[ Texturing: Complex Models - Methods? ]

CT007

[QUESTION 1]
Let's say you modeled some kind of engine/mech/weapon/alien crap, and it's got many tiny bits and pieces and shapes going on. Now you want to texture it(without being a cheapsteak and using Substance Auto-Painter 3000). How are you gonna do this?

A). 3D paint it in ZBrush/whatever, and somehow try to show/hide polys so you can paint all the little bits? (very easy/simple, but maybe not possible with certain software?)

B ). Mainly use procedural texturing in modo/whatever, and then 3D & 2D paint on the extra deets? (very technical/tedious to do, but more accurate?)

C).  ..?

What is the best method for this stuff today.. ?

[QUESTION 2]
Best 3D painting tool(for all model types and art styles)?
- ZBrush/Mudbox/3D Coat/etc
- Quixel Suite
- Something else..?

[QUESTION 3] 
Which fancy texturing plugins/specialized softwares are truly keepers vs gimmicks: Knald, Quixel Suite, Substance, Filter Forge, Etc?

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beefaroni

CT007 said:

[QUESTION 1]
Now you want to texture it(without being a cheapsteak and using Substance Auto-Painter 3000). How are you gonna do this?

Well yea Substance Auto-Painter 3000 is clearly for noobs. Obviously a no-go!

I'd probably do like 8 2k texture sets in Photoshop and hand paint it using your baked maps as guides. Then just copy and paste layers from .psd to .psd to match values on all of the parts.

Chimp

Broadly, studios have moved toward producing libraries of style-consistent source materials that the rest of teams use and recombine, edit and manipulate on the models and environments themselves either via a painting program like Substance Painter, or simply tiled and vert blended etc in-game. In smaller studios the 3D artist might also make these materials, in larger studios there's a guy focused on that but generally this move toward a consistent library was I guess a result of the move to physically based projects for the most part.

NoRank

Substance auto material wtf. Like you don't actually have to put effort on doing texture there, going a harder way doesn't mean it's better lol.

Now on topic, it really depends. You could use layered materials if you really feel it's necessary or even some high resolution texture, or just using a specific tileable material for a specific part. 
For real, there are so many ways, it's better to do as Teriyaki says and try it yourself.

CT007

Chimp said:

Broadly, studios have moved toward producing libraries of style-consistent source materials that the rest of teams use and recombine, edit and manipulate on the models and environments themselves either via a painting program like Substance Painter, or simply tiled and vert blended etc in-game. In smaller studios the 3D artist might also make these materials, in larger studios there's a guy focused on that but generally this move toward a consistent library was I guess a result of the move to physically based projects for the most part.

Ah, interesting... Procedural material libraries.

I've been wishing for a better 3D painter than what Photoshop's 3D and/or ZBrush/Mudbox has to offer, so Quixel may be what I'm looking for. (keeping the pipeline minimal, and not including 3D Coat just for painting, for example)

Or, perhaps Substance and Quixel are more similar than I thought. . . 

Spoon

CT007 said:

Or, perhaps Substance and Quixel are more similar than I thought. . . 

I would rather compare it to your option B. Procedural texturing.
But perhaps you should try substance, before you call it cheapsteak. It could sound like exactly what you need.

CT007

Spoon said:

CT007 said:

Or, perhaps Substance and Quixel are more similar than I thought. . . 

I would rather compare it to your option B. Procedural texturing.
But perhaps you should try substance, before you call it cheapsteak. It could sound like exactly what you need.

Now we're getting somewhere! Haha. =p

-thumb up-

CT007

So, Quixel/Substance can also be used for simple previous gen materials/textures, not just PBR stuff, right? 

NoRank

I don't know about quixel since I don't really use it (even thought it's a nice program) but yeah, substance can export textures other than pbr stuff.