kenmo posted at 10:27AM Mon, 19 June 2017 - #4307942

Groboto takes a while to get used to but once you do, it is quite easy. Sadly it looks like its gone the way of Beta video tapes, Studebaker autos and b&w televisions...

They were acquired, I think by Luxology (Modo).

I thought Mesh Fusion was a separate product (plugin for Modo) by Braid Arts who also developed/created Groboto3D... Groboto3D came to an halt when Darrell Anderson took quite ill...

kenmo posted at 10:56AM Mon, 19 June 2017 - #4307949

I thought Mesh Fusion was a separate product (plugin for Modo) by Braid Arts who also developed/created Groboto3D... Groboto3D came to an halt when Darrell Anderson took quite ill...

Mesh Fusion is now an integrated module in the latest releases of Modo. It was originally a separate plugin, but no longer. I'm not a huge fan of Modo, so I don't know how deeply integrated the features are, but Mesh Fusion is actually a direct spinoff of the GroBoto technology. Darrel Anderson is actually working for The Foundry, and was one of the original designers of the Mesh Fusion product. Here's an article from 2016 about his work with The Foundry.

https://www.thefoundry.co.uk/blog/meshfusion-from-early-beginnings-to-future-thoughts

cjd posted at 7:36PM Mon, 19 June 2017 - #4307945

kenmo posted at 10:27AM Mon, 19 June 2017 - #4307942

Groboto takes a while to get used to but once you do, it is quite easy. Sadly it looks like its gone the way of Beta video tapes, Studebaker autos and b&w televisions...

They were acquired, I think by Luxology (Modo).

I have downloaded YouTube videos showing how to import Groboto into Modo. That was the last time I used Groboto, following the video tutorials. As far as I know, the two software packages are still separate. I don't know if the tuts would work with modo versions after Luxology sold modo. But then, you are in modo, which I find kind of a pain to model anything in. I only use it for rendering.

Modo came with Meshfusion as a integrated feature as of version 10.2

https://vimeo.com/192203993

SinnerSaint posted at 3:46PM Tue, 20 June 2017 - #4308102

Modo came with Meshfusion as a integrated feature as of version 10.2

https://vimeo.com/192203993

Ha! An 11-minute-long video showing how more convoluted modo has become. Using a Zero-Intuitive Interface(TM) for its basic modeling. modo should be renamed to chore.

LuxXeon posted at 12:18AM Wed, 21 June 2017 - #4307950

Mesh Fusion is now an integrated module in the latest releases of Modo. It was originally a separate plugin, but no longer. I'm not a huge fan of Modo, so I don't know how deeply integrated the features are, but Mesh Fusion is actually a direct spinoff of the GroBoto technology. Darrel Anderson is actually working for The Foundry, and was one of the original designers of the Mesh Fusion product. Here's an article from 2016 about his work with The Foundry.

https://www.thefoundry.co.uk/blog/meshfusion-from-early-beginnings-to-future-thoughts

Ah, the Foundy, not Luxology.

When I first saw MeshFusion about 2 years ago my first thought was given enough time, it looked like it had the potential to make the whole nurbs vs polys issues go away.

cjd posted at 1:35AM Wed, 21 June 2017 - #4308117

Ah, the Foundy, not Luxology.

When I first saw MeshFusion about 2 years ago my first thought was given enough time, it looked like it had the potential to make the whole nurbs vs polys issues go away.

I guess in some ways, to some people, Mesh Fusion very well could be that "holy grail". The link between CAD modeling technology and polygonal based topology. Personally, I really don't see it quite that way yet. I guess if you were someone whose sole purpose was designing models that meet some form of standardized manufacturability and needed to optimize your time-to-market turnover, then something like Mesh Fusion could work very well, especially if your background was traditional modeling to begin with. If all you ever need from your models are machine-perfect chamfers, precision corners and perfectly fitted parts for fabrication, then Mesh Fusion can be that solution I suppose. However, for the kind of work I do, which can include making models for everything from additive manufacturing to pipeline animation rendering, there's still a lot to be desired from that kind of dense polygonal output.

To be useful to all, high frequency detail would have to be addressed. Perhaps there is no universal solution.

cjd posted at 3:15PM Wed, 21 June 2017 - #4308134

To be useful to all, high frequency detail would have to be addressed. Perhaps there is no universal solution.

Zbrush seems to have the best all around solutions to these types of issues for now. It's like the "swiss army knife" of 3d applications for just about any industry. I just wish the UI were a little more intuitive like 3dCoat.

I'm curious why the interface has not got more attention. For a 3D app it has the least functional interface I have ever used. Even Blender is better.

cjd posted at 7:37PM Wed, 21 June 2017 - #4308171

I'm curious why the interface has not got more attention. For a 3D app it has the least functional interface I have ever used. Even Blender is better.

Good question. The only thing I can think of is that Zbrush is already being used in almost every major VFX studio in the world, and also in most professional game studios. With that kind of enormous market penetration, reinventing the wheel in terms of the user interface is probably not a priority for developers at this time.

cjd posted at 5:33PM Wed, 21 June 2017 - #4308171

I'm curious why the interface has not got more attention. For a 3D app it has the least functional interface I have ever used. Even Blender is better.

ZBrush programmers decided on using an artist workstation metaphor as its GUI. https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/6b/94/01/6b9401326b506c7e9182a4e6b16d90c7.jpg

So tools and settings and configs and overall usage of ZBrush is hidden everywhere. If I used only ZBrush, I'd get used to where everything is. But no. I have to relearn how to use ZBrush every time I feel like doing something in it.

Cars are easy to drive. Just point the steering wheel and press the go button. Cars are even easier to drive in computer games. ZBrush thinks its GUI is a master-of-arts-and-crafts ultimate hobby/tool shed, and should slow artists down while they work.

Again, if you only use ZBrush, it is the bomb. From stuff of legends, etc. If there was something I could do in ZBrush that was easier and quicker than how I do them in other apps, I'd be firing up ZBrush all the time to do that task. But i have found nothing so far that ZBrush makes modeling/painting/UV mapping/all of it easier for me.

Remember Sculptris? I used that thing night and day. It did the job. I had ZBrush already. Sculptris made me a non-Zbrush user. I think the reverse is supposed to happen, according to Pixologic.

ShawnDriscoll posted at 10:34PM Wed, 21 June 2017 - #4308181

cjd posted at 5:33PM Wed, 21 June 2017 - #4308171

I'm curious why the interface has not got more attention. For a 3D app it has the least functional interface I have ever used. Even Blender is better.

ZBrush programmers decided on using an artist workstation metaphor as its GUI. https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/6b/94/01/6b9401326b506c7e9182a4e6b16d90c7.jpg

So tools and settings and configs and overall usage of ZBrush is hidden everywhere. If I used only ZBrush, I'd get used to where everything is. But no. I have to relearn how to use ZBrush every time I feel like doing something in it.

Cars are easy to drive. Just point the steering wheel and press the go button. Cars are even easier to drive in computer games. ZBrush thinks its GUI is a master-of-arts-and-crafts ultimate hobby/tool shed, and should slow artists down while they work.

Again, if you only use ZBrush, it is the bomb. From stuff of legends, etc. If there was something I could do in ZBrush that was easier and quicker than how I do them in other apps, I'd be firing up ZBrush all the time to do that task. But i have found nothing so far that ZBrush makes modeling/painting/UV mapping/all of it easier for me.

Remember Sculptris? I used that thing night and day. It did the job. I had ZBrush already. Sculptris made me a non-Zbrush user. I think the reverse is supposed to happen, according to Pixologic.

Good analogy, Shawn. That picture is almost like a mirror image of the Zbrush UI to me.

ShawnDriscoll posted at 9:02AM Thu, 22 June 2017 - #4308181

cjd posted at 5:33PM Wed, 21 June 2017 - #4308171

I'm curious why the interface has not got more attention. For a 3D app it has the least functional interface I have ever used. Even Blender is better.

ZBrush programmers decided on using an artist workstation metaphor as its GUI. https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/6b/94/01/6b9401326b506c7e9182a4e6b16d90c7.jpg

So tools and settings and configs and overall usage of ZBrush is hidden everywhere. If I used only ZBrush, I'd get used to where everything is. But no. I have to relearn how to use ZBrush every time I feel like doing something in it.

Cars are easy to drive. Just point the steering wheel and press the go button. Cars are even easier to drive in computer games. ZBrush thinks its GUI is a master-of-arts-and-crafts ultimate hobby/tool shed, and should slow artists down while they work.

Again, if you only use ZBrush, it is the bomb. From stuff of legends, etc. If there was something I could do in ZBrush that was easier and quicker than how I do them in other apps, I'd be firing up ZBrush all the time to do that task. But i have found nothing so far that ZBrush makes modeling/painting/UV mapping/all of it easier for me.

Remember Sculptris? I used that thing night and day. It did the job. I had ZBrush already. Sculptris made me a non-Zbrush user. I think the reverse is supposed to happen, according to Pixologic.

Great points Shawn....

kenmo posted at 5:51PM Thu, 22 June 2017 - #4308204

Great points Shawn....

Programs like 3DS and Maya and ZBrush (and even modo now) are not going to change how they work any time soon. Not while animation studios and training schools are using them. Industry-standard doesn't translate well for hobbyists like me, unfortunately. I like 3D-Coat, because it is still relatively cheap and it is easy to use still. One day, Pilgway will sell it off to some company. I hope it is later than sooner.