Beta Update version 3.7.06

Changes:

• Clone tool got a major update in all modes(mv, ppp, voxels) - see how it works now - Example
• Unclosed meshes with color may be opened in voxel room preserving their color information. New options: "Merge as skin" & "Merge without voxelizing" - Example
• There was not enough space for new functions in VoxTree->RMB, so Andrew made several improvements:1) Combined some items to submenus, made access to all items in VoxTree->RMB via hotkeys2) RMB menu in all lists will be generated dynamically, so the speed of interface had grown and memory consumption decreased. It leads to faster switching between rooms and less UI lags.3)UI will not flicker when dock panels will be resized, all will be resized smoothly now.
• Important change: Now all numeric values in sliders (like brush radius), input fields will be in same units as imported models. It is super important for real production where you need to know and operate with exact sizes.
• VoxTree->RMB in surface mode got three new commands:1) "Create shell". Model will be transformed into thin shell for ease of future voxelization and preserving color.2) "Close surface holes". Important for importing models directly from scanner when you can't ensure the model is waterproof. You will be able to specify max hole size to be able to close only small holes if needed.3) "Bake color there from all volumes" - allows you to transfer colors with layers from set of volumes to the selected one.

Visit the 3D Coat forum for download the current version: Wanna have it...

Tips & Tricks: Baking scenes with instanced voxel elements

If you are working with instances, then you should merge the whole scene to one voxel layer or merge logical elements together before baking them to a low res mesh with normalmaps.

Merging the voxel layers results in a speed up 10 times faster or more then without merging them.

Example: I had a hill with a lot of rocks placed on it and some wooden beams, overall an amount of about 30 objects. Every object was an instanced voxel model. When I tried to bake this scene how it was, it needed over an hour to get an result -> After merging all objects to one single voxel layer it needed only 2 minutes! An incredible speed up!

Hope this helps.

If you have questions about 3D Coat, feel free to ask and I will try to give you hints.

Examples with baking times.

Insider news about "Clone Tool"

There are great news about the "Clone tool" inside 3D Coats paint room. The cloning functionality was completely rewritten and will produce perfect results in the future.

See an example, posted by pilgway today:

The new clone tool in paint room is based on ray tracing now, instead of camera projection.

Beta Update version 3.7.05B

Changes:

• PLY export/import with vertex color implemented. Good for color scanners and for exporting to xNormal. It is the fastest way to drop meshes to xNormal.
• OBJ files with vertex color information are compatible with xNormal now.
• Restored missed control in Free form pose tool - "transform only gizmo".
• Better pose selection through all volumes - works well with rooted volumes like paw with claws. Previously only one claw was selected.
• Multithreading support for Hide tool and many other with rectangle selection.

Visit the 3D Coat forum for download the current version: Wanna have it...

Beta Update version 3.7.05

Changes:

• You are able now to import image(s) that will be converted automatically to a mesh, inclusive color information! Some examples below this post. Andrew replaced the older logo tool. This one is much more powerful. You will find this function at File->Import->Import image as mesh.If you import a texture for vertex painting, the color information within the image will be projected to the vertices.
• Andrew made several improvements and bugfixes in the pose tool.1) Correct work of poses through all volumes with rooted child volumes. Previously only one root were selectable.2) Possibility to select several control points in FreeForm mode.3) Possibility to move gizmo only in free form multiple selection mode
• Retopo room speed optimized to work much faster in all modes. It's up to 2x - 5x faster [You see the diference expacially when using 10-20 k retopo meshes]
• Cavity painting quality and speed improved a LOT in all paint modes. Much much better than it was. It is based on the same principle as cavity painting in voxels. It is based on normals divirgence instead of geometry curvature measurement.
• Baking speed and quality essentially improved, especially if you want to bake displacement information. If baking ray not touch the surface nearby and spike appears in this way a special filter will cut it out. Also you may apply this filter manually if need. You are also able to enter scan depth values manually now to control the baking process better.
• Voxel measure tool updated - now it can measure the length of curves, lasso, perimeter of the section. Example: http://bit.ly/y46LmR 
• Rotation gizmo in pose tool modified a bit for ease of rotation in screen space. Rotation handlers direction will be adjusted automatically.

There are many changes, so the developers needs some testing. Don't forget to post your issues to Mantis.

Thanks!

Mac+Linux expected in couple of days.

Visit the 3D Coat forum for download the current version: Wanna have it...

NEW in this beta: "Image as mesh" import (Image colors and alpha will be imported too!)