Pilgway just announced the release of 3D-Coat 4.5 (as a free update for those who own version 4/4.1)
Key features (according to the press release):
Key features introduced in 4.5:
Physically Based Rendering & Smart Materials!
Groups for Paint Layers!
New Symmetry modes!
Seamless painting over multiple UV meshes!
Bas-relief and Undercuts now have Tapering angle. Useful for 3D-printing.
AntiBump smoothing method for sculpting! Allows achieving ideally smooth surface even on a high-frequency detailing.
Key Updates in 4.5:
Multiple Paint Room changes, incl. Compatibility/GGX/Blinn-phong shading; HDR support for panoramas and a lot more.
Numerous Retopo/UV/ Render Room Changes, incl. Retopo with symmetry improved; New Retopo tool – Scale implemented and a lot more.
Multiple Sculpt Room Changes, incl. New style for Primitives UI; Constructor tool introduced; Tapering implemented and a lot more
Pilgway software developer Raul ‘Farsthary’ Fernandez Hernandez has posted several demo videos of QuadPaint, a promising work-in-progress semi-automatic retopology system for 3D-Coat.
The system enables users to retopologise models by drawing curves on the surface to outline patches of arbitrary shape and size. QuadPaint then optimally fills the patches with quads using three possible algorithms.
The system can provide real-time feedback on the results, as shown in the video above: it’s possible to eliminate tris or poor edge flow created by the initial solve by adjusting the patch boundaries slightly.
The density of the retopologised mesh is based on brush size, and it’s possible to mix stroke densities.
There’s no word yet on when QuadPaint will make its way into a public build of 3D-Coat
The accuracy of autotopology yet all the speed of manual topologising!
How horridly cynical of me but I guess I can't quite see the benefit yet.
I use 3d coat a lot, but i do feel like i'm on holiday having learnt some local phrases, rather than fully understanding the language.
It seems strange to me that sculpting tools in general seem to have bizarre workflows, with 'tools' instead of meshes, and 'rooms' and upside down UV's and 'essential to remember orders or you'll screw it all up' gotchas.
Every time I try to import something ,retop it, then UV and paint it in 3d coat, I have to watch tutorials to try and get past all the roadblocks it throws up. Eventually I end up thinking 'oh its not that bad' but then it all happens again the next time.
Pooby wrote:The accuracy of autotopology yet all the speed of manual topologising!
How horridly cynical of me but I guess I can't quite see the benefit yet.
I use 3d coat a lot, but i do feel like i'm on holiday having learnt some local phrases, rather than fully understanding the language.
It seems strange to me that sculpting tools in general seem to have bizarre workflows, with 'tools' instead of meshes, and 'rooms' and upside down UV's and 'essential to remember orders or you'll screw it all up' gotchas.
Every time I try to import something ,retop it, then UV and paint it in 3d coat, I have to watch tutorials to try and get past all the roadblocks it throws up. Eventually I end up thinking 'oh its not that bad' but then it all happens again the next time.
Yes that is one of the major reason i am very disappointed with software development in last 15 years. It seems a tiny mouse perpetually moving in its wheel reinventing it, putting kinks and roadblocks.
While hardware instead in what seems more technologically difficult area have been in a steady advance.
