Texturing Options?

marble

I have just downloaded the 30 Day trial of 3D Coat Textura (the spin-off product that only has the Texuring utilities). What I have in mind is to learn how to re-texture clothes and character skins (something like what can be done with Skin-Builder but with the freedom to do it my way). I was encouraged by one of the latest video tutorials from Jay where he describes texture painting in Blender but I have read that 3D Coat is a better option and comes close to Substance Painter but that is Adobe and I don't like Adobe.

So my question is - does anyone have experience of 3D Coat texturing and, if so, how did you learn? I am starting from scratch and the only attempts I have made in the past have been by painting directly on to the UV surface maps in from the DAZ Studio Textures folder. YouTube has lots of 3D Coat tutorials but not many for just the texturing workflow and none for working with DAZ figures.

Daventaki

I don't have either one but I would imagine if there are no tutorials on how to export from DS to 3D Coat that the process would still be the same as Substance Painter. 

marble

Daventaki said:

I don't have either one but I would imagine if there are no tutorials on how to export from DS to 3D Coat that the process would still be the same as Substance Painter. 

 

I found a SickleYield (who else?) tutorial which does show the export settings but then goes into painting a whole new skin from reference photographs. What I'm mainly interested in is how to paint on top of the already existing texture maps. Something like we do with L.I.E. I think. I just want something better than L.I.E. but I have the trial software for 30 days so I can play with it and figure it out. I was just hoping that someone has done that already and can share some tips. As I said, it seems to be the go-to texturing software after Substance.

outrider42

I just want to know if it has a brush like GIMP's healing tool. Not just a clone brush.

lilweep

marble said:

Daventaki said:

I don't have either one but I would imagine if there are no tutorials on how to export from DS to 3D Coat that the process would still be the same as Substance Painter. 

 

I found a SickleYield (who else?) tutorial which does show the export settings but then goes into painting a whole new skin from reference photographs. What I'm mainly interested in is how to paint on top of the already existing texture maps. Something like we do with L.I.E. I think. I just want something better than L.I.E. but I have the trial software for 30 days so I can play with it and figure it out. I was just hoping that someone has done that already and can share some tips. As I said, it seems to be the go-to texturing software after Substance.

I have no idea about 3D coat, but in Substance Painter the workflow would be as follows, and I assume it's pretty similar in other software?

 

1. Export from Daz as Obj
2. Create new project in Substance Painter using your Obj as mesh for the project
3. Bring in all the existing Daz texture maps into your Project file as textures 
4. Add new Fill layer
5. Drag the imported textures from your Project library into your Fill Layer's channel slots as required (e.g., plug base color map into base color channel, and so on)
6. Add a new layer or fill layer onto which you will make your changes
7. Add another layer onto which you will make further changes, and so on.
8. Create an export template with the maps you want to export (base color, roughness, heigh etc) & then export the maps
9. Load these exported texture maps back into Daz

 

marble

lilweep said:

marble said:

Daventaki said:

I don't have either one but I would imagine if there are no tutorials on how to export from DS to 3D Coat that the process would still be the same as Substance Painter. 

 

I found a SickleYield (who else?) tutorial which does show the export settings but then goes into painting a whole new skin from reference photographs. What I'm mainly interested in is how to paint on top of the already existing texture maps. Something like we do with L.I.E. I think. I just want something better than L.I.E. but I have the trial software for 30 days so I can play with it and figure it out. I was just hoping that someone has done that already and can share some tips. As I said, it seems to be the go-to texturing software after Substance.

I have no idea about 3D coat, but in Substance Painter the workflow would be as follows, and I assume it's pretty similar in other software?

 

1. Export from Daz as Obj
2. Create new project in Substance Painter using your Obj as mesh for the project
3. Bring in all the existing Daz texture maps into your Project file as textures 
4. Add new Fill layer
5. Drag the imported textures from your Project library into your Fill Layer's channel slots as required (e.g., plug base color map into base color channel, and so on)
6. Add a new layer or fill layer onto which you will make your changes
7. Add another layer onto which you will make further changes, and so on.
8. Create an export template with the maps you want to export (base color, roughness, heigh etc) & then export the maps
9. Load these exported texture maps back into Daz

 

 

Thanks. I'm not sure how the workflow will compare but I guess that's what I need to find out. I know that 3D Coat has a layer system which is something that, I believe, is missing from Blender, so it might be similar to Substance.

Daventaki

I am watching this thread and hope you will share your experience. If I can get the log in to work on their site I plan to take a look also.  Looks pretty interesting.

marble

Daventaki said:

I am watching this thread and hope you will share your experience. If I can get the log in to work on their site I plan to take a look also.  Looks pretty interesting.

 

I wouldn't hold your breath for me to become familiar with the new toys - I'm old and slow and notoriously prone to getting sidetracked into something else. For example, I've just bought two quite intensive Blender Tutorials (not the first time I've tried to learn Blender) and have started on the first. And I have a DAZ Studio project going which promted me to look into texturing and also modelling - hence 3D Coat and Blender. There was a time in my younger days when I could skim through technical manuals and get the gist and be up and running in short order but those days are sadly behind me now.

I also had an issue with my login on their site - I remember having a login some years back but I think they have changed servers now because my saved password didn't work. I had to request a password reset which did work with my email address.

Daventaki

I feel you, it used to be so easy!  Ive done the free blender tutorial with the donut and Im pretty sure if I opened Blender I would stare at it not remembering what Im suppose to do!

marble

Daventaki said:

I feel you, it used to be so easy!  Ive done the free blender tutorial with the donut and Im pretty sure if I opened Blender I would stare at it not remembering what Im suppose to do!

 

Exactly. I got half-way through that and, again, got distracted. Sometime later I started over and couldn't remember a thing I had watched the first time around. Thank goodness I've been playing with DAZ Studio since 2004 so most of what I do is on auto-pilot. Anyhow, the 3D Coat trial is 30 days so I really must open it and try something. It looks like the interface is similar to that in the SickleYield tutorial which helps.

lilweep

marble said:

lilweep said:

marble said:

Daventaki said:

I don't have either one but I would imagine if there are no tutorials on how to export from DS to 3D Coat that the process would still be the same as Substance Painter. 

 

I found a SickleYield (who else?) tutorial which does show the export settings but then goes into painting a whole new skin from reference photographs. What I'm mainly interested in is how to paint on top of the already existing texture maps. Something like we do with L.I.E. I think. I just want something better than L.I.E. but I have the trial software for 30 days so I can play with it and figure it out. I was just hoping that someone has done that already and can share some tips. As I said, it seems to be the go-to texturing software after Substance.

I have no idea about 3D coat, but in Substance Painter the workflow would be as follows, and I assume it's pretty similar in other software?

 

1. Export from Daz as Obj
2. Create new project in Substance Painter using your Obj as mesh for the project
3. Bring in all the existing Daz texture maps into your Project file as textures 
4. Add new Fill layer
5. Drag the imported textures from your Project library into your Fill Layer's channel slots as required (e.g., plug base color map into base color channel, and so on)
6. Add a new layer or fill layer onto which you will make your changes
7. Add another layer onto which you will make further changes, and so on.
8. Create an export template with the maps you want to export (base color, roughness, heigh etc) & then export the maps
9. Load these exported texture maps back into Daz

 

Thanks. I'm not sure how the workflow will compare but I guess that's what I need to find out. I know that 3D Coat has a layer system which is something that, I believe, is missing from Blender, so it might be similar to Substance.

the general schema of that workflow is presumably the same for other software since they basically all do the same thing anyway.

your free trial is running out so just load up the program and figure it out as you go.  that is the best way to learn in my opinion.  tutorials are also important of course.

marble

lilweep said:

marble said:

lilweep said:

marble said:

Daventaki said:

I don't have either one but I would imagine if there are no tutorials on how to export from DS to 3D Coat that the process would still be the same as Substance Painter. 

 

I found a SickleYield (who else?) tutorial which does show the export settings but then goes into painting a whole new skin from reference photographs. What I'm mainly interested in is how to paint on top of the already existing texture maps. Something like we do with L.I.E. I think. I just want something better than L.I.E. but I have the trial software for 30 days so I can play with it and figure it out. I was just hoping that someone has done that already and can share some tips. As I said, it seems to be the go-to texturing software after Substance.

I have no idea about 3D coat, but in Substance Painter the workflow would be as follows, and I assume it's pretty similar in other software?

 

1. Export from Daz as Obj
2. Create new project in Substance Painter using your Obj as mesh for the project
3. Bring in all the existing Daz texture maps into your Project file as textures 
4. Add new Fill layer
5. Drag the imported textures from your Project library into your Fill Layer's channel slots as required (e.g., plug base color map into base color channel, and so on)
6. Add a new layer or fill layer onto which you will make your changes
7. Add another layer onto which you will make further changes, and so on.
8. Create an export template with the maps you want to export (base color, roughness, heigh etc) & then export the maps
9. Load these exported texture maps back into Daz

 

Thanks. I'm not sure how the workflow will compare but I guess that's what I need to find out. I know that 3D Coat has a layer system which is something that, I believe, is missing from Blender, so it might be similar to Substance.

the general schema of that workflow is presumably the same for other software since they basically all do the same thing anyway.

your free trial is running out so just load up the program and figure it out as you go.  that is the best way to learn in my opinion.  tutorials are also important of course.

 

Yes, absolutely right - I just need to make use of the trial and see how far I get.

marble

Daventaki said:

I am watching this thread and hope you will share your experience. If I can get the log in to work on their site I plan to take a look also.  Looks pretty interesting.

 

This looks like a comprehensive tutorial for 3D Coat texturing. Not DAZ specific but as there are 9 videos in the tutorial set I imagine it must go into a lot of detail. It also covers organic texturing which is something I was looking for because most show how to texture a robot or a spaceship or some other hard surface object. Ideally I would have liked to find one on human skin but not that lucky so far (apart from the Sickleyield one mentioned above).

Daventaki

I will take a look at that, thanks!