position and stamp relief
elements and actual models - add appendages with
freehand exibility, as well as with the precision of
adjustable curves - all these things are possible with 3D-
Coat Brushes and their Options.
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GENERAL USAGE
1. Brush Settings (Mouse Controls)
2. Brush Alphas
3. E Panel Brush Settings
4. Brush Options Panel
5. Brush Drop-Down Menu
6. Using a Pen Tablet
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1.1 Brush Settings (Mouse Controls)
In general, in all Rooms, Brush behavior and control is
standardized. 3D-Coat has provided a very fast,
responsive and intuitive set of gestures which the mouse or
stylus can utilize to apply many Brush attributes:
1. Left dragging with the mouse cursor over an object
performs the primary function of any tool and its
parameters.
2. Right dragging (left and right) with the mouse cursor
over an object resizes the Brush. This value can be
entered numerically, as well, in the Brush
Parameters Panel located at the top of the interface.
3. Right dragging (up and down) with the mouse cursor
over an object increases the operational depth of the
Brush. This value can be entered numerically in the
Brush Parameters Panel at the top of the interface.
4. Both Brush Fallo and Smoothing, as well as a
spline-based, directional Interpolation can be
applied by check box and numerical entry in the
Brush Parameters Panel, at the top of the
interface.
1.2 Brush Alphas
3D-Coats Brushes can be given a
prole by means of the Brush
Alpha Panel. These are default or
custom made greyscale height
maps which affect both the depth
of the Brush application, but the shape of the bristles, as
well. Brush Alphas can also be constructed from 3D .obj
les - extracting the view-based height map from the
model.
Brush Alpha Right-Click Options:
Right clicking on any unselected Brush alpha invokes a
comprehensive list of alpha editing functions.
Brush Settings: Opens the Brush Options panel.
Delete brush: Deletes the selected Brush alpha.
Save to PSD/TIF: Saves the selected Brush alpha to either
le format. .PSD is more intuitive, while .TIF is more
precise, giving you more channels.
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to save and manipulate elsewhere. .TIF can contain 7
channels - RGB, alpha, height, specular and the Erase
mask.
Load from PSD/TIF: This replaces the alpha that has been
right- clicked on with an of your choice, save in either
the .psd or .tif for- mats. To create a brush in a 2D painting
application, you must have 4 layers each corresponding
with the 4 main channels of a brush in 3DC, they are: Color,
Height Map, Specular and Erase Mask.
If all the .tif channels are used, they will all be imported and
used according to the table below. If you only use some of
the available channels, those you do im- port will also be
used according to the table below.
1 CH: A&H
2 CH: 1 A 2 H
3 CH: 1, 2, 3 RGB, 2 A, H
4 CH: 1, 2, 3 RGB, 4 A, H
5 CH: 1, 2, 3 RGB, 4 A, 5 H
6 CH: 1, 2, 3 RGB, 4 A, 5 H, 6 Spec
7 CH: 1, 2, 3 RGB, 4 A, 5 H, 6 Spec, 7 Erase mask
Edit in external editor: Creates a live connection between
3D-Coat and the external editor you have specied in the
Preferences section. The default editor is Photoshop.
Selecting this option opens the specied editor and any
changes that you make and save from the editor are
automatically loaded back into 3D-Coat.
Each brush includes 4 Layers: In 3D-Coat, the Layers that
are imported and used arrange themselves into Color,
HeightMap, Specular and EraseMask. The order of these
Layers, in the external editor, are important. Looking at
each of these individually:
Color: This contains the Brush color as well as its
corresponding Transparency mask. This mask affects the
Specular Layer, as well.
HeightMap: Depth is synonymous with this denition. The
zero height of this Layer corresponds to middle gray or
(127, 127, 127). Darker values correspond to concave area
and lighter values correspond to convex areas.
Specular: White represents maximum specularity. Black
represents absolutely no specularity, with shades of gray
representing intermediate values. The Color Layer mask
also interacts with this Layer.
EraseMask: This Layer is used to create Brush alphas that
ignore certain values, in other layers, while painting.
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Remember that this mask affects the lowest Layer in the
list.
Edit as 16 bit TIF: This allows you to save in 16 bit format,
rather than 8 bit. Using this option causes the Brush alpha
to be saved as a .psd le, allowing it to be reloaded
automatically, each time it is edited and saved in the
external editor.
NewFolder, (etc.): This option will allow you to copy the
Brush alpha, (that you right-click on), to a folder named in
the Folder List that you have previously dened. All the
New folder names you have dened will appear here.
Brush Alpha Drop-Down Menu:
A set of functions allowing you to view
and change the current Brush Settings,
Add and Create new Brush Folders,
Add Brush Packages - as well as
choose a display size for your Brush
Alphas.
1.3 E Panel Brush Settings
3D-Coats Brushes can be applied with an ordinary mouse,
or with the enhanced behavior of a graphic tablet. Several
Brush modes exist in the E Panel to help control the
application of Brush strokes - as well as an extensive array
of spline and polygon based drawing modes. The rst 5
icons help you to control the interaction of your Tablet or
Mouse.
When not sculpting, these tools work in 2D to dene
regions and masks or frozen areas (and relief in the
Paint Room). Some sculpting tools use the shapes you
draw as a means to clone, cut, or perform some form of
boolean function.
Lets examine all the functions present in the E Panel,
starting from left to right, top to bottom:
These rst ve icons are the standard Brush modes and
can be best understood by trying them out, one by one. A
description of each mode appears when you hover your
mouse over each icon (as is the case with all 3DC tools and
functions - called hints).
Apply Brush Dabs with Spacing: This causes the
current Brush to especially respond to the Dabs, Jitter
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and Spacing options found in the Brush Options Panel.
Experimentation demonstrates this action best.
Draw Connected Lines: Does just that - and starts a new
series of lines after pressing the Esc key.
Draw Basic Curve: Draws a connected series of spline
curves which are not editable - the Brush Width and Depth
can be controlled, on the y, with the standard mouse
gestures.
Draw Comprehensive Curve: Draws spline or B-Spline
open or closed curved paths which are totally editable with
regard to node size and depth - by means
of the mouse. Adjust each node on the
y with ordinary mouse gestures - or
press Esc, hover over a node until you
see the node radius glow, resize both
radius and depth - then Left-Click to
conrm. Press Enter to apply the Brush
and its settings to the model.
Use the Drop-down arrow to access all of
the specic functions related to this tool,
including saving and loading of curve les.
Stamp tool: Uses your selected Brush Alpha to add an
impression or depression, mask or frozen area, based on
this Alpha, at the location you Left-Click the mouse. Left-
Click dragging the mouse resizes and rotates the Stamp.
Movable Stamp: Works similarly to the ordinary Stamp
tool but, when you Left-Drag with the mouse, you can slide
your Brush image (Alpha) along the surface of the model.
Square tool: Use the Scroll Wheel to resize the Brush.
Based on your starting and ending points of the dened
Square (or trapezoid), 3DC extrudes or indents a cubic or
trapezoidal solid shape based on the Depth setting of the
Brush. (Best to use Orthographic views with this Brush).
Higher Voxel resolutions allow for sharper and cleaner
shapes.
Rectangle tool: Same as the Square tool, but allows for
long rectangular and long trapezoidal solid extrusions,
indentations and masks. Higher Voxel resolutions allow for
sharper and cleaner shapes.
Polygonal Spline tool: Based on the 2D polygonal shape
that you draw, 3DC extrudes or indents, masks or freezes
an area along the surface normal of the object. Hover
Brush Cursor over the rst point in the series until you see
a small green circle - then hit Enter to conrm the shape.
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Higher Voxel resolutions allow for sharper and cleaner
shapes.
Freeform Drawing Tool: Use your mouse to draw a
freeform shape and hover the Brush Cursor over the rst
drawn point until the small green circle appears - press
Enter to conrm the shape. 3DC extrudes or indents,
masks or freezes an area along the surface normal of your
object based on the Depth setting of the Brush. Higher
Voxel resolutions allow for sharper and cleaner shapes.
Circle Tool: Draws a perfect circle from the center to the
edge of the circle and extrudes or indents, masks or
freezes a circular shape along the normal of the object,
based on the Depth setting of the Brush.
Ellipse Tool: Same as the Circle tool, except the shape
extruded is based on the Ellipse that is drawn.
Closed Spline Tool: Extrudes or indents, masks or
freezes an area as a closed regular spline or B-spline
shape.
An extensive menu of commands
exists under the drop-down arrow
that accompanies the drawn spline.
Draw regular or B-splines, closing
the shape by pressing the Esc key.
Right-click over any point to change
from smooth interpolation or
angular. You can Load and Save
your dened shapes. Hover the
mouse over any command to see the
Hint.
Border width: At higher values this
setting creates a kind of extruded Brush Fallo. A square
shape, for example, becomes a curved pyramid - a Circle
becomes a curved and tapering cylinder.
Depth: Denes that depth that controls all effects.
Ignore back faces: Allows the selected tool to work only
on visible surfaces.
Load shape: Loads a pre-dened Curve shape from a le.
Accepts Adobe Illustrator les. The imported curve is
converted to a 3D-Coat spline, which you can manipulate
in the standard ways.
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1.4 Brush Options Panel
At the top of the panel is a preview of the Brush alpha
shape followed by a series of behavior
controls.
Brush rotation: This sets the initial
orientation of the alpha at the beginning
of the stroke.
Zero pressure radius: When using a
tablet stylus, this number indicates the
default radius at the beginning of the
brush stroke.
Depth modulator: The default depth for
each brush being used.
Rotation amplitude: Sets the amplitude
for additional brush rotation.
Radius variation: Sets the percentage of random brush
radius variation.
Depth variation: Sets the percentage of random brush
depth.
Opacity jitter: Denes the randomness of the brush
opacity setting. Jitter: The overall randomness of brush
behavior.
Hue jitter: Denes the randomness of the brush
hue when used for painting color.
Brightness jitter: Varies the brightness, randomly,
over the course of a stroke.
Saturation jitter: Varies the saturation of the
primary color, randomly, over the course of the
stroke.
Vary color each stroke: Use this option to
produce painting effects, like fur or hair, when you
need to either vary the Hue/Saturation/Brightness
as you paint a single stroke, (variegated strand
color), or when you want
each stroke made to
have a slightly different Hue/
Saturation/Brightness - as
determined by the corresponding
Jitter setting.
Random ip (x, y): This
randomly ips the selected brush
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either across its x or y axis while painting.
Paint with dabs: Creates paint or sculpting dabs which
occur at some set spacing - as determined by the
Spacing control.
Rotate along stroke: When
using brush alpha shapes that
you want to align like the
bristles of a brush - so that
they change relative direction
as the brush changes
direction, all along the stroke -
use this option.
Skip eraser: Disables the
Erase Layer of the Brush.
Strict alpha: Use this setting to cause both sculpting and
painting brushes to strictly adhere to the shape dened by
the Brush Alpha.
Flattened stroke: Use this brush setting to mimic
Photoshop brushes for improved stroke overlapping with a
truncated alpha shape.
Fade on edge: All strokes painted with this option checked
will have a smoother edge transition.
Use spacing: When used with the Paint with dabs
option, adjusting the Spacing percentage slider
determines how close or far apart the paint dabs are
applied.
1.5 Brush Drop-Down Menu
Refresh brush preview:
Refreshes the Brush alpha icon.
Brush Settings: Opens the
Brush Options panel.
Add new folder: Allows you to
choose a pre-dened folder of
Brush alpha shapes to be added
to the Folder list.
Add existing folder: Allows you to choose a single Brush
alpha from a folder, thus adding all the alphas in the folder
to be included in the folder, now with the name of the
chosen le, which is then listed in the Folder selection
list.
Add Brushes from package: Adds Brush alphas that have
been packaged into a Penpack le format.
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Folder: A selection list of all folders you have enabled 3D-
Coat to access. The icons from this chosen folder will then
be visible in the Brushes Panel.
Tiny: Sets the Brush alpha icon set to a very small size.
Normal: Sets the Brush alpha icon set to the default size
as seen when the program opens for the rst time.
Large: Sets the Brush alpha icon set to a size larger than
the default size. Huge: Well, you can guess the size of
these - (better try it out and see).
1.6 Using a Pen Tablet
3D-Coat has been designed to work well with either a
Mouse or a Graphics Tablet (Wacom). A general overview
of working with each input device would reveal that
working with a Mouse allows for more precision -
especially in areas like hard surface modeling.
However, for true artistic liberty and the feeling of working
with real media - its hard to beat the result and
experience of working with a Graphics Tablet and Stylus.
In the Voxel Room and Paint Room you can really
experience an added subtleness and real world brush
feeling to your strokes.
To get the most out of your Tablet experience, become
familiar with the main parts of the interface that optimize
the overall experience and result:
The upper Brush Parameters Panel contains toggles for
functions like Depth, Smoothing, Opacity and
Specularity in the Paint Room - in the form of a
switchable icon (that switches between Mouse response
and Tablet Response).
In the Voxel Room, there is the addition of the Radius
toggle - which allows stylus pressure to dictate the Size of
the Brush, as well as its Depth.
The results obtained with either setting are quite dramatic,
in each case. Experiment to educate yourself about the
tactile differences in each.
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The 5 icons found in the E Panel on the far left also allow
you to get profound differences in Stylus behaviour, as well
as Mouse behaviour. Try each one to see and experience
the difference.
Navigation within the 3D Viewport is also really intuitive
and convenient when using a Stylus:
Tap and Drag outside the model (in empty space) to rotate
the Camera view.
Tap and Drag right or left with the Right Mouse button
held down (in empty space) to Pan the View.
Hover over empty space with the Right Mouse button
held down and Drag to Zoom the View.
Brush adjustments are equally intuitive:
Hover over the model and Drag right or left with the button
assigned to Right Mouse Button held down to change
the Size of the Brush.
Hover over the model and Drag up or down with the
Right Mouse button depressed to adjust the Depth of
the Brush.
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SECTION 4 - TOUR
Opening Dialog (Launch)
When you rst launch 3D-Coat, you are presented with an
opening dialog that attempts to categorize and anticipate
what you would like to do with the program.
Well explain and clarify the purpose of each of these
options within the bounds of this chapter.
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GENERAL USAGE
1. Voxel Sculpting
2. Repair Scanned Mesh
3. Paint Over Model Vertices
4. Paint Over the Model with Deep
Displacement
5. Perform Retopology
6. Product/Prototype Models
7. Surface Mode
8. Import Image as Mesh
9. Paint Directly Over UVd Model
10. Paint With Ptex
11. UV Map Model
12. Open Recent Project
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1.1 Voxel Sculpting
Start sculpting within
3D-Coat using some
default shapes or
choose to open
an .obj le which will
serve as a base that will be Voxelized at a resolution
which you can determine by resizing the object preview
with a Gizmo.
1.2 Repair
Scanned Mesh
Use these options
for (high res)
meshes that are a
product of being scanned.
Import as voxels: Very straightforward translation of a
polygonal surface scan into a volume-based Voxel object.
Depending on your choice, 3D-Coat will attempt to close
small or all holes in the scan before Merging into the
Voxel Room for further clean-up and modication.
Import as shell: The same as above except the result, as it
appears in the Voxel Room, is a hollow object with
designated thickness.
Import as surface: Delivers your mesh directly into
Surface Mode, where the array of tools is optimal for
cleaning up messy scanned meshes.
Import as bas-relief: Merges your mesh into the Voxel
Room as an initial Bas-Relief sculpture.
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1.3 Paint Over Model Vertices
Load a mesh which you wish to apply Vertex Color as a
starting point.
1.4 Paint Over Model with Deep Displacement
Choose to Merge from a variety of sample models or
open a mesh of your choice for Painting and Texturing
using the Micro-Vertex method.
This method allows you to dene a Viewport Mesh that is
a subdivided version of your imported base mesh.
Painting operations automatically produce real
displacement if the Depth icon is enabled.
Upon Export of your textured Viewport Mesh, you can also
save its corresponding Displacement Map (ordinary or
vector).
You also have the choice to export only the base mesh (as
it was before adjusting its Viewport Density) or the same
mesh at some other subdivided density.
1.5 Perform Retopology
Import your mesh directly into the Retopo Room for the
purposes of adjusting existing topology or creating a new
version with all new topology.
The Retopo Room also provides the tools for creating UV
Seams and temporary UV Maps - as well as laying out new
topology.
The work which you perform in the Retopo Room becomes
permanent at that time when you Merge the Retopo
Groups into the Paint Room - for texturing operations.
Once made permanent - you can perform extensive
adjustments to your UV Maps within the UV Room - using
its deep set of mapping and layout tools.
1.6 Product/
Prototype Models
Use height-map
imagery to construct
a Voxel object, remove undercuts from an imported mesh,
close holes in an imported mesh, Merge your base mesh
into the Voxel Room as a Bas-Relief sculpture or prepare
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your Merged mesh for laser cutting operations with this
set of options.
1.7 Surface Mode
Use this Import dialog to select a base mesh to be
extensively altered using 3D-Coats large arsenal of
surface-based and Live-Clay tools (dynamic tessellation).
If you wish to Export a version of your sculpture which will
be rendered or animated in a 3rd party application - you
will rst need to create organized topology within the
Retopo Room - and, if you wish to texture this model
before exporting, you will need to create UV Seams and
Unwrap your topology into a resulting UV Map - followed
by Merging your Retopo Groups into the Paint Room
1.8 Import Image as Mesh
Provides a
comprehensive set of
Import options for
Merging your model
into 3D-Coats Paint
Room - making it ready
for Vertex Painting.
The options provided in the opening dialog allow for some
preliminary texturing using image maps as a basis for nal
Bump, Stencil and Color texture maps (available for export
and use within 3rd party applications).
1.9 Paint Directly Over UVd Model
Open and Merge
your existing mesh
into the Paint Room
for texturing
operations using
the Per-Pixel
method.
Ideal for low poly game assets, but not limited to these.
Use models with existing UV information or import allowing
3D-Coat to automatically UV Map your mesh.
An existing Normal Map can be used as a base for
texturing.
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1.10 Paint with Ptex
Merge a model from a selection of default meshes or use a
model of your choice for texturing using the Ptex
(experimental) method.
Ptex allows for texturing using an optimal distribution of
surface space - thus creating a very different kind of UV
Map. This kind of map, though capable of being translated
and communicated to 3rd party applications (UV Maps can
be correctly read), cannot be practically edited in a
traditional Paint application - as other kinds of UV Maps
allow.
1.11 UV Map Model
Import your mesh directly into the UV Room, Tweak
Room, Objects Panel and Paint Room - simultaneously.
You can choose to re-organize existing UV Maps, create
new UV Maps, Tweak existing geometry and begin
texturing your imported mesh with this option.
1.12 Open Recent Project
Choose this option to open the listed recent project that
you have worked upon.
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SECTION 5 - TOUR
Customization
3D-Coat has been designed to allow you to make it
personal and streamlined. No two people use it in the
same way or for precisely the same things.
This Chapter shows you how to totally customize your 3D-
Coat experience.
Though the options are extensive, actual customization is a
quick and simple process.
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MAKE 3DC YOURS
1. Eliminating Items From the Interface
2. Windows & Panels
3. Adding Keyboard Shortcuts
4. Preferences
5. The View Menu
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1.1 Eliminating Items from the Interface
From the Edit menu, choose
Customize UI. Youll notice that
most menu items (of every
category) and tools have a
checkbox next to them - signifying
that they can be made visible in the
interface or not listed (unchecked).
Without getting carried away and hiding things you may
need at a later date - be judicious in the
elimination process.
Some users only use 3D-Coat for very specic
tasks - in which case it would make sense for
them to hide many interface item to reduce
the overall clutter of unnecessary functions
and options.
1.2 Windows & Panels
Use this menu to choose which function
Panels you want displayed in the overall
interface scheme. These Panels can oat
freely or be docked into any portion of the interface, simply
by dragging the Title Bar and dropping the Panel after you
see the highlighted preview of its new position. Any
arrangement can be saved and reloaded.
1.3 Adding Keyboard
Shortcuts
When you select a tool or menu
item from one of the Rooms, you
can enable the option to see short
or long Hints. These appear as
you hover your mouse over the tool
or function you are interested in, and you will see at the
end of the hint the following:
(END - Dene hotkey). Simply press the End key on
your keyboard, followed by the single or multiple keystroke
of your choice - to use this
shortcut every time you use
3D-Coat. Very simple and
straightforward.
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1.4 Preferences
The last entry in the Edit menu is Preferences.
Choosing this option opens up a very detailed dialog of
settings which allow you to customize your 3D-Coat
experience in ways that very few applications allow. Well
give you a general overview of the categories and choices
available.
General Preferences: At the top of this dialog are 3
constant options that appear in every category which allow
you to return 3D-Coat to its factory default settings -
Hotkeys, General and Windows & their locations.
ShowBetaTools: We recommend that you always enable
this option, since 3D-Coat is in a constant state of
improvement, bug xes and other updates. Seeing and
using the beta tools and functions allows you experience
any new xes and to get an advanced look at features
which will not be present until the next major release of
3D-Coat.
Allow inertia: A new feature which allows you to use your
scroll wheel to gain velocity in tool and dialog scrolling - in
the same way the scroll wheel works in a web browser, for
example.
Saving & Editors: Set autosave intervals and specify
which external Paint application you wish to use (i.e.
Photoshop).
Normal Map Settings: Use this array of options to
precisely specify the way you want your Normal Maps to
be dealt with, internally and externally in 3rd party apps.
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Brush Settings: Specify whether you wish 3D-Coat to
remember prior settings each time you use that Brush.
Hints: Specify which kind of hints you want to see
displayed and where you want them displayed.
Multi-processors & debug mode: Set your preferences to
correspond to your system hardware - and whether you
want 3D-Coat to debug any problems.
Viewport Preferences:
Near plane modulator: Allows you to set how close the
Viewport Camera can get to an object.
Environment sphere map: Specify which spherical image
will be used in rendering any environmental effects.
Shader quality and UI thumbnails: Optimize shader
resolution for speed and whether certain interface
thumbnails appear in the interface.
Grids, background images and sky box images: Set grid
characteristics, what kind of Viewport background you
want - as well as the location of your scene Skybox
image.
Camera Gestural Controls: Specify how you wish the
Viewport Camera to behave.
Mouse Control: Specify how you wish your Mouse to
behave in the Viewport.
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Brush Preferences:
Top Panel Display: If you are limited in screen space or
you dont often use Brush Fallo or Focal Shift, you can
choose to hide them in the Top Panel of the interface.
Live Brush Display: Use these setting to determine your
real time Brush display within the Viewport.
3D Connexion Control: If you own one of these devices -
use these settings to obtain the precise kind of control you
need.
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Interface Theme and Layout: All of the options in these
two sections of the
Preferences let you precisely
design the look and layout of
the entire interface. No two
people like the same things -
so these settings have been
provided to let you set the
Look & Feel of 3D-Coat -
exactly the way you prefer.
1.5 The View Menu
Use the items in this Menu to adjust how
your model appears in the Viewport (Flat
Shade, Wireframe, etc.), whether the 3D
Grid or 2D Grid is displayed (along with
its increment settings), whether the
coordinate axes are displayed, whether
Snap is activated for Brushing
operations, to toggle between
Perspective and Orthographic Views, and
to toggle between a full screen interface
display or the default display.

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SECTION 6 - TOUR
Diagrams of Processes
3D-Coat functionality runs deep. Sometimes a diagram
can help describe otherwise hard to understand processes.
Here are the basic processes of 3D-Coat in Flow Chart
style.
37
VISUAL REPRESENTATION
1. Features
2. Sculpting
3. Texture Painting
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CHAPTER 2
Voxel Sculpting
More powerful than traditional sculpting,
3D-Coat lets you create matter from
nothing - simply by painting, extruding,
adding Primitives or outlining your
shape using curves. Most tools can also
be used as subtractive elements, on the
fly, as well. Never has 3D sculpting been
so exciting and flexible!
SECTION 1 - VOXEL SCULPTING
Using Primitives
As with all modeling applications, the use of Primitives
forms the basis for many and varied starting shapes.
Many mechanical models can be composed, almost
entirely, from a positive and negative combination of basic
primitive shapes.
3D-Coats arsenal of usual and unusual Primitives proves
itself to be the most powerful and exible set available.
Each one can be modied, within the Primitive Workspace,
by means of unique Transform, Placement and Distortion
interface elements.
42
PRIMITIVE FUNCTIONS
1. Common Primitives
2. Free-Form Primitives
3. Merging & Positioning On pen
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1.1 Common Primitives
When choosing from any of the Primitive varieties, you are
presented with a temporary representation of that Primitive,
complete with its unique Gizmo or
Widget for
manipulating and
placing this
Primitive into the
scene with the
desired
orientation,
distortion, scale
and position.
You can adjust all of these parameters
visually, or, if you prefer using, the numerical
entry elds provided in the Primitives Panel.
If youd like to use another point in space to
base your Primitive Transform value from,
choose the Move only gizmo option - and
then reposition that Gizmo.
At any time you may Reset any axis or
position of your Primitive shape.
1.2 Free-form Primitives
Derived from the Standard
Primitives, this variety allows
you to dene and use a
Distortion Frame,
composed of rows and
columns of movable Points and Edges that
determine the nature of the distortion you wish to
impose upon your Primitive.
It is possible to begin with a very basic Primitive
shape and alter it substantially using the Free-form
lattice (or Distortion Frame) - making extremely
complex forms practical.
Add your own
Custom Primitives by
means of the More
Primitives option.
Adding your .obj les
to a standard folder
gives you access to
all of your Custom Primitives.
It is important to note that the Primitives Panel is
only one, fairly limited method of adding and subtracting
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generic shapes from your Voxel sculpture. For
even more convenience and exibility, choose
to use the Merge Panel and its functions to
interactively add new basic and custom
shapes to your scene or as boolean shapes to
interact with existing forms.
Also, the Models Panel provides a visual
interface and storage facility for your most
often used Custom
models, shapes, greebles
and nurnies.
1.3 Merging On Pen
One of the most uid and
spontaneous ways to add nearly any
predened shape, model, greeble or
nurnie to your existing sculpture is to
use the Merge Panel or, for more frequently used
elements, the Model Panel.
Just choose the On pen option to access this powerful
set of functions.
When this option is chosen, you can literally
assemble a composite of any number of shapes,
on-the-y - interactively changing the shapes
position, scale, rotation and penetration or
levitation on, into or above the surface of
another object or shape.
Each and every shape added in this way can be
positively combined or negatively subtracted from
any existing shape.
Mouse gestures are used to adjust the scale,
position and penetration depth of
your Merged object.
Use the Right Mouse Button
and drag to the left or right to
Scale the Merged object.
Use the Right Mouse Button and drag
up or down to adjust the surface
penetration of the Merged object.
Change the position of this object, respecting the
orientation Normals of the object that is being added to -
simply by moving the mouse cursor where desired - sliding
its preview along the surface of the existing object.
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Corresponding slider settings can be found within the
Brush Parameters Panel, which show and augment the
Mouse-Based parameters, and are found at the top of the
3D-Coat interface.
Brush strokes can also be modied by using functions
from the Materials, Masks, Strips, Models and Splines
Panels, when the context is appropriate.
Since voxels are, by nature, memory and processor
intensive - it is important to think of them as a beginning to
the total range of steps needed to nalize a model initiated
within 3D-Coat for nal production and publishing to an
external application. So, it is most practical to start
sculpting in voxels with the least amount of resolution
required to capture the most basic form of the overall
model.
Once basic form and structure are achieved, you can
Resample or use the Res+ tool to advance to a higher
level of detail.
If youd like to preserve the different stages of modeling -
as represented by resolution (from low to high) - simply
duplicate a layer before applying Res+ (Resampling) and
proceeding with your sculpting operations.
Use the Voxel Layers Panel to store different versions of
your sculpture, as well as parts of the model that need
different and separate features and detail. These can all be
transferred into different Retopo Groups for adding
unique topology to each - and ultimately to the Paint
Room for nal displacement, bump and color texture
creation.
By Right-Clicking on any Voxel Layer - you obtain
access to the most frequently used functions that deal with
Voxels. More functions can be found in the main Voxel
Menu at the top of the interface.
To view the current statistics of your Voxel Sculpture, or to
obtain Tool Tips in expanded form, just look at the
Statistics Panel located at the bottom left of the
interface.
Use the File menu to access all Import functions for
bringing in external creations into the Voxel environment -
and use Export functions for producing various direct
Polygonal and Raw Voxel versions of your sculpture - to be
used and modied in external CAD and 3D printing
applications.
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SECTION 2 - VOXEL SCULPTING
Pure Voxel Sculpting
Starting with empty space or starting with a volume of
some sort are both options within the Voxel environment.
Everything you add or subtract is done as you would
expect when dealing with real materials like clay, wax,
wood or stone.
What is more extraordinary are those tools and functions
which actually create or subtract more volume from an
object as you use them, like the Move or the Grow tool.
Appendages can be added and automatically joined to a
base shape just by dragging or painting in real 3D space,
without going through a series of complex commands and
maneuvers.
Accurate organic and mechanical shapes can be created
with the aid of splines and curves.
This tool set is an artists dream.
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TOOLS, FUNCTIONS & METHODS
1. Basic Principles
2. Sculpting Tools
3. Adjusting Tools
4. Objects
5. Surface Tools
6. Commands
7. Symmetry
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1.1 Basic Principles
What are Voxels?
Voxels are the 3D version of pixels, in
a nutshell. A pixel is represented by a
square, having the same height and
width - and having a specic size.
Given any 2 dimensional area, this
area can only contain a set number of
pixels.
Voxel is a new word that really
stands for volumetric pixel,
since it has depth, as well as
height and width.
Mathematically, voxels are
numerical values [0..1] placed
in a cubic grid. The objects
surface is located where the value is equal to 0.5.
Like pixels, voxels have the same width and height - but
also have dimension along the typically z axis - which is
the same as the distance for its height and width - in
essence, a voxel is a cube - oating in an invisible mass of
voxels which occupy an innite volume of space.
For any given 3 dimensional
volume, there can only be a set
number of voxels occupying this
space.
In a black and white painting
program, paint is applied to a
given area by giving any number of invisible pixels,
occupying that area, a value of black or white - (a pixel is
either on or off) - thus making it appear that some of
the area is empty while other parts are painted - like
black paint on white paper.
In a voxel program, painted volume is applied to empty
space by giving any number of invisible voxel cubes an
on or off value - which produces the impression of a 3
dimensional shape oating in empty space - some cubes
are turned on while others are turned off (some
represent occupied space and some represent empty
space).
An additional benet of
voxels in 3D-Coat is their
ability to be assigned a
color and a material or shader (giving the additional
illusion of some real world or other wordly substance).
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For the user, this experience simulates working with a solid
or semi-solid material (like clay or molten wax) by means of
functions that mimic the use of real world sculpting tools.
Nearly every other 3D-sculpting program is polygon-
based, which means that they work only with the surface of
3D objects -- they manipulate a skin which has no
thickness. But voxel-based sculpting programs work with
the volume of 3D objects -- they manipulate a kind of cubic
array or solid mass.
This approach lets you sculpt without any topological
constraints: it lets you build up complex objects from
nothing and to endlessly add and subtract volume
mass -- and easily punch holes in the objects. This
approach gives you total freedom in your 3D sculpting.
With voxels, you can work like an old-fashioned, real-world,
clay-based sculptor -- one who never needs to think about
dreary technical things like polygons and topology and
who, therefore, can just freely and easily express himself. If
you need to sculpt an ear, an arm, or a leg, simply start
putting together lumps of digital clay!
As fantastic as voxels are, you should also understand
some of the limitations of this technology. For instance,
objects cant be extremely thin in a voxel form. If you want
to make a very thin surface, like cloth, you need to increase
the resolution of the voxel object to avoid the
appearance of 3D jaggies.
A more convenient way to work with very thin
layers is to use the new Surface Mode for
voxels. This can be done by clicking on the
Cube icon next to the particular
Voxel Layer you would like to work on -- and
cube icon will then change to a wavy line.
The wavy line icon tells you that you have
entered the Surface mode
1.2 Sculpting Tools
When youre in the Voxel Room, there are a
robust set of tools that you can use for
sculpting and to perform different operations.
They are located on the left-side tool panel.
You can always obtain access to the Voxel
Tool Panel by pressing Spacebar anywhere
on the screen. As with any other panel, you
can dock it for your convenience.
Grow: Increases or decreases the surface
beneath the cursor. None of the Brush Alphas
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having any effect on Grow -
just the brush
size and the intensity. Press
LMB and move
the mouse to produce an
expanded section.
CTRL+RMB to produce a contracted section. On the top
panel, the Growth power slider controls the intensity of
the expansion and the Thaw power slider controls the
intensity of the contraction.
Smooth: A dedicated tool for evening out any irregular
areas of a sculpture.
Fill: Fills any cavities or voids that you apply the brush to.
Its action is similar to the Smooth tool, but more precise.
Its useful when you want to make cavities shallower, but
not fully level with the rest of the surface. It sometimes
requires very high intensity settings to ll areas.
Clay: Lets you blend expansive strokes quickly on the
surface of your model. It will also simultaneously smoothes
the surface after youve applied it.
Carve: Lets you place high peaks and deep gouges
quickly on your model, but with no smoothing.
Blob: Very much like the 2D Paint tool, but
with fewer options.
CutO: Cuts polygonal or spline-shaped
section away from a sculpture all the way
through the volume.
Airbrush: This tool provides a very controllable
way to add volume to your model. Unlike the
Clay tool, it constantly grows underneath your
brush as you press the LMB, regardless of
mouse or stylus motion.
Build: This tool is similar to the Grow and the
Airbrush tools. But while the Airbrush will
continue to build while holding down your
cursor, Build doesnt do that. You have to
move it, like the Grow brush.
However, with the Build tool you can determine
the Brush interaction by means of the Brush
Alphas (no smoothing is applied).
Extrude: This tool is very similar to the Carve
tool, but it includes intense smoothing.
Sphere: This tool is a very quick way to create bubbles,
bodies, eyeballs, etc. The size of the sphere is dependent
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on the size of the brush. You can also make it dependent
on stylus pressure: click on the icon near the Sphere
extrusion slider. The maximum size will be the maximum
size of the brush. You can create separate spheres and
long, pill-shaped cylinders rounded at the ends, by Left -
click dragging in open space. Because of this, regular,
button based viewport navigation needs to be
accompanied by holding down the Alt key.
2D-Paint: This tool paints voxel thickness on two axes
which you specify by right-clicking anywhere in space or
on the surface of an
object. Notice rst that,
as you rotate the view
and move the brush, its
moving along the two
axes. When you change your view, new strokes will always
face the camera. Pick any Brush Alpha you like and just
paint! It also has an important option on the top tool bar:
Double sided. With this checked you can paint double-
sided strokes.
Plane: This tool, new in version 3.2, acts
just like a carpenters wood plane does. It
will scrape the volume
away, from the set position as well as the
normal of the brush cursor. You set the
brush cursors position and normal by
clicking and holding the RMB and then
dragging along the surface of a voxel object. There are ve
modes by which you decide the position of the brush:
1. Pick point & forward direction: This will place the
cursor at the last location you used the RMB, facing toward
the camera.
2. Pick point only: This will place the cursor at the last
location you used the RMB only. Its direction is based on
the settings in the parameters tab.
3. Pick point & direction: This will place the cursor at the
last location you used the RMB, and its direction will be
based on the average normals of the voxels that your brush
covers.
4. Pick point & direction (local): This will place the cursor
at the last location you used the RMB, and its direction will
be based on the single normal of the voxel your brush is
centered on.
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5. Navigate: Lets you navigate the viewport.
This can also be done while holding the ALT
key.
Now well continue with the other tools:
Scrape: This tool is not affected by pens, just
the Size of the brush and the Intensity. Its very
similar to the Flatten tool: it attens the surface
beneath the brush.
Pinch: This is great for making
very nice tight edges, cavities
and peaks.
Smudge: This tool drags the
surface topology along with the
brush. Its great for producing
wrinkles on a character or a
piece of clothing.
1.3 Adjustment Tools
Measure: By clicking and dragging with the LMB you
can measure from the beginning to the end of your stroke
allowing you to more accurately sculpt to scale.
Pick: Sometimes when you have
more then one object in the
VoxTree, it can become a tad
cumbersome to know which
layer has what object. With the
Pick tool you can visually select
the object (and therefore the VoxTree layer) simply by
clicking on the one you wish to work on.
Pose: This tool is great for quickly
changing the rotation, scale and
translation of a selection. You can
determine the selection in several
ways. You can use a line, ring, sphere
-- and you can even paint on it with a
Brush or an object. Check the Airbrush
mode when using Select with pen to
increase the selection area smoothly.
After a selection is made, a special
posing gizmo will appear.
The Pose tool has three states: Rotate, Scale and
Translate. You can switch modes by clicking on the long
red rectangular bar at the base of the gizmo. In each state
the gizmo has set of parameters in the Params window.
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Finally, as with all tools in 3D-Coat, the pose tool respects
symmetry, as well as all selection modes, like drag
rectangle, lasso, etc. Now, the Pose tool works on all
visible objects (through all volumes).
Lets now take a look at some of the
pose tool parameters:
Line: This mode lets you draw a line-based gradient for
use with the pose tool gizmo. It starts with your initial LMB
click and ends with the release of the LMB.
Ring: This selects a ring-based gradient. It starts with your
initial LMB click and ends with the release of the LMB.
Sphere: This selects a spherical gradient. It starts with
your initial LMB click and ends with the release of the LMB.
Select with pen: Selecting with pen mode lets you directly
brush on your selection. The pen size directly affects the
selection area. Furthermore, you can also smooth your
selected area by holding Shift + LMB. This is a great way
to select things quickly if you just need tiny little details
selected. This mode also has a special option,
Airbrush mode: By using airbrush mode you can also
smoothly selected areas instead of having a hard edged
selection. It makes for tidy deformations around the edges
of your selection.
Note: Select with pen mode is very useful. With the Pose
tool, you can use almost any of the selection methods in
the E Panel, like drag rectangle, lasso, etc. You can also
subtract your selection by using the tool normal while
holding the CTRL key.
Object: If you have multiple objects in your VoxTree, this
mode can come in very handy. Simply click on the object
you want to deform using the
Pose tool and it will place the
entire volume as your selection.
Use free form: A new feature has
been added to the Pose Tool
which allows for using a lattice to
deform the selected Pose area. Select from several lattice
shapes to transform the Pose selection.
Fit and Directional t give you the most
control over the Pose area.
Move: This tool is one of the most powerful
and versatile tools in the voxel arsenal. Not
only can it adjust any shape, large or small,
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but it also can act as an Extrusion/Intrusion tool.
Drag with the LMB to move the surface within the area of
the cursor, relative to the screen view. Hold down the Ctrl
key to move the surface along the normal. The Move tool
also interacts with Brush Alphas - providing a wide array of
effects.
Hide: This tool has
been improved greatly.
You can now hide on a
per voxel basis. This lets you to paint the areas you wish to
hide, while it also respects other selection methods, like
drag rectangle, drawn contours, etc. This new method of
hiding makes it much easier to create many hard edged
surfaces for objects. The tool also has a few other
functions, which you will nd in the Voxel menu. They are
listed as follows:
Unhide all: Unhides any hidden voxels. any voxels you
have hidden.
Separate hidden part: Creates a new Layer in the Voxtree
and places the previously hidden voxels into the newly
created Layer.
Continuing with the other tools, they are:
Invert hidden: Inverts hidden voxels.
Delete hidden part: Deletes those parts which are not
visible.
Cell Hide: This hides cells of voxels
based on your brush size. Unlike the other
Hide tool, it does not allow sculpting or
separating hidden parts to create seams
and other objects.
Copy: To use this you must have two Layers in the Vox
Tree It is preferable if one of the Layers is empty, but it
doesnt need to be. In your other Layer there must be a
portion of a volume object you wish to copy: with this Layer
visible and your empty Layer active, you can brush along
the surface of the background object. This will copy the
brushed areas to the previously
empty Layer. It is a really quick way to
create objects based on a characters
surface topology, like body armor,
clothing, etc.
Transform: This tool lets you rotate,
scale and translate your currently
selected Layer. By grabbing one of
the gizmo handles you can constrain
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to whatever axis you clicked on.
You can also perform a screen-
based rotation using the large
outer circle. The options for this
tool are:
Move only gizmo: Lets you
make adjustments exclusively to
the gizmo. This helps when you
need to place the gizmo in
another location.
Leave rotated axis: This is great
for when you need to rotate an
object multiple times while
retaining its previous rotations.
Position & Axes (1,2 & 3):
These parameters let you manually key in the position and
rotational coordinates.
Scale (X, Y & Z): These parameters allow you the manually
key in scalar modulations.
Reset axis/space: These two functions let you reset an
objects axis or local space.
Instancer: A memory saving method of
making duplicates of your voxel objects.
Instances consume far less memory than
duplicates. You can Clone an instance (Right
Click menu) and Merge new objects as instances.
Negative volumes can also be instances.
Warp: Youll nd this tool is quite versatile! It lets
you twist and bend the currently selected object
Layer in the Voxtree.
Note: Each function
of the Warp Types
will alter any of the
other types end functions.
Experimentation is strongly
encouraged.
The following descriptions are
based on the use of a default
sphere, so lets take a look:
WarpType: Drop-down list with
two methods: Bend and Twist.
Bend will bend or wrap the current Layer around the base
of the gizmo. Twist will rotate the current Layer around its
pole. The following functions are for the Bend type:
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Segments count: Increases the number of segments.
Forward Step: Create a spiral staircase look: it will
literally spiral the object upward.
Step Scale: The distance between steps.
Overlap: This tapers each segment where they meet. The
effect will vary depending on the object.
The following functions are for the Twist type: Segments
count: Increases the amount of segments.
Twist angle: Twists the current object around the gizmo.
Overlap: Tapers each segment where they meet each
other, simultaneously increasing/decreasing the space
between each spiral.
Axial symmetry: Some applications
call this Radial Symmetry. Any
Voxel Layer can be duplicated and
rotated in number and angle from a
central axis. Use Axial symmetry
order to determine the total number of copies. You can
merge these copies as separate instances if you desire.
Bas relief: This looks at the existing volume of an object,
and extrudes to create new volume based on the position
of the gizmo. The area at the
base (sphere) of the gizmo
from the tip is the area that
will be affected. It is great for
creating coins and jewelry.
Undercuts: Use this tool to prepare a voxel object for
casting purposes (where undercuts are undesirable).
1.4 Object Tools
Logo: The logo tool lets you import any black and white
picture and convert it to voxels. You can convert images
that are in the .BMP, .TGA, .jpeg and .PNG formats. Click
on the Logo tool and select an image. When imported,
voxels will be created on the basis of grayscale image. It
will default to the merge tool, so you can use the standard
merge gizmo here.
Cut&Clone: This tool will let you cut and clone the volume
of a voxel object based on the type of brush parameters. It
defaults to the drag rectangle pen mode and will copy the
whole volume of the object underneath. You can also
adjust your border parameters with three different types:
Round, Plane and Sharp.
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Clone: Clones the selection without cutting.
Split: This tool is very similar to the Cut&Clone tool. It has
the exact same border settings. The difference is that it
tears a chunk of the object that you are operating on and
creates its own object Layer in the VoxTree.
Merge: This tool lets you
import polygonal meshes to
convert into voxels. Let us
rst go over some of the basic functions of this tool:
Select mesh: Selects a mesh stored on your hard drive.
Pick from retopo: If you have something retopologized in
the Retopo Room, then you can use the mesh to merge to
voxels.
On pen: Turns any merged mesh into a Merge
on the Fly tool, which allows you to merge any
object at the cursor position (respecting the base
objects normals and intrusion into or extrusion
above the base object). Adjust the
merged objects size by Right-
click dragging left or right, and adjust its
intrusion or extrusion by Right-click
dragging up or down.
Subdivide: Subdivides your un-merged mesh, giving it
more initial resolution before merging.
Transform: Allows you to position any merged object with
the aid of a Transform widget.
Shift (X, Y & Z): Shifts the un-merged mesh along the
selected axis inside a bounding box in local space.
Presets: This tool has a number of presets, you are
encouraged to explore them.
Merge separate
volumes: Merges each
sub-object to its own,
unique volume.
Respect negative volumes:
If an un-merged object has
_negative listed in its name
- (indicating a subtractive
sub-object inside the le), this function will subtract this
volume when merging it with other sub- objects. You
should know in advance when you are going to use this
feature, as a negative or subtractive boolean object. This
function is great for creating greebles and nurnies.
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Lets take a more detailed look at this feature. (Thanks to
our users Tinker and Daniel Yarmak for the descriptions).
Greebles or Nurnies can be created in any 3D
modeling application, usually with a series of arbitrary
extrusions. To make your models look more interesting, you
would probably want to create your own unique models for
this purpose.
Details with angled surfaces look better than surfaces
which are all- parallel. For easier placement of details on a
model, create a contour for the detail -- an object with the
name _negative which subtracts automatically from the
model and leaves a slot for the detail. Its important to turn
on Respect negative volume in the Merge Params Panel
to permit contour exclusion. Because the negative
volume width is larger than the width of the detail, we get
an interesting effect. There is automatically generated a
joint between the body and the object.
Load the Greebles using the Merge tool. Use the On
pen mode and the 9 and 0 keys to
rotate the brush.
Sketch: This new tool is a very important
addition the the toolset. It lets you create a
volume object with 2 or 3 images -- if you
use 3 images, the voxel object will be more detailed. Please
try this new tool out, it is great for creating
basic shapes for a more detailed objects very quickly. This
tool has a few operations, all
of which are self-explanatory
-- please explore the options
for this tool.
Curves: The Curves tool is easily one of the most
powerful tools in the voxel arsenal, as it lets you place
spline points directly into your scene with the LMB. To
edit an existing point, simply click with the LMB. To Escape
from editing a point, hit your
ESC key. This tool also uses a
gizmo for transformations. The
arrows will translate, the boxes
will scale or stretch, the inner
white ring will
translate on
all axes.
When using the function Apply to whole
curve there will be an outer white ring
which allows for viewport based
rotations. In addition to the standard
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curve tools described above, there are now 4 modes:
Extrude: Lets you extrude new hierarchies from the
existing point of a curve. Simply click and hold the LMB,
then drag in the direction you want to create the extrusion.
Holding SHIFT will default to the new Rotate mode. It can
also be activated with the Q key.
Move: Lets you move points of a curve individually. Adding
the SHIFT key will move its child or parent hierarchy,
depending on the direction of the manipulator arrow. It can
also be activated with the W key.
Rotate: Lets you rotate the child or parent hierarchy of a
point with viewport based rotations. It can also be
activated with the R key.
Scale: Lets you scale the child or parent hierarchy of a
point. It can also be activated with the E key.
NOTE: You need to click the LMB to edit a point, Esc to
stop editing a point. When using one of the four new
edit modes, you do not need to have a point selected.
Simply hold SHIFT (or turn on Invert SHIFT action) and
youll see green cones -- they let you edit the point and its
hierarchy. Finally, the affected direction of the hierarchy is
the larger side of the green cone.
These tools allow for quite a number of things, including
pipes, chains, basic character or creature shapes and
bodies, and so on. Here are some of the parameters of this
tool:
Fill Inside: Fills the entire space between all points to
create a solid volume object throughout the entire space.
Run brush along curve: Lets you perfectly indent or
protrude areas along the spline. It has a number of options
which are all self-explanatory -- please explore these
settings.
Conform: Forces the points of your curve to be
constrained to the surface of a volume object you drag
across.
Jagged line: By default the curves tool will create a
smooth TCB-spline. But with this option you can create a
linear spline, essentially creating pointy intersections.
Snap to symm plane: Forces newly created points to be
created on the symmetry plane when you click on or near
the plane.
Invert shift action: This exclusively effects the four new
curve modes. By default in any of these modes you must
hold SHIFT to perform their alternate functions. This option
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will invert this setting, so that by default you use the
alternate functions, and the normal default methods require
you to hold the SHIFT key.
Extrude same radius: In the Extrude mode, this option
creates a new point with the same size as the point that
you extruded from. By default a newly created point
is the size of your pen cursor.
New curve: Adds another curve to your scene, in
addition to your existing curve(s).
Tube: Resets the curve back to its default state.
Reset scale/angles. These two tools will reset any
scaling or rotations you have applied to the
selected curve.
Hardness: To use this you must have a point on a
curve selected, then, by pressing this button, the
selected point will become sharp and pointed.
Closed: Closes the spline curve between the rst
and last points on the spline. You can of course still add or
remove points while using this function.
DELETE key:
Clear all: Clears all curves from the scene.
Save/Load: You can save and load entire sets of curves for
use at a later time, or for distribution to other users.
Prole: This drop-down list contains a number of proles,
each will change the overall shape of the spline curve.
Apply to whole curve: With this any rotations,
scaling or translation will apply to the whole curve
centered from your current selected point on the
spline. The gizmo for the point will change, adding
a new large, white circle around the rest of the
gizmo.
This new circle will allow for viewport based
rotations.
Spline presets: There are other, and hopefully self-
explanatory, settings for this tool. But one thing
you should denitely explore are the spline presets.
These let you perform many unique voxel sculpting
techniques and styles. You can also add your own
by using external les in
the .OBJ or .LWO formats.
Snake: Clicking and dragging with
the LMB creates a snake-like shape
in your viewport. Its position is based
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on your rst click and your viewport perspective. As with
the curves tool, you can reset it with the Tube button. You
can select a number of proles and of course also use
spline presets. One unique parameter for this tool is the
Smoothing speed: The snake will smooth along its entire
length, causing it to move. The higher the value, the more
smoothing. (Min/max values: 1-5)
Spikes: Functions exactly like the snake tool, except that it
tapers on the end point, causing a spike-like appearance.
Muscles: Lets you easily sculpt
muscle- and tendon-looking
shapes. You can achieve many
different effects by, for
instance, sculpting with this
tool outside of a volume to
create objects that look like
wings.
There are a number of
settings in this tool:
Smoothing speed: Lets
you adjust the rate at
which your stroke is
smoothed.
Conform: Forces your stroke to
adhere to the surface of the object,
instead of passing in front of the base
object, or right through it.
Muscle types: Select between two different types: Muscle
and Tendon.
Toothpaste: This tool shares all of the options with the
Muscles tool except the muscle types. Its function is
similar to its name: it is just like applying toothpaste to a
surface. A big advantage is that it respects Brush alphas,
so you can use it to create some rather unique rake
brushes.
Primitives: This tool has undergone a big change in
version 3.2. While retaining the older primitives (Sphere,
Cube, Ellipse, Cylinder, Cone, Capsule, Tube, N-Gon and
the Gear), there are now Free Form Primitives (ffPrimitives)!
These robust and powerful primitives let you create very
complex shapes with just a few easy tweaks of the
vertices, edges or faces of the lattice cage. There are a
number of preset ffPrimitives, and you can also create your
own using .OBJ les -- see more on that below.
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A few of the parameters for the new
ffPrimitives are as follows:
Transform as whole: Gives you the ability to
translate, rotate and scale using the default
transform tool.
Local Symmetry: Enables local symmetry of
the ffPrimitive, which gives you more creative
freedom and control.
Misc. ResetPrim: Lets you reset any changes
youve made to the object.
EditPoints: Allows numerical values for each
visible point of the lattice cage. Inner/Outer
Radius & Thickness are only applied to some of
the ffPrimitives, such as ffDisc and ffTube, they
allow for the radius of the inner section or outer
section of the tube and the thickness of some of the
primitives with keyable values. The drop down list also has
a few more options, usually different .OBJ les with
different cages for similar shapes, such as ffDisc. When
holding Ctrl you can constrain the movement of your
selection along its normal.
Text: Lets you place text along a spline curve, and create
text in voxel form. Its parameters are identical to that of the
Curves tool, so you should already
be familiar with it after reading that
section above. It has a few unique
features: You can select a font for
your text, you can of course type in
the text you would like to make volumetric, and you can
adjust the thickness of this volumetric text.
Cloth: This tool is a cloth simulator which you can use to
drape a polygon mesh over another object. There is
a default Cloth with which you can test, but you are not
limited to this as you can also
import an external polygonal
mesh. The parameters for this
tool are as follows:
Select mesh: Prompts you with a le-open dialog which
lets you select a le (.OBJ, .LWO, .FBX, .STL, .PLY, and .3b)
on disk to use as the
object to be draped.
Subdivide: Subdivides
the object you have
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mesh over another object. There is
test, but you are not limited to this
as you can also import an external
imported. It can be used before or after you run the
simulation.
Start/Reset: These two buttons starts and resets the
simulation.
Pick from retopo: If you have retopologized something
and it is in the Retopo tab, then you can use this button to
select that mesh as the object to drape.
To retopo: Sends the recently draped mesh to the Retopo
tab for further retopologization.
Other: Sets a number of other parameters, such as the
Gravity, and the Friction of the draped object on the object
you are draping over, as well as the Cloth thickness. For
thickness, the higher the value, the thicker the cloth.
1.5 Surface Tools
This palette of tools is an abbreviated version of the
sculpting tools found, in their entirety, in the Surface Mode
section of the Voxel Room. See the Surface Mode
descriptions in that section.
1.6 Commands
Res+: Use this to add voxel resolution only when you have
exhausted the ability of the current resolution to add
sufcient detail to your sculpture.
Resample: This presents you with a dialog that allows you
to adjust the resolution of your model up or down, as you
require.
Clear: Clears all voxel information from the current layer.
Smooth all: Performs a 1 step smoothing of everything on
the current voxel layer.
1.7 Symmetry
Many organic and man-made
objects are constructed to be
symmetrical across one or more
axes. 3DC lets you create and
arrange items with this kind of
symmetry.
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This dialog can be invoked in the Voxel Room and in any
other Room, where symmetrical functions operate, by
pressing the S key.
Toggle Symmetry on and o, set the symmetry plane to be
active for any of the 3 axes, reset the location of the
Symmetry planes, hide the visual display and lock the
position of the active plane position to avoid accidentally
moving it with these options.
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SECTION 3 - VOXEL SCULPTING
Voxel Right-Click Menu
Much of the power of voxels is found in the functions
contained in the Vox Layer, Right-Click menu set.
Perform Layer Merging, create Boolean associations,
clean up scanned mesh data, make shell structures,
create radial symmetry arrays, adjust and resample voxel
resolution - all these things, and more, can be done with
this set of functions.
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1. Object Commands
2. Supplemental Commands
3. AUTOPO (Automatic Topology)
4. Layer & Boolean Commands
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1.1 Object Commands
Delete: Deletes the selected
Layer.
Add sub object: This is the
same as clicking the + icon
near the Layers name. It adds a
Layer that is a child of the
current Layer.
Rename: Type your own name
for the Layer, instead of the
default Volume XXX.
Save volume to 3B: Saves the
voxel volume without its subtree
to the 3D-Coat native le format.
Save volume with subtree to
3B: Saves the voxel volume with
its subtree to the 3D-Coat native
le format.
Merge 3B le: Merges an external .3B le into the scene.
Edit shader settings: Edit custom shaders parameters, if it
has them.
Edit shader settings: Opens the shader editing dialog for
the current layer.
Import:
Merge Point Cloud: Merges a set of points as a
sequence of a small spheres.
Merge object: Merges a standard 3D object into the
scene.
Export:
Export scene: Exports the whole scene as a set of
separate objects.
Export object: Exports the current object.
Export pattern for merge: Exports the current object to be
used as a pattern for the Merge object tool. A Preview of
the current Voxel Layer object will appear in the Models
Panel.
Export curve prole: Exports the current object as a
prole for a curve.
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Clone:
Clone instance: Clones and transforms an instance of an
object.
Clone: Clones and transforms a voxel object.
Clone with symmetry: Clones with symmetry and
transforms.
Clone and degrade: Clones the layer and decreases the
level of detail by 2 times.
Clone space density: Creates a clone layer with the same
density as that being cloned - essential for using the
Copy tool.
1.2 Supplemental Commands
Decrease object 2X: Increases the selected object Layers
density twice. Object will decrease twice.
Increase object 2X: Decreases the selected object Layers
density twice. Object will increase twice.
To global space: Moves the object to 0 on all axes. This is
great when you need to move something directly into the
center of world space to allow for a more perfectly
symmetrical object when symmetry is active.
To uniform space: Applies orthogonal symmetry across
the designated symmetry axis.
Resample: Duplicates the same command present in the
Surface Tools.
Extract skin: Makes a hollow skin based on a solid voxel
sculpture. There are 2 versions of this function - Make hull
using voxels and Make hull using surface. The former is
more accurate, but takes longer to perform while the latter
is faster and less accurate.
Fill voids: Makes any voxel object a contiguous solid,
which is necessary for creating proper topology - either
automatically or manually.
Bake color from all volumes: Bakes all vertex colors
applied in Paint Room (Direct Painting) from all visible
volumes to the current layer. This leaves the layer in
Surface Mode.
Extrude: Extrudes all objects in the current layer outwardly
by a specied amount. Enter this amount in the Extrusion
parameter Dialog.
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Transform: Transforms a whole object using a special
gizmo.
Apply axial symmetry: Applies all settings you have made
while using the Axial tool.
1.3 AUTOPO (Automatic Topology)
AUTOPO:
Create edge loops with AUTOPO: This routine creates
surface topology based on your specications given in the
following dialogs, and places the resulting polygonal mesh
in the Retopo Room.
AUTOPO with Ptex: Runs the routine mentioned above
and places the resulting mesh in the Paint Room for
painting using Ptex. UV seams and Maps are created
automatically.
AUTOPO with MV Paint: Runs AUTOPO and places the
result in the Paint Room for painting with the Micro-
vertex method. UV seams and Maps are created
automatically.
AUTOPO for Per Pixel: Runs AUTOPO and places the
result in the Paint Room for painting with the per-pixel
method. UV seams and Maps are created automatically.
There are a few things to note about the AUTOPO tools. It
is a good idea to enable symmetry planes to force
symmetry during the process of creating automatic
topology - (assuming you want a symmetrical object). If the
object is not fully symmetrical, the program will keep
symmetry only whenever possible. If you do not like the
automatic result, you can always go to the Retopo Room to
manually adjust the mesh to suit your needs.
Also, when using this function, 3D-Coat will automatically
create a new sub-object in the Paint tab for each object
layer in the VoxTree.
1.4 Layer & Boolean Commands
Combine with children: Combines all child layers of a
parent layer, into a single layer.
Flip: Flips the current layer on any axis (X, Y, or Z).
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Merge Visible: This will merge all objects in the VoxTree
that are not hidden to the current layer - leaving all visible
layers intact.
Merge subtree: Merges all sub-layers to the parent layer,
deleting the sub-layers in the process.
Merge to: Merges a copy of the current layer to a specied
layer. Move to: Moves the current layer to another layer.
Move to: Moves a selected layer to a specied layer.
Subtract from: Subtracts an object in the current Layer
from the object in another layer that you select. This is a
very powerful function in 3D-Coat: it allows boolean
subtractions of one object Layer from another.
Intersect with: Adds an object in the current layer from the
object in another layer tha tyou select. This is similar to
Subtract from, but allows boolean additions.
Remove intersection with:
Split with:
Change parent: Changes the current Layer to another
Layer or to the Root.
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SECTION 4 - VOXEL SCULPTING
Voxel Menu
The Voxel Room contains one of the largest set of
functions of any of the 3D-Coat Rooms. Many of these
may, at rst, seem obscure and hard to understand. This
section will make these clear.
The Voxel Menu contains most of these functions - which
include surface clean-up, creating proxy versions,
resampling voxel resolution, voxel decimation, memory
management, and many more.
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1. Six Foundational Commands
2. Nine Surface Commands
3. Seven Basic Commands
4. Five Advanced Commands
5. Eight Supplemental Commands
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1.1 Six Foundational Commands
Like most of the other major Tabs (or
Rooms as they are also called), there is
also an accompanying menu. We have
already covered most of these options
in previous sections. Any repeated
functions are here only for your
convenience. Lets take a look at them:
Show statistics: Displays a dialog
showing many lesser known statistics
of the current layer.
Dene measurement units: Specify the
measurement of units (Metric or
Imperial standards) here in real world
scale, and how many voxels per this
axis.
Edit scene scale: Allows you to
recompose your scene by shifting its
overall location and scale on the global
axis.
Res+: Increases the resolution of the current voxel layer.
Resample: Opens a comprehensive dialog allowing you to
upgrade or downgrade the current layers resolution.
Symm copy: Creates a symmetrical copy of the current
layer across the designated symmetry plane.
1.2 Nine Surface Commands
Only available for voxel layers currently in Surface Mode.
Shell: Creates a hollow shell or skin of a designated
thickness from the current voxel layer.
Clean Surface: Re-optimizes surface mesh structure.
Close holes: Heals any holes found in a surface. Very
valuable for xing imported scanned meshes.
Weld vertices: Welds any vertices occupying the same
point in space.
Delete hidden: Deletes any portions of the mesh that are
currently hidden.
Decimate: Performs an optimized reduction of polygons
for the current layer.
Cleanup memory: Optimizes mesh memory allocation.
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Remove self-intersections: When 2 layers intersect each
other, this command will extract the intersecting surface
from the current and designated layers - placing this
intersecting part on its own layer, while leaving the 2
original layers intact.
Separate disconnected pieces: Any disconnected objects
found on the same layer will be removed from this layer
and placed on their own layers.
1.3 Seven Basic Commands
Clear: This command clears the current Layer in the
VoxTree of all voxels. It is useful when you wish to keep the
current Layers name and resolution but not the voxels.
Smooth all: This command uniformly smooths (or relaxes)
all of the voxels of the currently selected object Layer in the
VoxTree.
Unhide all: Unhides any hidden voxels.
Invert hidden: Inverts any hidden voxels.
Delete hidden: Deletes any hidden voxels.
Separate hidden part: Creates a new Layer in the VoxTree
and places the previously hidden voxels into the newly
created Layer.
Delete Hidden: Deletes the hidden part of the surface.
Separate hidden part: Creates a new volume from the
hidden surface.
Hide all but current: Hides every voxel layer that is not the
selected layer.
1.4 Five Advanced Commands
Toggle proxy mode: Toggles on/off proxy mode.
Restore visible volumes: Will recover the high resolution
voxel sculpt previously cached, into voxel surface mode.
(This is a redundant feature). Using Toggle proxy mode or
the icon for said feature, will achieve the same result)
Downgrade visible volumes: Caches the current high
resolution voxel sculpt. (This is a redundant feature) - using
Toggle proxy mode or the icon unit scale.
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Clear all caches: Clears all cache information from
memory - thus releasing it for other tasks. Cannot be
undone.
Proxy visualization: Selects the resolution of the proxy
mesh and how downgraded the mesh is - (You can
downgrade from 2x, 4x and 8x).
1.5 Eight Supplemental Commands
Cast shadows: Enables shadow casting based on the
global light inside the viewport. It is purely aesthetic.
Multicore: Toggles on/off voxel multi-threaded
functionality.
Incremental render: Renders only the parts of the object
that have changed since your previous render, thus giving a
large boost in performance. This option is off when
shadows are on, as shadows are dynamic and change the
appearance of the rendered object.
SkipRendering:
Use CUDA: Employ CUDA acceleration.
CUDA smooth boost: Makes use of special CUDA
smoothing.
Highlight: Toggles highlighting, if it is turned on for your
selected VoxTree object will be highlighted a different color.
When off, there will be no visible change. This effect is
dependent on the shader.
Accurate smoothing: Provides more accurate smoothing,
at the expense of performance.
Grow on pen motion: With this enabled, relevant
operations are not performed unless the Brush is in motion.
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SECTION 5 - VOXEL SCULPTING
Voxel Shaders
The use of Shaders on a voxel sculpture allow you to
quickly see a realistic or impressionistic real time preview
of your sculpture with various materials applied.
Shaders can be baked into the diffuse color layer of a
Merged Retopo mesh, thus streamlining the texturing
process in certain situations.
Primary shader properties can be edited, and altogether
new Shaders can be created from scratch - giving you a
powerful set of visualization options.
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CREATING, USING & EDITING
1. Basic Shaders
2. Complex Shaders
3. Matcap Shaders
4. Adjusting The Light
5. Creating & Editing Shaders
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1.1 Basic Shaders
The most basic kind of shader has absolutely no custom
settings (like the Default Shader). They are what they are
and cant be modied.
The second kind of Basic Shader does have adjustable
parameters as shown in the above dialog - which is
obtainable through selecting a Shader, Right-Clicking over
the Shader Icon and choosing one of the Edit commands
from the pop-up menu.
1.2 Complex Shaders
These types of Shaders have a number of additional
properties that involve the use of textures (not mandatory).
Shown above is the main Edit Dialog which include the
use of textures for controlling things like Normal and Bump
simulation, Reection simulation and Cavity simulation.
Experimentation is the key to success, here.
Lots of new shaders have been created by users over the
years, and can be found in the 3D-Coat Exchange
Library part of our Forum.
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1.3 MatCap Shaders
These are special Shaders which get their characteristics
from a certain type of Texture le which contain articial
lighting, color, specular, transparency and shading
properties.
To create these Texture les, special software is needed
and links to both the software and techniques for creating
convincing textures can be found on the Forum, in the 3D-
Coat Exchange Library section.
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CHAPTER 3
Surface Sculpting
Voxels require extensive hardware resources to
produce highly detailed models, since they always
include the entire volume of that object.
Surface Mode allows you to get an incredible
speed boost by letting you ignore volume and con-
centrate on the surface of your model, only.
SECTION 1 - SURFACE SCULPTING
General Surface Tools
Many times asset economy and working speeds are a
deciding factor in how to start and nish a complex project.
Volumes are not always needed when considering the
structure of any given model.
Working with Surfaces is fast and efcient whether you are
the owner of powerful hardware arrays - or whether you are
restrained by very basic system architecture.
Surfaces also offer the advantage and ability of being
innitely rened. Add, Subtract, Intersect, Decimate,
Simplify, Smooth, Harden and Blend your surfaces until you
are ultimately satised with the outcome.
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SURFACE FUNCTIONS
1. Sculpting Tools
2. Brush Options
3. Adjustment Tools
4. Object Tools
5. Commands
6. Direct Voxel Surface Painting
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1.1 Sculpting Tools
These are the clay-like tools that often parallel the
same tools found in pure Voxel space.
You can choose to begin in Pure Voxels and
eventually move your sculpture into Surface Mode
(for increased performance, memory preservation
and very ne detail work) - or start from the
beginning working with Surfaces.
Many of the Surface Mode Sculpting tools lend
themselves to freeform Brush-Based sculpting
operations - giving the artist the freedom of building
with the equivalents of clay, wax, wood, stone and
paint. 3D-Coat also makes full use of your graphics
tablets abilities.
Other tools provide for precision required in constructing
mechanical model forms. Notable among these are those
tools found in the E Panel - a selection of spline and
polygon based drawing tools which can be positioned and
altered as you work.
Both varieties of tools give the user the fastest, most uid
and accurate ways of constructing any type of model you
might conceive, while economizing on system resources.
Since the Surface environment makes extensive use of
Brushes - it is important to grasp their nature and
composition - for it relates to many other areas and
Rooms found within the 3D-Coat application.
Brushes consist primarily of the form of the Brush as
dened by Brush Alphas found in the main Brush
Panel, as well as their corresponding Options found in
the Options Panel.
Surface Mode Brushes can be adjusted on the y by
means of the Right Mouse Button and horizontal or
vertical gestures within the 3D Viewport.
Corresponding slider settings can be found within the
Brush Parameters Panel, which show and augment the
Mouse-Based parameters, and are found at the top of the
3D-Coat interface.
Brush strokes can also be modied by using functions
from the Materials, Masks, Strips, Models and Splines
Panels, when the context is appropriate.
The wonderful thing about Surface Mode Brushes is that
you can work with incredible speed and accuracy - and if
some polygons begin to become stretched, you may Re-
Skin the whole model (affecting only your latest revisions),
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by simply pressing the Enter key - replacing
these stretched areas with a very consistent and
organized, triangulated mesh structure.
At any time during your Surface Sculpting
session, you may either return to pure Voxel
Space - or move directly to the Retopo Room, by
means of AUTOPO functions or to perform all of
your manual Retopo operations.
Use the Voxel Layers Panel to store different
versions of your sculpture, as well as parts of the
model that need different and separate features
and detail. These can all be transferred into
different Retopo Groups for adding unique
topology to each - and ultimately to the Paint
Room for nal displacement, bump, specular
and color texture creation.
By Right-Clicking on any Surface Layer - you obtain
access to the most frequently used functions that deal with
Surfaces. More functions can be found in the main Voxel
Menu at the top of the interface.
To view the current statistics of your Voxel Sculpture, or to
obtain Tool Tips in expanded form, just look at the
Statistics Panel located at the bottom left of the
interface.
Use the File menu to access all Import functions for
bringing in external creations into the Voxel environment -
and use Export functions for producing various direct
Polygonal and Raw Voxel versions of your sculpture - to be
used and modied in external CAD and 3D printing
applications.
Draw: The Draw tool is great for quickly adding
spontaneous detail. It is similar to the the Airbrush tool, but
it only operates on the surface of a volumetric object.
Smooth: Produces much more dramatic smoothing than
can be achieved with the standard Voxel equivalent.
Pinch: Surface Pinch is identical to the Voxel Pinch tool,
but it is faster and only operates on the surface of a
volumetric object.
Shift: This tool drags the surface topology along with the
brush. Its great for producing wrinkles on a character or for
making cloth. It is identical to the Vox Follow tool, but it
only operates on the surface of a volumetric object.
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Flatten: This tool has been improved in version
3.2, and now allows for a more predictable
behavior. It attens the area underneath your
brush, based on brush size and intensity.
Chisel: Similar to the Flatten tool, but its effect
is less extreme and provides some irregularity
along the stroke.
Clay: Surface Clay lets you quickly and uidly
apply mass to your voxel sculpture. The
difference between this tool and the Carve brush
is that it will also simultaneously smooth the
surface after youve brushed it, giving it an
authentic clay look.
Buildup: Similar in action to the Build tool
found in the Voxel Room.
Fill: Surface Fill is a great way to ll in small voids and
gaps in your objects. It is especially effective at very high
settings.
Expand: Expands all vertices outward, uniformly, to a
given radius. At the top left of the interface are the Extrude
Direction Settings. This allows for user denable
extrusions. The extrusion methods are as follows:
Average normal, View direction, Along axis (X, Y or Z),
Vertex normal & Initial vertex normal.
These settings are unique to the following three tools:
Expand:
Extrude: Extrudes along the surface under your brush,
based on your pen Size, Depth and Extrude direction
settings.
Gum: This tool is great for making nice details on a mesh.
It is unique for the surface tool set. Its the fastest way to
make skin, pores and wrinkles. The higher the resolution of
your object, the better the details look. This tool is
commonly used to sculpt minute details onto an object. It
is affected by the Extrude direction settings.
Absolute: Extrudes the surface based on your Brush Size,
Depth and Extrude direction settings, while also
maintaining the underlying surface details and topology.
Freeze: A very useful masking tool, which allows you to
dene areas to be avoided by sculpting tools, or inverted to
be the focus area for sculpting. The common shortcuts are
Ctrl+Shift+ I (inverts your selection) and Ctrl + D (which
deselects it).
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Surfhide: Works as a mask to hide a portion of the models
surface mesh. Use the Invert hide option to hide
everything but the masked area.
Rapid & Rapid2: This tools name is very descriptive, as
its one of the fastest tools in 3D-Coat to sculpt general
shapes. It is almost the opposite of the Gum tool in this
regard, as it doesnt respect Brush alphas
but only brush Size and Intensity. Another
great thing about this tool is that if you have
two voxel objects in the viewport that are
separated from each other in space, it will
try its best to form a bridge between them
(welding them together as one object).
Scratches & Scratches2: Provides a similar
effect which clay sculptors use to rough
out surface features quickly.
Mud & Mud 2: An interesting surface texture effect,
providing rough edges.
1.2 Brush Options
These Options are the same as those you will nd in the
Voxel Room and offer you comprehensive control over your
Brush behavior.
At the top of the panel is a preview of the Brush Alpha
shape followed by a series of behavior controls.
Brush rotation: This sets the initial orientation of the alpha
at the beginning of the stroke.
Zero pressure radius: When using a tablet stylus, this
number indicates the default radius at the beginning of the
brush stroke.
Depth modulator: The default depth for each brush being
used.
Rotation amplitude: Sets the amplitude for additional
brush rotation.
Radius variation: Sets the percentage of random brush
radius variation.
Depth variation: Sets the percentage of random brush
depth.
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Opacity jitter: Denes the randomness of the brush opacity
setting. Jitter: The overall randomness of brush behavior.
Hue jitter: Denes the randomness of the brush hue when
used for painting color.
Brightness jitter: Varies the brightness, randomly, over the
course of a stroke.
Saturation jitter: Varies the saturation of the primary color,
randomly, over the course of the stroke.
Vary color each stroke: Use this option to produce
painting effects, like fur or hair, when you need to either
vary the Hue/Saturation/Brightness as you paint a single
stroke, (variegated strand color), or when you want each
stroke made to have a slightly different Hue/Saturation/
Brightness - as determined by the corresponding Jitter
setting.
Random ip (x, y): This randomly ips the selected brush
either across its x or y axis while painting.
Paint with dabs: Creates paint or sculpting dabs which
occur at some set spacing - as determined by the
Spacing control.
Rotate along stroke: When using brush alpha shapes that
you want to align like the bristles of a brush - so that they
change direction as the brush changes direction, all along
the stroke - use this option.
Skip eraser: Disables the eraser layer of the brush.
Strict alpha: Use this setting to cause both sculpting and
painting brushes to strictly adhere to the shape dened by
the brush alpha.
Flattened stroke: Use this brush setting to mimic
Photoshop brushes for improved stroke overlapping with a
truncated alpha shape.
Fade on edge: All strokes painted with this option checked
will have a smoother edge transition
Use spacing: When used with the Paint with dabs option,
adjusting the Spacing percentage slider determines how
close or far apart the paint dabs are applied.
1.3 Surface Adjustment Tools
A small subset of those same tools that appear in
Standard Voxel mode, offering faster response due to the
nature of polygonal surface meshes, which are at the heart
of the Surface mode.
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1.4 Surface Object Tools
A growing subset of those same tools that appear in
Standard Voxel mode, offering faster response due to the
nature of polygonal surface meshes, which are at the heart
of the Surface mode.
1.5 Surface Command Tools
A subset of those same tools that appear in Standard
Voxel mode, offering faster response due to the nature of
polygonal surface meshes, which are at the heart of the
Surface mode.
1.6 Direct Voxel Surface Painting
Once in Surface Mode, we really are
dealing with a polygonal representation
of a voxel objects skin. Although
this skin represents a temporary condition of a model
before it is ready for export, vertex colors can be applied to
this temporary, relatively high resolution mesh in the Paint
Room.
To use the Paint Room
tools for painting the
diffuse color directly
onto your Surface Mode
mesh - simply click on
the Paint Room tab and start painting with the standard
tools and Alphas with a single color - or use a Material
from the Materials Panel.
If you have applied a Voxel Shader to your sculpture, the
diffuse details from this shader will be combined with
whatever you paint in the Paint Room.
Make sure you have enabled ShowVoxelsInPaintRoom
from the View menu to enable diffuse color painting.
All painting done in this manner is strictly temporary - in
the sense that it is bound to the realm of 3D-Coat, itself.
Once you use any method to Merge your model and its
topology into the Paint Room - all these painted details
will be baked into this permanent mesh as a diffuse
texture map, which can then be exported along with your
mesh.
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SECTION 2 - SURFACE SCULPTING
LiveClay
LiveClay is 3D-Coats implementation of Dynamic
Subdivision theory. It is rapidly becoming a preferred way
of working and developing very large scenes.
With all of the feel of volumetric sculpting, LiveClay also
supplies users with friendly and familiar tools for painting
volume and detail into their models.
Crisp detail and sharp edges can be created, rened and
preserved all through the sculpting process - without
exhausting system resources.
Work interchangeably with Curve and Polygon based spline
tools - as well as an innite variety of supplied and user
dened Brush Alphas that contain boundary, interior and
depth.
84
BY CHRISTIAN MICHELIN
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LlveClay ln 3dCoat v4
what ls LlveClayI
LlveClay ls a new array of sculptlng tools lntroduced ln new 3DCoat v4
that perform local subdlvlslon to provlde sharper detalls where needed.
Those tools can be accessed under Surface mode .and are fully compatlble
wlth all surface tools,lncludlng Preeze tool.
wlth LlveClay you set detalls where you want them to be, wlth LlveClay you set detalls where you want them to be,
at the resolutlon you want them to be .
Surface can be heavlly dlstorted wlthout polygons stretchlng and
you can locally reduce , lncrease or even reconstruct
any parts of your sculpt at any glven tlme.
LlveClay also lnclude a broad range of tools
that allow cuttlng,brldglng,cuttlng/closlng holes.
LlveClay vS voxels. LlveClay vS voxels.
|n voxel mode booleans operatlons perform fuch faster.
(substractlon,merglng,lntersectlon ect..)
voxel mode ls perfect to bulld up bases to be further rened uslng LlveClay.
Also,altough LlveClay glves user a great sense of freedom,
when deallng wlth polygons a certaln level of care ls always needed.
|n voxel mode, slnce user never truly deal wlth polygons, there
user can be more agresslve and use more true freeform approach user can be more agresslve and use more true freeform approach
closer to 2D sketchlng.
8ut when deallng wlth meshes from external packages LlveClay has a blg advantage.
wlth LlveClay you can dlrectly add detalls on lmported meshes wlthout needlng
to subdlvlde the whole ob[ect,whlch ls not the case when detalllng ln voxel mode.
|n voxel mode mesh resolutlon ls dlstrlbuted evenly across surface at all tlmes.
So to merge crlsp and sharp detalled meshes requlre huge polycount .
Lven when shapes are not so complex,because even low polycount ob[ects Lven when shapes are not so complex,because even low polycount ob[ects
can be very sharp sometlmes.
Sharper detalls around llps area
locally subdlvlded uslng LlveClay brushes.
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Preeform sculptlng
sketch uslng new LlveClay ln
3DCoat v4 .
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3.Checklng "Merge wlthout voxellzlng checkbox
ln Tool optlons of "Merge tool.
Thls ls the best method lf you want to lmport
an external mesh "as ls wlthout uslng start up menu.
2.Turnlng a voxtree layer that ls ln voxel mode to Surface Mode
by cllcklng on the "v lcon beslde your volume layer ln the voxtree.
Startlng uslng LlveClay.
|n Surface mode LlveClay tools are located
rlght between Surface and Ad[ust tools:
There ls 3 ways user can dlrectly
start uslng LlveClay tools.
l.Selectlng Surface mode from 3DCoat's start up menu.
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8aslc Settlngs: Detall and Smoothlng
Lven tough each LlveClay tool ls dlnerent,
they all share the essentlal actlon that ls dynamlc subdlvlslon .
The 2 fundamental settlngs controlllng thls ln 3DCoat are :
DLTA|L and SMOOTH|NG.
Detall:
The detall sllder control
the degree of subdlvlslon
the brush wlll perform
along the stroke.
|t goes from 0 to 3.
Hlgh values wlll produce Hlgh values wlll produce
sharp strokes or very clear
stamps( lf stamp mode
ls used)
The trlggerlng of subdlvlslon
ls hlghly related to brush radlus,
smaller brush radlus wlll
autmatlcally trlgger subdlvlson. autmatlcally trlgger subdlvlson.
Smoothlng:
The smoothlng sllder control
the amount of smoothlng that ls performed along the stroke.
|t goes from 0 to l.
Hlgh values wlll glve a very smudgy clayllke feel that wlll even
smooth surroundlng areas, whlle lower values are
very useful to produce nlcer strokes ,especlally when spaclng very useful to produce nlcer strokes ,especlally when spaclng
ls actlvated ln pen optlons.
Here ls an example of 8ulldClay tool uslng a medlum
slzed brush along a Detall value of l.5.
Notlce that no local subdlvlslon was performed.
Now wlth same value of l.5 but a smaller brush
radlus ls used and local subdlvlslon ls automatlcally
trlggered.
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Secondary settlngs:
Part l: Procedural Nolse
A lot of Llveclay tools are empowered wlth 2 dlnerent set of controls:
Procedural Nolse and Tool 8lend Pactor.
Procedural Nolse let user add
dlnerent types of nolse enect to thelr
brush stokes.when mlxed wlth the
normal behavlor of the tools some
very lnterestlng results can be achleved, very lnterestlng results can be achleved,
ranglng from dlstressed paper to granlte
or bumpy skln.
Here are two examples demonstratlng
some klnd of crackles and skln bumps
user can achleve when actlvatlng
Procedural Nolse.

The settlngs:
Nolse Amplltude: Thls settlng determlne
the strenght of the applled nolse enect.
Nolse Scale: Thls settlng control the
overall scale of the applled nolse.
Smaller values wlll produce more gralny
textures whlle larger values can generate more textures whlle larger values can generate more
rocky enects for example.
Hard checkbox: checklng thls wlll provlde
sharper nolse.
Type of nolse:
varlous types of nolse can be selected there.
-8aslc,Perlln and slx dlnerent voronol nolse.
Level of Detalls: Thls settlng control Level of Detalls: Thls settlng control
the level of local subdlvlslon performed by 3DCoat
when applylng the nolse enect.
|t ls entlrely lndependent from the chosen
Llveclay tool own level of detall.
Sllder range from 0 to 8 but hlgher values can
be entered .Sometlmes to achleve deslred enect
much hlgher values are needed. much hlgher values are needed.
:Note that slnce 3DCoat ls performlng local
subdlvlslon for both the chosen tool and the
procedural nolse at the same tlme,
so hlgh values wlll lmpact performance.
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Secondary settlngs:
Part 2: Tool 8lend Pactor
Colllslon actlon: There you can choose
elther MLPGL or PLPLL.
Here ls an example uslng 8ulldClay tool
wlth PLPLL actlvated:
Here ls an example uslng same tool but
wlth MLPGL actlvated.:
Tool 8lend Pactor ls a very lmportant
addltlon that ls present ln many LlveClay tools.
Those controls are there to let user declde
what ls golng to happen when strokes lntersect
wlth geometry .
Uslng those controls 2 enects can be achleved:
-3DCoat can elther trlgger a near voxel-llke -3DCoat can elther trlgger a near voxel-llke
behavlor,meanlng the stroke wlll organlcaly
merge wlth the geometry lt collldes wlth
or
alternatlvely 3DCoat can automatlcally repel
the collldlng geometry .
The settlngs:
Merge actlon: there you can elther select NONL or PLALT|ML DLTLCT|ON. Merge actlon: there you can elther select NONL or PLALT|ML DLTLCT|ON.
To actlvate elther repel/merge
Pealtlme Detectlon MUST be selected.
Selectlng NONL ls equlvalent to turnlng tool blend factor on.
:Note that Pealtlme detectlon ls an heavy process
and lt can lmpact performance slgnlcantly dependlng
on the other settlngs values llke Level of Detall.
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LlveClay tools
Cut On
Cut On tool ls a very powerful tool
ln LlveClay arsenal. |t allow user to make fully
volumetrlc cuts on lowpoly ob[etcs.
3DCoat wlll automatlcally add local subdlvlslon
along your cut ln order to provlde the sharpest
cuttlng posslble and thls ,even on very low denslty meshes.
Cut On tool ls lntended to be used on lowpoly meshes, Cut On tool ls lntended to be used on lowpoly meshes,
lt ls NOT lntended to do large cuttlng operatlons
on multlmllllon meshes . Por thls, voxel Mode ls better sulted.
Cut On tool ls optlmlsed to make large cuts on meshes ln the
l0k-500k polys range and smaller holes/cuts on meshes
ln the 500k-2mllllons range.
Here ls an example of multlple cuts on a
very lowpoly mesh: very lowpoly mesh:
To Use:
Slmply choose one of the avalble
selectlon modes from 3DCoat's L-panel...and Cut!
|t ls perfect tool to make hard surface deslgns
out of lowpoly ob[ects or create holes through
thln surfaces llke clothes ect...
here ls example of smaller cuts on a l mllllon polys here ls example of smaller cuts on a l mllllon polys
mesh:
: Note that Cut On tool does not work well
when attemptlng to cut through self-lntersectlng
surfaces, ln such cases cuttlng operatlon may fall.
8ut ln those sltuatlons 3DCoat wlll warn user about
the exlstence of such lntersectlng parts,and operatlon
can be safely aborted. can be safely aborted.
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Uslng Cut On wlth
Draw over Plane Optlon.
when actlvatlng "Draw over plane checkbox
that ls located on the top Ul bar,
Plane Dened by PM8: Plane locatlon wlll be set by
rlghtcllcklng on the surface.Drag whlle holdlng PM8
to dene larger/smaller plane.
-Plck Polnt and foward Dlrectlon:
Plghtcllcklng wlll plck base polnt for the plane and Plghtcllcklng wlll plck base polnt for the plane and
wlll use camera vlew as normal dlrectlon.
-Plck Polnt Only:
Pmb wlll plck polnt only and leave dlrectlon unchanged.
a new set of optlons become avalble that allow you
to use CutOn tool uslng a custom plane.|t ls very useful
to achleve nlce hard surface deslgns or when you [ust
dont want to cut all the way through your sculpt.
Type Of Surface (PM8):
PM8 Actlon:
PM8 actlon(sulte)
-Plck Polnt and Dlrectlon:
Pmb wlll plck base polnt of the plane and sampled
averaged normal under polnt wlll be used.
-Plck Polnt and Dlrectlon (local):
Pmb wlll plck base polnt of the plane and local normal
under polnt wlll be used .
-Navlgate:PM8 won't plck anythlng. -Navlgate:PM8 won't plck anythlng.
Type Of Surface (polnts):
Plane Dened uslng 3 polnts:
Plane locatlon ls controlled by 3 user dened polnts.
To draw a polnt on surface ,select uslng P|CK button then
cllck on surface.To move polnts around [ust
cllck and hold PM8 .
Plane Dened uslng 4 Polnts: Plane Dened uslng 4 Polnts:
plane locatlon ls controlled by 4 user dened polnts.
The fourth polnt ls very useful to achleve curved areas.
NOTL, when uslng 3 or 4
polnts method ls ls better
to perform Cuttlng uslng
Lasso as Pectangle mode
can create unexpected
results.
8order:
Thls parameter ls not relevant when uslng CutOn tool
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LlveClay tools
LlveClay and 8ulldClay tools are very good brushes to sculpt
organlc detalls.They can also provlde sharper strokes when coupled
wlth sharp alphas,custom brush curves or Pallon.
The only dlnerence between LlveClay and 8ulldClay
ls that 8ulldClay tool wlll keep addlng depth
to the surface as long as pen/mouse ls ln motlon,
whlle the baslc Llveclay tool wlll stop addlng depth whlle the baslc Llveclay tool wlll stop addlng depth
pass the chosen depth value untll mouse/pen
ls released and stroklng renewed.
TSmooth or Tangent Smooth provlde a wlde range
of smoothlng/relaxatlon optlons. |t lmproves topology
but does not shrlnk the mesh, as lt malntalns the orlglnal shape
as much as posslble and all relaxatlon happen over the surface,.
very useful for clean topology .
Smoothness: Set the degree of smoothness applled when brushlng.
Tangent : when checked smoothlng wlll better preserve Tangent : when checked smoothlng wlll better preserve
hard edges ,especlally when Pelaxatlon mode ls used.
User can choose between two modes :
Smoothlng or Pelaxatlon mode.
Pelaxatlon mode wlll try to expand smaller trlangles
whlle shrlnklng blgger ones.
LlveClay and 8ulldClay
TSmooth
8elow ls example of tools used wlth contlnous motlon
for same amount of tlme uslng a Depth value of 65%.
LlveClay 8ulldClay
Notlce that Llvelay tool stopped addlng depth
whlle 8ulldClay kept addlng depth way over the
lnltlal value as long as pen motlon was performed.
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LlveClay tools
SnakeClay TubeClay
SmudgeClay
SnakeClay let you pull strands out of
the surface of your sculpt.New strands
can even be pulled out of each others.
Perfect for an anlmal's tall
or ornemental [ewelry.
Detall:
The detall value determlne The detall value determlne
how far the strand can be pulled away
from the surface.
Smoothlng:
Control how much the strand ls
smoothed as lt ls pulled.
SnakeShrpness:
Thls value determlne the sharpness Thls value determlne the sharpness
of the pulled strands. Hlgher values
wlll tend to create more splky
strands.very useful to make horns
or grass.
TubeClay ls a very stralghtfoward tool that ls
somehow slmllar to the 8ulldClay tool as lt let you
contlnuously stack up depth,but ln a much more
extreme manner.
SmudgeClay let you smear the surface across
the screen as lf lt was a 2D palntlng.
LlveClay takes care of addlng resolutlon so you can
safely smear across blg dlstances wlthout worrles of
stretchlng the mesh too much.
|t ls a very useful tool when worklng on clothlng
folds or sketchlng halr styles for example. folds or sketchlng halr styles for example.
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LlveClay tools
SwlrlClay
PlppleClay
|nnateClay let you add depth as lf
hot halr was blown from underneath the surface.
wlth |nnateClay one can qulckly bulld eyes lnslde
thelr sockets or even grow frults at the end
of tree branches for example.
Alrbrush:
when checked thls mode allows when checked thls mode allows
you to contlnuously add depth
whlle the brush lnnate the surface
as long as brush motlon ls
performed.
usePallon:
checklng thls box wlll make the tool
take full advantage of the currrent take full advantage of the currrent
fallon value.lt ls very useful to
achleve less spherlcal results.
PlppleClay tool let you add or substract depth uslng
a custom rlpple ,lt ls a very slmple and stralghtfoward tool.

Prequency:
thls value control the amount
of rlpples that wlll be ln your
stroke.Lower values generate stroke.Lower values generate
more rlpples.
Thls type of deformatlon
tend to stretch polygons
a lot but, thanx to LlveClay
lt ls now pure fun to use.
|nnateClay
SwlrlClay allow you to twlst portlon of mesh
around brush center.LlveClay wlll generate
the necessary resolutlon needed to prevent
overstretchlng of polygons.
Uslng a negatlve depth value wlll twlst
the mesh counter-clockwlze.
Strong: Strong:
checklng thls box wlll provlde a sllghtly
stronger enect.
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LlveClay tools
PlattenClay tool allow you cllp the surface
of your sculpt uslng brush strokes.
LlveClay wlll establlsh resolutlon of nattened areas
based on the chosen Detall value.
|t ls compatlble wlth both fallon and pen pressure.
Of all the tools ln the LlveClay arsenal CleanClay
ls one of the most vltal as lt allow user crush down
mesh denslty. Actually,CleanClay lt ls not a slngle tool
but rather a collectlon of tools that provlde user wlth
dlnerent ways to restructure the topology.
wrlnkleClay tool ls somehow a blend between
SmudgeClay and surface Plnch .|t works by dragglng
and plnchlng the surface altogether along the stroke.
varlous enects, useful for both
organlc and hard surface sculptlng
can be achleved uslng that tool.
Pull Paces:
checklng thls wlll add
depth at the same tlme
nattenlng ls performed.
PlattenClay CleanClay
wrlnkleClay
Peduce:
Perform reductlon based
on detall value.
Declmate:
Perform Declmatlon
lnstead of reductlon,
preservlng sharp detalls. preservlng sharp detalls.
Peconstruct:
remesh the area under
brush area,generatlng new
topology based on Detall
value.
Average:
wlll average the mesh wlll average the mesh
denslty to the level sampled
at the very start of the
stroke.
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LlveClay tools
PalntHole Peconstruct
8rldge
CloseHole and PlnHoles
PalntHole tool ls a llttle slmllar to CutOn tool,
but lnstead of maklng fully volumetrlc cuts lt [ust
make holes unto the outer surface of the mesh.
Adaptlve subdlvlslon ls stlll performed ln order
to provlde the sharpest holes posslble.
To use PalntHole ,[ust select any of the avallable selectlon modes
from L-panel or dlrectly palnt selectlon uslng brushes lf you llke. from L-panel or dlrectly palnt selectlon uslng brushes lf you llke.
Once satlsed wlth the selectlon
[ust press the Apply button.
Peconstruct tool perform the exact same
operatlon as lts equlvalent ln CleanClay tool,
but lnstead of uslng brushes strokes lt let you
draw a selectlon to dene area to be reconstructed.
Here actlon ls not performed ln Pealtlme but
only when user press "Apply button.
As ln CleanClay tool,Detall value controls As ln CleanClay tool,Detall value controls
the coarseness of the remeshed sectlon.
8rldge tool automatlcally generate new topology
to llnk 2 opposlng surfaces on the same volume.
|t can brldge between 2 ob[ects but both ob[ects
need to be on the same volume,
|t works by palntlng 2 selectlons on the 2 opposlng
surfaces and presslng "Apply.
NOTL THAT |P A TH|PD SLLLCT|ON |S MADL THL NOTL THAT |P A TH|PD SLLLCT|ON |S MADL THL
OPLPAT|ON wONT 8L PLPPOPMLD.
cut: thls wlll remesh /cut
the selectlons prlor
to brldglng.
-CloseHole tool lets you close holes by encloslng
them lnslde selectlons made uslng L-panel .
8oth CloseHole and PlnHoles share the same purpose whlch ls to
close holes. but here ls how they dlner :
-PlnHoles wlll automatlcally detect/close holes when stroke cross from
the exteror to the lnterlor of the hole.|t also use a custom Detall value .
Pemesh cut area: checklng thls wlll remesh
the holes.when uslng remesh lt ls better
to leave "Cut area exactly unchecked.
Cut area exactly: use thls to get sharper cuts.
CHAPTER 4
AUTOPO
Automatic Topology Creation. This re-
vised and improved function now pro-
duces very accurate, contour following to-
pology automatically - that works equally
well for both organic and mechanical
shapes.
SECTION 1 - AUTOPO
AUTOPO (Automatic Topology)
We were rst in bringing you the most accurate and
efcient automatic routines for adding usable Topology to
Sculptural models - both organic and hard surfaced.
We continue to rene these routines to greatly reduce the
number of man hours needed to create 3D assets from
start to nish - all within 3D-Coat.
Once mastered, these automatic tools will often produce
completely usable models - ready for texturing and even
animation - all with the minimum of manual input and toil.
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DENSITY AND GUIDES
1. Opening Dialog
2. Density Shading
3. Flow Guides
4. Automatic UVs
5. Tips for Hard Surfaces
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1.1 Opening Dialog
Automatic Topology or
AUTOPO lets you
begin the process of
creating new topology
with a minimum of
tools. You can
determine much of the
nal result by properly using the settings found in the
opening dialog box.
Intermediate Resolution: A temporary subdivision level
that 3D-Coat uses for establishing an approximate level of
detail that is needed to snap the nal topological cage
accurately. You will nd that the default setting works well
for most situations (but, trial and error will help you to learn
which value is best for any given model type).
Approximate Polycount: This value determines the nal
number of polygons that will be present in your
automatically topologized mesh. For example, 2500 is a
typical value used in making game assets.
Additional Smoothing: The default value is usually ne for
organic models, and a value of 1 is usually better for hard
surface model shapes. Feel free to experiment with these.
1.2 Density Shading
In models where you desire more
polygonal density (for displacement
purposes), 3D-Coat allows you to
designate these areas with a mask.
You can paint these regions with
freehand Brush Tools, or you can
make more precise designations by
using the E Panel tools.
In practice, it is often helpful to allow AUTOPO to
determine its topology without assistance - just to see
which areas need more guidance - (this applies for Flow
Guides, as well). Sometimes no guidance produces the
best results.
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After a rst pass with AUTOPO, you will be able to see
more clearly which areas need your manual help. Its easy
to get carried away, masking too many areas to be
scrutinized by the algorithm.
1.3 Flow Guides
When no guides are placed by the user, AUTOPO usually
produces good polygon ow throughout the resulting
mesh, with no unwanted twisting.
(Facial topology being the
exception).
However, adding guides which do
not reach far enough can result in
this unpleasant twisting of edge
loops and polygon rings.
The best practice, when dealing with
organic shapes that have appendages (arms, legs, ngers),
is to start and stop the guide lines before and after
connecting joints, where a thinner piece of geometry
meets a thicker piece (i.e. where an arm meets a shoulder
or an arm joins a hand).
In these cases, the guide should be drawn as a continuous
line starting before the shoulder and extending beyond the
wrist and well into the hand area. Fingers should be given
guides that start and the tip and continue beyond the wrist,
when possible (the longer the better). This helps eliminate
any twisting.
In areas of your model where loop
consistency is desired and there are no
branching areas, use through guides -
longitudinally and laterally - starting and
stopping the guide line outside of the
mesh area.
These guides will, by default, be straight
lines and will serve to slice the model
all the way through - saving you the time of drawing
separate guides for the front and back surfaces. This type
of guide works well in areas like the torso and within the
girth of an arm or leg, for example.
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When a through guide is used laterally across an area
like an arm, they will form complete loops around the
arm.
1.4 Automatic UVs
If you choose one of the more extremely automated
options for AUTOPO, (AUTOPO for Per-pixel, for
example), be aware that 3D-Coat will mark and Unwrap
your mesh in its own automatic way. This can often work
out well, producing a UV Map with consistently sized
quadrangles throughout - but the seams of this UV Map
may be awkwardly placed for certain view angles and uses.
When you anticipate potential problems, it may be best to
choose the simple AUTOPO function and mark all seams
and Unwrap your mesh manually, inside the Retopo
Room before Merging your mesh into the Paint Room.
1.5 Tips for Hard Surfaces
Generally speaking, a hard surfaced model will not be
animated in an organic fashion, but, if at all, will be
animated along discreet part lines of construction, (like a
robot arm or leg, for example).
Even more often is the case that a hard surfaced model will
not be animated within itself, at all - but may only remain a
static xture or a model moving through space as a whole
unit.
Sometimes a hard surfaced model needs to have concrete
divisions of texture space - designating unique texture
areas that start and end along designated edges.
Each of these situations may require individual treatment,
and are, thus, better achieved by creating topology
manually.
However, in those non-animated cases or in cases where a
texture will be consistent throughout, (like a rusty boiler or
a painted object consisting of one color) - AUTOPO could
be the ultimate, time-saving alternative to manual texturing,
UV marking and unwrapping.
In these cases, try running AUTOPO by offering, as your
only input, the nal, desired polycount. Add no Density
Shading or Flow Guides. Do a trial pass, letting AUTOPO
do all the work - and you may be surprised at the excellent
results.
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AUTOPO does a surprisingly good job at nding hard
surface edges and divisions - relieving you of that
responsibility - saving you time and sweat.
If you nd yourself needing to add input in the form of
Guides or Density Shading, it can be necessary to use
Orthographic Projections (front, side, back) - without
Perspective, to accurately mark a Through Guide or a
straight density demarkation.
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CHAPTER 5
Manual
Topology
3D-Coat provides a plethora of tools for
constructing custom topology, automating
repetitive tasks when possible - giving you
the speed you need to get your project done
on time.
SECTION 1 - MANUAL TOPOLOGY
Retopo Tools & Functions
In the 3D Age of Polygons, topology is still a necessary
consideration for nearly every phase of modeling and
texturing.
The 3D-Coat set of tools make this necessary task as quick
and painless as possible, allowing you to approach
topology creation from many different angles
accommodating many different methods.
Tied directly to the creation of UV Maps, you can see a
preview of your UVs throughout the topology making
process for modication and updating, before you commit
to a nal arrangement.
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THE TOOLSET
1. Overall Purpose & Function
2. General Retopo Workows
3. Basic Tools
4. Tweak Tools
5. UV Tools
6. Commands
7. Retopology Groups
8. The Retopo Menu
9. The Texture Baking Tool
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1.1 Overall Purpose & Function
The Retopo Room and the UV Room
and its functions are tied together, so
that whatever topology is created or
edited in the Retopo Room is also
reected in the UV Preview - (which
will ultimately become the
permanent UV Map for your model).
Some parts of the Retopo Room
interface change and update to reect new choices that
become available for a given function - dependent on the
context of that function.
We will point out these changes when the selection of a
tool or function causes them to occur.
Also, many important functions are
contained in the Retopo Menu. It is
important to know when and why to
use these options throughout the
entire Retopo/UV Map creation
process.
Since there are many possible
workow situations which will
involve the creation or modication
of a models topology and its
associated UVs - we will cover the
most common ones.
The Viewport in the Retopo Room
functions as it does in all other
Rooms - and you can use all of the
gestural shortcuts and Navigation
and Camera controls available in
the other Rooms.
When a Retopo function makes use
of 3D-Coat Brushes - these familiar
controls are adjusted as they are in
other Rooms. For numerical control
of the Brushes, look to the sliders at the top of the
interface.
The Retopo Room and its tools can also be used to modify
any topology created automatically through the use of
AUTOPO, as well - nothing is set in stone.
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One model can be composed of
many separate Retopo Groups.
These Groups may be created
simply to designate different
components of a model - or to
isolate different areas to receive
different texture treatments. They
may also be used to contain
different topological treatments to
be used for different purposes (LOD
versions and animated or static versions of a model, for
example).
The Statistics Panel, located at the bottom of the
interface contains a continual readout of your most
important model information, as it is updated by your
actions in the Retopo Room. These can help you in
locating troublesome n-gons, triangles and give you a
complete overview of the total number of polygons
composing your model.
1.2 General Retopo Workows
When one needs to create or modify topology, it is usually
due to one of the following cases:
1. A model exists which already has a topological
arrangement that needs to be modied.
2. A model exists which has topology,
but it needs to be changed in
shape or form or detail level - by
means of sculpting in the Voxel
Room - (and these new model
features will serve as a base to
which existing topology must be
snapped).
3. A sculpture (made in 3D-Coat or Merged into Voxel
Space) needs to be given practical topology and textures
within 3D-Coat - for export and use in a 3rd party
application.
In the case where a sculpture has originated in 3D-Coat or
has been imported into the Voxel Room - and this model
will be used for CAD, CNC or Rapid Prototyping
applications - it is not usually necessary to produce Manual
Topology. There are direct Export functions available from
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create edge loops, or circles.
the File/Export menu which allow for the export of a skin
approximation of your voxel sculpture or options for
exporting various dense quad meshes or triangulated
meshes for those systems which prefer these topological
arrangements, and need actual detail and displacement,
rather than those simulated forms which are produced by
means of texture maps. These types of Exports can take
place from within the Voxel Room, itself.
1.3 Basic Tools
Add/split: This tool lets you simply add edges
by pointing and clicking in the location you
would like to add the edge.
Select: This tool has three primary modes,
allowing you to select Points, Edges and
Polygons.
Select Path: Dene a seam for
Unwrapping by designating a path composed of
vertices you select in linear order. Press Enter when
you have established your path to create the seam.
Quads: You can use 4 different
methods for dening new
topology, one quadrangle at a
time.
Points/Faces: Use this tool to
create either quadrangles or
triangles, point by point - hovering
the mouse cursor over the area
dened by the points and Right-
Clicking to establish the new polygon. You can move
vertices by Right-Clicking and dragging it.
Cap: Hovering the mouse cursor over a hole surrounded
by connected topology and Right-Clicking creates a
pole and the connecting triangles which serve to close
the hole.
Strokes: Create topological
cuts which form loops
through an area of a model,
or draw freeform splines with
an even spacing of vertices
which you dene in advance.
One use for this tool is to
dene a surrounding cylinder
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You can move the points by using the RMB to click
and drag it around. You can also delete a point by
hovering over it and hitting the DELETE key. This tool
of polygonal rings by rst drawing a sequence of loops
(start drawing in empty space and nish in empty space) -
then draw a freeform spline along the length of a model
appendage (arm or leg), and pressing Enter to nalize
and create a cylindrical set of faces which dene the
appendage.
Brush: This tool can be used to Tweak a set of vertices
based on a soft selection determined by the size of the
Brush. Holding down Shift while using this tool causes
the brushed polygons to be relaxed or smoothed.
1.4 Tweak Tools
Delete Polygons: Hover the mouse cursor
over a polygon until it highlights and Left-
Click to delete it.
Delete Edges: Hover the mouse cursor over
an edge until it highlights and Left-Click
to delete it.
Collapse: Hover the mouse cursor over an
edge until it highlights and Left-Click to cause the 2
vertices joined by the edge to become 1 vertex.
Split Rings: Create new edge loops and adjoining edges
by highlighting a row of edges and Left-Clicking.
Move Vertices: This is a general Tweak tool for moving
either vertices, edges, edge loops or faces - depending on
which you have enabled in the Brush Command Panel.
Selecting Auto in the panel allows you to choose to move
any topological element, on the y.
Slide Edges: Adjust the spacing between any row of
edges by highlighting the desired edge and dragging it with
the Left-Mouse button held down.
1.5 UV Tools
These tools essentially provide those
functions which allow you to mark seams
for the Unwrapping process:
Mark seams: Lets you mark a
discontiguous set of connected edges.
Edge loops: Selects and marks contiguous edge loops on
your topology.
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UV Path: Allows the selection of vertices which are
interpreted by 3D-Coat to provide the path for a connected
series of edges.
1.6 Commands
Import: Imports a mesh which you can
use as a basis for a new topological
arrangement, or to be modied with
Retopo tools.
Export: This lets you export your
retopologized mesh in .OBJ, .LWO, .STL
and .PLY formats.
Snap: This snaps the retopologized mesh
to the underlying voxel or reference
model. Many times, after creating
topology, you may desire to modify the underlying voxel
model. The changes will produce a non-correspondence
between the base mesh and the Retopo mesh. The
Snap function will align the 2, once again.
Subdivide: This tool is self-explanatory. It subdivides the
mesh. For example, each polygon is divided by 4.
Clear: This will clear all topology in the scene.
Relax: This relaxes the current retopologized mesh which
can aid in snapping your topology to the base model
which has been used as a guide.
Symmetry: Using the settings found in the Symmetry
Panel (S key), a symmetrical copy of your Retopo mesh
will be created. Use this in conjunction with the Retopo
menus Apply symmetry commands.
1.7 Retopology Groups
3D-Coat has a Layer system for
retopologizing
meshes. This makes it easier to
retopologize your meshes with
problem areas and to have
multiple retopology versions of
the same object. Much like all
the other Layer tabs in 3D-
Coat, they function like the Layers in Photohop. You can
click and drag Layers to reorder them, drag them to the
Trash icon to delete them, hide & show them with the
Visibility icon, etc.
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Lets take a look at the Retopo Layer tab:
Layers: As you see in the screenshot, you can have more
then one Layer to retopologize, if you wish. They can be
reordered by drag and drop, they can be dragged to the
trash if you no longer need one. Double-clicking a Layer
will allow you to rename it.
Visibility: Each Layer has its own visibility icon, allowing
you to toggle them on or off.
There are icons along the bottom of
the tab as well, and they are: New
Layer: Creates a new layer.
Trash can: Deletes the selected
layer.
Subdivide: Lets you to subdivide
the whole selected Layer.
1.8 The Retopo Menu
Of course any good tool has more
to it then meets the eye. The
retopology tools are no exception.
You can nd the menu in the top
tool bar, under Retopo. Below are
listed all of the functions in this menu.
Import retopo mesh: Import an external mesh to continue
creating topology started in another 3D modeling program.
Export: Exports a retopo mesh to continue work in an
external 3D application.
Export selected: Exports only the selected faces of your
retopo mesh.
Export separated groups: Exports each Retopo Group as
a separate le.
Export as DXF for laser cutting: Exports the connected
boundary of a UV island to facilitate laser or CNC cutting.
Use current low-poly mesh: A reference mesh can be
imported to retopologize big objects made in another 3D
modeling program. They can contain reference to textures.
In this case the objects will be colored; color will be used in
baking and merging into the scene.
Select faces: Selects faces based on the following
options: Triangles, Quadrangles or N-Gons.
Apply symmetry to all layers: Makes all symmetrical
operations permanent for all Retopo Groups - allowing
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them to be Merged into the Paint Room and
Unwrapped in the UV Room.
Apply symmetry to current layer: Makes only the currently
selected Retopo Group permanently symmetrical for
Merging and Unwrapping.
Virtual mirror mode: Allows the temporary creation of
symmetrical topology as dictated by the Symmetry dialog.
Use one of the 2 above commands to make the
symmetrical topology permanent. You need only work on
one side of the mesh.
Auto unwrap attached faces: Check this option to create
UVs automatically.
Unwrap: The same command found in the UV Tools
section of the Tool Panel.
Close holes: A very valuable option which attempts to
repair holes in imported Retopo meshes - especially dense
scanned meshes.
Clear mesh: Clears the whole mesh from the selected
Retopo Group.
Subdivide: Subdivides the whole mesh, using one
iteration, from the current Retopo Group.
Relax: Relaxes the Retopo
mesh to aid in snapping to the
reference surface - for the
currently selected Retopo
Group.
Bake texture: Invokes the
Texture Baking Tool, which
allows you to bake the Diuse,
Specular, Normal and
Displacement textures which
have been already applied to
your Merged Retopo mesh -
onto a similar, external
polygonal mesh le.
Go to the next sub-topic for a
complete description.
Merge into scene: Lets you merge a retopologized mesh
into scene. All details from the reference mesh will be
baked into a new object. Additional extrusion can also be
applied. A UV-set is required, but if you have not assigned
a UV-set it will be generated automatically.
Merge selected only: Merges into the Paint Room - only
those faces which are currently selected.
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Merge coarsed mesh: Merges a mesh into the Paint Room
that has the number of polygons specied.
Use names correspondence for baking: Assures that only
Retopo Groups bearing the same name as their Voxel
Layer counterparts are Baked and Merged into the Paint
Room.
Check groups and volumes correspondence: Checks for
correspondence in Retopo Groups with their Voxel Layer
derivatives.
Baking_Parameters:
Merge with Ptex: Takes
the mesh as dened in
the Retopo Group for an
object and Merges it into
the Paint Room and Objects Panel, making it ready for
texturing operations, using the Ptex method.
Merge hull with Ptex: Merges only the outer hull of the
Retopoed object into the Paint Room and Objects Panel for
texturing using the Ptex method.
Merge Patch: Merges only the Retopo geometry, without
projecting details, into the Paint Room and Objects Panel.
Merge into scene (microverts):
Merges the currently selected
Retopo mesh into the Paint Room
and Objects Panel - making it
ready for texturing using the
Micro-Vertex method. Use this
on objects where you wish to paint actual displacement
in real time.
Merge hull (microverts): Works like Merge into scene,
but is optimized for multi-objects - and prefers projection
using the outer points of the reference mesh. Readies
mesh for texturing using the Micro-Vertex method.
Merge patch (microverts): Readies the Retopo mesh for
texturing using the Micro-Vertex method, but uses only
the raw form of the mesh and performs no baking
operations. Merges the result into the Paint Room and
Objects Panel.
Merge with NM (per-pixel): Merges the Retopo mesh from
the currently selected Retopo Group into the Paint Room
and the Objects Panel, readying it for texturing using the
Per-Pixel method. Details are baked as a Normal Map.
A dialog is presented which allows for including a Paint
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Room layer for simulated Ambient Occlusion (global
illumination).
Merge patch (per-pixel): Merges the raw mesh from the
currently selected Retopo Group into the Paint Room and
the Objects Panel - for texturing using the Per-Pixel
method.
Merge for per-pixel painting with displacement: Merges a
baked version of the current Retopo Group into the Paint
Room and Objects Panel for texturing using the Per-
Pixel method. An attempt is made to also include a real
displacement map (but is usually not suitable for objects
with deep displacement).
Save retopology state: Saves a le which captures the
current state of your Retopo mesh.
Restore retopology state: Loads a saved le that had
captured the state of a Retopo Mesh.

1.9 The Texture Baking Tool

When you have the
need to bake the
Textures you have
created for the current
Retopo Mesh onto a
similar Saved Mesh
(having different
topology), you can do
this with the Texture
Baking Tool and Dialog.
Just specify which mesh will serve as the one that Baking
is sampled from and which saved mesh you wish to Bake
to - along with which Texture Channels you wish to Export
and Bake with (and their various sizes) - and this process
will happen automatically.
Check out our YouTube Channel for precise
demonstrations on how to use this powerful tool:
http://www.youtube.com/user/PILGWAY3DCoat
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CHAPTER 6
UV Mapping
Very fast and flexible - our tool set gives
you the most accurate and comprehensive
mapping techniques. Those who wish to
produce templates for real world models
can also use un-stretched versions of
maps to produce accurate construction pat-
terns.
SECTION 1 - UV MAPPING
UV Tools & Processes
The UV Room is a duplication and an extension of tools
available in the Retopo Room - made to work with UV
Maps once your model has been Merged into the Paint
Room. What you produce in the UV Room will represent
the permanent maps you will use for export to 3rd party
applications.
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THE TOOLS
1. Retopo Room & UV Room
2. Tools & Functions - Modes
3. Tools & Functions - Commands
4. Tools & Functions - Selections
5. Tool Parameters Panel
6. UV Preview Window
7. Textures Menu
8. Sample UV Workow
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1.1 Retopo Room & UV Room
Many 3D specialists use only those parts of 3D-Coat which
help them do very specic jobs - like creating UV Maps or
new topology. 3D-Coats UV Room provides a very
powerful set of specic tools for performing every type of
UV alteration for existing models and maps.
In 3D-Coat, the Retopo Room and the UV Room are closely
tied together and most often are used together to produce
nal UV Maps.
When altering an existing UV Map, small changes to model
topology are sometimes desirable - these adjustments
being made in the Retopo Room, rst, followed by
Unwrapping the modied mesh and bringing the new Map
into the UV Room for nal island placement and packing.
At any time in the UV Mapping process, new seams can be
placed and new maps created - which vary from those
layouts made in the Retopo Room.
Before unwrapping, you can specify which unwrapping
algorithm you wish to use. There is the older LSCM
unwrapping, and the newer ABF++ unwrapping. When you
mark a new seam, 3DC unwraps new clusters in real-time
and shows you the preview of the unwrapped clusters
immediately - so that you can see the degree of distortion
for every part. Having this convenient function helps to
keep you from forgetting the location of any seam or
cluster.
3D-Coat also supports the creation and editing of multiple
UV maps on a single mesh.
1.2 Tools & Functions - Modes
Add clusters: Click the LMB to add a cluster
center directly on a polygon face. Clicking
again on the same face will remove it. This
tool lets you mark a seam without actually
marking it as one, allowing for a whole UV
island to be split into parts without actually
splitting them.
Mark Seams: When you are ready to unwrap your mesh to
create a UV map, you must rst of course select your
seams. That is where this tool comes in. You can select
edges with the LMB, edge loops with SHIFT+LMB and
deselect with CTRL+LMB.
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Edge loops: This tool is no different then holding down
SHIFT+LMB with the Mark seams tool. The difference
here is that you are not required to hold down the SHIFT
key to select your desired edge loops.
UV Path: Allows the selection of vertices which are
interpreted by 3D-Coat to provide the path for a connected
series of edges, which are marked as unwrapping seams.
1.3 Tools & Functions - Commands
Clear clusters: Clears all UV clusters (also
called UV islands) and seams.
Clear seams: Clears only the seams of the
current mesh.
Auto seams: This function is mostly self-
explanatory. It will essentially create seams
automatically with a best guess on what
edges to select as the seams.
Unwrap: Fits all clusters into the UV space.
Pack UV: This will pack all unwrapped UV
clusters onto the UV map, according to a guide rectangle
which you dene. When this operation is complete, you can
then edit the islands on the UV map. At this point you can
perform many essential functions which require a UV map.
Update Islands: When you have an existing island, and
further mark a seam on that island causing it to become
two, you will need to perform the Update Islands
command to carry that information to the UV Preview
Panel so that you will then have those two UV islands
selectable, in the UV Preview Panel.
Apply UV-set: Applies the current Unwrapping scheme to
the current Retopo mesh.
Save/Load: You can also save and load seam and cluster
information of the current scene so it can be edited later.
Note that this does NOT export or import a UV map.
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1.4 Selected
Clear: Clears the selection.
Invert: inverts the selection.
Rotate CW: This will rotate the selected island
clock-wise.
Rotate CCW: This will rotate the selected island
counter clock-wise.
Flip U: This will ip the U of the UV map.
Flip V: This will ip the V of the UV map.
Relax: Applies a light smoothing across the
selected cluster (or island) to relieve stretching or
pinching.
To ABF: The newer, more
advanced form of Unwrapping
which is best suited for organic
meshes.
To LSCM: The older, more traditional form of Unwrapping
which may be more compatible with external 3D
applications.
To Planar: Uses Planar projection for Unwrapping selected
UV Islands.
Hide:
Inv. Hidden
Unhide:
Unhide all:
Copy UV:
Paste UV:
1.5 Tool Parameters Panel
Located near the top of the interface, this panel includes
the functions needed to select every
type of component from your UV Map
(vertices, edges, faces & islands) for
manipulation with the UV gizmo.
This panel also displays which UV Tool you are currently
using, which type of default texture you wish to show
mapped onto your Unwrapped Retopo mesh (simple
checker, etc.) as well as a drop-down menu that shows a
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These commands are important,
work. They are listed, as follows:
list of all UV Maps that you have
produced for that mesh.
1.6 UV Preview Window
Inside of the UV preview window you can also manipulate
your UV islands & more, directly. By clicking the LMB on
an island, youll then see a manipulator gizmo. Selected
islands will then highlight all edges of its respective
polygons inside the 3D viewport.
In addition, advanced tools for editing your UV maps
directly reside in the Selected portion of the of the
retopology tools. These tools all require a selection in the
UV Preview window. To select a cluster (or island) simply
click on one with the LMB.
UV Preview Manipulator:
This manipulator lets you scale, stretch, rotate and
translate whichever cluster you currently have selected.
You can manually place your clusters as you see t before
packing them (Optimized unwrapping) into a UV map. You
must have the Manipulator tick box turned on to use this.
Use this gizmo to manipulate vertices,
edges, faces and whole islands inside the
UV Preview window.
In the block selected you will nd a set of
commands that are related to the selections
made in the UV Preview window. After
applying the Unwrap command found in the Retopo
Room, you may want to edit UV islands in the UV Preview
window, before Merging your mesh into the Paint Room.
To recap the basic workow for taking a mesh from the
Voxel Room to the Paint Room - and ultimately to the point
of Exporting both mesh and texture data:
1. Sculpt your model in the Voxel Room and Surface
Mode.
2. Add Custom topology by means of AUTOPO or
manually within the Retopo Room.
3. Mark seams and Unwrap your Retopo mesh.
4. Manipulate UV Map elements and optimize your UV
Map (in Retopo Room)
5. Unwrap your Retopo mesh and optimize your UV Map
by Packing it.
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This manipulator lets you scale, stretch,
6. Merge your Retopo mesh into the
Paint Room (and Objects
Panel) and apply your textures.
7. Choose File/Export Model -
saving out all mesh and texture
data according to your chosen
parameters.
1.7 Textures Menu
Import: Choose from the list, at left, which
sort of texture you wish to import.
Export: Choose from the list, at left, which
sort of texture you wish to export for use in
3rd party applications.
Also, add further renement to your exported
texture data by checking any of the 4 boxes
listed below the Export command.
Adjust: From the array of Layers present in your Paint
Room le - choose from the Options shown, at left - which
include some common image adjustment parameters - as
well as some very specialized options that are tailored for
professional users.
Import UV: Actually imports a mesh that has UV
coordinates and maps - replacing those maps with new
ones present in the UV Room selected map.
Export UV: Exports the model currently being worked on
without its accompanying textures. This allows for editing
of the UV map, itself, within a 2D image editing program.
Export SL Sculpt Map: Takes the current UV information
and exports this for use in an editor for the purpose of
creating assets for the program Second Life.
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Texture UV Editor: Opens
a comprehensive editor for
viewing and editing
textures maps in their
Unwrapped form.
Choose to edit any existing
UV Map texture, including
diuse color, normal,
specular or the entire
shaded model.
Since 3D-Coat allows you to make as many UV Maps of an
object as you need, choose to view and work on any one of
these from the drop-down menu.
Texture Baking Tool: Opens
the Texture Baking dialog
which contains all of the
parameters you will require for
Baking texture information to
your model.
Calc Occlusion: Runs a routine
which calculates Ambient
Occlusion (global illumination)
based on tracing a number of light rays surrounding an
object. Use this to simulate real world ambient lighting
situations. May take a long time to complete.
Oset Tool: When you import an image plane for creating
a at texture (as found in the opening 3D-Coat dialog) - you
have the option to make a tiling texture (that repeats and
wraps to the other side of the image). Use this tool to help
you align the texture so that it wraps in the way you desire.
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1.8 Sample UV Workow (David Schoneveld)
1. Import your object
2.
Switch to the UV room
(optional) clear seams and start from scratch if its
something that's not been UV'ed before or if its something
that's been edited too much to keep the seams.
(alt optional) Auto seams is another good place to start. 3D
Coat will try to best guess where the seams should be.
(alt 2 optional) Sharp Seams is another auto seams best
used for mechanical objects as a starting point.
3. You can try both and just undo or clear seams at any
point.
4. Clicking on an edge creates a seam.
Holding Ctrl while clicking removes a seam
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5. Make sure to cut/add seams to corner edges to help the
shape unfold. If you see an area too red or too blue it
means there will be a lot of unfolded distortion in that area
and you might want to try to cut more seams around it to
help the island better unfold.
6. Completely cutting an area off automatically creates a
new UV island, and the interface will update with new color
patch for that section.
At this point the UV previewer is showing what will unwrap
when you actually unwrap it, but currently its not yet
unwrapped.
7. Now that we click unwrap we can see how well the
unfolding process worked.
8. (optional) You can rotate and scale the islands a bit to
either exaggerate the more important parts (scale them up)
and/or to reduce the space between islands.
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(optional) Use the brush to smudge areas of the island to
nish the unfold.
9.
We
now apply the UV's the the mesh. Its important to note that
we have been editing the UV layout but we've not yet
applied them to the mesh. If we export w/o applying or
move back to the paint room now the old UV's will still
exist. This is good for trying out different things with your
UV set w/o actually changing anything until you are ready.
10. Move back to the paint room and check your UV's have
been updated.
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CHAPTER 7
Tweaking
Sometimes it is necessary to modify mod-
els in some more extreme ways, without
changing the underlying topology -
Poses, extreme body changes and
morphs, to name a few. This is where the
Tweak Room comes into play.
SECTION 1 - TWEAKING
Modifying & Morphs
Use these tools to make larger mesh adjustments, after all
of your other modeling and texturing steps have been
completed.
Pose limbs using Drag Points - change a thin character
into a fat one - create facial morphs for export.
These are just some of the uses for this direct polygonal
manipulation set of tools.
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THE TOOLSET
1. Move
2. Select/Move
3. Drag Points
4. Draw
5. Collapse
6. Expand
7. Shift
8. Smudge
9. Flatten
10. Smooth
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The Tweak Room tools represent a basic, but powerful
means to perform both major and minor alterations to an
existing Merged Retopo mesh. All modications take
place without adding any new topology.
Use the Brushes and Alphas along with all
the Options in the Brush Options Panel to
perform the Tweak functions.
1.1 Move
Works just like the Voxel Move tool.
Movements are based on the size of the
Brush - which can be made on the y. Use
this tool to perform major adjustments to
your mesh.
Try to avoid stretching an area of polygons
excessively, especially creating long, thin polygons (press
W to see the wireframe) - since this will cause unwanted
texture distortions in your Merged model, and will require
major alterations in your UV Map.
1.2 Select/Move
Actually, this tool allows you to dene and rene a selected
area of your mesh before you apply either
the Move, Scale or Rotate function to that
area. You can use standard Brush Alphas
to dene the selected region - or use
rectangular selection.
A number of commands exist in the Tool
Options panel to modify the selected area
- making this tool a very precise means of altering your
mesh, as well as the means to Save and Load selection
areas.
1.3 Drag Points
A versatile tool which allows you to use Brush size to place
Dots (areas of inuence - or soft selection) that work in
opposition to freeze dots - giving you the ability to adjust
only specic
portions of the
mesh while the
freeze dots (all dots
except the nally
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selected dot) keep those portions of the mesh from
moving.
The size of each dot determines the region of inuence or
non-inuence.
The soft selection area is dened by the Edge Hardness
slider.
You can Move, Scale or Rotate the unfrozen areas
(dened by the selected dot) by rst selecting the function
and then Left-Click dragging on this dot.
This tool is especially well suited to performing the posing
(bending) of organic limbs or appendages of any kind.
1.4 Draw
Works like the Surface Draw tool, except that polygons
are stretched to make the alteration. The size, depth and
nature of the Brush and its Alpha shape determine the
action of the tool.
Use the Cntrl and Shift modiers to apply an inversion
or smoothing action to this tool.
1.5 Collapse
This tool draws areas of the mesh closer together in a very
precise fashion, without raising or lowering the affected
area. The size, depth and nature of the Brush Alpha effect
the distance of the mesh translation.
Use the Ctrl modier to invert the action of the tool - and
the Shift modier to perform a relaxation of the mesh.
1.6 Expand
Works precisely as an inverted version of the Collapse
tool.
1.7 Shift
This tool slides and pushes a portion of the mesh in one
direction along the plane of the existing mesh surface. It
acts like a 2 dimensional wave of sorts.
Use the Ctrl modier to repel the mesh away from the
Brush cursor, in every direction - and use the Shift
modier to relax areas of the mesh.
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The tool is affected by Brush size and depth but not Alpha
shape or other Brush Options.
1.8 Smudge
Works similarly to the Shift tool, but tends to indent the
mesh near the edges of the Brush.
Use the Ctrl modier to invert the action and the Shift
modier to relax areas of the mesh.
This tool is only affected by the size and depth of the
Brush.
1.9 Flatten
Works quite similarly to the Flatten tool in Surface mode.
Repeated movements of the brush over an area tend to
produce a general attening - similar to the effect produced
by a blacksmiths hammer.
1.10 Smooth
Overall, this tool performs a mesh relaxation - lessening the
distance between adjoined vertices as the tool passes over
them.
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CHAPTER 8
Texture
Painting
Paint textures at breakneck speeds. Using
3DC Materials or colors and values - paint up
to 3 texture channels simultaneously (Diffuse,
Displacement, Specular). Take advantage of
Alpha functions, repetitive Strips and complex
masking to realize your final texturing details.
SECTION 1 - TEXTURE PAINTING
Overview & Modes
1.1 Dierent Forms of Resolution
Within 3D-Coat, resolution can be summarized by the
terms, Perceived Resolution, Actual Resolution,
Viewport Resolution and Export Resolution.
Perceived Resolution
Among those who produce 3D content for Entertainment-
Based uses, applying techniques which produce a
believable effect while using the fewest number of actual
hardware and software resources is the most desirable way
to structure any given project, with regard to resolution.
Broadly speaking, these project assets can be divided into
Game Assets and Film (or Video) Assets. Game assets
use the fewest resources and the highest level of
Perceived Resolution - while Film assets can use
resolution resources more liberally.
In the Entertainment Industry, artists produce assets that
require textures to achieve the element of believability and
realism. In essence, the textures produced create the
illusion of resolution or detail.
The polygonal structure of a model is actually secondary to
the economical use of textures - which include Diffuse,
Specular, Normal, Bump and Displacement Maps as the
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CONSIDERATIONS & ADVANTAGES
1. Dierent Forms of Resolution
2. Micro-Vertex Painting (Deep
Displacement)
3. Per-Pixel Painting
4. Ptex Painting
5. Texture Baking Panel
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most common. All of these Maps work together to
produce the illusion of resolution and detail - a models
Perceived Resolution. These are the most common
tricks CG artists use to produce their realistic illusions.
Actual Resolution
Actual mesh resolution is what you are using when working
in Voxel space or Surface Mode, and is that resolution
which is exported when your model will later be used in
CAD and CAM applications that make no use of the
techniques common in the entertainment industry. Within
3D-Coat, all modications to models for these purposes
take place in the Voxel Room and Surface Mode.
Voxels and "Surface Skins" provide the closest
representation of a nished model prototype's "Actual
Resolution". A unique set of Export commands can be
found in the "File" menu, which allow for saving your model
to be used in various forms of 3D cutting and printing.
Viewport Resolution
3D-Coat handles resolution, in the Paint Room, in a unique
way, by means of the Viewport - in order to give you real-
time representation of models and their associated textures
as they are created.
You can designate how much Viewport Resolution will be
used, which is a temporary representation of a model and
its associated textures. In essence, you can assign the
amount of real-time subdivision that is visible while you
paint your textures.
This "Viewport Resolution" can be different than the nal
exported resolution of your model and its associated
textures, which are assigned as a nal step for use in 3rd
party applications.
Export Resolution
This is the resolution of both the retopologized and
exported mesh, itself, along with the texture maps that are
associated with an exported model le.
1.2 Micro-Vertex Painting
When you need to provide your model with high levels of
"actual" displacement - by means of sculpting or "painting"
this displacement - the best mode to use is the "Micro-
vertex" mode. This mode allows you to export either
standard or vector-based displacement maps that
accurately reect the more extreme levels of displacement
you have added by means of textures or sculpting.
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Micro-Vertex painting actually modies a temporary
viewport mesh - which is a user-dened subdivided
version of your base mesh - applying real and actual
displacement to this temporary mesh.
Upon export of your model and its associated textures, you
are given the option of setting the nished mesh density.
To assure that your model can accurately represent the
displacement achieved, real-time in the viewport, make
sure you give it adequate polygon density (10s or 100s of
thousands of polygons).
1.3 Per-Pixel Painting
Use Per-Pixel mode for both high resolution models and
low resolution models, where you need maximum
compatibility with other environments and where
extreme clarity of texture is required. Note that Depth
painting within this mode only supports the real time
generation of a normal map, rather than actual painted
displacement - but, based on this information, a
displacement map can be exported as well as a normal
map.
1.4 Ptex Painting
When your model does not require extreme displacement
(by means of texture maps) - and you want to work without
the considerations of UV Map seams (very fast) - try the
Ptex mode.
With the Texture Editor Panel open, as well as the Ptex
Tool Options Panel, you can adjust Ptex resolution,
locally, and at any time during the texture painting process
- instantly seeing the UV Map changes in real time.
After clicking the Ptex Icon at the bottom of the Painting
Tools Panel, you can designate areas of increased
resolution by painting the desired polygons in the Viewport
and pressing Increase Resolution in the Tool Options
Panel.
Whatever features you add in the Paint Room can be
automatically converted to standard texture maps which
can be read by many 3rd party applications. Ptex provides
optimized distribution of texture space, and allows you to
work very quickly.
Be aware that texture maps converted from the Ptex Mode
are not suitable for modication in external paint apps, like
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Photoshop. At this time, Ptex is still considered an
experimental process for texturing.
1.5 Texture Baking Panel
With the Micro-vertex
approach every face, (quad
only allowed), was
represented as a patch NM
vertices (N and M could be
different for every face).
Every vertex had color and
coordinates in space, so
every kind of displacement
was allowed. However this approach was limited because
it was very difcult to edit meshes with non-quad faces,
and projecting a patch to texture resulted in a loss of
quality, so it was difcult to import a texture, edit it and
then export because the after-export texture appeared to
be slightly blurred. So we decided to implement Per-Pixel
Painting. Here are the basic points of this technology:
Painting is performed not over vertices but over pixels on
the texture directly. It looks like every pixel on the texture is
represented as a point in space.
Every pixel contains any number of Layers of color, opacity,
normal displacement and specularity.
Every Layer can be blended with the previous one using
well-known blending operations for color and
displacement.
Every texture point in space has its neighbors in a per-pixel
representation. It is important because it lets you not only
paint over the model but also to perform non-local
operations like blurring and sharpening with brush.
Some operations are performed in space, like painting,
lling, applying curves, some in projection, like smudge. All
this is transparent to the user.
Most operations can be performed (optionally) not only on
the visible side of an object but on the invisible too, like
applying curves, lling, painting rings, rectangles and
polygons over the surface.
Exchange with other applications becomes really fast and
has no quality loss, so you can use 3D-Coat in any stage of
the pipeline for a nal touch or to perform full texturing.
You can import a normal map and use it as a reference for
texture painting. Normal maps can be changed too, you
can apply some smoothing (not over seams) or fade some
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areas. It creates seamless painting and smoothing over
textures.
Per-Pixel painting has only one disadvantage when
compared to Micro-Vertex painting: per-pixel painting does
not support vector displacement, only normal
displacement. Sometimes this functionality difference is
important, so we left both approaches as options.
For example, using the Micro-Vertex approach to paint on
baked voxel sculptures gives you better results. Additional
advantages of per pixel painting are as follows:
The ability to affect pixels on the back of the model,
(lling, blurring and applying overall effects.)
The painting quality does not depend on the distance
from the object to the camera.
More precise painting: what you see is what you get.
The key advantage over Micro-Vertex painting is the ability
to blur pixels underneath the brush. This is possible
because every pixel has a neighbor toward which it can be
blurred.
Notes:
Painting With Depth
Painting, in 3D-Coat, can take place in up to 3 channels
at the same time - Depth, Color and Specular. Enable or
disable whichever channels
you wish to use, simply by
clicking on the
corresponding icon in the
top tool bar.
Hovering the mouse pointer
over each of these icons brings up an additional menu of
options.
The Additive painting option is best illustrated in the
diagram to the right. When not enabled, crossing brush
strokes plateau at the same level of depth - when enabled,
the same strokes will cause paint to pile up wherever the
strokes intersect. Also, if the option is disabled, the
overlapping behavior is applied only on strokes drawn in
the current Layer.
The depth of your painted stroke can be controlled, on the
y, simply by holding the Right mouse button down and
dragging up or down. The depth intensity is visually
indicated by the center colored and contoured line within
the painting cursor, (red by default). The shape of this
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center contour reects the shape of the Alpha you have
selected in the primary Brush Panel.
Depth intensity can also be controlled with the keyboard by
pressing either the + or the - key, or by rolling the
mouse scroll wheel forward or backward. When using a
stylus, use less pressure to avoid stroke overdrive.
When painting in the Micro-Vertex mode, and your mesh is
low resolution, painting with high depth intensities may
cause abrupt mesh distortion.
Smoothing of your painted depth stroke can be adjusted by
using the Smoothing slider in the top Brush tool bar or by
holding down the Shift key and the Right mouse button
and dragging up or down. The keyboard shortcut for this
function is either Shift + or Shift -. The center brush
prole line becomes green, by default, when you are in
Smoothing mode.
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SECTION 2 - TEXTURE PAINTING
Painting Params & Tools
1.1 Primary Painting Parameters
Painting with Color
When no material is selected, you
can paint with basic color or
randomly with the 2
colors chosen from the
main Color Swatches.
You can also paint with a random blend of
colors, chosen between those 2 swatches.
Invoke the Color Pop-up with the C key,
where all of these modes are available.
Painting with Specular
The degree of shininess that you wish to paint
with, for Alpha Controlled application, or for Specular
mapping contained in a Material, is adjusted with this Pop-
up
panel. Use these functions to turn off Specular painting,
to adjust the intensity of the effect, or to add a Blending
amount to your Specular map or at Specular
application, when no map is found. Press R on your
keyboard to bring this panel to the front.
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OVERVIEW & SPECIFICS
1. Primary Painting Parameters
2. Painting with Materials
3. Painting Shortcuts
4. The Color Picker
5. The Color Image Window
6. Custom Color Palettes
7. Paint Room Tools
8. Paint Room Layers
9. More on Ptex Painting
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Painting with Depth
Depending on which texturing
method you have chosen,
painting in the Depth channel
produces
different information when producing its
corresponding texture maps. When
painting on a Viewport Mesh - as is the
case with the Micro-Vertex method, real
displacement is being applied to that mesh - which will
ultimately translate into real displacement maps during
the export process.
When painting on a Per-Pixel mesh, the primary Depth
information is for the purpose of creating Normal or Bump
maps - (although there is an option for creating a
Displacement map).
1.2 Painting With Materials
All 3 Paint Channels, when
enabled, will react with any
Material that is currently selected
from the Materials Panel. Every
Material can contain a separate texture for each of its
channels - Color, Depth and Specular. If no Material is
selected, (disable the use of Materials by clicking the large
X in the Materials Panel), then each Paint Channel will
respond based upon which Brush
Alpha has been selected .
New Materials can be added to an
existing Material Folder simply by
clicking on the large + icon in
the Material Panel. The thumbnail
image of each new material is
created based upon which texture
image you select for that Materials Color channel.
New Material Folders can be created or loaded by pressing
the small Down Arrow at the top right of the Material
Panel and selecting either the Add new folder or Add
existing folder options.
1.3 Painting Shortcuts
Some artists like to paint and texture with
as much blank screen space as they
can get. They dislike the clutter of many
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interface elements - and 3D-Coat allows you to work in just
this way. Just hide those elements of the interface that you
nd distracting and use keyboard shortcuts that give you
access to the tools you need, only when you actually need
them.
One of the most convenient Pop-Up tool panels is the
Tool/Color panel. It contains all of the Painting Tools from
the left tool panel, in addition to a handy color wheel.
Paint and texture, freely, and press the Spacebar when
you need to change to a different Paint tool or color.
To access the Main Paint Functions panel, just press ~ on
your keyboard to bring it to the front of your work space -
right at your cursor location.
1.4 The Color Picker
There are 5 avors to choose from, as shown at left. These
are made available by left clicking on the color swatches in
the top left of the main Paint Tool Panel. The pickers work
just like their equivalents in other mainstream painting
applications.
1.5 The Color Image Window
The exception is the Image Color Picker, which allows
you to assign an image of your choice - from which you
can choose any hue present in the image for painting. This
is also quite handy for
keeping a reference image
open at all times during
sculpting or painting
operations. You can
manipulate which portion of
this image is visible, and its
position in the window, with
the 3 controls just underneath
it and to the left of the image
window. Select the image of
choice with the Select
button or Paste the image from your Clipboard. Once
used, an image becomes available via the drop down
arrow to the right of the image name.
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1.6 Custom Color Palettes
Create your own custom
color palettes via the
Windows/Popups/Color
Palette menu. (you can
assign a keyboard
shortcut for this). Right
click on any color to
Delete, Insert or Edit any color using the Color Picker.
New Color Palettes can be created and saved for later
access - these are stored in the main 3D-Coat folder,
subfolder.
Palettes. Once stored, these palettes will always be
available in the list - accessible through the drop down
arrow menu.
NOTE: To disable the use of Color, as dened by the Color
Swatches, Right click on the Color Swatch - and an X will
appear over the Color Swatch, informing you that you are
no longer inuencing painting with these colors.
1.7 Paint Room Tools
In the Paint Room you have access to a comprehensive
set of painting, texturing, adjustment and texture
transformation tools. These tools are located in the left side
panel. You can also press the Spacebar for quick access.
Paint and Material Brush: This tool works in
combination with the 3 Paint Channels, (Depth, Color,
Specular), and its effect is inuenced by which Alpha
shape is chosen from the Brush Alpha panel. If no material
is selected, the basic color or colors that are applied are
indicated by the 2 color swatches at the top of this tool bar.
If a Material is selected, a combination of interactions
occurs, based on the Brush Alpha shape and those
Material channels which have textures assigned - as well
as which basic Painting Channels you have turned on.
Tablet response can also be set via the E panel - along
with various curve and closed spline methods of paint
application. (See The E Panel).
Airbrush: A softer brush which has an accumulation
coefcient. This brush produces the most profound
dabbed painting effect when used with the Paint with
dabs Brush Option selected.
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Clone Brush: Like traditional painting applications, this
brush clones texture from one randomly selected area to
another, (Ctrl-LMB to set source. See complete
description on the next page.
Eraser: Just like it sounds, but erases all information from
whichever basic Paint Channels are enabled, (checked).
Eyedropper: More powerful than an ordinary eyedropper
tool - this one samples the information from all 3 basic
Paint Channels, (Depth, Color and Specular).
Fill Tool: Fills contiguous areas of color with either a
single Paint value for all 3 basic Paint Channels, (Depth,
Color, Specular), or with a selected Material, (which uses
up to 3 textures for each of these same channels).
Color Operations: This tool has 10
different color adjustment functions
which are Brushed on, reacting with
Alpha and/or choice of E panel tool:
De-saturate: (decrement the chromatic level) When you
press Ctrl the opposite action is performed, and it
increases the saturation of the color.
Saturate: (increment the chromatic level) When you press
Ctrl the opposite action is performed, and it de-saturates
the color.
Darken: When you press Ctrl the opposite action is
performed, and it lightens.
Lighten: When you press Ctrl the opposite action is
performed and it darkens.
Sharpen: This accentuates the color denition. Use Ctrl
to smooth.
Smoothing: This reduces the color denition. Use Ctrl to
accentuate the color denition.
Increase hue: Incremental adjustment of the hue. (use
Ctrl to decrement the value). The Transparency setting
inuences the degree of hue change.
Decrease hue: See above.
Subst hue: Substitute the hue in the current layer with the
current color swatch.
Hue&Saturation: Substitute the hue and saturation from
the current layer with the current color swatch. For
example, paint on an object using color, then choose the
Darken command. Paint again on the object in the same
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place to see how your current color darkens. Try different
color operation modes, as this function is highly dependent
on the color channels transparency.
Magnication or reduction of Layer height: Choose the
operations on the Layer height (increase or decrease).
When painting, it is only the current Layer height that is
changed. Press Ctrl to perform an inverted operation.
When using this tool, both E panel functions and the
selected Material are taken into account. Use the Degree
of change slider to limit the amount of change.
Shift Layer in tangent space: This tool lets you smudge,
collapse and expand the area under your brush. All
operations will be applied in screen space, so you should
try to center the area to be modied in the best view
position. This tool is intended to move only small details in
the Layer.
NOTE: You must click the LMB to apply the last two
operations.
Clone Brush: This tool can also be considered a Texture
Adjustment tool, and it has quite a few options for use, so
please read and test it out carefully to learn more about it.
Press Ctrl-LMB to mark a source point for copying, then
paint using the LMB. You can clone your texture, not only
with a standard Brush Alpha, but also with the frame and
contour Brush functions - (press E for Brush functions).
There exist a number of methods for cloning:
Translation: In this mode, press Ctrl+LMB to select the
source point.
Dx: The horizontal shift of source point.
Dy: The vertical shift of source point.
Mirroring: Copying with mirror-reection of a
plane. Press Ctrl+LMB to select the point for the
plane to go through.
Inversion: Copying with inversion against the
point.
Press Ctrl+LMB to mark the center point of inversion:
Center X and Center Y positions of pivot point on
screen. Press Ctrl+LMB in the corresponding places to
change it.
Clone sector: Copy a sector rotated at a selected angle
against the pivot point. Press Ctrl+LMB to mark the
rotation center point. This mode can be used to multiply a
pattern drawn in one sector all around. Center X and
Center Y are the positions of the control point on the
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This lets you copy using topological
screen. To change its position, press Ctrl+LMB in
corresponding place.
Number of sectors: Number of sectors when cloning a
pattern in a sector.
Counter clockwise: When enabled, the sector will be
copied counter- clockwise.
Symmetrical copy: Symmetrical copy lets you to
copy a surface from one side of a model to make
it symmetrical. Press S and activate symmetry
before using this tool.
This tool can be used on any of the three axes to copy
symmetry. (Image left)
Copy using Brush: This lets you copy using topological
symmetry. You should set up topological symmetry before
using this tool. Topological symmetry can be dened in the
Topological symmetry tool by selecting two symmetrical
faces.
Transform/copy tool: Drag the frame and
select an
area to be transferred. The frame acquired can
be
dragged, or rotated. Use Shift to preserve proportions.
Use Ctrl to drag vertices independently of each other.
Press Esc to cancel the transformation and Enter to
apply it. This mode is good to use in combination with
the Rectangle, Circle and Curve painting methods
(press E to open the draw types menu). The border width
determines the edge softness when transforming. By
disabling channels (Depth, Diuse, Specular) you can limit
the channels that are affected. In the transform mode the
surface area is erased from its old location and copied onto
the new one.
In order to simply copy without deleting, do not check the
Erase old position option. It is possible to transform
whole block of visible Layers and paste them merged or
separately. You can select what to copy, not only with the
Rectangle tool, but also by using the freehand selection
tool, and others. The options for this tool are as follows:
Depth modulator: Additional depth modulator for the
transformed area.
Opacity modulator: Additional opacity for the transformed
area. Specular modulator: Additional specular modulator
for transformed area.
Export: Export selection to a .PSD le.
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Copying with inversion against the point.
to mark the center point of inversion:
to preserve proportions.
to drag vertices independently of each other.
painting methods
Import: Import a selection from a .PSD le.
Edit: Edit image with an external editor that supports .PSD
les. By default it is Adobe Photoshop.
Save: Save transform parameters and image to InstallDir
\User- Data\StoreData\Rects\
Load: Load transform parameters.
Copy/Paste: You can copy parts of a surface to the
clipboard by using CTRL+C and then paste them using
CTRL+V. If the cursor is not on an object, it will be pasted
to the same place it was copied from. Images in the
clipboard can be edited in another graphics editor, then
copied back to the clipboard and pasted onto the object
surface. If the color channel is open for editing, the color
texture is placed into the clipboard; if it is disabled, then
the depth texture will be placed into the clipboard; in case
the depth is disabled for
editing, then the specular
texture will be placed
there.
Hence, you can copy and
edit in a different graphics editor any of the channels
depth, color or specular. If you press CTRL+SHIFT+C a
new pen is made from a surface part and added to the pen
list. When you press CTRL+SHIFT+V the mirror reected
part is pasted. Bear in mind that copying and pasting are
pen-turn sensible. Copying and pasting objects with the
help of hot keys is not limited to Copy/Paste tool, but is
possible in any other mode.
Save: Save the clipboard image into a le.
Load: Loads the clipboard image from a le. Using these
functions, you can create a library of stamps. Load a plane
or a cube, for example, draw a button or a rivet, then save
it to a le. As with depth, so the color and specular will be
saved, too.
Paint with Splines: Upon activating the tool, the
Parameters Panel will be activated. There
are many parameters for the curve tool:
Curve prole: First lets take a look at the
Curve proles.
Uniform: The curve with no linear modulation.
Sharp: The curve sharp on edges.
Obtuse: (atten) The curve attened on edges.
Arrow:
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Arrow back:
Double arrow:
Arrow:
Back arrow:
Double arrow:
Arrow:
Back Arrow:
Double arrow:
Sinuous.
Ignore back faces: When this option is
activated, you paint only on the visible part of
the surface.
Closed curve: Closes the curve.
Use spacing: Points will be set along curve
with some spacing and jittering. It lets you make new
effects with curves.
Toggle hardness: This mode lets you toggle the hardness
of the spline vertices by clicking on he vertex. Pressing
Esc cancels this mode. Prole parameter: This parameter
affects the linear curve prole in case you selected the
sharp or obtuse prole.
Depth modulator: Modulator, impacting the entire curve
depth.
Width modulator: Modulator, impacting the entire curve
width.
Opacity: Transforms the current combination of points to a
circle if possible.
To line: Transform the current set of points to a line if
possible.
Subdivide: Subdivide curve.
Equalize: Set equal distances between points.
Store: Save curve to a le with *.curve extension, placed
into: InstallDir\UserData\StoreData\Curves\ by default.
Load curve from a le with CURV extension, located in:
InstallDir\UserData\StoreData\Curves\ by default.
Moving the whole curve: Use the 3 icons on the right
bottom of Parameters Panel menu - You can rotate/move/
scale the entire curve. NOTE: You can use Ctrl while
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to carefully
applies
to complete a curve produces
indents the curved elements. Use
to delete
There are many curve profiles, you are
encouraged to test them all out. They range from arrows
dragging a point to rotate the whole curve and you can also
use Shift while dragging a point to move the entire curve.
Paint a spline by Left-Clicking to position a few points:
Hovering the cursor over one of the blue dots causes it to
highlight. Left-Clicking captures the point and allows you
to drag it into a new position. Click again to release the
control point.
Splines are handy used together with Strips to carefully
paint a chain or a series of rivets. Clicking Enter applies
the spline to the object. Left-Click to add new points to the
spline. Pressing Enter to complete a curve produces a
raised element - while completing the spline with Ctrl-
Enter indents the curved elements. Use Backspace to
delete the last point and Esc to delete all points.
Curve Prole: There are many curve proles, you are
encouraged to test them all out. They range from arrows to
rounded ends, but of course there are many more.
Use spacing: Points will be set along the curve with some
spacing and jittering. Spacing combined with the various
Jitter options can create a wide variety of effects. Curves
will be drawn correctly, even if their knot points are far from
each other and the surface between them is quite curved.
With the Paint with Splines tool, you are not only able to
paint and extrude/intrude, but you also can do the
following:
Erase: Erase the current Layer along the curve.
Freeze: Freeze along the curve. Ctrl-Enter to unfreeze.
Make Planar: Flatten the surface along the curve. Set
absolute height. Apply the plane tool along the curve and
then apply the usual extrusion.
This sets the absolute (not relative) depth along the curve.
Painted Text Tool: Using this tool you
can select the font for text, input the
text so as to change the parameters of
the curve the text is applied along. Use
the following options with this tool:
Ignore back faces: When this option is
activated, you draw only on the visible parts of the surface.
Closed curve: Draw a closed curve.
Flip text: Flip the whole text.
Depth modulator: Modulator, impacting the entire curve
depth.
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change the parameters of the curve the text is
Width modulator:
Modulator: impacting the entire curve width.
Opacity modulator: Modulates the opacity of the entire
curve.
To circle: Transform the current set of points to a circle if
possible.
To line: Transform the current set of points to line if
possible.
Subdivide: Subdivide the curve.
Equalize: Set an equal distances between the points.
Toggle hardness: This mode lets you toggle the hardness of
the vertex in a spline by clicking on the vertex. ESC cancels
this mode.
Save: Save text and font in a .txt le, placed into InstallDir
\User- Data\StoreData\Texts\ by default.
Load: Load text from a .txt le, located in InstallDir
\UserData\ StoreData\Texts\ by default.
Add new points into the spline by Left-Clicking. Use
Enter to apply, with depth - upon applying, the text will
be extruded outward over the curve. Pressing Ctrl-Enter
indents the text into the object. Use Backspace to delete
the last point, Esc to delete all points. Click on a blue
sphere to move it. Painting with text along a curve allows
you to paint and extrude, as well as letting you Erase/
Freeze/Make Planar/ Set the absolute height. You can
place text along any polygonal surface and along any
contour.
Place Image Along Spline: You can apply an image
along a spline curve with this tool. You can select the
images used for Depth texture/Color texture/Specular
texture to tile along a spline. There are
several settings and functions:
Number of tiles:
Specify the
number of tiles. A lower number
produces fewer tiles.
Fallo: Opacity falloff.
Extrusion: Extrusion of the whole texture.
The other parameters are the same as used with Paint
with Splines. With the Place Image Along Spline tool,
you also can Erase/Freeze/ Make Planar/Set absolute
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Specify the number of tiles. A lower
height. Here is an example of using an image along a spline
to freeze an area.
Erase: Erasing the Color, Depth or Specularity in the
current Layer. Eraser intensity depends on the slider for
Eraser transparency. Erasing only effects
your currently active Layer.
Hide: Hides selected polygons. Left-
Clicking with a Brush hides parts of the
surface by painting on the model. Pressing Ctrlshows
previously hidden surface areas. Use Ctrl-X to unhide all.
NUM+ or NUM- makes the hidden area wider or
narrower.
Hide Parameters: Using the additional Hiding
menu you can save/load hidden areas as presets. In
these instances you will also have a drop-down list
so that you can select between these presets.
Hide Menu: Additionally, you can access the more
advanced functions of the Hide tool in the main menu in
the Top tool bar. For convenience, you can also undock
this menu (like any other menu) and place it in an easy to
access area. With this menu, you are not only able to hide
surfaces by painting on the model, but you also can hide
the whole object by selecting the object you want to
hide.
For example, if there are several sub-objects in the scene,
you can use Hide Sub-Object to hide a specic object,
as in the picture below. If there is only one object in the
scene, Hide Sub-Object will hide only that object. You
can also hide faces by their specic material, use Hide
Material. Select one material from this menu and all the
surfaces with that material will be hidden. The other
commands are self-explanatory.
Freeze Surface tool: This is a mode of freezing surface
parts to prevent their subsequent change. Freeze mode
can be conditional, for example for relief, at or colored
parts depending on mode selected. Blocking masks the
action of feathering. Freeze mode is an
operation opposite to selection. Press Shift
to smooth out the edges of blocking.
This drop-down list provides the various
Freeze modes. When the Brush goes along
the surface, it gets masked in accordance with
the condition you choose in this menu.
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to unhide all.
makes the hidden area wider or
three sliders
There are ve masking modes in total:
Freeze all: Mask with a touch of the
Brush or mouse-click (default mode).
Convexity: Mask the convex parts of the
surface.
Concavity: Mask the concave parts of the surface.
Not key color: Mask all, except the color currently
selected.
Key color: Mask the color currently selected.
There are three sliders on the top bar for the freeze tool:
Contrast: This parameter increases the freezing contrast.
Smoothing degree: Sets the smoothing level of the freeze
area.
Freeze degree: Controls the level of the opacity of
freezing. Masking can be saved to a le and loaded. In this
way you can create a set of handy masking outlines for
your model. If you saved at least one le, subsequently,
you will have a drop-down list offering a selection of les.
Of course you can also access many more options for the
Freeze tool in the main menu of the top tool bar.
Freeze the surface: Freeze all the surfaces with the
current condition. Invert freeze/selection. The frozen
surfaces will be unfrozen and the surfaces which were not
frozen will be frozen.
Toggle freeze view: There are six modes with which you
can view the frozen area.
Many of the other commands are self-explanatory as well,
and you are strongly encouraged to explore each one.
Fill Tool: If you are familiar with the ll tool in
Photoshop or other photo-editing programs, then you
should be quite familiar with this tool already. It lets you ll
in self-contained areas based on a number of parameters
you can specify. There are three main parameters by which
you can ll:
Layer: Fill the whole Layer.
Material: Fill the material of the
object.
Object: Fill the sub-object.
There are sub-options for this tool as
well, that you can use with each of the
three main lling methods:
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Use color tolerance: This lets you ll in your color or
material based on its closeness to another color. By
using the slider you can adjust this value. The higher the
tolerance, the larger area and/or more existing colors it will
ll.
Fill with freeze: Instead of a color
ll-in, the surface will be lled by
freezing. The Freeze degree slider
is responsible for maximal freeze
values.
Lines mode: Lets you ll-in by setting two points. The
vector between them is considered the
main direction when using distortions. If
you have chosen the Fill with gradient,
the surface will be lled with color
gradient from the main color to
secondary one. Otherwise, the main
color is used for lling-in. If the pen
radius differs in the starting and nal point of the line, then
the modulation scale will smoothly change from the start to
the nal point. You can use gradient lling in the ll tool in a
much more intuitive way.
Modulation type: In case the
Use with other tools option is
selected, the modulation acts
not only in the Fill mode, but
with the standard modes.
Brushes tool: There are are
number of basic and user-adjustable types of modulation
available:
No modulation: Filling will be done without additional
modulation.
Noise: Random noise.
Gaussian noise:
Gaussian noise applied:
Wavy surface: Wavy surface y=sin(x).
Random modulation with
Stripes: Stripes that are perpendicular to the main axis.
Saw: Saw-tooth shape.
Hexagon: A correct hexagonal grid will be used as the
volume texture when modulating.
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Random spheres: Space lled with random spheres will be
used as the volume texture when modulating.
Pores: Generation of pore-like surface. Spots: Generation
of pimpled surface.
Fractal N1:
Fractal N2:
Fractal N3:
Fractal N4 (cracks):
Fractal wood N1: A set of distorted planes perpendicular
to the view direction.
Fractal wood N2: A set of distorted cylinders. To set the
cylinder axe, go into the lines mode.
Fractal tree N3: Wood with knot imitation.
Custom: Rough skin:
Add custom: This lets you create your own custom
modulation type. Depending on the modulation chosen in
the Modulation type menu you will have the ability to
adjust a number of parameters for each one. They are as
follows:
Peak position: The position of maximum.
Scale: Scale of modulation.
Anisotropy: The degree of stretching or compression of
details along the direction selected. If no direction is set,
then it is a vertical axis. Switch into the lines mode to
specify the direction.
Width of jag:
Pores size:
Spots size:
Cracks width:
Edge contrast: This parameter determines the
smoothness of the edges in cube mapping.
Bump texture: The bump texture to be used in cube-
mapping.
Color texture: The color texture to be used in cube-
mapping.
Name: The name of a custom pattern.
Color texture: The color texture to be used in cube-
mapping.
Name: The name of a custom pattern.
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Delete pattern:
Modulate depth: Select this point if you want to modulate
the depth when lling. The parameters are as follows:
Depth modulator: Modulation value.
Extrusion: The addition extrusion. -1 means that the
surface will only be indented, 1 only extruded.
Modulate color: Select the corresponding color operation
and paint with it. Vary the opacity to make the effect
stronger or weaker. These parameters are listed as follows:
Color preference: This slider determines the preference of
color use between color for convexity and concavity.
Convexity opacity: Convexity opacity modulator.
Convexity color: This color corresponds to convexity.
Concavity opacity: Concavity opacity modulator.
Concavity color: This color corresponds to concavity.
Modulate specular: Select this option if you want to
modulate specular channel. These parameters are as
follows:
Convexity specular: Convexity specular modulator.
Concavity specular: Concavity specular modulator.
To apply the new ll pattern you should specify a texture
for the Bump channel and a texture for the Color channel
(optional). They will be mapped on an object using cube
mapping with soft edges. The screenshot to the right
shows the difference between usual cube mapping and
mapping with soft edges. In this way, you can texture
objects seamlessly, with ease. It is easy to create materials
like skin or pores with this method.
Save/Load ll parameters: Using the menu Store/Restore
you can store parameters of the Fill to le,
located in InstallDir\User- Data\StoreData
\Fillers\ folder by default.
Here are a few things that are worth noting
about the Fill tool. You are not only able to
use the Fill tool separately, but also in combination with
other methods. For example, we can use the Fill tool in
combination with a Material. In the picture at right, we have
lled in a certain area with a Material, using the cubic
mapping method. On the edges we created freeze areas,
while the inside area was lled in. Pay attention when lines
modes and Fill tools are used in combination, you can ll
closed spaces with a color gradient.
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Another thing to note is that if your ll area is very large,
you may get a warning prompt from 3D-Coat letting you
know that it may take a while to ll. If that does happen,
please be patient! The application hasnt frozen - just
calculating.
Eye dropper: Pick the Color and Specularity from the
surface of an object. Use the hot key LMB-V to pick the
primary color and RMB-V to pick the secondary color
outside this tool. Use H to pick the top Layer. Use G to
pick the depth of the Brush.
Make planar: This tool attens the geometry on the
object. Use the LMB to make the surface inside the Brush
cursor at. The Brush shape is stored. By choosing the
Smoothing command, the advanced Plane tool menu
with a set of options opens:
Normal source: This option determines if the normal and
point of the plane should be taken from the rst click
position or from the current point.
Plane extrusion: Lets you make additional extrusions
while making the plane. It works like a clay brush.
Make planar: Makes the surface planar.
Cut o: Cuts off parts above the plane.
Fill mode: Fills holes below the plane.
Topological symmetry tool: Topological symmetry lets you
copy surface pieces if they have a symmetrical face
structure - even if they are not symmetrical geometrically.
Select the red face with a Left click and then select the
blue face. It is better if they are adjacent. Either way, the
contents should be symmetrical to each other. This lets you
dene the topological symmetry. The settings for this tool
are as follows:
Work mode: Lets you choose between two modes: setup
symmetry by picking two symmetrical faces or copy from
one side to another using the Brush.
Copy red to blue: Copy the red part of mesh to the blue
one. You should dene them before using this tool.
Copy blue to red: Copy the blue part of mesh to the red
part. You should dene them before using this tool.
Flip Layer: Flip Layer using topological symmetry.
Copy freeze mask: This is pretty self-explanatory. It lets
you copy a freeze mask from one side to another using the
topological symmetry tool.
Save: Store symmetry state to .SYMM le.
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Load: Restore symmetry state from .SYMM le.
Measuring tool: This tool lets you measure distance
between two user specied locations. Here are the
parameters:
Original mesh units: You can dene the units of
measurement and measure line length.
Units to display: You should choose the units to display.
There are parameters in these combo boxes: Meters (m),
Millimeters (mm), Centimeters (cm), Kilometers (km), Feet
(ft), Inches (in), Yards (yr) and Miles (mi).
Scale: The scale can be used to transform units. Usually
you dont need to enter this value manually.
Length: The length of the red line.
1.8 The Layers Panel
The Layers Panel changes depending
on which Room you are working in. In
the Paint Room, Layers are used
much like you would in Photoshop or
other painting applications, where
aspects of each Layer can be controlled independently,
such as blending modes and opacity - but with additional
control over how Depth painting affects the Layer in
question.
Right-clicking on a Layer name opens a menu of addition
commands. Icons at the bottom of the panel are, in order,
for the following functions: New Layer, Delete Layer, Merge
Layer downward, Move Layer
up, Move Layer down, (in the list).
Layer visibility: Simply toggle the Eye icon to hide or
show the Layer in question.
Hold down the Alt key to hide every layer except the layer
clicked on.
Layer Blending: Go to the Blending tab. Duplicate:
Duplicate the selected Layer.
Flip Layer and Duplicate and ip: Duplicate the Layer and
ip it, using topological symmetry.
Flip Layer: Flip the Layer using topological symmetry.
Copy Blue to Re: Copy the blue part of a mesh to the red
part. You can dene blue and red parts in the topological
symmetry tool.
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Copy Red to Blue: Copy the red part of a mesh to the blue
one. You can dene the
1.9 The Strips Panel
The Strips panel offers an
alternate selection of Brush
tips, which repeat over the
length of a stroke. Choosing a Strip shape overrides the
alpha shapes in the Brushes panel. Strips work best in the
Paint Room for creating detail with
normal map depth, in concert with per-pixel painting
modes, or, for actual displacement painting while using the
micro-vertex method.
In this illustration, the bandolier was created with a
standard Strip shape, totally within the Paint Room - using
the micro-vertex method of painting.
For similar functionality in the Voxel Room, use the
Curves tool with a repeating Spline shape selected from
the Splines panel. The Strips panel uses the same
methods of adding folders and individual strips as the
Brushes panel.
blue and red parts in the topological symmetry tool.
Copy Channels:
Merge Visible: Merges all visible Layers. Undo is
unavailable.
Merge Up. Merge this Layer and the upper Layer.
Undo is not available.
Freeze painted pixels: The freeze value will be set equal to
the Layers transparency.
Freeze Transparent Pixels: Freeze the transparent part of
the Layer. It is important if you want use the transparency
mask of the current Layer on another Layer. Use CTRL
+LMB on the Layer to perform the same action.
Apply Layer Mask: Apply a Layer mask to Layer. The Layer
mask is a reference to another Layer that masks this Layer.
Apply Blending:
Color to Specular: Transforms color brightness to the
specular channel.
Invert Color: Inverts the color of this Layer.
Invert Specularity: Inverts the specularity of this Layer:
Fill Unfrozen: Fills the unfrozen parts of the Layer with the
current color and specularity.
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Fill by Mask: Fills the Layer with the current color and
specular using its current transparency mask.
Clamp depth of the layer:
Set Height to Zero: Sets the height to Zero on all the
Layers.
Make Transparent: The Layer will become fully transparent.
Remove Specularity: The specular channel will be set to
Zero.
1.10 The Masks Panel
Masks are used as a way to specify
an area for sculpting or texture
painting with Brush depth and
transparency. Masks are essentially
stencils.
The mask, in conjunction with materials can be moved and
rotated independently using the new navigation controls.
Masks and materials, both, can also be rotated precisely 45
degrees by using SHIFT key.
If you choose to display mask/
material in at least one of the
channels (Depth and/or, Color
and/or Specular), a new panel
shows up on top.
Mask/Material Preview Panel:
With the Preview Options panel you can adjust the Masks &
Material preview parameters as follows:
Hide/Show/Auto:
Hide/show/auto-hide full- screen view of texture. You can
switch mode with the hot key H.
Unlock/Lock: Lets you scale
and texture automatically while
scaling and moving the model.
Flip X: Reect mask image,
mirror-like, across the
horizontal axis. Flip Y: Reect
mask image, mirror-like, across
the vertical axis.
Paint: This mode lets you paint, using your mask or
material.
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Distort Image: In this mode you can distort your mask or
material directly with your brush. You can do some very
unique texture work with this feature. It is great when you
have an image that doesnt match the mesh exactly. You
can then use this tool to shape the image to match the
mesh more precisely so that you can then paint with a
material or mask. As you can see in the image, the jaw line,
nose and silhouette of the head have been shaped with the
distort image feature.
Reset: Places the texture in its initial position.
Clear/Save/Load Distortion: With these options you can
clear, save and load your distortions.
Mapping Method: There are two methods you can use
here. From Camera and Cube Mapping. From Camera lets
you project the method through the viewport. If the Cube
Mapping application type is selected, the material preview
will be displayed on the pen only, as opposed to full screen
(when From camera is selected). On the right there is a
slider responsible for transparency when viewing the
Masks/material.
Opacity of preview: Percentile based opacity controls.
Adding a new mask or material is done exactly as you do
with Brushes and Strips.
1.11 The Blending Panel
This panel contains a more advanced set of
param- eters. Lets take a look:
Lock transparency: This lets you draw on a
Layer without changing its transparency.
Essentially, it lets you edit the current colors
on a Layer without adding more.
Depth modulator: Color opacity: Emboss
power: Contrast: Brightness: Specular
contrast: Specular brightness:
Linked Layer: This drop-down list enables
you to mask the current Layer with another
Layer. The transparency and depth of the
current Layer will be modulated by the
selected Layer transparency.
Inverse linkage. An inverse Layer opacity will
be used as a mask.
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1.12 The Sub-objects/Materials Panel
This tab displays all imported
meshes into a Layer system.
Essentially, each Layer is an
object, and can be toggled on/off
for a number of things, like its visibility or locked/unlocked
1.13 More on Ptex Painting
Ptex is one of the more
amazing technologies, allowing
you to paint extremely high
resolution textures on a per
polygon basis, as well as
completely bypassing all UV
work - as it does not require
any manual input for the creation of the UV maps. Ptex, in
its current implementation, only supports quad polygons,
no triangles or N-gons.
Its important to note that when using Ptex in 3D-Coat, you
can increase the resolution of individual polygons if you
require more texture details in the local area of that
polygon. By increasing the resolution of a polygon, or
group of polygons, it is effectively increasing the size of
that polygon on the auto generated Ptex UV map.
For example, you could paint very small details inside of
areas on a mesh which calls for an extreme close up shot
or just requires more detail in one particular area - yet, you
dont want to create a lot of very high resolution texture
maps. Ptex works quite well for this purpose.
What is even more remarkable is that the .ptex format can
store hundreds of thousands of
textures directly with in
one .ptex le. At this time, only
external application that
supports the .ptex format will be able to import/export
the .ptex le for use. To ll in this gap in .ptex support, we
have provided for the export of an ordinary texture map,
based on Ptex technology, in the .TGA, .BMP, and .PNG
formats.
Upon importing a mesh for Ptex painting, you will be
prompted to select a number of options:
Millions of polygons: This is the mesh resolution as sub-
divided after the Smooth object operation is performed.
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basis, as well as completely bypassing all UV work - as it does not require
This should be higher than
the number of pixels of
your texture map.
Carcass resolution: This is
the mid-poly resolution, it only effects the viewport
performance and display of the
mesh in the viewport.
Ptex Texture Size for Export: You
can select a texture resolution
between 512x512 and 8192x8192.
You can also change this at any
time you need to scale up or down
your texture resolution.
Weld vertices: This will weld any
vertices which share the same position. Swap Y and Z. This
will swap the Y and Z axes. This allows for an easier time
when bring meshes from applications such as Rhino or
3DSMax. Ignore smoothing groups. Ticking this will ignore
any smoothing groups which you have on your mesh.
Invert normals: This will ip the normals of each polygon.
Auto smoothing groups: Will automatically scan the mesh
for sharp angles between polygons, and apply smoothing
groups to them automatically, maintaining any sharp edges
that are present. Each of the following Ptex functions
requires a selection. To make a selection, simply activate
the Ptex Local Resolution tool and paint over the
polygons in the viewport.
Local Resolution parameters:
Clear: Clear any selection.
Invert selection: Inverts your selection.
Expand: Expands your selection by one
contiguous polygon. Contract:
Contracts your selection by one
contiguous polygon.
Select level: Manually key a local
polygonal subdivision level.
Increase resolution: Increases the local resolution of the
currently selected polygons. This effectively increases the
polygon size on the auto generated Ptex UV maps.
Decrease resolution: Decrease the local resolution of the
currently selected polygons. This effectively decreases the
polygon size of the auto generated Ptex UV maps.
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To max level: Sets your current selection to the maximum
level allowed for Ptex. Effectively increasing selected
polygons nearly taking up their own UV map.
To min level: Sets your current selection to the minimum
level allowed for Ptex. Effectively shrinking selected
polygons, allowing more polygons per UV map.
Ptex Texture Size: You can pick the texture resolution for
each ptex generated texture. Selectable resolutions range
from as low as 512x512 to as high as 8192x8192. You can
change this at any time to suit your needs, as well as upon
importing the mesh for ptex painting.
Optimize: Organizes polygons on every auto generated
Ptex UV map to t more polygons, based on local
resolution (poly size per UV space).
NOTE: When using this, do keep in mind that if you have
been using a mesh with specic auto generated Ptex UV
maps, it will completely reorganize the polys on all UV
maps, rendering your previous auto generated UV maps
useless. However, you can always bake the details from
one mesh to another. Just be sure to save two meshes:
Your original and the baking target mesh.
For more information on Ptex, please visit the ofcial Ptex
website at http://ptex.us/
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CHAPTER 9
Rendering
Render internally using Ambient Occlu-
sion, Depth of Field, ray traced shadows
and multiple light sources - in real time -
with up to 32 bits of information. Ren-
der turntables and fly-throughs at real
time speeds.
SECTION 1 - RENDERING
Rendering Parameters
When creating a portfolio of your work, it is often
advantageous to include both Turntable and Flyby
animations of your 3D sculptures and scenes.
Also, all through the creation process, it is helpful to get a
reasonable approximation of your rendered models and
scenes - without the added difculty of exporting to 3rd
party rendering applications.
3D-Coats internal Render Room provides all of these
convenient and fast methods for viewing, evaluating and
exporting realistic views of your models and scenes.
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THE RENDER PANEL
1. Parameters Panel Explained
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1.1 Parameters Panel Explained
You have 2 choices for rendering your
scene within 3D-Coat - Render using
the entire screen - or use a custom
size of your own.
Realtime, full Rendering is possible
and very practical within 3D-Coat, due
to its very fast internal renderer. This
makes it practical to update the
rendered view as you move your
Camera in relation to your model or
scene - letting you see, interactively,
the effect of multiple, colored light
sources, ambient occlusion, soft
shadows and depth of eld. You can
also combine all of these with an
overlay of your Retopo Mesh, for
effect or reference purposes.
Lightness: Adjust the ambient light
intensity for your rendered scene .
AO percentage: Control the intensity of the overall effect
of Ambient Occlusion within your 3DC scene with this
slider.
DOF degree: Control the intensity of the Depth of Field
effect with this slider.
DOF plane position: Adjust the position of the imaginary
plane where Depth of Field goes into effect with relation to
the current Camera view. See the result of this adjustment
as you move your Camera in the scene, using the common
Mouse gestures.
Add your additional light sources with the Add light
button and control these lights with the following settings:
Rotation angle: Control your render cameras rotation
within the 3D Viewport with this slider.
Light height: Control the vertical position
of your Viewport Camera with this slider.
Light scattering: Control the degree of
shadow softness with this slider.
Color: Set the color of your light source.
Intensity: Set the brightness of your light source.
Add light: Add additional light sources to your scene - all
controllable as outlined above.
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Show DOF plane: Toggle the visibility of the depth of
eld plane within the Viewport - gives you a visual
representation of where the depth of eld effect begins.
Store alpha channel: Makes sure your rendered images
contain an alpha channel.
Antialiasing: Softens the edges and removes the jaggies
from rendered images.
No shadows: Renders your object without shadowing.
32-bit rendering: Saves out 32-bits of image depth in your
renderings.
Hide visual guides: Hides the Symmetry Plane, Grid and
View Axis in the 3D-Viewport.
Show retopo mesh: Overlays a polygonal representation
of your mesh topology.
Render frames sequence: Check this option for rendering
out Turntable and Fly-by animations. Fly-by positions
are determined based on your selections under the
Camera drop-down menu: Add camera shortcut . . .
for each Camera position in the Fly-by.
Render result: Choose the location of the saved rendering.
Show image sequence folder: Display the folder for saved
animations in the box above.
Save lossless images: Save images without any form of
compression.
Dont overwrite les: Forbid the overwriting of already
saved renders.
Closed spline: Makes sure your animations start and end
at the same point in the sequence.
Move around shortcuts: Adds spline-based interpolation
between the saved Camera shortcuts - giving an overall
smooth trajectory.
Rays per frame: Adjust the number of ray traced rays
that are rendered per frame of animation. Higher numbers
take longer, per frame, to render.
Frames to render: Sets the total number of frames that will
be rendered to complete a circuit of Camera rendering
positions.
Counter-clockwise: Reverse the direction of the default
Camera rendering positions.
Render sub-sequence: Check this option to render only a
portion of an animated Camera sequence or circuit.
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CHAPTER 10
Import/Export
Use 3D-Coats comprehensive set of tools
to seamlessly sync your models with all
of your external 3D applications. Import
raw mesh data or models with UVs in-
tact. External models can be imported as
reference meshes or for creating all new
topology - ready for texturing.
SECTION 1 - IMPORT/EXPORT
All Import Functions
Importing in 3D-Coat is a broad topic - and encompasses
specic assets which can be imported - and which can
only be understood in the context of which Room you are
importing them into. Some asset imports only make sense
when you take into consideration the Room in which they
primarily function.
Well show you which menu you should use for which type
of asset import - and which Room you should be in when
you import these specic assets.
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IMPORTING INTO DIFFERENT ROOMS
1. Importing Into the Voxel Room
2. Importing Into the Retopo Room
3. Importing Into the UV Room
4. Importing Into the Paint Room
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1.1 Importing Into the Voxel Room
The bottom line is that when
you import an external model
into the Voxel Room - you are
essentially changing its nature
- into a 3D-Coat volume-based
Sculpture - unique to the
3DC environment.
Most imported 3D objects are
polygon-based, and because of this need to be translated
into a Voxel volume of a given Resolution. This kind of
resolution is directly dependent on the scale that you
specify for this object upon import.
External objects
enter the Voxel
Room either by way
of the Opening
Dialogs, the File/
Import menu or by
Merging
operations.
In all 3 cases, your
object is introduced
into the Voxel Room surrounded by the Transform Widget/
Gizmo. You can provide your imported model with the
resolution it needs by visually scaling it up in the Viewport -
or by numerical entry. Once the proper Scale/Resolution is
obtained - press Enter to make it valid and permanent.
When you Import for voxelizing or when you Merge an
external object - there is the
interesting and useful function
called On pen - which allows you
to interactively place instances of
your imported mesh with any scale,
orientation and penetration depth (if
another object already exists in a
Voxel Layer) - all on-the-y - and
by means of the Mouse.
Dragging with the Right button down - from right to left -
resizes the Merged object, while dragging with Right
mouse button down - up or down - changes the
penetration depth of the Merged object into whatever
object may already be present on a Voxel Layer.
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If you have an object
which exists in the
Models Panel and you
wish to add this to a
Voxel Layer - you can do
this by simply clicking on
its icon in the Panel -
and you will presented
with standard Import/Merge dialog - which will allow you
to deal with it as you would any external model.
Importing for Surface Mode:
You can also
import directly
into Surface
Mode through the
Opening Dialog.
Surface Mode is
a subset of the
Voxel Room - but works entirely on surfaces (without
volume). Surface Mode provides an adjustable triangular
mesh skin representation of your imported model, which
behaves similarly to voxels.
Once your imported model is in the Surface Mode
workspace, you can also use LiveClay - our implementation
of Dynamic Subdivision - (localized subdivision). Using
this method for sculpting adds resolution only where
needed (locally) - conserving software and hardware
resources.
1.2 Importing into the Retopo Room
If you have a
saved voxel or
surface
sculpture that
you wish to
make practical
by giving it an economical polygonal representation and
surface texture - or, if you simply want to modify an
existing external models topology (or start from scratch
with new topology) - you will want to import your model
into the Retopo Room.
Importing as a Reference Mesh: Good for most
applications where you wish to modify topology on an
existing mesh - and then move to the Paint Room for
texturing operations, and eventually export your nished
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product. This method is also good for imported meshes
that you wish to reference existing UVs and textures, since
they are imported, as well. Practical for Imported Meshes
with 2 - up to 4 millions polygons.
Importing for Retopology Only:
If you simply want to import a mesh for the purpose of
modifying its existing low poly topology (or starting from
scratch) - use this method of importing. No reference will
be made to its UVs or textures in this case. This method
was specically designed to work with low poly assets.
Importing a Huge Mesh:
When you need to import a very high poly mesh - upon
which you also wish to add or modify hi-res sculptural
detail by means of the Voxel Room - use this importing
method.
Its UVs and textures will be imported also for reference
and possible Baking. The newly formed voxel
representation of your imported mesh will be aligned to the
Retopo mesh that now exists in the Retopo Room where
topology can be added automatically (AUTOPO) or
manually using the Retopo tool set.
Importing for Automatic Topology (AUTOPO):
When you wish to import an external mesh for the
purposes of allowing 3D-Coat to interpret its overall shape
and edge structure, by means of AUTOPO - with the added
benet of closing any unwanted holes - use this importing
method.
All meshes imported using this method will be re-made as
voxel objects, as a preliminary step.
1.3 Importing Into the UV Room
At the time you will be wanting to
use the tool set that exists in the
UV Room, your model will already
have been given some form of
topology and a tentative UV Map
arrangement - based on the
Unwrapping you performed in
the Retopo Room.
In this context, the Texture Menu appears in the Main
Menu Panel with a list of Import functions.
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As you can see, all of these Import functions deal with
importing individual textures or Texture Layers.
After creating a UV Map, the next logical step is to create
layers of Texture which can then be exported along with
your newly topologized model. And, if textures have
already been created for this model - the Texture Menu
becomes available to import them.
In the Opening Dialog, there also exists an option entitled:
UV Map Model, which, if selected opens the Import for
Per-Pixel Painting dialog - allowing you to import a model
with existing UVs that can be modied in the UV Room.
1.4 Importing Into the Paint Room
The primary
way to import
assets into the
Paint Room is
through the
Opening
Dialog and its
sub-options.
In order to Paint some textures, 1 of 2 conditions must be
met:
1. A model with topology and UVs created in 3DC has been
successfully Merged into the Paint Room (which cant
happen without the existence of a UV Map).
2. A model created externally, which has been UV Mapped,
is imported into 3D-Coat for texturing using one of the
Painting Methods (which automatically places any
existing UV Maps and Textures into the UV Room and
the Paint Room).
In this context, the Texture Menu becomes available, also,
in the Main Menu Panel. As described in the Importing
Into the UV Room section - the options available in this
menu allow you to import existing texture assets into the
Paint Room for further modication.
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SECTION 2 - IMPORT/EXPORT
All Export Functions
Exporting in 3D-Coat is a broad topic - and encompasses
all assets in the context of which Room you are exporting
from. Some asset exports make sense when you take into
consideration the Room in which they primarily function.
Well show you which menu you should use for which type
of export - and which Room you should be in when you
make these exports.
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EXPORTING FROM DIFFERENT ROOMS
1. Exporting from the Voxel Room
2. Exporting from the Retopo Room
3. Exporting from the UV Room
4. Exporting from the Paint Room
5. Exporting from the Tweak Room
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1.1 Exporting from the Voxel Room
From the File/Export menu
there are the following options for
exporting your Voxel sculpture:
Export scene: Exports all Voxel
Layers as a triangular mesh in the
following available formats - .obj,
.lwo, .fbx, .stl, and .ply.
Export object: Exports the current Voxel Layer as a
triangular mesh in the following available formats
- .obj, .lwo, .fbx, .stl, and .ply.
Export dense quads: Exports a dense, quadragulated
mesh that may not always be manifold in nature.
ExportProjectedQuads: Exports an optimized
quadrangular mesh by means of projection.
Export pattern for merge: If you wish to keep your Voxel
model in the Models Panel - for future and repeated use -
this option saves it there with an iconic representation of
the object.
Export curve prole: Exports the current Voxel Layer as a
curve prole.
Export raw voxel object: Exports raw voxel data in the
form of a table - which describes the object in 3
dimensions - indicating its volume.
1.2 Exporting from the Retopo Room
Export: Exports the Retopo
mesh as an editable patch of
polygons in one of the
following formats - .obj, .lwo,
.fbx, .stl, and .ply.
Export selected: Exports only the selected faces as an
editable patch in one of the following
formats- .obj, .lwo, .fbx, .stl, and .ply.
Export separate groups: Exports each Retopo Group as a
separate object in one of the following formats
- .obj, .lwo, .fbx, .stl, and .ply. Each object retains the
name of its corresponding Retopo Group.
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1.3 Exporting from the UV Room
Since the UV Room may
contain a number of
different sets of UV Maps,
rst select the desired UV
Map before proceeding
with your export.
Just like exporting textures from the
Paint Room - exporting from the UV
Room involves exporting individual
textures, in the form of UV Maps,
which correspond to Diuse,
Specular, Normal, Displacement and
Emmisive texture data.
Use the Export options found in the Textures menu as
displayed below:
The only remaining Export function is found in the File
menu, which is the same option available in the Paint
Room - Export, which exports a polygonal version of
your model in one of the following formats
- .obj, .lwo, .fbx, .stl, and .ply.
No UV Map would exist in the UV Room without rst having
topology created in the Retopo Room - having seams
marked and having been Unwrapped and then Merged
into the Paint Room.
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1.4 Exporting from the Paint Room
There are only 2 categories of export which can be
performed while working in the Paint Room:
1.Export of the polygonal model as
dened in the Retopo Room.
2.Export of all of the Painted
Textures which have been created in
the Paint
Room.
All Texture Painting Data is
contained within the various
Layers which have been created in
the Paint Room.
This data exists in the
form of the 5 basic UV
Maps that are created at
the same time you Paint
that information onto
your sculpture.
As is the case when
exporting data from the
UV Room - it must be put
into a format that other applications understand. This
format is that of a UV Map. Separate maps are saved for
each of the 5 categories of texture that you have created
by painting onto your model: Diuse Color, Specular
Color, Emissive Intensity, Normal (bump) information and
Displacement
information.
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1.5 Exporting from the Tweak Room
Since the Tweak Room is only
responsible for containing and
manipulating polygonal mesh data,
in that context it is only
appropriate to export that data as mesh data in one of the
following formats
- .obj, .lwo, .fbx, .stl,
and .ply.
When any Retopo Group is
Merged into the Paint
Room, it also makes its
appearance into the
Objects Panel - which is
the main Panel associated
with the Tweak Room.
When you use the File/
Export model option, all of the Objects which are present
in the Objects Panel are exported, whether they are
currently visible, or not.
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CHAPTER 11
Keyboard
Shortcuts
Nearly everything can be assigned to a
single keystroke or combination. Speed
up your workflow and customize these
for your specific needs.
SECTION 1 - KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS
Keystroke Assignment
Nearly any tool or function can be assigned a single or
multiple keyboard shortcut by selecting the tool or function
and pressing the END key.
3D-Coat comes pre-packaged, however, with a series of
default shortcuts which are outlined on the following
pages.
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WORKFLOW
1. Procedure
2. Keyboard Diagram
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CHAPTER 12
Applinks
Free 3rd Party plug-ins give you streamlined
access to your favorite external Applications.
Tailor made for speed and ease of use, add
these to your already powerful arsenal of
tools.
SECTION 1 - APPLINKS
External Connections
3D-Coat was developed, and is continuing to be developed
as an integral part of the overall 3D asset creation pipeline.
Without external applications and 3D-Coats connection to
them - the pipeline would be incomplete.
As part of our communities efforts to make 3D-Coat more
and more useful, they have worked very hard to provide
more intuitive connections to external 3D applications in
the form of Applinks.
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AVAILABLE APPLINKS
1. Maya
2. 3DS Max
3. SoftImage
4. Cinema 4D
5. Modo
6. Lightwave
7. Blender
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Applinks
The development of live links between 3D-Coat and other
commercial 3D applications is an ongoing project. So,
consider some of these Links as beta versions. As of this
printing, the list of available Applinks is as follows:
Maya, 3DSMax, Lightwave, Modo, Houdini, SoftImage,
C4D, Messiah Studio, Cheetah3D, Unity3D, Blender,
Zbrush, Modo.
After installing you should run your App, then run 3D-Coat.
There should appear the new menu in 3D-Coat - File->
Open in -> Your app name.
You may use this item to bring 3D-Coat's models from any
room (Paint, Retopo, Voxels) to your app with color, normal,
displacement and specular. But you should choose what
you need - displacement or normalmap, not both at once.
Also you may bring your models from your app to 3D-Coat
using plugin. In this case you will get new item in menu -
File -> Open in original app. In this way you may bring
model back to your app.
Find your Applink at : http://3d-coat.com/applinks
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CHAPTER 13
Whats New
Version 4 is a landmark release of 3D-
Coat - opening up depths of function not
yet seen. Now users of all platforms and
hardware configurations can find the
right tools for their particular needs and
experience technology that is yet to ap-
pear in competitive products.
SECTION 1 - WHATS NEW
Version 4
3D-Coat Version 4 represents a substantial upgrade to the
application and in many cases a total re-write of existing
functions, as well as the introduction of a number of
innovative new features. The interface has changed and
new customization features allow for a very subjective user
experience.
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WHATS NEW IN VERSION 4?
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1.1 Whats New in Version 4?
3D-Coat V4 Features List
http://3d-coat.com/3d-coat-4/
- Live Clay released!
- Interface revised! New Iconic Look. New Start Dialog
- Speed increased everywhere 3 to 10 x. This is mostly related to Win
version, Mac and Linux versions got speedup too, but Win version
speedup is especially impressive!
- Painting emissive and colored specular introduced.
- Painting over voxels/vertex painting introduced.
- New tools and options!
- New Spline drawing mode. Multiple strokes per pass, closed strokes allowed.
Different radius per control point if needed (optional). Better spline preview. Pro-
gress shown. Good description in hints. Spline shapes tuned to be very nice and
predictable. It allows modeling of very clean and accurate strokes with spline and
pressure graph in ANY tool where it makes sense -
- Major update of texture baking functions
- High-speed boolean operations in surface mode, hardsurface modeling
with sharp edges.
- Special tools for Product/Prototype modeling
- Scripting via "C++ like" - Angelscript
- Possibility to retopo big meshes 10-50M and more
----------------------------------------------------------
Paint Room changes:
- Colored specular and emissive channels introduced in ppp/mv/ptex/voxels.
Use new layer blending modes to assign colored specular/emissive to some layers.
- Specular contrast to Specular modulator in Layer options for convenience.
- Magic Wand tool.
- Possibility to edit projection in external editor with higher resolution than view-
port - with multiplier. The picture size will correspond to viewport size, not to the
whole window size as it was before.
- Applying masks and materials via cube mapping is now available in both - Paint
and Voxels rooms.
- Two ways of calculating normals - as before or as in Maya for better compatibil-
ity.
- 3D-Coat has the most common TBN space used in most 3D-applications (Maya,
Blender) - Morten Mikkelsen's TBN space
- N-gons with complex shape will be correctly supported in Paint and Retopo
rooms.
- Material's tiling can be toggled On/Off
Voxel Room Changes:
- New spacebar menu with quick access slots (c)
- Vox Layer, Vox Extrude tools.
- New Fit tool to combine separate pieces that look similar but has different topol-
ogy. Important to handle scan data.
- Remove undercuts tool.
- Volume preserving mode in masks painting added.
- Smooth all may work over frozen area and will work much faster. It gives a
good and predictable way to smooth selected areas.
- Extrude/Flatten area in voxel surface mode done.
- Surface smooth polished a lot, now it has a lot of useful options and has become
a very powerful tool .
- New items in VoxTree menu: Show all, Show subtree (to make nodes visible)
- All applicable brush jitters will act on merge tool in "On pen" mode.
- Proxy (multi-resolution) may now work via decimate! It helps a lot with thin sur-
faces.
- New command in VoxTree - Split with... to split one volume with another one
into two parts. It works for both modes - surface and voxels.
- In Move/Pose/Transform tools you will be able to modify voxels and retopo
simultaneously (optionally) .
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- Pressing SHIFT while dragging transform tool allows to move only gizmo as if
"Move only gizmo" was chosen.
- Current selected point in Curves tool will be highlighted when you edit points.
Retopo & UV Room Changes:
- Models palette is now available in Retopo room to be merged directly in the re-
topo room. Retopo layers may be dragged to that palette.
- Retopo->Export groups for exporting group as separate file.
- Faces extrude tool in face selection mode .
- Automatic vertex/edge/face selection in Select tool. Double-click will select con-
nective area.
- Selection is additive now. Use CTRL+D or ESC or click outside the retopo mesh
to deselect.
- Add/Split Quads may work in free space too if you attaching polygons to exist-
ing geometry.
- General Retopo settings moved to Menu line to save space.
- Points&Faces tool got set of improvements:
1) possibility to assign another tool with CTRL, SHIFT, CTRL+SHIFT.
2) possibility to create quads only
3) possibility to work in free space
- UV improvement - you may select multiple UV islands, copy via CTRL+C, select
one island of similar topology and use CTRL+V to put them on each other.
- Retopo opacity may now be varied, other UV-sets are visible too (more transpar-
ent).
Other changes:
- Render quality (shadows, transparency, wireframe) improved!
- Essentially updated Presets system!
- Important change! "Ignore backfaces" works based on Z-Buffer, not on normals
direction. It makes possible to work correctly over multilayered structures correctly
(i.e. thin pants).
- Direct uploading to sketchfab.com
- Masks preview for cubemapping (while navigating)
- E-mode circle/lasso/rectangle/spline etc will work closer to PS style - SPACE+LMB
will move the whole shape.
- E-mode improvements: new modes for square and circle instead of SHIFT+Drag
because SHIFT conflicts with other modes.
- Recyangle & Circle modes will show dimensions in orthographic mode with real
world values, SPACE allows to enter numbers .
- Camera position will be stored in 3b file
- C++ like script language (angelscript) is introduced. It allows you to perform
batch actions, create macro commands and interactive tutorials. It has very basic
functionality now and will be extended upon request. C++ like scripting chosen
because of speed, possibility to include good scripts directly into 3D-Coat's engine.
- New UI global feature - if you are changing something, instead of dragging
mouse manually you may press SPACE and enter an exact numerical value. Space
now has a double action - usually choose tool, but in tools where you pressed a
mouse button and drag something, it allows entering precise values. It is applied
to gizmos, primitives and split ring tool in Retopo room.
- Collada (dae) import-export support.
- Arrows now can be used for navigation.
- To global space modified, To uniform space introduced.
- More graphic tablets/manufacturers supported now.
- Toggle fullscreen in View menu
- Transform improved, now pivot points will be transformed together with child ob-
jects, in so way posing of chunked objects becomes very easy. Obj files export/
import will store/restore pivot point.
- Invert tool action now has the option to assign a hotkey, this checkbox added to
Paint room also.
- All tools are more consistent when used with the E-panel, unusable E-modes are
hidden now for each tool.
- Important export option for real production - DXF export of UV islands contours
for further laser cutting in real scales. In this way you may retopo an object, map
it, export and cut it from leather, acrylic or plastic.
- Depth/opacity/radius may now be defined as a function (curve) of pen pressure.
- Brush Curve Editor
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