A new mesh painting tool (WIP)
polycounter lvl 3
Update 21-02-2016
Hello again, I uploaded new videos with some improvements in asset support, rendering pipeline and user interface, seems hard to start with other things like the brush system 
before finishing other important features. I also added support for FBX, multi shape/material-id meshes (WIP) and mikktspace tangents, among other little improvements. Here is one of the latest videos showcasing the new docking system:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0P1ZqO0zOk
For the next big update I will focus on a new Layer system, prepared for multiple texture sets, and each layer will hold a list of channels, so, instead of the current paradigm of mesh -> channels -> layers, it will be mesh -> shapes -> layers -> channels, similar to how Substance Painter layer sets works.
Introduction
Hello everyone, I’m posting here for the first time to show you a new mesh painting tool that I’m working on. It started just as an experiment based on what I’ve seen in some other tool videos on youtube like Substance Painter or 3D-Coat. As I’m a videogame programmer, I already shown it to some workmates to get some hints about what would be interesting to implement, and that’s why I’m writing this post here, I would really appreciate If you help me just commenting what do you think that a tool like this can do for you, even things that no other tool does, I already have a lot of tasks on the TODO list and If you can explain me your needs when using this kind of tools I will be able to expand and prioritize the implementation of those features.
How can I get It?
Right now the tool is in an early development stage not available for public, I’m planning to publish it in some way, maybe through Steam GreenLight, and at least for Windows 7+ and Mac OS X.
How much it will cost?
The intention is to keep it as cheap as possible, just to cover the costs for other software licenses (for interoperability testing) and newer hardware (I’m working on a pretty old Mac), there is also the crowdfunding option on the table, or push the development beyond my free time, but it will mainly depend on the people interest for this tool.
What it does right now?
- Load a 3D mesh from OBJ and FBX files.
- Load TGA, PNG, JPEG, TIF and HDR textures and access it from a Gallery panel.
- Interactive painting with a circle brush.
- Choose brush color, alpha, size and blur.
- The default material is PBR and Image based lighting, you can set the environment map from any texture (HDR recommended).
- Ready to paint Diffuse/Albedo, Metalness and Roughness maps.
- Normal Map support as input (not ready for painting).
- Layers: Create, Remove, Sort, Rename and Toggle layers visibility.
- Also tweak layers transparency and set it’s blend mode.
- Load previously created maps directly as layers.
- Save merged layers map or just individual layers as TGA textures.
- Can Undo / Redo every single stroke and any layer manipulation.
- Single window streamlined GUI panels, move and resize any GUI panel where you want.
There are videos in my youtube channel showing some those features, feel free to see it https://www.youtube.com/user/xGallox . Keep in mind that most of the textures you see in the videos or gif animations in this post are not created by me or with my tool, I downloaded it to test the viewport render pipeline with professional textures.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeGWbbPM9_A
Thanks for being interested in this post, any comment, review or hint will be appreciated.
Replies
Are you looking for testers? Polycount members have a history of providing solid feedback for tool developers.
I'm looking forward to seeing this tool develop!
Here's most of the features people will typically be looking for in a new 3D painting app (note that no single app does all of this yet):
Brush Engine: Check these out for ideas;
Paint Storm Studio
Verve Painter
Lazy Nezumi Pro (specifically Distortion Scripting and L-Systems features).
Brush Scope:
Ability to work over multiple meshes/Elements/UV islands.
Option to limit stroke to mesh/Element/UV island it started on.
Dynamic masking based on normal map curvature (3D-Coat has many pre-defined options for this).
Layer-independant masking/freezing surfaces via brush or fill.
Paint layers:
Layer groups
Layer Masks
Adjustment layers
Isolate layer
Lock Layer
Lock layer transparency
File formats: PSD, TGA, TIFF, PNG, ABR, SBSAR
Viewport/Visibility:
synced normals (mikktspace)
order independant transparency
isolate/hide/unhide objects, elements, and UV islands.
Both perspective and Orthographic modes.
Special 2D viewport for painting directly on UVs.
Customization:
User set hotkeys
User set viewport controls
full drag/drop support for UI windows and buttons/icons/tools.
UVs: Support for overlapping UVs, non-square UVs, and UDIM tiles.
Symmetry: Single axis, Multi axis, radial. Text tool must have ability to flip text when using symmetry.
Materials: pre-defined 'smart materials' like seen in DDO or 3D-Coat. Substance support would also be a nice plus.
Projection:
Paint with brush aligned to mesh normal (3D-Coat/Substance Painter/Blender)
Paint with brush aligned to screen (Mari/Bodypaint3D)
Project from external 2D painting app (3D-Coat/Bodypaint3D/Blender)
Project stencils/stamps (essentially all modern 3D painting apps have this)
Interoperability: An obj/texture auto-load feature would allow applinks for Max/Maya/etc. to be freely developed.
I think that pretty much covers most of the big requests you'll see.
http://pixexix.sophiehoulden.com/
https://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=14495.0
http://crackart.org/
http://www.blacksmith3d.com/
http://pixexix.sophiehoulden.com/
Is in base of projection, not real time paint
https://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=14495.0
Is pixel style
http://crackart.org/
http://www.blacksmith3d.com/
Are very old, do not support Layers and other common tools
The one I been using was a old version of bodypaint but the price is ridiculous high. around 1000usd.
(btw, about Bodypaint, apparently another company is working on reviving it, though I have no idea how long before we hear any details on that.)
You pointed a very important detail here, the price can also mark the way to go with features. For example, what would be the ideal price for a software that give you powerful painting tools, arround 80% of what POLYHERTZ described above, something that let you use all your skills to create color maps that will look really incredible even with a simple phong shading? COMPARED TO, a tool that may give you the 40% of features described above, but that comes with all the modern PBR materials stuff and magimatical procedural textures that create effects for you, and also important, which of those two have more demand or is more absent in the market?
Keep in mind that doing the Photoshop equivalent for 3d painting that covers everything is out of the scope right now, at least for my project
Right now, the market has several high-mid range options, but there's nothing particularly good focused on the low end (ie. color-only textures). For low-spec 3D texturing, really the only software that was created with it in mind at all, and isn't abandoned or bare-bones, is 3D-Coat. Unfortunately 3D-Coat also has a LOT of limitations which make it in several ways inferior to the long-dead Bodypaint (this is also why most Chinese/Asian artists still use bodypaint even though it's an incredibly buggy mess).
Lets assume you went for the low end market, currently that is comprised primarily of indie, mobile, and Asian (Chinese/Japanese/Korean) developers. Your main competition would be 3D-Coat ($380, but it does a lot more then just paint) and Bodypaint3D (part of C4D, at $1000, discontinued but still in use), which you would have to undercut. I'd say start at about $100 to $150 (the price of Substance Painter) and see how the market responds.
Keep in mind though that most artists wont invest time or money in a product they see as having no future. So, if you want it to be successful, your going to need semi-regular updates after the initial release, as well as a website/forums where users can post bugs, make suggestions, and perhaps show off what they've made.
That's fine, you don't really need to make a Photoshop replacement to find success. In fact, Mari (which costs $2000) is probably the only 3D painting app that has ever even tried to outright replace Photoshop (except for maybe Amazon Paint, but that's going back to the 90s when painting apps were much simpler in general). That said, it should be part of your long-term goals to reduce the time users need to spend in 2D painting apps as much as possible.
When the tool is ready update this thread and share with all of us
I hope to end soon with this technical challenge and move back to the color painting and brush features. I will also keep the support for more basic materials without PBR.
Time to go back to the painting tools and the new brush system!
Whenever I do a texture, less I intrude in what mother nature created and less I actually paint , better the texture look. So I need a new instruments that helps not to "paint" but rather compose scanned fragments + do a few procedural touches here and there like worn edges + procedurally and randomly scatter a few small fragments, including true geometry ones.
Having more or less real time preview.
My list of features I'd love to see:
Layers:
1. true floating and scalable resolution independent multi-channel " linked smart objects" , having extra speclevel channel beyond roughness , depth , metallic and RGBA ,
2. "deep composing" of such layers based on its depth combine like in Zbrush 2,5d layers . Auto masking based on depth combine , cavities, curvature and ambient occlusion with adjustable vectors like in old "dirt map" for 3d max .
3. Material layers with up or down scaled texel size , other UV sets. multiple sub-material, material ID
4. Procedural edge feather.
Brushes:
1. Scatter brushes with multiple random multi-channel dabs , small objects painters partly like a true geometry. partly into the depth map. At least an ability to chose many brush dabs at once and paint them randomly like 3d coat.
2. Fur growing brushes based on fur shaders
3. Roll brush (zbrush) Stripe (3d coat) or ideally a "skeletal" brush from old Expression. One having a number of alternating parts rolling out randomly. A vector variant of same brush to adjust the curve.
ps. in fact I even don't need true 3d painter . Would do it on a flat unwrap nevertheless most of a time . So Just a good real time 3d preview would be enough for me.
About depth; Yes you could do it without deriving the initial depth from meshs, but that would be a lot less user friendly.
As of initial depth when working with scanned or Zbrush rendered fragments you usually have depth info from meshes already .
With all those texture painting and procedural applications we have nothing that would allow to compose and scale fragments quickly and easily as simple RGBA image layers or vector objects in Illustrator . I mean without huge mess of layer groups or nodes , a lot of redundant and routine operations, masking and tiny levels and hi pass tweaking .
Would love to see a simple depth aware texture composer with a mouse wheel to tweak depth + advanced random details scattering tool (also depth aware).
As soon I have something stable and ready for produce with a minimum of quality I will try to publish and distribute it somewhere. I'm having troubles in Windows right now, as I work most of the time on Mac where OpenGL is the only option, some shaders does not work as expected on Windows, at least on my hardware and other graphic cards of the same age as my Mac. This means that I must look for some workarround for things that are already working fine on Mac to have it stable on windows.