Released in 2000 as the successor to Softimage|3D, Softimage|XSI was developed by its eponymous company, then a subsidiary of Avid Technology. Now owned by Autodesk and formerly titled Softimage|XSI, the software has been predominantly used in the film, video game, and advertising industries for creating computer generated characters, objects, and environments. It’s still a bit rough around the edges but it packs quite a lot promise and what is most important, it can already get many tasks done with ease.Autodesk Softimage, or simply Softimage ( / s ɒ f t ɪ ˈ m ɑː ʒ/) was a 3D computer graphics application, for producing 3D computer graphics, 3D modeling, and computer animation. To conclude, 3D-Coat is an affordable Swiss Army Knife for sculpting 3D models. It’s really good to see reproducible bugs vanish thanks to this. New features appear frequently and the development team seems to respond well to user feedback. Some updates fix bugs that have been reported by users, while other updates are more like beta releases (for those who are willing to test new features despite possible glitches). Unlike other software that may take a long while to get an update, 3D-Coat is updated almost every other week. ![]() However, if price tag is an issue and you need to do retopologization and UV mapping, 3D-Coat is definitely worth the price, considering ZBrush offers only vertex color painting for a similar price and Mari costs almost double and requires specialized and high-cost hardware. That is not to say that 3D-Coat is no good, but there are better and more specialized tools out there, like The Foundry’s Mari or Autodesk’s Mudbox. If you’re looking for a pure 3D painting application for heavy work, it might be wise to check out some other software. ![]() Autopo is also another feature that is not found in any competing product, not even close to this price range. So if you are looking for freeform sculpting tools, there’s already a robust set of tools. Voxel tools seem to have received most attention lately. Depending on your needs, it might be a relatively good purchase even if you are just looking for a retopology or unwrapping software, compared to what other single purpose tools cost. Texture layer management could be more streamlined, too.ģD-Coat is currently sold at an attractive $349 price for commercial use. The texture painting system would be improved too by the use of more standardized conventions when it comes to property channels, and additional texture channels like colored specular and self illumination would be welcome. Posing tools could also be improved with some fine tuning: the features are already there, but the tool itself is unconventional and cumbersome to use. ConclusionģD-Coat is already a capable tool for many tasks like sketching out ideas and retopologizing sculpted models, but it would benefit a lot from a bit more streamlined user interface, which would mainly require relocation of a few critical tools and functions. A good number of video tutorials covering the software’s features are also available on the company’s site. Pilgway also hosts an active discussion forum, which is a hub for 3D-Coat users and some knowledgeable individuals are lurking there. DocumentationģD-Coat has a PDF manual and an online Wiki, which both cover the basics of 3D-Coat. ![]() Installation of Applinks range from manual copying of scripts to semi-automatic installation.Īpplink will be a useful addition to the 3D-Coat toolset, if bugs are ironed out and installation is automated, but currently at least the 3ds Max implementation seemed to cause more hassle than it would be of help. Exported objects didn’t show up in 3D-Coat until both Max and 3D-Coat were restarted.īased on postings at the 3D-Coat forum, the implementation of the Applink feature seems to be in varying states of progress depending on software platform, many of the Applink scripts / plugins appear to be still in an early phase of development. That was after spending an hour on the script, which is slightly annoying. You can also export meshes directly to the UV-mapping room.įunctionality at this time seems to be random at best, it wasn’t possible to export meshes to 3D-Coat and import them back to 3ds Max. ![]() You can also export meshes to 3D-Coat to be converted to Voxels, to be used as a primitive for voxel creation, or to work with them in the Retopology room. After installation you can open the Applink panel, which gives you the option to export the model to be painted either with per-pixel painting, microvertex painting or Ptex. The 3ds Max Applink version was tested with 3ds Max 2012. Since this feature is still being worked on, the following paragraphs should be read in this context.
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