Update: Pilgway Studio 3DCoat v2022.52 + Black Friday Sale

Pilgway Studio has recently updated 3DCoat, their easy to learn 3D software.  Plus, you can save big during the Pilgway Studio Black Friday sale that starts on Friday, November 25, 2022.

What’s new in 3DCoat v2022.52?

Multiresolution for the surface sculpting:

• The triangular mesh can be subdivided multiple times, you may walk up and down through Levels of Detail (LODS), sculpt on low LOD and apply changes to the high LODs.
• Layers, colors supported as well.
• You can add a lower multiresolution level even if it does not exist, the decimation or retopology (manual or automatic) can be used to add the lower multiresolution level.
• So, you may get lower multiresolution LOD even if you lost the initial low LOD due to topological changes!

Sketch tool substantially improved:

This video demonstrates how easy it is to create a model by drawing in three projections with help of the Sketch Tool.

• Possibility to create high-quality objects in surface mode, which essentially improves the hard-surface sculpting in 3DCoat;
• Hard-surface mode became much faster and more stable;
• Automatic curves over the edges for additional post-processing (bevel, tubes, run brush etc);
• New functions: hide gizmo, reset gizmo rotation;
• Possibility to operate bigger sketches (512*51*512).

Painting:

• Superpowerful, valence/density independent screen-based color smoothing added to the Paint room. Paint tools appeared in the Sculpt room to simplify painting over the surface/voxels;
• Volumetric color completely supported everywhere, where the surface painting works, even light baking supported and conditions. Some surface/volume painting tools corrected, now curves/text work correctly with PBR;
• Volumetric painting completely supported: correct transition voxels <-> surface that keeps the color/gloss/metal, color relaxing, correct functioning of surface brushes in voxel mode with the volumetric color.
• The color picker improved: (1) multi-select when you add images, (2) hexadecimal color string (#RRGGBB), possibility to edit color in hex form or just enter color name.

Import-Export:

• Easy automated Export of multiple assets to Blender and UE5 without manual retopo and UV mapping
• Export of meshes as IGES format enabled (this functionality is open till the end of 2022 and after will be available as an Extra Module at additional cost)
• Auto-export improved essentially – (1) possibility to export assets directly to Blender with PBR, (2) centering assets if needed, (3) export multiple assets, (4) optional possibility to export each asset to its own folder, (5) better compatibility with UE5, (6) possibility to set custom scan depth. As a result, auto-export becomes really good and convenient asset creation tool;

• Auto-export (batched as well) can work on background, generally all scripts now can work on background;
• UE5 optimized auto-export (still experimental);
• FBX export improved, possibility to export embedded textures (for UE), look preferences In/Out, correct textures assignment in FBX (but FB{ is still limited for the PBR);
• USD export/import support! Updated the usd libs for python38;
• Import USD/USDA/USDC/USDZ and export USD/USDC under macOS (export USDA/USDZ is WIP);
• Auto-export improved: you can export textures to a separate folder; factures baked and exported correctly with auto-exporter.

Moulding tool in the Undercuts:

• The Moulding Tool allows you to easily create Casting Mould 3D Models (this functionality is open till the end of 2022 and after will be available as an Extra Module at additional cost);
• The preview of the molding shape bound box shown in the molding dialog;
• Much better precision of the partitioning line in the molding tool.

Modeling room:

• Lattice – a new tool added to the Modeling room

Curves:

• Pulled tangent vectors are snapped to curves as well (if enabled) whenever the curve is not selected. So you may control snapping;
• Better curves rendering in incremental mode;
• Voxel Color supported in curves tool;
• Curve->RMB->Make bevel over the curve allows creating the bevel instantly.
• Split and joints tool can also use curves as cut surfaces – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRb0Nu1guk4
• New important possibility to split objects by curve (RMB over curve -> Split object by curve), see here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEf9p2cJv6g

UVs:

• Islands UV preview enabled even for big meshes/islands;
• A major UV/Auto-UV mapping update: better quality, an important Join clusters tool added.

Snapping:

• Correct 3d-grid snapping for 3d printing as well;
• Now snapping is not just snapping in projection, but real 3d snapping.

Sphere tool

• The profiles (box, cylinder) in the sphere tool

Auto-mapping:

• Each topologically connective object now unwrapped separately in its own, best suitable local space. It leads to more accurate unwrapping of assembled hard-surface objects;
• The quality of auto-mapping improved essentially, much less islands count, much lower length of seams, better fitting over the texture.

Hotkeys:

• Hotkeys engine improved essentially – now all items even in not current folders are accessible via hotkeys (presets, masks, materials, alphas, models etc), also curves rmb actions work with hotkeys (need to hover mouse over the curve).

Core API:

• Support for colored voxels added;
• Updated: symmetry access API, primitives API;
• Primitives in Core API, it allows non-destructive programmatic CSG modeling, a lot of new examples, much better documentation with plenty of images!
• CoreAPI primitives management improved, much more convenient to create procedural scenes, additional samples included;
• Possibility to make own tools, not just dialogs and functions. Documentation updated. Several examples included;

General Toolset Improvements:

• Voxel color applied to the wide range of tools – Blob, spike, snake, muscle, primitives etc;
• You can now sculpt and paint simultaneously with all Voxel Brush Engine-based brushes;
• The tree generator! It is a non-destructive, procedural tool. Even more important: it is a good mechanism created in 3DCoat to make procedural, non-destructive tools. Various other procedural, non destructive tools expected – arrays, fur, etc;
• Bevel and InSet tools improved. Union of Bevel Edge and Bevel Vertex.

Render:

• Render turnables improved essentially – better quality, convenient options set, possibility to render turnables with high resolution even if the screen resolution is lower.

ACES Tone Mapping

• ACES tone mapping introduced

UI:

• Possibility to create your own color UI themes (in Preferences->Theme) and recall them from Window->UI color scheme->… The default and gray themes included there;

Factures:

• Possibility to auto-generate normal map from the color map for factures (heuristics), more factures, better thumbnails;

What are Factures?