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Your 3D pipeline (Software and Techniques)

Gerofied
Gerofied
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Gerofied
Hi All,

I have been trying to go through and find or learn new software and techniques for my 3D pipeline.

From what I have read and found.

1. Concept. (Photoshop - Sketching)
2. Box Model (Maya, Blender, 3DS Max)
3. Sculpt (Mudbox, Zbrush, 3D Coat, Blender)
4. Re-topology (Mudbox, Zbrush, 3D Coat, Blender)
5. Texture (3D Coat, Substance or UV Unwrap in Maya, 3Ds Max and Blender)
6. Rig (Maya, Blender, 3Ds Max)
7. Animate (Your Preference)

I am wanting to get oppinions on what software I should stick with and if there are any recommendations to the 3D pipeline mentioned above.

Cheers,
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  • Ravenok
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    Ravenok polycounter lvl 7
    I would recommend avoiding these "template" workflows/pipelines and trying to find what works best for you.

    Each of us is different is nothing works the same for all. Pipelines are great for managing teams and improving coordination and time management, but they're not universal in any way...

    No company or project I ever worked on shared the same pipeline, there's no right or wrong answer. It's all about who you're working with and what they can do.

    Some people need a concept to create stuff in 3D, some can concept on the fly and then shoving a concept phase is just a waste of time and money. It's all about what's right for you.
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  • kurt_hectic
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    kurt_hectic polycounter lvl 10
    What exactly you would like to do?

    Regardless, my base is:

    1 max/maya
    2 photoshop
    3 zbrush
    4 others


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  • PolyHertz
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    PolyHertz polycount lvl 666
    My main apps are 3DSMax, Photoshop/3D-Coat, and ZBrush.

    My guess though is that you just want to know what Software is the most heavily used in the industry? If so:
    Concept - Photoshop for painting, Clip Paint Studio for line art.
    Modeling - Maya/Max hold similar market share, but...(see: rigging/animation)
    Sculpt - ZBrush holds about 90% of the market.
    Textures - Photoshop is near-universal, 3D painting is mostly 3D-Coat/Mari. Substance Painter is not that widely adopted.
    Rigging/Animation - Maya has about 2/3 of the market.

    Also:
    Blender - Not that widely used outside budget-constrained indies and user content for games (Pior does this).
    Mudbox - Abandoned software. Has almost no market share left.

    You might also be interested in: Marvelous Designer, Substance Designer, Quixel NDO, Marmoset Toolbag 2.
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  • Gerofied
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    Gerofied
    Thank you all for the feedback,

    Well my personal pipeline tends to be.

    Concept - Photoshop
    Modelling - Maya
    Sculpt - Mudbox as its cheaper and has subscription, Zbrush is expensive even for personal use. I will eventually need to learn and aquire Zbrush though by the sounds of it.
    Textures - I just got Substance Indie Pack so that should definitely help
    Rigging/Animation - Maya

    I have looked into the others recommended but this is amazing feedback.
    I really need to sit down and get models happening.
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  • Dan Powell
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    Dan Powell polycounter lvl 5
    As suggested previously, don't try and follow a single workflow - depending on the asset you make, your workflow will vary greatly. :)

    - 3DS Max for high-poly hard-surface modelling, or for creating base meshes for ZBrush. 

    - ZBrush used for organic modelling, or to add specific wear/tear to models.

    - Photoshop CC + Quixel Suite 2.0 for texturing. Everyone's raving about Substance designer and Painter at the moment so I'll look into those soon!

    - Unreal 4 for environments. Marmoset Toolbag for showing off pretty renders. 

    I'm not the world's greatest concept artist but I use Photoshop for it. :)
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  • Panupat
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    Panupat polycounter lvl 15
    Box modeling is optional IMO. Some people prefer to block the model out straight in sculpting apps. As long as you end up with a usable model at the end, the process is totally flexible.
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  • Dan Powell
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    Dan Powell polycounter lvl 5
    Panupat said:
    Box modeling is optional IMO. Some people prefer to block the model out straight in sculpting apps. As long as you end up with a usable model at the end, the process is totally flexible.
    Yeah, agreed - Essentially do whatever you want as long as the final product is what your art leader has asked for, and as long as it's legal! :P


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  • 2bytes
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    2bytes polycounter lvl 2
    Just want to mention that a studio needs a standarrdized pipeline that an artist needs to adapt to.   This shouldnt limit your own workflow, as a professional you need to stay on the top of your game with researching  and innovating new workflows that make work more efficient.  

    I use Nvil and Moi3d which have sped my work up considerably with Modeling....faster then any of the standardized workflows Using the popular apps.  

    I use Painter for fast texturing...and Mari for big assets  -8k textures or a lot of UDIMs

    The only time I use PS is for tiling textures or Matte Painting.
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