3DCoat Review: What is this program and what 3D modeling tasks does it help solve?

Contents:

• What is 3DCoat and what is it for?
• Key features of 3DCoat
• Advantages of 3DCoat
• Disadvantages of 3DCoat

In the field of 3D graphics, professionals often use various software solutions, which depend on the artist's personal preferences or the specifics of the studio's workflow. For example, sculpting can be done in ZBrush, retopology in TopoGun, baking parts in Marmoset Toolbag, and texture creation in Substance Painter. These software tools allow for high-quality 3D modeling and texturing, providing an efficient and flexible workflow.

There are universal solutions that allow you to effectively solve most tasks in a single program. One such solution is 3DCoat. The editorial team of Skillbox Media's Gamedev team discusses the capabilities of this program and the tasks for which it is best suited. 3DCoat offers a wide range of tools for 3D modeling, texturing, and rendering, making it ideal for game developers, artists, and designers. This program streamlines your workflow and significantly reduces the time it takes to create high-quality 3D graphics.

At the time of writing, the current version is 2023.10.

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• What is 3DCoat and what is it for?
• Key features of 3DCoat
• Advantages of 3DCoat
• Disadvantages of 3DCoat

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At the time of writing, the current version of the program is 2023.10.

What is 3DCoat and what is it for?

3DCoat is a versatile 3D modeling software that allows users to realize their ideas in three-dimensional space. With 3DCoat, you can go through all stages of model creation: from initial blocking to texturing and integrating the finished work into the project. This program is ideal for both professionals and beginners, providing powerful tools for sculpting, retopology, and painting. 3DCoat provides flexibility and control at every stage of the modeling process, making it an indispensable tool for artists and developers.

3DCoat is a powerful tool for modeling both organic objects such as people, animals, and plants, and hard surfaces, including vehicles, weapons, and transportation. Content created in 3DCoat is ideal for use as in-game assets, for 3D scene design in concept art, and even for 3D printing. The program offers numerous features that significantly reduce the number of applications required for further model refinement, making the workflow more efficient and convenient. 3DCoat provides high quality and flexibility in creating visual solutions for various fields, including game design, animation, and industrial design.

Currently, Pilgway is actively promoting its product in educational institutions around the world. However, the program does not yet meet modern industry standards. This may be due to the difficulty educational institutions face in changing the core set of tools for creating 3D content. Furthermore, the values ​​of the 3DCoat developers play a significant role. As religious people, they urge users to avoid creating content that could negatively influence children, as well as topics related to violence, eroticism, and witchcraft. Although this decision may negatively impact sales, it underscores the developers' commitment to ethical principles.

Many AAA studio projects are aimed at an adult audience and may include content for mature players. Therefore, requests from developers to integrate 3DCoat into their workflows may face certain difficulties. This may be due to the specific content and quality requirements that are imposed on high-end games. 3DCoat, as a powerful 3D modeling and texturing tool, must meet these requirements to be integrated into production processes.

The use of 3DCoat's features in game development is frequently mentioned in creative communities. For example, this program was used to create textures for the MMORPG RuneScape by Jagex. Ubisoft concept artists also use 3DCoat in their work. The program was featured in a documentary video dedicated to the creation of key art for 2013's Tomb Raider. This indicates that specialists from game studios are partially integrating 3DCoat into their workflows. Furthermore, renowned concept artist Jama Djurabaev actively uses 3DCoat tools to implement his ideas and projects. Thus, 3DCoat remains an essential tool for professionals in the gaming industry.

Key Features of 3DCoat

The 3DCoat editor is divided into several workspaces, each offering specialized tools for different stages of modeling. These stages include sculpting, retopology, texturing, editing scanned meshes, modeling for 3D printing, UV unwrapping, and photogrammetry. This organization of the program's interface promotes more effective focus on a specific task and optimizes the workflow, making 3DCoat the ideal tool for 3D modeling professionals.

To facilitate learning how to navigate 3DCoat and perform basic actions, the program includes an interactive tutorial consisting of step-by-step lessons with detailed descriptions of the main operations. This allows users to quickly adapt to the functionality. The 3DCoat interface is also available in Russian, which greatly simplifies the learning process and working with the program.

A brief overview of the program's key features.

Painting textures in real time for 3D models has much in common with working in Photoshop. The texturing process here is also based on a layer hierarchy. In Paint mode, users can apply textures with brushes directly to the 3D model or UV map. This allows for combining layers and adjusting their blending properties. Using various tools and options, it is possible to create not only standard textures but also specialized maps, such as emissivity maps, significantly expanding the possibilities of 3D design. Painting textures in real time makes the process more interactive and allows you to make changes quickly, which is especially important when creating games and animations.

In the upper right corner of the interface is a menu with a variety of brush templates. These brushes allow you to emphasize surface relief and use them as masks. 3DCoat also includes integrated sets of PBR textures that can be used during the workflow. If the standard painting brushes are not enough, you can download additional materials, expanding the user's creative possibilities.

Voxel sculpting is an innovative approach to creating three-dimensional forms that uses voxels instead of traditional polygons. In Sculpt mode, the user does not need to worry about the structure of the polygonal mesh, as the modeling process is based on filling the volume, not on surface deformation. This makes voxel modeling similar to the work of a real-life sculptor, allowing you to create complex and detailed forms. In this mode, a wide selection of digital sculpting brushes is available, helping the user achieve the desired results and realize their creative ideas. Voxel sculpting is ideal for artists and designers seeking freedom in creating three-dimensional objects.

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For more precise results in texturing and sculpting, we recommend using a graphics tablet. This tool provides a high degree of sensitivity and allows for more precise rendering of details, which significantly improves the quality of work. Graphics tablets are ideal for professional artists and designers striving for the most realistic display of textures and forms.

In addition to voxel sculpting, 3DCoat offers a Tweak mode, which provides options for working with the polygonal mesh of a model. In this mode, you can perform various manipulations, such as pulling, pushing, smoothing and shifting, using the tools located in the panel on the left. Using the Transform function (Select / Transform), users can select individual groups of polygons and change their rotation, position, and scale, which allows for more precise model customization and the desired results.

3DCoat offers a wide range of retopology tools, making this complex and time-consuming process more accessible. The program offers mesh retopology automation with the AutoRetopo feature. This option can be easily selected from the start menu after loading the desired object. Using this feature significantly reduces the time required to create optimized topology, improving the 3D modeling workflow.

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To perform auto-retopology immediately after the sculpting process, right-click on the selected mesh in the Sculpt Tree menu. In the list that opens, select Auto-retopology. Then, in the dialog box, adjust the parameters for the future polygonal mesh and follow the program's instructions. It is important to note that you can increase the mesh density in more mobile parts of the object, such as the face and hands, using a special brush. This will automatically create a low-poly mesh based on the high-poly object, ensuring minimal errors. This procedure allows you to significantly improve the performance in further work with the model and optimize it for use in games and animation.

If your model requires manual retopologization, it's important to properly organize polygons around key areas, especially in mobile areas of the face. The Smart Retopo tool can be helpful in this process, significantly simplifying the creation of connecting groups of polygons between previously defined segments. This tool allows for more efficient management of the model's geometry, ensuring smooth and natural transitions, which is especially important for animation and creating high-quality visualizations. Using Smart Retopo improves the quality of the model and reduces the time required for its final refinement.

Advanced UV unwrapping capabilities provide users with all the necessary tools for creating and editing UV space. In UV unwrapping mode, you can start from scratch or make changes to an existing UV map. Automatic unwrapping with the AutoMap tool is ideal for models with simple geometry, allowing you to quickly and efficiently create UV islands. For more complex tasks, the Unwrap tool ensures maximum efficiency in distributing UV islands, which is especially important for achieving high-quality texturing and rendering of models. Using these tools can significantly simplify the UV unwrapping process and improve the final result.

Creating 3D objects using projection is an important feature in Sculpt mode. This feature is available in the toolbar under Objects - Sketch. It allows you to build objects based on two- or three-axis projections with reference images, where the inner and outer areas are represented by white and black colors, respectively. This technique is ideal for modeling hard surfaces, providing high accuracy and detail. Using projection, you can easily transform flat images into volumetric models, which greatly simplifies the 3D modeling process and allows you to achieve professional results.

To learn about the features of 3DCoat, visit the program's official website. In this showreel, you will find an overview of the key features of the latest version, which will help you better understand the capabilities of this powerful tool for 3D modeling and texturing.

Advantages of 3DCoat

The program is easy to learn thanks to its intuitive interface, which is available in 70 languages, including Russian. Each mode has tooltips that provide detailed instructions for all stages of work. Although the amount of information in the tooltips may seem excessive, careful study can save you a lot of time in the future. In addition, the official 3DCoat website provides comprehensive documentation, which will be a useful resource for users.

The versatility of 3D modeling tools allows you to perform a wide range of tasks in one application. You can create high-polygon models, unique textures, as well as optimize UV ​​unwrapping and retopology. Importantly, the program includes tools for photogrammetry and kitbashing, as well as a proprietary scene rendering system based on Pixar's Renderman engine. This functionality makes it an ideal choice for both professionals and beginners in 3D design.

Creating concept art has become easier thanks to the efficient organization of the modeling and texturing process in real time. Using this application, you can quickly and easily assemble a 3D scene, which will significantly reduce development time and increase productivity.

Optimization is a key aspect in the 3D modeling process. The Multi-Resolution feature in sculpting mode significantly increases model detail, increasing the triangle count to several million while maintaining high performance, even on less powerful systems. This feature allows you to fine-tune specific areas of the model and then easily return to the original level of detail. This makes the process of creating complex 3D objects more flexible and convenient, which is especially important for professional artists and designers.

Script support in 3DCoat. To increase efficiency, users can use commands and develop extensions that complement the basic functions of the program. This allows you to optimize the modeling and texturing process, as well as automate routine tasks, making working with 3DCoat more productive.

Disadvantages of 3DCoat

The price of the product may seem high for users from the CIS, especially considering that the modeler may also need other paid tools. A monthly subscription costs €20.80, an annual subscription costs €169.85, and a permanent license costs €379, with an additional fee for updates after 12 months. However, the company offers significant discounts for students and educational institutions, making the product more accessible for educational purposes.

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Temporary suspension of license sales for users in Russia.

There are indeed fewer training materials for 3DCoat than guides for other similar programs. While there are numerous video tutorials available online, it's important to consider their publication dates. The program has undergone significant changes over time, and many existing materials, especially those related to the Tweak mode, may be outdated. Therefore, for up-to-date knowledge, it's recommended to consult the latest updates and resources to master all of 3DCoat's capabilities.

Pilgway is actively working to address this gap and regularly publishes videos demonstrating various features of its products on its official YouTube channel.

Currently, 3DCoat doesn't meet generally accepted standards in the 3D modeling industry. Some users attribute this to the inherent nature of voxel modeling. Studios prefer to create complex models in 3ds Max and Maya using traditional methods rather than sculpting props and then retopologizing them. This highlights the need for wider adoption and integration of modern tools into professional workflows.

3DCoat is a powerful tool for 3D artists and can effectively complement an existing suite of applications. However, novice users should be aware that it is not a one-size-fits-all solution for mastering 3D modeling. Relying solely on 3DCoat is not recommended, as it can lead to frustration and criticism from developers. It is important to use 3DCoat in conjunction with other programs to achieve the best results in 3D modeling.

No 3D modeling application is perfect. However, using 3DCoat in the tasks where it demonstrates its greatest effectiveness can significantly streamline your workflow. This not only saves time but also opens up new possibilities for creative 3D. 3DCoat offers unique features and tools to help you take your ideas and projects to the next level.