I have 3D-Coat and demo Zbrush from time to time to keep up with the explosion of features. For Painting and Retopology 3D-Coat. Just like all the little features and eases it has. Has a nice connection with Photoshop (you can projection paint in Photoshop , save the PSD and see the layers update in 3D-Coat or simple the same for the UV Layers). The UV tools are not UV Master but allow a lot of control. There has been some improvements in the Alpha and colored specular display too. Normal maps are seen live, there's PTex, well for painting and Retopo I would say 3D-Coat hands down.
Now... OP talks about sculpting... Sculpting for me has many dimensions. It could be rapid prototyping, mesh sculpting to generate morphs or it could be high displacement detail. Here 3D-Coat wins in my opinion. People say Zbrush is a bit alien but 3D-Coat workflows are very alien too. You have to dig a lot to understand how to go from A (Base mesh) to B (Hight Detail) and o C1(Retopo), C2(Bake Displacement), C3(Keep Topology). Zbrush seems to have the layed out it proably more strict but reliable routines. For Morph sculting I would say something like Modo is the way to go, since you get the sculpt feeling and the precise mesh control. But Zbrush can probably scale better in the worflow better from prototype to final detail and to morphs. I think that 3D-Coat and Meshmixer development made Zbrush copy some of their functions and actually improve the toolset alot. I wish I had bought it when it was just 300$ :D Anyways try both and see how the workflow works for you from start to finish and the one that takes you better where you want to go, that I think it where you'll get your answer. Side note, I find that exporting the high and low res mesh (the latter maybe with subdivisions, to match the 3D scene model) to xNormal gives me better control and baking results. Takes a bit of fiddling, it's true. But the tool is free and has a lot of features the other don't provide. I enjoy the baking cage a lot to fix intersections. http://www.xnormal.net/1.aspx Was helpfull for this: http://probiner.x10.mx/gameloft-golem-test/ where there are round but also a lot of flat areas and intersection where a uniform baking cage will face problems. Cheers On Thu, Jun 26, 2014 at 1:07 PM, Paul Griswold < pgrisw...@fusiondigitalproductions.com> wrote: > 3d Coat dropped the licensing terminology around 6 years ago AFAIK. I > helped Andrew with one version of the English translation. > > Sent from Acompli <http://t.acompli.com/ac_sig> > > > > > On Thu, Jun 26, 2014 at 3:45 AM -0700, "Sebastien Sterling" < > sebastien.sterl...@gmail.com> wrote: > > 3D Coat looks very interesting from a production stand point, Zbrush >> offers a multitude of remeshing algorithms and topology flow solutions, >> however it does not >> >> (last i checked), lend itself willingly to component generation or >> manipulation, (you can't draw vertex, edges and polygons, in a conventional >> manner) some might argue >> >> that this goes against what Zbrush is for. 3D coat offers you what >> basically amounts to topogun like functionality, a suite of utilities >> enabling you to draw low rez >> >> topology on a hi rez reference mesh, it also has unlike topogun, full UV >> workflow and tools, as well as full texturing capability painting in layers >> workflow up to 8K which is nice. >> >> supports UV sets and UV tilling to some extend. It has a feature called >> Voxel sculpting, which is kind of it's answer to Zbrushes Dynamesh, >> allowing you to sculpt >> >> unhindered by topology. it is worth noting that 3D Coat works better with >> intel processors then AMD, it was optimized for an intel multi-threading >> model. >> >> So in conclusion, it doesn't beat zbrush at what zbrush does best by >> virtue of the fact that like mudbox it still deals with polygons, however >> voxel sculpting does a nice job of bridging the gap. also it's brushes are >> not as nice "yet" >> >> It definitely doesn't beat Mari when it comes to painting in supper high >> rez say 8 K, however it does a very decent job of 4K. >> >> It has great UV, and re-topology capabilities including remeshing >> algorithms. so all in all it is a much more complete tool then zbrush, >> mari, and mudbox, and costs much less, so great value, hence why it is very >> interesting, from a production perspective, it does everything very well. >> >> It is also worth noting that it has applinks with basically the same >> number of programs that Zbrush has, however, where you factor in that it >> can also send texture and uv information... :) >> >> Handling ? i'd have to admit i have no idea, i have quite a few other >> apps on my plate as it stands. however i have never heard anything bad, no >> ambiguity like Zbrush often gets. >> >> Of course one has to address the elephant in the room, 3D coat comes with >> a baffling and possibly unprecedented, Christian moral Clause as part of >> it's EULA agreement: >> >> You are not permitted to use it to produce content of a sexual or >> "obscene" nature, this includes to a certain extent nudity and depictions >> of hell. >> >> It is not entirely clear how encompassing this is and how it is enforced: >> for instance; would Hellboy from Darkhorse fall under such nomenclature ? >> >> Verily, it's not easy to ignore such a practice. and it is quite >> galvanizing, as you might expect from a perspective of artistic integrity. >> no one like to wonder if they are working there way into a law suite. :P >> >> >> >> Quality of work is not linked to the app, however speed and reactivity >> are. >> >> Also different apps offer different paradigms: >> >> - Zbrush drastically reduces the time frame required to produce a >> concept, this open up new horizons. >> >> - Mudbox makes texturing easy. >> >> - Mari takes texturing to the next level. >> >> - 3D Coat gathers many solutions into one homogeneous application. >> >> >> if you are a good sculptor chances are you will be good regardless what >> package, however some packages may allow you to go further in some aspects >> of production. >> >> quality is inherent to skill >> >> speed is inherent to App. >> >> >> >> >> >> >> On 26 June 2014 08:50, David Saber <davidsa...@sfr.fr> wrote: >> >>> Thanks all for the input. I'm hesitating between Zbrush and 3dCoat. >>> Sebastien how do you compare Zbrush and 3dCoat? >>> Greg, do you think the quality of work is so linked to the app? >>> >>> Note; there was a mistake in my first post. The second line of my app >>> list should read: >>> "- Sculptris (seems like a simplified version of Zbrush? Also from >>> Pixologic)" >>> >>> >>> Greetings, >>> David >>> >> >> -- [img]http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s202/animatics/avatar_1.gif[/img]
