how to sculpt 3d models using drawing tablet

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About 3D Modeling Software

This page offers a list of 3D modeling software for apply with sculpt maps for Sculpted Prims, along with a brusk explanation of popular 3D file formats. Each entry lists the software package'due south web site, operating organisation support, toll and trial versions if applicable, and the licence.

Note: Resident-fabricated sculpt map tools and offline previewers now have their own page.

Important features

Each software entry includes a rundown of features that are particularly useful for creating sculpt maps. Although support for these features isn't necessary in order to create sculpt maps, it can make the procedure a whole lot easier.

• User Scripting: A script interface is one of the easiest and fastest ways to add together functionality to a program or to automate tasks the program is already capable of. Plugins and SDKs can practise the same thing but may not be bachelor.
• Born texture baking/generation: This term describes the ability to create/"render" textures and export them to epitome files. If this functionality is built into the software, it is available to user-generated scripts. For example, it allows manual consign of sculpt maps with Blender and Lightwave. It can likewise make it easier to create regular textures for your model; you can utilize colours, patterns or just a template guide to your model and bake it out for upload or further detailing in a paint plan.
• Modeling Methods: Over the years a diverseness of different 3d modeling techniques have emerged, each having various strengths and weaknesses. They include:
  • Polygon Modelling: The almost mature method and the choice output for about games and realtime rendering in which you directly manipulate the faces, edges and vertices of an object.
  • NURBS: NURBS modelling uses serial of curved splines to define the shape of an object and are excellent for smooth, organic shapes. The methodology behind sculpted prims is very largely based on them.
  • Subdivision Surface: Subdivision modelling shares some of the advantages of both NURBS and polygon modelling: the shape is manipulated using sets of control points that allow for both smooth surfaces and precise details.
  • Brush Sculpting: With this method, you use your mouse or pen tablet and a series of adjustable brushes to literally sculpt on the 3d surface like clay. Many programs such equally Blender and 3ds Max offer this role in a limited sense to help with precision detailing merely not to the extent of programs built with this method every bit their focus, such as zBrush.

Which you use will ultimately come down to personal preference and what your exporter will handle best.

Do I demand a really powerful figurer?

For near 2d Life users, this shouldn't be a major issue. If your calculator is capable of running the 2d Life customer, y'all should accept no trouble running virtually of these programs. Some programs will run fine on something as old as a Pentium III. A few professional programs (similar Maya) say they'll simply support high-finish workstation graphics cards simply it will still run ok on a regular setup. Check the organization requirements on the software vendor'southward webpage for specific details.

What programs are the best for making sculpties?

There's no piece of cake reply to that question. It depends on a number of factors which volition vary from user to user:

• How much money can you (or are you willing to) spend? The cost of 3d software ranges from "free" to thousands of dollars. Programs like Maya and 3ds Max are powerful, simply if y'all're not already seriously into 3d modelling, they're probably overkill. Lightwave, zBrush and programs in their price range are powerful professional tools while still existence inside reach of a reasonably well-to-exercise person who's dedicated to their SL design piece of work, simply these are probably still overkill for pure sculptie cosmos equally near of the features you lot pay for become beyond the full general tools to create sculpt maps for 2d Life. Programs such equally Amorphium, trueSpace and Milkshape are aimed at professionals and coincidental hobbyists, but non all of them are going to accept the full 3D studio capabilities of some more expensive programs. Free programs run the gamut between the pro and hobby levels and you'll accept to consider other factors when choosing between them. Blender is a squeamish alternative to professional suites like Maya and max because of its flexibility and toll (it's complimentary), only its user interface is arguably less intuitive.

• How much time are y'all willing to invest? If you lot desire to only make a few sculpted objects, a unproblematic standalone utility like Rokuro might suit you all-time. If you're a serious content creator though, y'all'll want to put the time and endeavor into learning a more complex program.

• How much prior feel do you have? If you've been working with 3d software for a while already, you probably already know what you like, or will have an easier fourth dimension picking up a different and/or more complicated programme. If you're brand new to modeling, it's probably a fault to jump correct into a plan similar Blender or Maya considering of their steep learning curves. The availability of general modelling tutorials, production support, user forums and other resource (not just SL-related ones) will probably affect your choice likewise.

I'm new to all this. What should I showtime with?

Probably not with annihilation expensive...unless you're a university educatee at a school with a proficient calculator fine art programme where you can take reward of their resources. If you're very serious almost learning the tools the pros use, you lot might also want to seek out such a program, either online or in a classroom.

If you just desire to swoop straight into making sculpties then there are a couple of front-runners for your attention. (Please note that these are opinions and may non reverberate everyone's.) If you lot accept to go the gratuitous route, Wings 3d is probably your best bet: the exporter has some hard limitations and the interface isn't necessarily friendly but information technology'southward much easier to use than the other primary free option, Blender. In one case you get the hang of it you lot can make sculpties fairly quickly.

If you want complimentary and simple, effort out the Rokuro and Tokoroten sculpt-making tools. You lot'll be limited in the shapes yous tin can produce, simply they require no 3d experience and you tin plough out some proficient sculpties in a fiddling equally ten minutes. The Wings plugin tin can also import these sculpt maps where yous can tweak them further.

If you're willing to spend some money (nether USD$100), AC3D is a expert place to start. The interface is nicer than that of Wings, and Zora Spoonhamer'due south exporter allows y'all to take good advantage of program features which the Wings exporter doesn't; full subdivision capabilities, cutting and extrusion of faces, etc.

That said, the all-time mode to determine which program yous should use is to start downloading their demos and trying them for size and feel.

Adding Programs to This Listing

The hobby market for 3d software is currently growing rapidly: equally a outcome there are dozens of software packages in the wild, many undiscovered or not well known. If a new program is discovered and proven by ways of information technology existence listed hither, great, only it's not inside the scope of this list to name them all, else the most useful ones would get buried and the page would become a confusing mess.

A couple things to consider:

• Popularity: This may seem contrary to the "discovering new programs" bit above, but information technology's impossible to ignore the bear upon popularity has on a program: it ways in that location's a community of users that can offer support to newbies and it increases the likelihood that someone will develop sculpt map back up for information technology.
• Features: If it doesn't already have sculpt map back up, does it take the features that volition make information technology probable able to support sculpt maps? Sure well known programs like Sketchup and Milkshape have been put in the "Other" category because people will ask near them simply the take a chance of sculpt map support being developed for them seems slim considering of their characteristic sets. If that turns out to be an incorrect supposition then they'll certainly be moved up. A file converter like 3dm2sculpt or one of diverse object to sculpty programs is meliorate than nothing but as such programs are in varying stages of being beta and/or experimental (and often may not work), being able to relieve to a convertible file format shouldn't be the only thing to consider. Other things to go along in mind: is the interface usable? Does the program run without frequently crashing?

With those in mind, if y'all're adding a program, follow the format used in the rest of the entries (they differ slightly between the costless and commercial packages) and be sure to fill in as much information equally you tin can; this volition ordinarily take a lilliputian inquiry. If yous've used the program, yous're encouraged to include your insights and experiences in the short description blurb (you don't demand more than a short paragraph). Tutorials, documentation and the like should be linked separately under the Resources section.

Special Purpose Sculpted Prim Tools

The resident-made sculpt tools such as Rokuro, SnurbO'Matic and the preview tools now accept their own page: Sculpted Prims: Resident-fabricated Tools.

Free 3D Modeling Software

Art of Illusion

• Website: artofillusion.org
• License: GPL
• Operating Systems: Any OS that will run Java (requires Java Runtime Surround 1.4 or later)
• User Scripting? Yep, Java via Beanshell
• Modeling Methods: Polygon, NURBS
• Built-in Texture Baking? ???
• Current Sculpt Map Back up?: No, although information technology is possible to save every bit a .obj file and so convert it to a sculpt paradigm.

A number of Residents have recommended this program. If you're familiar with it, please give the rest of usa a summary!

Resources

• AoI Documentation

Blender

• Website: blender.org
• License: GPL
• Operating Systems: Cross-platform (Windows, Mac, Linux, Irix, Solaris, FreeBSD and others)
• User Scripting? Yeah, Python
• Modeling Methods: Polygon, NURBS, Subdivision, Basic Brush Sculpting
• Built-in Texture Baking? Yeah
• Electric current Sculpt Map Back up?: Yeah, run across blender add on's and tutorials below

Formerly a company's in-house tool, Blender is the current king of the open source modeling programs. With all the features of the expensive programs, an active development customs and even some existing SL-based tools fabricated by Residents, this is going to be the default selection for many people. Downsides: Blender's interface is not newbie-friendly. That combined with spotty documentation can brand for a tiresome learning curve.

Resource

• blender add on's
  • JASS-2 (blender-ii.4) - Contains blender-2.49b, python-2.6.4, primstar-1.1.0
  • Primstar-two (blender-two.57b and newer) - Improver Module (still in development, early access available)

• blender related documentation
  • Blender.org forums - Invaluable Source of information
  • Blender 3D: Noob to Pro - step-by-footstep introduction to blender
  • Oven Baked Pretzels - A video tutorial that covers the nuts of Blender's new sculpt fashion, useful if you're creating sculpties using the in a higher place transmission method.
  • http://blendernewbies.blogspot.com/search/label/Blender%202.5
  • http://www.blendercookie.com/tag/2-5/
  • http://www.blenderguru.com/whered-that-button-become/
  • http://totallyblended.com/New/?page_id=705
  • http://www.youtube.com/user/super3boy

• sculptie related video-tutorials
  • The machinimatrix sculpted prims tutorial series - covering primstar and JASS-2, transcriptions bachelor
  • BlenderSL'southward video aqueduct

• sculptie related text-tutorials
  • Robyn Huffaker'south tutorials well organized text only tutorials
  • How to Make Sculpted Prims with Blender - Amanda Levitzky's historical article
  • How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Blender (Most) - Another great tutorial on using blender for sculpts
  • Specifically making a flat/embossed type sculptie Cheat sheet similar "epitome based" tutorial, Amanda'south approach. Sample .blend file hither
  • Blender 2.5 Quick Setup with downloadable .blend file (no script need) or check out Blender2.49 Sculpty Tutorial a complete stride past step for beginner.

• Blender classes and tutorials inworld
  • Eleanora Newell'due south Blender Classes in SL Description of classes; calendar with times/places/topics. Classes are on using JASS-2 for sculpts and will begin to piece of work with pure mesh for use in the beta grid, Aditi, as well as launch into Blender 2.5.
  • Blender Tutorials at TAMA Tools Blender self-paced tutorials in book format inworld. Fully illustrated and explained projects.

Plopp

A SLork sculpted in Plopp

• Website: Plopp 2d Life
• License: Donationware/Commercial
• Operating Systems:Windows, Mac
• User Scripting? No (N/A)
• Modeling Methods: second painting
• Built-in Texture Blistering? Yes
• Electric current Sculpt Map Support?: Yes

Plopp is a cute 3D modeling tool designed for picayune kids. The makers of Plopp have now put out a costless version for SL users (the full program tin be bought for U.s.a.$19.l).

Imagine 1 of those new mylar balloons. You paint the one side with an image, and then pigment the other side with an image represetning the other side. Plopp and then blows up the balloon and shades it. Y'all tin can also import graphics from other tools (Photoshop, a scanned drawing, etc.), make a "cutout" with the eraser and inflate that. You tin play a little with the lighting and with rotations. The Plopp cartoon tools are very basic merely keep in heed, this is for picayune children. And so it bakes the texture and exports the texture and the sculpt map (128x128).

Fifty-fifty if yous don't utilize this for Second Life, you might like to get it for your kids...or inner child. It simply looks like a lot of fun.

Resources

• Plopp Tips - Video tutorials and neat tricks from the Plopp website
• Plopp SL Video Tutorial at Shiny Life

trueSpace (Caligari)

• Website: Caligari
• Toll: As of belatedly July, 2008, Caligari, recently acquired by Microsoft, is giving away the latest version of trueSpace (7.half dozen) for gratis, with all documentation as well as all formerly actress-cost video training.
• Operating Systems: Windows XP/Vista
• Trial version available?: No longer necessary
• User Scripting? Yes
• Modeling Methods: Polygon, NURBS, Subdivision
• Built-in Texture Baking? Yes
• Current Sculpt Map Support?: No

TrueSpace and its companion products appear to be aimed more at the contained developer and hobby market place. Today now that it is owned past Microsoft they are giving it away with the training videos, a fully featured programme now absolutely costless! Your on your ain for back up ever since the acquisition but in that location is still an active forum run into the resources below for the link. Withal it lacks support to export Sculpt Maps direct, you'll need to employ another programme to import the .obj files you create. A unique characteristic TrueSpace 7 and on offers a virtual collaborative work environment without working in the Second Life sandbox.

Resources

• TrueSpace 7.6 Full Version Free
• TrueSpace Customs Forums

Wings 3D

• Website: Wings 3D
• License:BSD license
• Get Started:Second Life Wings 3D guide
• Operating Systems: Windows, Mac OS 10, Linux (binaries), other Unixes (source only)
• User Scripting? Plugin interface using a linguistic communication called Erlang
• Modeling Methods: Polygon, Subdivision
• Congenital-in Texture Baking? Non certain
• Current Sculpt Map Back up?: Yes.

Wings3D is a subdivision modeler that is easy to acquire and is well suited to making sculpted prims. The sculpt import and consign for Wings is like shooting fish in a barrel to utilise. At that place are also numerous tutorials that are specific to making sculpties.

Resources

• See the 2nd Life Wings 3D guide.
• Get the Omei Turnbull import/export plugin here. *)
• Get the Strife Onizuka import/consign plugin here.
• Get the Wings 3D User Transmission here. (Sourceforge, pdf)

*) The SL servers seem to be having trouble sending the zip files from the forums.  Use the culling site, http://pkpounceworks.com/index.php?pick=com_remository&Itemid=28&func=fileinfo&id=119 for now.        

POV-Ray

• Website: http://povray.org
• Toll: Gratuitous
• Operating Systems: Windows/Linux/Mac
• Trial version available?
• User Scripting?
• Modeling Methods: North/A
• Congenital-in Texture Baking/generation? Yep
• Electric current Sculpt Map Back up: Yes. Instructions are here: http://johannahyacinth.blogspot.com/2007/05/sculpted-prims-with-pov-ray.html

POV-Ray is a renderer - you take to do all your modeling in another application, or by describing in obviously text the mathematical shapes which make up the model. It may seem an odd inclusion in this part of the list but merits mentioning upwards here instead of burried at the bottom with the "Other" section because it actualy tin can produce sculpt maps. Some other programs like AC3D (below) can besides phone call on POV-Ray for texture baking.

XSI Mod Tool

• Website: http://www.softimage.com/products/modtool/
• Cost: FREE
• Operating Systems: Windows
• Trial version available: yep supported past Valve with express features (watermarks images).
• User Scripting: VBscript, Jcsript, python
• Modeling Methods: Polygon, Subdivision, NURBS
• Born Texture Blistering/generation: Yep
• Current Sculpt Map Back up: Yep. With the help of a addon: http://world wide web.talinsands.com/sculpties/index.html

The Autodesk® Softimage® Mod Tool software is a free version of Softimage for not- commercial game creation. Information technology was designed for use by anyone needing a powerful 3D awarding to make and modernistic games. About of the features and functionality of the commercial version of SOFTIMAGE|XSI 6 are enabled in Modernistic Tool, without the hassle of licensing.

Commercial 3D Suites

Information technology has to be said: most professional 3D software is (understandably) expensive, anywhere from hundreds to many thousands of dollars for a single copy. They're marketed at big professional studios with thousands or millions of dollars to upkeep for this stuff. There are ways to reduce this expense and then that it's within the reach of an average person: some legal, some non.

Under $200

Archipelis Designer (Archipelis)

• Website: Archipelis
• Cost: €38 or about $50
• Operating Systems: Windows and Mac
• Trial version available?: Yes
• User Scripting?
• Modeling Methods: past cartoon on photo
• Built-in Texture Baking? Yes
• Current Sculpt Map Support?: Aye

With Archipelis Designer you just draw an outline from a background image(s) to get in a 3D textured model. Or y'all can apply a bare view and just draw the shapes yous want from scratch. it'due south an intuitive arroyo to sketch the shapes out that tin then exist enhanced with textures and photographs and then exported to a set of sculted prims.

Resources

• Archipelis

Amorphium (Electric Image)

• Website: Electric Image Amorphium
• Toll: The states$79 ("Standard")
• Operating Systems: Windows, Mac (UB) - trial is Mac OS 10 10.0 - 10.3 merely
• Trial version bachelor?: Yes
• User Scripting? Yep
• Modeling Methods: Brush Sculpting, NURBS, Polygon
• Built-in Texture Baking? Yes (paint on, further controllable with sensitive pen-tablet)
• Current Sculpt Map Back up?: No (consign to a format Blender knows, or to OBJ, and apply a converter, can start with the 64x63 sphere fabricated past Wings3D)

Sculpting is what Amorphium is all about. If you lot have a pen tablet (even a tablet PC), the pressure sensitivity will control the pressure practical to the current brush to morph the sculpture. It gives a very natural feel to being able to sculpt 3d models easily and intuitively. Amorphium has won 14 awards including "Best Graphics Software" from magazines like Computer Graphics World, PC World, and Macworld for its breakthrough real-time approach to creating 3D graphics.

Resources

• Sculpted Prim Modeler: Amorphium on sl forums (restricted admission)

AC3D (invis)

• Website: www.invis.com - AC3D
• Cost: US$75
• Operating Systems: Windows, Mac OSX 10.4 or afterward, Linux (x86 only)
• Trial version available?: Yes - 14 day trial
• User Scripting? Plugin Interface available, plus TCL-based scripting
• Modeling Methods: Polygon, Subdivision
• Congenital-in Texture Baking? No (But tin can be achieved via third political party plug-ins or POV-Ray)
• Current Sculpt Map Support?: Yes: As of half-dozen.iv (released July 2008) the 2nd Life plugins at present send with AC3D. For older versions, visit these links: Export plug-in for Windows, Mac and Linux, developed past Zora Spoonhammer

AC3D is an cheap polygon modeler with SubD support designed to exist easy for novice users. The sculpt map plug-in will export whatever model that has a perfect uv infinite. Several pre-mapped starter shapes are included with the plug-in, including a cube that tin can be used as basis for complex objects by artists familiar with the pop box modeling method using sub-division surfaces. Invis recently gave their official blessing (too equally hosting) to the plugin, making them the get-go vendor of this kind of software to put their backing into sculpy evolution.

Resources

• 5-minute video tutorial on creating a pear
• Sculpted Prims from Existing 3D Models in AC3D. A footstep-by-step guide using an existing 3-D model of a fish.
• AC3D Plugins @ Super Common cold Milk - several invaluable free plugins tin can exist plant here, including the knife tool used in the pear tutorial

Curvy 3D

• Website: CURVY 3D
• License: Commercial U.s.$99
• Trial version bachelor: Yes 30 solar day
• Operating Systems: Windows
• User Scripting? No (N/A)

• Modeling Methods: Sketch, paint or fifty-fifty trace.
• Congenital-in Texture Baking?: Yes
• Current Sculpt Map Support?: Yeah

Simply draw the outlines of shapes to create 3D forms, so you lot paint on the surface to sculpt details. No need for UV unwrapping, the coords are all gear up upwards automatically by Curvy

• Resources

Info in English : http://curvy3d.com/info.html

Costless modeling tutorial English: http://www.curvy3d.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=28

Free modeling tutorial French: http://www.avatars-3d.com/tutoriels-curvy-3d-francais

Hexagon 2.5 (DAZ Productions)

• Website: Hexagon product folio
• Cost: Total version: $149, "Crossgrade" from other DAZ software: $79, Upgrade: $49, Discounts for DAZ 'Platinum Society' members available.
• Operating Systems: Windows 2000/XP, Mac OS X 10.three or higher
• Trial version bachelor? Yes: become hither and select Hexagon 2.v Demo from the listing.
• User Scripting? No
• Modeling Methods: Polygon, Subdivision
• Built-in Texture Baking/generation? Yes
• Current Sculpt Map Back up: Yes

Hexagon 2.5.0.5 rolls out official support for sculpted prims which shoots it from the "other" section into the primary listing. Past itself it appears to be a very capable programme - the total range of expected modeling tools plus 3D painting, ambience occlusion baking - in short, all most sculpt makers volition need for not also much money. The program was originally developed by eovia and was purchased by DAZ.

Resources

• Official DAZ Wiki - Hexagon
• Modeling a vase in DAZ Hexagon 2.5 by Andeara Yalin - A quick tutorial demonstrates how to create a vase.
• DAZ 3D Hexagon: Sculpted Prims in 2d Life - Video on Youtube. Overview of the Sculpted Archaic tab new in Hexagon 2.5 and see how to export and import a sculptie into 2d Life. Features Darlisa Riggs from DAZ 3D.

Moment of Inspiration

• Website: Moment of Inspiration
• Cost: US$195
• Operating Systems: Windows 2000/XP/Vista
• User Scripting? ?
• Modeling Methods: NURBS, Polygon (Import/Export Only)
• Built-in Texture Baking? ?
• Electric current Sculpt Map Support?: Yes, try 3dm2sculpt

This program has some cool things going for it. It'southward the work of a one-time Rhino developer and has an interface that pretty much lets you draw shapes with the mouse or a pen tablet. Original text: MoI's sleek intuitive UI blends a fluid easy workflow with powerful tools, making it the perfect pick for someone who has been frustrated with the complication of existing CAD tools.

Resources

• Moment of Inspiration Forums
• Video Tutorials

Silo (Nevercenter)

• Website: Nevercenter - Silo
• Cost: Us$159, United states$59 (upgrade), edu licensing on request
• Operating Systems: Windows 2000 or later on, Mac OSX 10.3 or later on
• Trial version available?: Yep - xxx day trial
• User Scripting? -?-
• Modeling Methods: Polygon, Subdivision
• Congenital-in Texture Baking? -?-
• Electric current Sculpt Map Support?: -?-

Resources

• Silo Features and how-to videos

Shade10 (e frontier)

• Website: 3DCG : Mirye Software
• Cost: The states$49 / $249 / $899
• Operating Systems: Windows　XP/ XP Professional x64 Edition/Vista /Vista 64bit, Mac Os Ten 10.4.11 or later
• Trial version bachelor?: Aye - 30 day trial
• User Scripting? Python
• Modeling Methods: Polygon Mesh, Boolean, Meta Mesh, Curved Surface
• Congenital-in Texture Baking? -?-
• Current Sculpt Map Back up?: Yes

Comments At present available in English through Mirye Software. All versions of Shade include support for exporting Second Life sculpted prims. Shade is available for Windows and Mac Bone X, and includes modeling, rendering and animation. Features integration with most other 3D software products. Supports Poser file hosting through PoserFusion.

Resources

• Shade10 Plugin&Script and Second Life Exporter video and How to brand Sculpted Prims with Shade10 video

From $200 - $999

Zbrush (Pixologic)

• Website: Pixologic :: Zbrush
• Toll: U.s.a.$595 (V3.1)
• Operating Systems: Windows 98/2000/ZP, Mac OS X
• Trial version available?: Yes (30 day trial)
• User Scripting? Yes, Zscripting
• Modeling Methods: Brush Sculpting, "ZSphere" modeling, Polygon (Import/Export)
• Congenital-in Texture Baking? Yes
• Current Sculpt Map Support?: No, hereafter support is planned by Linden Lab (simply note to Resident developers: this one is in high demand). There is a Resident created tool called Sculpty Maker that allows you to convert objects created in zBrush. Download/Info

Zbrush is a 3d painting and sculpting tool; instead of manipulating polys or curves, y'all select a brush and literally pigment and chisel and mold...the best way to grasp it is to download the demo and play with it. It'south pretty sweet: a ton of studios such as Epic Games use it to create the details for their normal maps and some SL designers are already using it for the 3d painting capabilities.

V3.1 adds many new features, such as Deportation Maps (and and Exporter) and the ZMapper.

(I may be wrong, merely I believe that the Displacement Maps and Exporter may be Pixologic'south rendition of sculpture maps. Some with more feel needs to check, please: Displacement Exporter. -- just checked this, and is different from how sculpt maps work. Just a converter for displacement maps to normal maps. (pretty powerful in its own right, but non the same affair as sculpties) Sculpt maps are not using the normals in whatever style at all - they look like in that they are RGB maps, only the similarity pretty much ends there. Rather sculpties use RGB gradients from the middle of the prim to the edge of the prim'southward bounding box to define where the vertices are in xyz space. --Hypatia Callisto fourteen:47, 1 November 2007 (PDT))

Resources

• Zbrush Documentation
• ZbrushCentral - Official Forums and Online Community
• An introduction to Zbrush for 2d Life Sculpties (video tutorial)

3D Coat

• Website: 3D Coat
• Cost: U.s.$285 (V3.1pro) OR $235 (V3.1pro) if activated within xxx twenty-four hour period trial menstruation (also, no VAT Charge for European union residents)
• Operating Systems: Windows 98/2000/XP/Vista/7, Mac OS Ten, Linux
• Trial version available?: Aye (30 day trial)
• User Scripting? Yes, SDK for some elements available
• Modeling Methods: Brush Sculpting, "Voxel" modeling, Polygon (Import/Export)
• Congenital-in Texture Baking? Yeah, exstensive global illumination w/ layers and total UV toolset/retopology
• Current Sculpt Map Support?: Aye. - Native back up of sculpted primitive import and consign; total compatibility with import/consign for many formats.

3D Coat is, like ZBrush, a 3d painting and sculpting tool that is near often used as part of a production workflow with maya or studio max, but is extremely well suited to sculpted primitive development and texturing, fifty-fifty in conjunction with simpler polygon modeling packages such as Wings3D.

However, 3D Coat has some additional elements that Zbrush does not have, such as the cloth simulation engine and layers. The layering of displacement/surround shaders and painted aspects on your object tin exist opened direct as layers in an image editing program and live updates performed within 3D coat "on the fly," allowing for precise use of the Photoshop/Gimp/etc. toolsets and seeing the results instantly on the model in 3D Coat. Example texture in image editor

Resources

3D Coat - Video Tutorial Library 3D Coat - PDF Manual 3D Coat - Official Forums and Online Customs

Lightwave (Newtek)

• Website: Lightwave
• Toll: US$895, US$495 as a companion upgrade for Photoshop
• Operating Systems: Windows XP, Mac Bone X 10.3.9 or higher
• Trial version available?: Aye, xxx day time limit, currently but bachelor with a couple books
• User Scripting? Yes, LScript
• Modeling Methods: Polygon, NURBS with LWCAD ii.one improver (costs actress)
• Built-in Texture Baking? Yep
• Current Sculpt Map Support?: Yes, manual method instructions here: User:Patchouli_Woollahra/Lightwave_Sculptie_Rendering (works with any version of Lightwave of at least version 6) or apply the DStorm plugin provided [[1]] at DStorm (LW9+ only)

Some loftier-contour Second Life designers accept been using Lightwave for quite a while to burn down realistic highlights and shadows onto their skins and clothing textures. Therefore information technology's not a big surprise that after Blender, this was the 2nd program that community members figured out a sculpt consign method for.

Resources

• Lightwave Tutorials by Robin Wood, a.k.a. SL'south Robin Sojourner.

Rhinoceros (McNeel)

• Website: Rhino 3D
• Cost: U.s.a.$995 ($300 student)
• Operating Systems: Windows 2000/XP/Vista (Vista not recommended due to OpenGL issues) Os X (beta, complimentary)
• Trial version available?: Yep, relieve count limited
• User Scripting? Yeah, VBScript
• Modeling Methods: NURBS, Polygon (limited)
• Built-in Texture Baking? No
• Current Sculpt Map Back up?: please try 3dm2sculpt (not tested with Rhino however)

Rhinoceros is built from the basis upward for NURBS modeling; thus if you intend to use NURBS, this isn't such a bad option. From this author's brief trial with it, it handles sure operations (like joining two or more than objects) somewhat more intelligently than 3ds Max. A couple UI tricks make it easier to larn than the sea of buttons y'all're initially presented with: a help window to one side explains each operation as y'all select information technology and the command line at the top effectively lets you search for a function by typing in its name, without having to know where the button or menu option is.

Resource

• Using Rhino in SL by Ĝan Ŭesli Starling, a.one thousand.a. SL'south Aplonis Ember.

Modo 302 (Luxology)

• Website: Luxology Domicile
• Toll: US$895 professional, $149 Educational, $99 "Skilful Educatee" price. Download a trial version then wait 1-2 weeks and you'll receive a voucher dropping professional toll to US$695.
• Operating Systems: Windows, Mac
• Trial version available?: Aye
• User Scripting? Yes
• Modeling Methods: Polygon, Subdivsion, Brush Sculpting
• Built-in Texture Baking? Yes
• Electric current Sculpt Map Support?: Yeah, via texture baking

Luxology Modo is a premier modeling and UV organisation congenital to maximize the workflow of professional modelers. Information technology has both a rich modeling and painting toolset, ideal for creating models for Second Life.

Resource

• Lovecraft Forest Testbed SLtest11.lxo (Updated 06 Oct 2007)
• Hypatia Callisto'due south Torus Testbed [2]testbedtorusfinalhc01lxo.zip
• Lovecraft Woods Usage Instructions: Blog Postal service More Detailed Web log Postal service

Mudbox (Autodesk)

• Website: Mudbox
• Cost: United states of america$745 (Autodesk Mudbox 2009) US$450 (upgrade from older "Bones" version) - United states$375 (upgrade from old "Professional" version)
• Operating Systems: Windows XP SP2, Atm untested on x64 or Vista
• Trial version available?: Yes, xxx day trial fully functional.
• User Scripting? No
• Modeling Methods: Castor Sculpting, Subdivision
• Built-in Texture Blistering? Yes
• Current Sculpt Map Support?: No

With ZBrush one of the most powerful organic modelers out at that place, actually piece of cake to use and artist friendly. Its modeling is based on brushes similar ZBrush but aims more to 3D like Maya or 3D Studio Max. It contains a high quality texture renderer for baking normal maps and is used be many 3D professionals and studios like WETA Digital and some artists at Raven Software and id Software.

Mudbox's creator, Skymatter, was bought by Autodesk in October 2007

Resources

Carrara (Daz)

• Website: Daz
• Cost: United states$249 ("Standard") - US$549 ("Professional")
• Operating Systems: Windows, Mac (UB)
• Trial version available?: Yep
• User Scripting? Yes (plugin development, no scripting)
• Modeling Methods: Polygon
• Built-in Texture Blistering? No (Yeah with third party plug from Inagoni
• Electric current Sculpt Map Support?: Aye - via texture baking with third party plugins - tutorial User:Hypatia_Callisto/Carrara_Sculpt_Baking

Like Hexagon, Carrara was an Eovia production that is now owned past Daz. Carrara is full-featured 3D application, supporting polygon modeling, spline modeling, "metaballs", and terrain modeling (information technology is sometimes compared to Vue). This app seems fly nether the radar consistently, only Daz does seem to be serious nearly maintaining information technology as they have recently released a Mac Universal Binary version, free to registered users. Carrara too provides blitheness and particles.

Resource

Cinema 4D

• Website: Maxon
• Cost: Movie house 4D R10 Win PC £586.33, additional modules available.
• Operating Systems: Windows XP/Vista, Mac
• Trial version available?: Yes, Demo
• User Scripting? Yes, Coffee
• Modeling Methods: Polygon, NURBS, Subdivision
• Congenital-in Texture Baking? Yes
• Electric current Sculpt Map Support?: Yes, via Shader.

One of the more affordable 3D applications, splendid learning curve. Uses COFFEE script for plugins.

Resources

• Nice tutorial to create a Shader and modeling (past KS-3D Klaus Strifler - german only)
• How to create Sculpted Prims (sculpties) & surface textures with MAXON'due south CINEMA 4D R10 & BodyPaint 3D Derek Lerner 13:51, 27 July 2008 (PDT)

Sculpt map tutorial part 1 for Cinema 4D Loosely translated from Klaus Strifler´southward original german KS-3D sculpt map tutorial into english language by a finnish 3d creative person Kraphik 3D.

$1000 and Upwardly

Maya (Autodesk/Wavefront)

• Website: Autodesk Maya
• Toll: US$3000 ("Complete") - United states of america$7000 ("Unlimited"). ("Complete" version sufficient for creating sculpted prims.) Educational license: Usa$300
• Operating Systems: Windows XP SP2, Mac OS X ten.4, Linux (SUSE, RedHat and Fedora supported)
• Trial version available?: 30 day trial. "Personal Learning Edition", no time limit but not usable for creating sculpted prims (sculpt textures ruined past watermark) - Discontuned past Autodesk in Nov 2008. Older versions of the PLE can probably be found by searching.
• User Scripting? Yes, MEL Script
• Modeling Methods: Polygon, NURBS, Subdivision
• Congenital-in Texture Baking? Yeah
• Current Sculpt Map Back up?: Yes, script by Qarl Linden available on their wiki here, instructions here.
  • Qarl has released a new export script that can handle assemblies of prims and can also bake the surface textures for you. Bachelor Here

Why was Maya the first to receive sculpted prim back up from Linden Lab? Because it was what Qarl Linden, the main developer on the project, learned to apply while creating kick-ass film SFX like these and the tech for sculpted prims was adapted from tricks he learned in the process. Maya has been a growing strength in the pic industry for some years and a strong presence in the video game industry also.

Resources

• Maya Sculpt Tutorial by Talila Liu
• SIM Tools - 2d Life ToolKit plugin - Commercial Maya to prims plugin/building tool. Costs ~US800 (depending on exchange rates).

3d Studio Max (Autodesk)

• Website: Autodesk 3ds Max
• Toll: US$3495. Educational License: ~Us$200. Subscription: ~United states of america$500/yr.
• Operating Systems: Windows 2000/XP, Windows Vista (with version 9.1)
• Trial version available?: Yep, 30-solar day demo, full features
• User Scripting? Yeah, MAX Script/plugins
• Modeling Methods: Polygons, NURBS, Subdivsion, Basic Castor Sculpting
• Born Texture Baking? Yeah (some functions only in version 8 and higher)
• Current Sculpt Map Support?: Aye
  • Prim Composer for 3ds Max Prim Composer is a consummate offline builder for 2nd Life and OpenSim. Create regular prims and sculpts inside 3ds Max and import them into either Second Life or OpenSim as linked sets. Hierarchical grouping and gizmo scaling are supported within 3ds Max. (from the maker of SculptGenMax) Open up Source. (at this time the website is down.)
  • Method ane by Abu Nasu, uses a shader. Download the Materials file here, or the updated Materials file here. Read the tutorial hither.
    • A varient of Abu's methood by Flake Midnight uses a projection modifier and can handle arbitrary shapes but requires Max version 8 or higher. The tutorial is hither.

Formerly Maya's primary competitor, especially in the game industry. And so Autodesk (the makers of Max) bought out Alias (the makers of Maya) a couple years ago. So far the visitor is developing both products separately, marketing Maya at the movie industry and Max at the game developers, but they take long had comparable feature sets, and in the hereafter information technology's probable that in that location will be tighter integration between the 2. A choice between Maya and Max mostly comes down to user preference and (especially in our case) plugin back up. Some users have said that Max is easier for a newbie to learn than Maya and sure basic controls share similarities with SL's build tools (such every bit shift-drag to copy).

Resource

SL Prims to 3ds Max - A prim building plugin and export system for Max. Open source.

Prim Composer for 3ds Max - Prim Composer is based on SL Prims and SculptGenMax. 3ds Max offline edifice plugin for both prims and sculpties. Open Source.

Unofficial Prim Composer mirror - The official prim composer site is down. This blog will stay live until (and if) it is back upward. The latest (unofficial) version of Prim Composer tin can be plant in this post: http://maniacsl.blogspot.com/2011/02/basic-installation-of-prim-composer.html.

Softimage (Autodesk)

• Website: Softimage XSI
• Price: The states$2995 ($3790 with subscription for updates.)
• Operating Systems: Windows XP SP2/64 chip
• Trial version available: Yes, xxx mean solar day trial with full features, free "Mod Tool" supported by Valve with limited features (watermarks images).
• User Scripting: Yes, vbscript, jscript, Python, COLLADA and C#
• Modeling Methods: Polygon, NURBS, Subdivision
• Built-in Texture Baking: Yep
• Electric current Sculpt Map Support?: Aye. With the aid of a addon: http://www.talinsands.com/sculpties/alphabetize.htm

Billing itself as "the most advanced 3D animation and graphic symbol creation software for side by side generation games & film", it does that, modeling, blistering, film compositing, and it makes toast! All kidding aside, they seem to be going after the largest slice of the market they can and their client list includes everything from Half-Life to Howl's Moving Castle. Pluses? It's one of the few commercial programs that uses not-proprietary languages for their scripting...yes, I said languages, considering apparently you take a choice between several. Notwithstanding it'southward unlikely that information technology has a significant user base within the SL community at the moment.

Softimage XSI was bought out from Gorging by Autodesk in November 2008, did away with the $495 "foundation" version and reset the price at $2995. C'est la monopoly.

Resources

Other 3d Programs

These programs are free or cheap, but are not well supported or necessarily suited for sculpt making. They are listed here because they are popular for other applications and their absence from this list would exist confusing to those who know near them otherwise.

MilkShape 3D

• Website: www.milkshape3d.com
• Cost: Usa$25 / €25
• Operating Systems: Windows
• Trial version available? xxx-24-hour interval unrestricted trial, relieve disabled thereafter until registered
• User Scripting? Plug-in SDK available (Does that count?)
• Modeling Methods: Polygons
• Built-in Texture Baking/generation? No
• Current Sculpt Map Support: Import/Export plugin under development

Resources

• See the Tutorials and Links sections on the MilkShape website

Google SketchUp

• Website: Google SketchUp
• Price: Free (Google SketchUp vi); $495 (Google SketchUp 6 Pro)/$45 (full-feature bookish license for Google SketchUp 6 Pro)
• Operating Systems: Windows XP/2000, Windows Vista (with OpenGL 1.5 or college), Mac OS Ten (10.3.9 or higher)
• Trial version available?: 8 hour trial bachelor for Sketchup Pro
• User Scripting? Yep, Ruby
• Modeling Methods: Polygon
• Born Texture Baking? No
• Current Sculpt Map Support?: Indirectly (through OBJ export; Pro version only)

SketchUp is a 3D drafting program popular among architects for its conceptual similarity to manual drafting and physical model-building. It has a very low learning curve, merely is rather foreign to most established suites other than AutoCAD.

Hypothetically, SketchUp could be used to reduce the number of prims used in structures already possible with Second Life's built-in tools, as its use of edges and faces allows the creation of efficient compound geometric forms.

On the other hand, SketchUp's "bring your own geometry" approach makes it not particularly suited to the creation of mesh-based organic shapes.

Sketchup's surface modeling paradigm currently makes it difficult to translate SketchUp models into Sculpted Prims. The paid "Pro" version of SketchUp does, however, allow consign to OBJ which, via obj2sculpt (or, of class, Maya), may allow sculpt-map export. Information technology too exports to 3DS, Collada, XSI and VRML, et cetera, only these formats may well require software more expensive than SketchUp.

SketchUp uses epitome textures about as basic every bit those establish in the 2d Life build tools. Its texture capabilities would therefore likely non be useful to 2d Life designers other than for previewing existing textures.

Resource

[3] - A rudimentary Sketchup to SL prim exporter plugin.

Ayam

• Website: Ayam
• License: BSD license
• Operating Systems: Unix/Linux (native), Windows 98, 2000 and XP, Mac Bone X (with X11)
• User Scripting? Yes, tcl
• Modeling Methods: NURBS, Polygon (Import/Export Just)
• Built-in Texture Blistering? No
• Electric current Sculpt Map Back up?: No

Resources

• Ayam Documentation page

3D File Formats

If you're using software that cannot export to sculpt directly, you might all the same be able to succeed. Yous can always requite the file to someone with access to the appropriate software, or you could export your model into another 3D modeler. To do that, you'll demand to export the model into a format the other plan tin handle. Hither's a brief rundown of the file formats that SL developers will mostly find the near useful.

• .OBJ: Probably the most common cantankerous-platform export format for polygon models; information technology's fairly open and any 3D program worth its bits supports it. It's too well-documented and easily hackable.

• .3DS: The default polygon consign format supported by 3D Studio Max. Considering of this, information technology is widely supported. However, it doesn't accept as many export options as OBJ.

• .FBX: Another Autodesk format that is good if you need to export whole scenes: objects, animation, lights, cameras, etc. More than importantly for our purposes, it preserves NURBS objects in some programs. Especially useful if you're trading files between 3DS Max and Maya; it's also supported in some other programs but Blender isn't among them ...yet.

• .3DM: a.thousand.a OpenNURBS. This is the native format of Rhino3D and MoI and, equally the name suggests, is a NURBS export format. It'south gaining some popularity; unfortunately, it's non currently supported by the big iii (Maya, Max and Blender). However the format documentation and code libraries are open-source, tempting those brave plenty to try and write tools for it, such as 3dm2sculpt.

Other Resources

Useful places for anyone interested in 3d modeling:

• Yobi3D — 3D model search engine and run across results in 3D
• 3d Buzz — Forums, video tutorials and fifty-fifty classes covering everything from 3d programs to 3d programing and even Photoshop.
• An Interactive Introduction to Splines — a technical introduction to NURBs.
• CGTrader - identify where you lot tin can find already made 3D models and utilize them.

Meet also

• Sculpted Prims
• Sculpted Prims: FAQ
• Sculpt Textures in Paint Programs
• Sculpted Prims: Under the Hood
• Sculpted Prims: Sharing Sculpt Maps and Textures
• Sculpted Prims Beta Discussion

greeleysais2001.blogspot.com

Source: https://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Sculpted_Prims:_3d_Software_Guide

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