3d clay modeler

[myxpykalix]

for any of you who are into creating 3d models, you might want to check out "Mudbox3D" from autodesk:
http://www.mudbox3d.com/downloadTrial.html

"Autodesk® MudboxTM is the first advanced, high resolution brush-based 3D sculpting software that is built from the ground up to address the needs of the professional digital sculptor."

[joe]

Jack,

Interesting!

We're seeing more and more user friendly 3D programs like this. Now if they would build an ArtCam like extension so we could use on a router. For me, all these very neat programs come to a dead end stop for this reason.

Do these images look as though they are lifted from a morgue or Halloween dress up store?

[Brady Watson]

There are LOTS of software sculpting packages out there...the key is to find one that fits your needs & budget and then learn how to use it fluently...which can take years.

-B

[jeffreymcgrew]

Brady's right. Even Bender, which is free, has a set of sculpting tools that are similar to Mudbox or Z-brush.

They are a ton of fun to play around with, but unless you're sticking to simple stuff they aren't exactly the easiest things to produce models with. Where they really excel IMHO is in taking a simple model that was made some other way and making it much more detailed and complex. Creating stuff from scratch with them can be very hard and actually a lot slower than just normal old-style polygon modeling.

As for using it on a router Joe, most of these programs can export to .stl, so you can carve the surface just like any other 3D model via Artcam or Cut3d or any other 3D CAM tool.

[joe]

Jeffrey

So what your are suggesting is the stl can be imported where the parameters are set?

[myxpykalix]

yes joe. I can import either a 3ds, dxf, or stl into mill wizard and set my cutting parameters and create my cutting files.

[sailfl]

Jeffrey

Can you please give a link for Bender?

Thanks

[dubliner]

Maybe it should be Blender
http://www.blender.org/

[jd_graphics]

Hi everybody,

I don't post too much, but I thought this was relevant. I downloaded the trial version of mudbox and was playing with it a little bit. I have no idea what I'm doing with it, but I was able to export the mudbox file to an .obj file, which I can import into cut3d. It worked perfectly. I think this is a great opportunity to create some 3-d files without the more expensive programs. I don't know enough about 3-d work to really talk knowledgeably about it, but thought I would let everyone know that you can use this program with the vetric programs.

Here is the V-carve preview of a sphere with some texture (remember, I don't know what I'm doing). I created it in Mudbox, exported it to an .obj file, opened it in Cut3d, toolpathed and saved, then opened it in V-Carve pro and voila....


8358

I'm going to spend some more time playing with Mudbox and see what I can come up with. I hope everyone else is having as much fun with this stuff as I am!

Justin

[joe]

Thanks guys for the 3D info.

Here's my next question. Do any of you know one of these programs, like Blender, Mudbox, Maya, etc which allows you to set, or import text. Also is it possible to scan and import images to work over?

I would really like to be able to use my Wacom Tablet and the Brush Tool to work over scaned images. That way you aren't limited to creating a model all over.

[jd_graphics]

Hi Joe,

I haven't spent too much time with Mudbox yet, but text is one of the things I am curious about as well, so I'll be looking into that. As for the images, I was able to import a picture, but it was just a flat image and I haven't tried to play with it yet. It seems there will be quite a learning curve with the software, especially for me, as I've never played with any 3d programs at all, so it's completely new to me. Sorry I couldn't give you more answers, but I'll try to keep you up to date as I go.

Justin

[Brady Watson]

Many of the packages allow you to bring in a JPG and use them as a reference for 'working over' to get your basic shapes. The thing that is not readily apparent to most is that while many of the programs are very fluid and suitable for sculpting, they offer very little in terms of being able to reliably maintain accurate dimensions and scale...while others are great for engineering and precision, but fall short when it comes to sculpting or artistic blending and manipulation.

You should really take a good hard look at what a 3D program will realistically do, and compare that with what kind of work you anticipate using it for, before investing time & money into any program. This is difficult a lot of times because if you are new to 3D, you don't know what you don't know...so it can be like a shot in the dark.

The dealbreaker on MudBox for me was the fact that I often work with digitized data with a massive number of triangles, and large file sizes. Mudbox simply cannot work with very large models fluently, even on a really stout computer. So, in reference to that, you may have something that you scanned via the SB probe and you want to pull it in, edit it, sculpt it etc...can the program reliably do it? As many of you know, some scans with SB probe can take several days or even a week to complete. There's a lot of data there when you triangulate it (Using Probe2Surface translator) into something that the 3D programs can take in. The triangulated data is simply massive...and you better have enough computer to handle it.

So...it really all depends on what you want to do. If you only need to make 3D moldings and things like that, then MOI or Rhino are ideal. If you need free-flowing reliefs with a lot of detail, then Mudbox, ZBrush or ArtCAM are ideal for that. I can tell you from experience that there is no cheap ArtCAM replacement...even cobbling together a bunch of packages...and this doesn't even address the notion that one may not even know that he has valued his time invested in learning a bunch of mediocre programs, as being worth next to nothing, rather than just picking one package that works and getting really good at it. Things to think about before you dive in...Your time is worth more than you think, and frustration in not being able to do the work you want to do costs you plenty in other ways.

-B

[jeffreymcgrew]

You can bring in photos and use them to 'sculpt' with in Blender. I did a project just like that here: http://www.becausewecan.org/sketches_to_sculptures_via_Blender

As Brady says however this isn't something trivial, you've already got to know a fair amount of 3D stuff. While I love Blender, and use it a lot, it's really assuming from the get-go that you already know how to use a 3D modeler. Hence why so many don't like it's UI. There is a whole range of 3D software out there, some is a lot better for beginners than others, but it's still a skillset that you have to learn over time.