Sculpted Prims_ 3d Software

Contents1 About 3D Modeling Software2 Adding Programs to This List3 Special Purpose Sculpted Prim Tools4 Free 3D Modeling Software

4.1 Art of Illusion4.2 Blender4.3 Plopp4.4 Wings 3D4.5 POV-Ray4.6 XSI Mod Tool

5 Commercial 3D Suites5.1 Under $200

5.1.1 Archipelis Designer (Archipelis)5.1.2 Amorphium (Electric Image)5.1.3 AC3D (invis)5.1.4 Hexagon 2.5 (DAZ Productions)5.1.5 Moment of Inspiration5.1.6 Silo (Nevercenter)5.1.7 Shade10 (e frontier)

5.2 $200 - $9995.2.1 Zbrush (Pixologic)5.2.2 Lightwave (Newtek)5.2.3 Rhinoceros (McNeel)5.2.4 trueSpace (Caligari)5.2.5 Softimage XSI (Autodesk)5.2.6 Modo 302 (Luxology)5.2.7 Mudbox (Autodesk)5.2.8 Carrara (Daz)5.2.9 Cinema 4D

5.3 $1000 and Up5.3.1 Maya (Autodesk/Wavefront)5.3.2 3d Studio Max (Autodesk)

6 Other 3d Programs6.1 MilkShape 3D6.2 Google SketchUp6.3 Ayam

7 3D File Formats

Sculpted Prims: 3d Software GuideFrom Second Life Wiki

Second Life Wiki > Help Portal > Object > Sculpted Prims: 3d Software Guide

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About 3D Modeling SoftwareThis page offers a list of 3D modeling software for use with Sculpt Mapsfor Sculpted Prims, along with a short explanation of popular 3D fileformats. Each entry lists the software package's web site, operatingsystem support, cost and trial versions if applicable, and the licence.

Note: Resident-made sculpt map tools and offline previewers now havetheir own page.

What Features are important for making Sculpted Prims?

Each software entry includes a rundown of features that are particularlyuseful for creating sculpt maps. Although support for these features isn'tnecessary in order to create sculpt maps, it can make the process awhole lot easier.

User Scripting: A script interface is one of the easiest andfastest ways to add functionality to a program or to automatetasks the program is already capable of. Plugins and SDKs can dothe same thing but may not be available.Built-in texture baking/generation: This term describes theability to create/"render" textures and export them to imagefiles. If this functionality is built into the software, it is available touser-generated scripts. For example, it allows manual export ofsculpt maps with Blender and Lightwave. It can also make iteasier to create regular textures for your model; you can applycolours, patterns or just a template guide to your model andbake it out for upload or further detailing in a paint program.Modeling Methods: Over the years a variety of different 3dmodeling techniques have emerged, each having variousstrengths and weaknesses. They include:

Polygon Modelling: The most mature method and thechoice output for most games and realtime rendering inwhich you directly manipulate the faces, edges andvertices of an object.NURBS: NURBS modelling uses series of curved splines todefine the shape of an object and are excellent forsmooth, organic shapes. The methodology behindsculpted prims is very largely based on them.

Sculpted Prims: 3d Software Guide - Second Life Wiki http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Sculpted_Prims:_3d_Software_Guide

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8 Other Resources8.1 See also

Subdivision Surface: Subdivision modelling shares someof the advantages of both NURBS and polygonmodelling: the shape is manipulated using sets of controlpoints that allow for both smooth surfaces and precisedetails.Brush Sculpting: With this method, you use your mouse or pen tablet and a series of adjustable brushes to literally sculpt onthe 3d surface like clay. Many programs such as Blender and 3ds Max offer this function in a limited sense to help withprecision detailing but not to the extent of programs built with this method as their focus, such as zBrush.

Which you use will ultimately come down to personal preference and what your exporter will handle best.

Do I need a really powerful computer to run this stuff?

For most Second Life users, this shouldn't be a major issue. If your computer is capable of running the Second Life client, you should haveno trouble running most of these programs. Some programs will run fine on something as old as a Pentium III. A few professional programs(like Maya) say they'll only support high-end workstation graphics cards but it will still run ok on a regular setup. Check the systemrequirements on the software vendor's webpage for specific details.

What programs are the best for making sculpties?

There's no easy answer to that question. It depends on a number of factors which will vary from user to user:

How much money can you (or are you willing to) spend? The cost of 3d software ranges from "free" to thousands of dollars.Programs like Maya and 3ds Max are powerful, but if you're not already seriously into 3d modelling, they're probably overkill.Lightwave, zBrush and programs in their price range are powerful professional tools while still being within reach of a reasonablywell-to-do person who's dedicated to their SL design work, but these are probably still overkill for pure sculptie creation as most ofthe features you pay for go beyond the general tools to create sculpt maps for Second Life. Programs such as Amorphium,trueSpace and Milkshape are aimed at professionals and casual hobbyists, but not all of them are going to have the full 3D studiocapabilities of some more expensive programs. Free programs run the gamut between the pro and hobby levels and you'll have toconsider other factors when choosing between them. Blender is a nice alternative to professional suites like Maya and max due toits flexibility and price (it's free), yet the overwhelmingly complex GUI creates a steep learning curve for many.

How much time are you willing to invest? If you want to just make a few sculpted objects, a simple standalone utility likeRokuro might suit you best. If you're a serious content creator though, you'll want to put the time and effort into learning a morecomplex program.

How much prior experience do you have? If you've been working with 3d software for a while already, you probably alreadyknow what you like, or will have an easier time picking up a different and/or more complicated program. If you're brand new tomodeling, it's probably a mistake to jump right into a program like Blender or Maya because of their steep learning curves. Theavailability of general modelling tutorials, product support, user forums and other resources (not just SL-related ones) will probablyaffect your choice as well.

I'm new to all this. What should I start with?

Probably not with anything expensive...unless you're a university student at a school with a good computer art program where you cantake advantage of their resources. If you're very serious about learning the tools the pros use, you might also want to seek out such aprogram, either online or in a classroom.

If you just want to dive straight into making sculpties then there are a couple of front-runners for your attention. (Please note that theseare opinions and may not reflect everyone's.) If you have to go the free route, Wings 3d is probably your best bet: the exporter has somehard limitations and the interface isn't necessarily friendly but it's much easier to use than the other main free option, Blender. Once you getthe hang of it you can make sculpties fairly quickly.

If you want free and simple, try out the Rokuro and Tokoroten sculpt-making tools. You'll be limited in the shapes you can produce, but theyrequire no 3d experience and you can turn out some good sculpties in a little as ten minutes. The Wings plugin can also import these sculptmaps where you can tweak them further.

If you're willing to spend some money (under USD$100), AC3D is a good place to start. The interface is nicer than that of Wings, and ZoraSpoonhamer's exporter allows you to take good advantage of program features which the Wings exporter doesn't; full subdivisioncapabilities, cutting and extrusion of faces, etc.

That said, the best way to decide which program you should use is to start downloading their demos and trying them for size and feel.

Adding Programs to This ListThe hobby market for 3d software is currently growing rapidly: as a result there are dozens of software packages in the wild, manyundiscovered or not well known. If a new program is discovered and proven by means of it being listed here, great, but it's not within thescope of this list to name them all, else the most useful ones would get buried and the page would become a confusing mess.

A couple things to consider:

Popularity: This may seem contrary to the "discovering new programs" bit above, but it's impossible to ignore the impact popularityhas on a program: it means there's a community of users that can offer support to newbies and it increases the likelihood thatsomeone will develop sculpt map support for it.


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Features: If it doesn't already have sculpt map support, does it have the features that will make it likely able to support sculptmaps? Certain well known programs like Sketchup and Milkshape have been put in the "Other" category because people will askabout them but the chance of sculpt map support being developed for them seems slim because of their feature sets. If that turnsout to be an incorrect assumption then they'll certainly be moved up. A file converter like 3dm2sculpt or one of various object tosculpty programs is better than nothing but as such programs are in varying stages of being beta and/or experimental (and oftenmay not work), being able to save to a convertible file format shouldn't be the only thing to consider. Other things to keep in mind:is the interface usable? Does the program run without frequently crashing?

With those in mind, if you're adding a program, follow the format used in the rest of the entries (they differ slightly between the free andcommercial packages) and be sure to fill in as much information as you can; this will usually take a little research. If you've used theprogram, you're encouraged to include your insights and experiences in the short description blurb (you don't need more than a shortparagraph). Tutorials, documentation and the like should be linked separately under the Resources section.

Special Purpose Sculpted Prim ToolsThe resident-made sculpt tools such as Rokuro, SnurbO'Matic and the preview tools now have their own page: Sculpted Prims:Resident-made Tools.

Free 3D Modeling SoftwareArt of Illusion

Website: artofillusion.org (http://www.artofillusion.org)License: GPL (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html)Operating Systems: Any OS that will run Java (requires Java Runtime Environment 1.4 or later)User Scripting? Yes, Java via Beanshell (http://www.beanshell.org/)Modeling Methods: Polygon, NURBSBuilt-in Texture Baking? ???Current Sculpt Map Support?: No, although it is possible to save as a .obj file and then convert it to a sculpt image.

A number of Residents have recommended this program. If you're familiar with it, please give the rest of us a summary!

Warning: I have a reported Malware/Virus that came from Art Of Illusion. It infected a few of my files! -Caboose Enfield

[NOTE: chances are it was either downloaded from a shady site or was a false positive. More details are needed!]

Resources

AoI Documentation (http://www.artofillusion.org/documentation)

Blender

Website: blender.org (http://www.blender.org)License: GPL (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html)Operating Systems: Cross-platform (Windows, Mac, Linux, Irix, Solaris, FreeBSD and others)User Scripting? Yes, PythonModeling Methods: Polygon, NURBS, Subdivision, Basic Brush SculptingBuilt-in Texture Baking? YesCurrent Sculpt Map Support?: Yes. Documented here (http://amandalevitsky.googlepages.com/sculptedprims) , here(http://www.bentha.net/sculpted2/Blender-to-sculpted.html) , and here (http://dominodesigns.info/second_life/blender_scripts.html)

Formerly a company's in-house tool, Blender is the current king of the open source modeling programs. With all the features of theexpensive programs, an active development community and even some existing SL-based tools made by Residents, this is going to be thedefault choice for many people. Downsides: Blender's interface is not newbie-friendly. That combined with spotty documentation can makefor a slow learning curve.

Resources

Blender Sculptie Import & Export scripts (http://dominodesigns.info/second_life/blender_scripts.html) SL Forums Support Thread(http://forums.secondlife.com/showthread.php?t=203571)Blender.org Documentation and Tutorials (http://www.blender.org/tutorials-help/)Blender 3D: Noob to Pro (http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Blender_3D:_Noob_to_Pro) - on Wikibooks (http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Main_Page) , It's a great step-by-step tutorial that contains substantial content, is well-formatted, and has screen shots.How to Make Sculpted Prims with Blender (http://amandalevitsky.googlepages.com/sculptedprims)Video/Text tutorials covering creation/texturizing/LOD/... (http://blog.machinimatrix.org) - uses "Import & Export scripts" (seeabove)A template file to start with and export easy (http://www.bentha.net/sculpted-tuto/Blender-export-template-tut.html)Oven Baked Pretzels @ BlenderNewbies.com (http://blendernewbies.blogspot.com/2007/04/video-oven-baked-pretzels-in-blender-3d.html) - A video tutorial that covers the basics of Blender's new sculpt mode, useful if you're creating sculpties usingthe above manual method.An almost complete method (http://www.bentha.net/sculpted2/Blender-to-sculpted.html) to export almost anything from blenderAnother great tutorial (http://iramblesorry.blogspot.com/2007/05/how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love_28.html) on using


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A SLork sculpted in Plopp

blender for sculptsOffline Prim Builder (http://forums.secondlife.com/showthread.php?t=110607) for standard prims (restricted access)Specifically making a flat/embossed type sculptie (http://www.treekyomoon.com/blenderInstrux.jpg) one could use for floatingterrains with giant prims, licence plates, nifty brass scene covered fireboxes...or whatever else might be handy! Sample .blend filehere (http://www.treekyomoon.com/flattysculptie.blend)Advance Sculpted Prim with Blender (http://www.secondlifeartist.com) Learn to create perfect sculpted using Blender sculpt/editmode.

Plopp

Website: Plopp Second Life (http://www.secondplopp.com/)License: Donationware/CommercialOperating Systems:Windows, Mac, LinuxUser Scripting? No (N/A)Modeling Methods: 2d paintingBuilt-in Texture Baking? YesCurrent Sculpt Map Support?: Yes

Plopp is a cute 3D modeling tool designed for little kids. The makers of Plopp havenow put out a free version for SL users (the full program can be bought forUS$19.50).

Imagine one of those new mylar balloons. You paint the one side with an image, andthen paint the other side with an image represetning the other side. Plopp then blowsup the balloon and shades it. You can also import graphics from other tools(Photoshop, a scanned drawing, etc.), make a "cutout" with the eraser and inflatethat. You can play a little with the lighting and with rotations. The Plopp drawing toolsare very basic but keep in mind, this is for little children. Then it bakes the texture andexports the texture and the sculpt map (128x128).

Even if you don't use this for Second Life, you might like to get it for your kids...orinner child. It just looks like a lot of fun.

Resources

Plopp Tips (http://www.planet-plopp.com/biggerkids/tips.html) - Video tutorials and neat tricks from the Plopp websitePlopp SL Video Tutorial (http://www.shiny-life.com/2007/10/06/tutorial-create-sculpted-prims-with-ploppsl/) at Shiny Life

Wings 3D

Website: Wings 3D (http://www.wings3d.com)License:BSD license (http://www.opensource.org/licenses/bsd-license.html)Get Started:Second Life Wings 3D guideOperating Systems: Windows, Mac OS X, Linux (binaries), other Unixes (source only)User Scripting? Plugin interface using a language called ErlangModeling Methods: Polygon, SubdivisionBuilt-in Texture Baking? Not sureCurrent Sculpt Map Support?: Yes.

Wings3D is a subdivision modeler (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subdivision_surface) that is easy to learn and is well suited to makingsculpted prims. The sculpt import and export for Wings is easy to use. There are also numerous tutorials that are specific to makingsculpties.

Resources

See the Second Life Wings 3D guide.Get the Omei Turnbull import/export plugin here. (http://forums.secondlife.com/showthread.php?t=183764) *)Get the Strife Onizuka import/export plugin here (http://forums.secondlife.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=25721) .Get the Wings 3D User Manual (http://sourceforge.net/project/downloading.php?groupname=wings&filename=wings3d_manual1.6.1.pdf&use_mirror=internap) here. (Sourceforge, pdf)

*) The SL servers seem to be having trouble sending the zip files from the forums. Use the alternative shttp://pkpounceworks.com/index.php?option=com_remository&Itemid=28&func=fileinfo&id=119 for now.

POV-Ray

Website: http://povray.orgCost: FREEOperating Systems: Windows/Linux/MacTrial version available?User Scripting?Modeling Methods: N/A


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Built-in Texture Baking/generation? YesCurrent Sculpt Map Support: Yes. Instructions are here: http://johannahyacinth.blogspot.com/2007/05/sculpted-prims-with-pov-ray.html

POV-Ray is a renderer - you have to do all your modeling in another application, or by describing in plain text the mathematical shapes whichmake up the model. It may seem an odd inclusion in this part of the list but merits mentioning up here instead of burried at the bottom withthe "Other" section because it actualy can produce sculpt maps. Some other programs like AC3D (below) can also call on POV-Ray fortexture baking.

XSI Mod Tool

Website: http://www.softimage.com/products/modtool/Cost: FREEOperating Systems: WindowsTrial version available: yes supported by Valve with limited features (watermarks images).User Scripting: VBscript, Jcsript, pythonModeling Methods: Polygon, Subdivision, NURBSBuilt-in Texture Baking/generation: YesCurrent Sculpt Map Support: Yes. With the aid of a addon: http://www.talinsands.com/sculpties/index.html

The Autodesk® Softimage® Mod Tool software is a free version of Softimage for non- commercial game creation. It was designed for useby anyone needing a powerful 3D application to make and mod games. Most of the features and functionality of the commercial version ofSOFTIMAGE|XSI 6 are enabled in Mod Tool, without the hassle of licensing.

Commercial 3D SuitesIt has to be said: most professional 3D software is (understandably) expensive, anywhere from hundreds to many thousands of dollars fora single copy. They're marketed at big professional studios with thousands or millions of dollars to budget for this stuff. There are ways toreduce this expense so that it's within the reach of an average person: some legal, some not.

Under $200Archipelis Designer (Archipelis)

Website: [1] (http://www.archipelis.com)Cost: around 38 eurosOperating Systems: Windows and MacTrial version available?: YesUser Scripting?Modeling Methods: by drawing on photoBuilt-in Texture Baking? YesCurrent Sculpt Map Support?: Yes

With Archipelis Designer you just draw an outline from a background image(s) to make it a 3D textured model. Or you can use a blank viewand just draw the shapes you want from scratch. it's an intuitive approach to sketch the shapes out that can then be enhanced withtextures and photographs and then exported to a set of sculted prims.

Resources

[2] (http://www.archipelis.com/second_life.php)

Amorphium (Electric Image)

Website: Electric Image Amorphium (http://www.eitechnologygroup.com/products/amorphium)Cost: US$79 ("Standard")Operating Systems: Windows, Mac (UB) - trial is Mac OS X 10.0 - 10.3 onlyTrial version available?: YesUser Scripting? YesModeling Methods: Brush Sculpting, NURBS, PolygonBuilt-in Texture Baking? Yes (paint on, further controllable with sensitive pen-tablet)Current Sculpt Map Support?: No (export to a format Blender knows, or to OBJ, and use a converter, can start with the 64x63


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sphere made by Wings3D)

Sculpting is what Amorphium is all about. If you have a pen tablet (even a tablet PC), the pressure sensitivity will control the pressure appliedto the current brush to morph the sculpture. It gives a very natural feel to being able to sculpt 3d models easily and intuitively. Amorphiumhas won 14 awards including "Best Graphics Software" from magazines like Computer Graphics World, PC World, and Macworld for itsbreakthrough real-time approach to creating 3D graphics.

Resources

Sculpted Prim Modeler: Amorphium (http://forums.secondlife.com/showthread.php?t=186218) on sl forums (restricted access)

AC3D (invis)

Website: www.invis.com - AC3D (http://www.inivis.com/)Cost: US$75Operating Systems: Windows, Mac OSX 10.4 or later, Linux (x86 only)Trial version available?: Yes - 14 day trialUser Scripting? Plugin Interface available, plus TCL-based scriptingModeling Methods: Polygon, SubdivisionBuilt-in Texture Baking? No (But can be accomplished via 3rd party plug-ins or POV-Ray)Current Sculpt Map Support?: Yes: As of 6.4 (released July 2008) the Second Life plugins now ship with AC3D. For olderversions, visit these links: Export plug-in for Windows, Mac and Linux (http://www.inivis.com/secondlife.html) , developed by ZoraSpoonhammer (http://www.ccccybernetics.com/)

AC3D is an inexpensive polygon modeler with SubD support designed to be easy for novice users. The sculpt map plug-in will export anymodel that has a perfect uv space. Several pre-mapped starter shapes are included with the plug-in, including a cube that can be used asbasis for complex objects by artists familiar with the popular box modeling method using sub-division surfaces. Invis recently gave theirofficial blessing (as well as hosting) to the plugin, making them the first vendor of this kind of software to put their backing into sculpydevelopment.

Resources

5-minute video tutorial on creating a pear (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8RC5aJuWks)Sculpted Prims from Existing 3D Models (http://www.independentdeveloper.com/archive/2007/09/27/sculpted_prims_from_existing_3) in AC3D. A step-by-step guide using an existing 3-D model of a fish.AC3D Plugins @ Super Cold Milk (http://www.supercoldmilk.com/ac3dplug/index.html) - several invaluable free plugins can be foundhere, including the knife tool used in the pear tutorial

Hexagon 2.5 (DAZ Productions)

Website: Hexagon product page (http://www.daz3d.com/i.x/software/hexagon/-/?)Cost: Full version: $149, "Crossgrade" from other DAZ software: $79, Upgrade: $49, Discounts for DAZ 'Platinum Club' membersavailable.Operating Systems: Windows 2000/XP, Mac OS X 10.3 or higherTrial version available? Yes: go here (http://www.daz3d.com/i.x/support/downloads/-/?product=hexagon&_m=d) and selectHexagon 2.5 Demo from the list.User Scripting? NoModeling Methods: Polygon, SubdivisionBuilt-in Texture Baking/generation? YesCurrent Sculpt Map Support: Yes

Hexagon 2.5.0.5 rolls out official support for sculpted prims which shoots it from the "other" section into the main list. By itself it appears tobe a very capable program - the full range of expected modeling tools plus 3D painting, ambient occlusion baking - in short, all most sculptmakers will need for not too much money. The program was originally developed by eovia and was purchased by DAZ.

Resources

Official DAZ Wiki - Hexagon (http://artzone.daz3d.com/wiki/doku.php/pub/software/hexagon/start)Modeling a vase in DAZ Hexagon 2.5 (http://slandeara.blogspot.com/2008/05/modeling-vase-in-daz-hexagon-25.html) byAndeara Yalin - A quick tutorial demonstrates how to create a vase.DAZ 3D Hexagon: Sculpted Prims in Second Life (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESPjJr_WFJ8) - Video on Youtube. Overviewof the Sculpted Primitive tab new in Hexagon 2.5 and see how to export and import a sculptie into Second Life. Features DarlisaRiggs from DAZ 3D.

Moment of Inspiration

Website: Moment of Inspiration (http://moi3d.com/)Cost: US$195Operating Systems: Windows 2000/XP/VistaUser Scripting? ?Modeling Methods: NURBS, Polygon (Import/Export Only)Built-in Texture Baking? ?


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Current Sculpt Map Support?: Yes, try 3dm2sculpt

This program has some cool things going for it. It's the work of a former Rhino developer and has an interface that pretty much lets youdraw shapes with the mouse or a pen tablet. Original text: MoI’s sleek intuitive UI blends a fluid easy workflow with powerful tools, making itthe perfect choice for someone who has been frustrated with the complexity of existing CAD tools.

Resources

Moment of Inspiration Forums (http://moi3d.com/forum/)Video Tutorials (http://mefeedia.com/tags/momentofinspiration/)

Silo (Nevercenter)

Website: Nevercenter - Silo (http://www.nevercenter.com/)Cost: US$159, US$59 (upgrade), edu licensing on requestOperating Systems: Windows 2000 or later, Mac OSX 10.3 or laterTrial version available?: Yes - 30 day trialUser Scripting? -?-Modeling Methods: Polygon, SubdivisionBuilt-in Texture Baking? -?-Current Sculpt Map Support?: -?-

Resources

Silo Features (http://www.nevercenter.com/about/features/) and how-to videos (http://www.nevercenter.com/about/videos/)

Shade10 (e frontier)

Website: 3DCG : Shade online (http://shade.e-frontier.co.jp/)Cost: US$130/Yen12,800(Shade 10 Basic)Operating Systems: Windows　XP/ XP Professional x64 Edition/Vista /Vista 64bit, Mac OS X 10.4.11 or laterTrial version available?: Yes - 30 day trial (http://shade.e-frontier.co.jp/download/try.html)User Scripting? PythonModeling Methods: Polygon Mesh, Boolean, Meta MeshBuilt-in Texture Baking? -?-Current Sculpt Map Support?: Yes

Comments Not recommended if you do not live in Japan. E-frontier's web site is not English friendly or have an English language option. Ihad to locate their email form for customer service and use a web translator to fill out an email request for english documentation and apurchase page in english. Their response was that Shade 10 does not have English documentation and is for sale in Japan. They added that Ishould get Shade 8. I looked through the Shade 8 documentation, Shade 8 does not have any sculpted prim support.

Resources

Shade10 Plugin&Script (http://shade.e-frontier.co.jp/10/features/plugin.html) and Second Life Expoter video(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YT-dvuVEcTY) and How to make Sculpted Prims with Shade10 video(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AO2bgwww4WQ)

$200 - $999Zbrush (Pixologic)

Website: Pixologic :: Zbrush (http://www.pixologic.com/zbrush/products/products.php)Cost: US$595 (V3.1)Operating Systems: Windows 98/2000/ZP, Mac OS XTrial version available?: Yes (30 day trial) (http://www.pixologic.com/zbrush/trial/)User Scripting? Yes, ZscriptingModeling Methods: Brush Sculpting, "ZSphere" modeling, Polygon (Import/Export)Built-in Texture Baking? YesCurrent Sculpt Map Support?: No, future support is planned by Linden Lab (but note to resident developers: this one is in highdemand). There is a resident created tool called Sculpty Maker that allows you to convert objects created in zBrush. Download/Info(http://www.shiny-life.com/sculpty-maker/)

Zbrush is a 3d painting and sculpting tool; instead of manipulating polys or curves, you select a brush and literally paint and chisel andmold...the best way to grasp it is to download the demo and play with it. It's pretty sweet: a ton of studios such as Epic Games(http://www.epicgames.com/) use it to create the details for their normal maps and some SL designers are already using it for the 3dpainting capabilities.

V3.1 adds many new features, such as Displacement Maps (and and Exporter) and the ZMapper.

(I may be incorrect, but I believe that the Displacement Maps and Exporter may be Pixologic's rendition of sculpture maps. Some with more


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experience needs to check, please: Displacement Exporter (http://www.zbrush.info/docs/index.php/Displacement_Exporter) . -- justchecked this, and is different from how sculpt maps work. Just a converter for displacement maps to normal maps. (pretty powerful in itsown right, but not the same thing as sculpties) Sculpt maps are not using the normals in any way at all - they look similar in that they areRGB maps, but the similarity pretty much ends there. Rather sculpties use RGB gradients from the center of the prim to the edge of theprim's bounding box to define where the vertices are in xyz space. --Hypatia Callisto 14:47, 1 November 2007 (PDT))

Resources

Zbrush Documentation (http://www.pixologic.com/docs/index.php/Main_Page)ZbrushCentral - Official Forums and Online Community (http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/index.php)

Lightwave (Newtek)

Website: Lightwave (http://www.newtek.com/lightwave/)Cost: US$895, US$495 as a companion upgrade for PhotoshopOperating Systems: Windows XP, Mac OS X 10.3.9 or higherTrial version available?: Yes, 30 day time limit, currently only available with a couple booksUser Scripting? Yes, LScriptModeling Methods: Polygon, NURBS with LWCAD 2.1 add-on (costs extra)Built-in Texture Baking? YesCurrent Sculpt Map Support?: Yes, manual method instructions here: User:Patchouli_Woollahra/Lightwave_Sculptie_Rendering(works with any version of Lightwave of at least version 6) or use the DStorm plugin provided [[3] (http://www.dstorm.co.jp/english/plugin/secondlife.htm) ] at DStorm (LW9+ only)

Some high-profile Second Life designers have been using Lightwave for quite a while to burn realistic highlights and shadows onto their skinsand clothing textures. Therefore it's not a big surprise that after Blender, this was the second program that community members figured outa sculpt export method for.

Resources

Lightwave Tutorials (http://www.robinwood.com/Catalog/Technical/LightwaveTuts/LWTutSet.html) by Robin Wood, a.k.a. SL'sRobin Sojourner (https://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/User:Robin_Sojourner) .

Rhinoceros (McNeel)

Website: Rhino 3D (http://www.rhino3d.com)Cost: US$995 ($300 student)Operating Systems: Windows 2000/XP/Vista (Vista not recommended due to OpenGL issues) OS X (beta, free)Trial version available?: Yes, save count limitedUser Scripting? Yes, VBScriptModeling Methods: NURBS, Polygon (limited)Built-in Texture Baking? NoCurrent Sculpt Map Support?: please try 3dm2sculpt (not tested with Rhino yet)

Rhino is built from the ground up for NURBS modeling; thus if you intend to use NURBS, this isn't such a bad option. From this author's brieftrial with it, it handles certain operations (like joining 2 or more objects) somewhat more intelligently than 3ds Max. A couple UI tricks makeit easier to learn than the sea of buttons you're initially presented with: a help window to one side explains each operation as you select itand the command line at the top effectively lets you search for a function by typing in its name, without having to know where the button ormenu option is.

Resources

Using Rhino in SL (http://starling.us/rhino) by Ĝan Ŭesli Starling, a.k.a. SL's Aplonis Ember (https://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/User:Aplonis_Ember) .

trueSpace (Caligari)

Website: Caligari (http://www.caligari.com)Cost: As of late July, 2008, Caligari, recently acquired by Microsoft, is giving away the latest version of trueSpace (7.6) for free,with all documentation as well as all formerly extra-cost video training.Operating Systems: Windows XP/VistaTrial version available?: No longer necessaryUser Scripting? YesModeling Methods: Polygon, NURBS, SubdivisionBuilt-in Texture Baking? YesCurrent Sculpt Map Support?: No

trueSpace and its companion products appear to be aimed more at the independent developer and hobby market, resulting in a fullyfeatured program at a much more affordable price. Of interest to Second Life users: trueSpace 7 and up offers a collaborative workenvironment; the benefit of working together like in SL but without the guy shooting off guns at you in the sandbox.

Resources


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trueSpace 7.6 Full Version for Free (http://www.caligari.com/)trueSpace3.2 Full Version (very old) for Free (http://forms.caligari.com/forms/ts3all_free.html)

Softimage XSI (Autodesk)

Website: Softimage XSI (http://www.softimage.com/products/xsi/)Cost: US$495 ("Foundation") - US$6995 ("Advanced")Operating Systems: Windows XP SP2/64 bitTrial version available: Yes, 30 day trial with full features, free "Mod Tool" supported by Valve (http://www.valvesoftware.com/)with limited features (watermarks images).User Scripting: Yes, vbscript, jscript, Python, COLLADA and C#Modeling Methods: Polygon, NURBS, SubdivisionBuilt-in Texture Baking: YesCurrent Sculpt Map Support?: Yes. With the aid of a addon: http://www.talinsands.com/sculpties/index.htm

Billing itself as "the most advanced 3D animation and character creation software for next generation games & film", it does that, modeling,baking, film compositing, and it makes toast! All kidding aside, they seem to be going after the largest slice of the market they can and theirclient list includes everything from Half-Life (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half-Life_2) to Howl's Moving Castle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howl's_Moving_Castle_(film)) . Pluses? It's one of the few commercial programs that uses non-proprietary languages for theirscripting...yes, I said languages, because apparently you have a choice between several. However it's unlikely that it has a significant userbase within the SL community at the moment.

Softimage XSI was bought out by Autodesk in November 2008. Expect a new product website and probably price changes to follow.

Resources

Modo 302 (Luxology)

Website: Luxology Home (http://www.luxology.com/)Cost: US$895 professional, $149 Educational, $99 "Good Student" price. Download a trial version then wait 1-2 weeks and you'llreceive a voucher dropping professional price to US$695.Operating Systems: Windows, MacTrial version available?: YesUser Scripting? YesModeling Methods: Polygon, Subdivsion, Brush SculptingBuilt-in Texture Baking? YesCurrent Sculpt Map Support?: Yes, via texture baking

Luxology Modo is a premier modeling and UV system built to maximize the workflow of professional modelers. It has both a rich modelingand painting toolset, ideal for creating models for Second Life.

Resources

Lovecraft Forest Testbed SLtest11.lxo (http://www.rabbitroo.com/SL/SLtest11.lxo) (Updated 06 Oct 2007)Hypatia Callisto's Torus Testbed [4] (http://www.lovecraftforest.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/testbedtorusfinalhc01lxo.zip) testbedtorusfinalhc01lxo.zipLovecraft Forest Usage Instructions: Blog Post (http://www.lovecraftforest.com/blog/2007/05/17/sculpted-prims-in-modo-part-ii/)

Mudbox (Autodesk)

Website: Mudbox (http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?siteID=123112&id=10707763)Cost: US$745 (Autodesk Mudbox 2009) US$450 (upgrade from older "Basic" version) - US$375 (upgrade from old "Professional"version)Operating Systems: Windows XP SP2, Atm untested on x64 or VistaTrial version available?: Yes, 30 day trial fully functional.User Scripting? NoModeling Methods: Brush Sculpting, SubdivisionBuilt-in Texture Baking? YesCurrent Sculpt Map Support?: No

With ZBrush one of the most powerful organic modelers out there, really easy to use and artist friendly. Its modeling is based on brusheslike ZBrush but aims more to 3D like Maya or 3D Studio Max. It contains a high quality texture renderer for baking normal maps and is usedbe many 3D professionals and studios like WETA Digital and some artists at Raven Software and id Software.

Mudbox's creator, Skymatter, was bought by Autodesk in October 2007

Resources

Carrara (Daz)

Website: Daz (http://www.daz3d.com/)


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Cost: US$249 ("Standard") - US$549 ("Professional")Operating Systems: Windows, Mac (UB)Trial version available?: YesUser Scripting? Yes (plugin development, no scripting)Modeling Methods: PolygonBuilt-in Texture Baking? No (Yes with third party plug from Inagoni (http://www.inagoni.com/content.php?content.3/)Current Sculpt Map Support?: Yes - via texture baking with third party plugins - tutorialUser:Hypatia_Callisto/Carrara_Sculpt_Baking

Like Hexagon, Carrara was an Eovia product that is now owned by Daz. Carrara is full-featured 3D application, supporting polygon modeling,spline modeling, "metaballs", and terrain modeling (it is sometimes compared to Vue). This app seems fly under the radar consistently, butDaz does seem to be serious about maintaining it as they have recently released a Mac Universal Binary version, free to registered users.Carrara also provides animation and particles.

Resources

Cinema 4D

Website: Maxon (http://www.maxon.net)Cost: CINEMA 4D R10 Win PC £586.33, additional modules available.Operating Systems: Windows XP/Vista, MacTrial version available?: Yes, DemoUser Scripting? Yes, COFFEEModeling Methods: Polygon, NURBS, SubdivisionBuilt-in Texture Baking? YesCurrent Sculpt Map Support?: Yes, via Shader.

One of the more affordable 3D applications, excellent learning curve. Uses COFFEE script for plugins.

Resources

Nice tutorial (http://www.ks-3d.de/KS-3D_SCULPTIES_(SCULPTED_PRIMS).htm) to create a Shader and modeling (by KS-3D KlausStrifler - german only)How to create Sculpted Prims (sculpties) & surface textures with MAXON’s CINEMA 4D R10 & BodyPaint 3D (http://derek-lerner.com/blog/?p=923) Derek Lerner 13:51, 27 July 2008 (PDT)

Sculpt map tutorial part 1 for Cinema 4D (http://kraphik3d.com/wordpress/?page_id=46) Loosely translated from Klaus Strifler´s originalgerman KS-3D sculpt map tutorial into english by a finnish 3d artist Kraphik 3D.

$1000 and UpMaya (Autodesk/Wavefront)

Website: Autodesk Maya (http://www.autodesk.com/maya)Cost: US$3000 ("Complete") - US$7000 ("Unlimited"). ("Complete" version sufficient for creating sculpted prims.) Educationallicense: US$300Operating Systems: Windows XP SP2, Mac OS X 10.4, Linux (SUSE, RedHat and Fedora supported)Trial version available?: 30 day trial."Personal Learning Edition", no time limit but not usable for creating sculpted prims (sculpt textures ruined by watermark) -Discontuned by Autodesk in November 2008. Older versions of the PLE can probably be found by searching.User Scripting? Yes, MEL ScriptModeling Methods: Polygon, NURBS, SubdivisionBuilt-in Texture Baking? YesCurrent Sculpt Map Support?: Yes, script by Qarl Linden available on their wiki here, instructions here.

Qarl has released a new export script that can handle assemblies of prims and can also bake the surface textures for you.Available Here

Why was Maya the first to receive sculpted prim support from Linden Lab? Because it was what Qarl Linden (http://www.qarl.com/) , themain developer on the project, learned to use while creating kick-ass movie SFX like these (http://www.qarl.com/menu/resume/matrix-demo.mov) and the tech for sculpted prims was adapted from tricks he learned in the process. Maya has been a growing force in the movieindustry for some years and a strong presence in the video game industry as well.

Resources

Maya Sculpt Tutorial (http://webpages.charter.net/talilal/Balloon%20Tutorial/) by Talila LiuSIM Tools - Second Life ToolKit plugin (http://www.sim-image.co.jp/sltk/en/index.php) - Commercial Maya to prims plugin/buildingtool. Costs ~US800 (depending on exchange rates).

3d Studio Max (Autodesk)

Website: Autodesk 3ds Max (http://www.autodesk.com/3dsmax)Cost: US$3495. Educational License: ~US$200. Subscription: ~US$500/year.Operating Systems: Windows 2000/XP, Windows Vista (with version 9.1)


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Trial version available?: Yes, 30-day demo, full featuresUser Scripting? Yes, MAX Script/pluginsModeling Methods: Polygons, NURBS, Subdivsion, Basic Brush SculptingBuilt-in Texture Baking? Yes (some functions only in version 8 and higher)Current Sculpt Map Support?: Yes

Prim Composer for 3ds Max (http://liferain.com/downloads/primcomposer/) Prim Composer is a complete offline builderfor Second Life and OpenSim. Create regular prims and sculpts within 3ds Max and import them into either Second Life orOpenSim as linked sets. Hierarchical grouping and gizmo scaling are supported within 3ds Max. (from the maker ofSculptGenMax) Open Source.Method 1 (http://www.joe-brown.net/SecondLife/SculptTut/SculptTut.html) by Gearsawe Stonecutter, uses a premadetemplate file.Method 2 (http://forums.secondlife.com/showthread.php?t=182461) by Abu Nasu, uses a shader. Download the Materialsfile here (http://forums.secondlife.com/showpost.php?p=1505984&postcount=46) , or the updated Materials file here(http://forums.secondlife.com/showpost.php?p=1695133&postcount=112) . Read the tutorial here (http://tech-slop.serveit.org/wiki/index.php?title=Sculptie_Egg) .

A varient of Abu's methood by Chip Midnight uses a projection modifier and can handle arbitrary shapes but requiresMax version 8 or higher. The tutorial is here. (http://home.comcast.net/~pixelforgeltd/Tutorial.htm)

Formerly Maya's main competitor, especially in the game industry. Then Autodesk (the makers of Max) bought out Alias (the makers ofMaya) a couple years ago. So far the company is developing both products separately, marketing Maya at the movie industry and Max atthe game developers, but they have long had comparable feature sets, and in the future it's likely that there will be tighter integrationbetween the two. A choice between Maya and Max generally comes down to user preference and (particularly in our case) plugin support.Some users have said that Max is easier for a newbie to learn than Maya and certain basic controls share similarities with SL's build tools(such as shift-drag to copy).

Resources

SL Prims to 3ds Max (http://www.windyweather.net/smf/index.php?topic=141) - A prim building plugin and export system for Max. Opensource.

Prim Composer for 3ds Max (http://liferain.com/downloads/primcomposer/) - Prim Composer is based on SL Prims and SculptGenMax. 3dsMax offline building plugin for both prims and sculpties. Open Source.

Other 3d ProgramsThese programs may be free or cheap, but they won't have nearly as expansive feature sets as those above.

MilkShape 3D

Website: www.milkshape3d.com (http://www.milkshape3d.com/)Cost: US$25 / €25Operating Systems: WindowsTrial version available? 30-day unrestricted trial, save disabled thereafter until registeredUser Scripting? Plug-in SDK available (Does that count?)Modeling Methods: PolygonsBuilt-in Texture Baking/generation? NoCurrent Sculpt Map Support: Import/Export plugin under development

Resources

See the Tutorials and Links sections on the MilkShape website (http://www.milkshape3d.com/)

Google SketchUp

Website: Google SketchUp (http://sketchup.google.com/)Cost: Free (Google SketchUp 6); $495 (Google SketchUp 6 Pro)/$45 (full-feature academic license for Google SketchUp 6 Pro)Operating Systems: Windows XP/2000, Windows Vista (with OpenGL 1.5 or higher), Mac OS X (10.3.9 or higher)Trial version available?: 8 hour trial available for Sketchup ProUser Scripting? Yes, RubyModeling Methods: PolygonBuilt-in Texture Baking? NoCurrent Sculpt Map Support?: Indirectly (through OBJ export; Pro version only)

SketchUp is a 3D drafting program popular among architects for its conceptual similarity to manual drafting and physical model-building. Ithas a very low learning curve, but is rather foreign to most established suites other than AutoCAD.

Hypothetically, SketchUp could be used to reduce the number of prims used in structures already possible with Second Life's built-in tools, asits use of edges and faces allows the creation of efficient compound geometric forms.


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On the other hand, SketchUp's "bring your own geometry" approach makes it not particularly suited to the creation of mesh-based organicshapes.

Sketchup's surface modeling paradigm currently makes it difficult to translate SketchUp models into Sculpted Prims. The paid "Pro" versionof SketchUp does, however, allow export to OBJ which, via obj2sculpt (or, of course, Maya), may allow sculpt-map export. It also exportsto 3DS, Collada, XSI and VRML, et cetera, but these formats may well require software more expensive than SketchUp.

SketchUp uses image textures about as basic as those found in the Second Life build tools. Its texture capabilities would therefore likely notbe useful to Second Life designers other than for previewing existing textures.

Resources

[5] (http://eightbar.co.uk/2006/09/29/google-sketchup-second-life-export/) - A rudimentary Sketchup to SL prim exporter plugin.

Ayam

Website: Ayam (http://ayam.sourceforge.net/)License: BSD license (http://www.opensource.org/licenses/bsd-license.html)Operating Systems: Unix/Linux (native), Windows 98, 2000 and XP, Mac OS X (with X11)User Scripting? Yes, tclModeling Methods: NURBS, Polygon (Import/Export Only)Built-in Texture Baking? NoCurrent Sculpt Map Support?: No

Resources

Ayam Documentation page (http://ayam.sourceforge.net/docs.html)

3D File FormatsIf you're using software that cannot export to sculpt directly, you might still be able to succeed. You can always give the file to someonewith access to the appropriate software, or you could export your model into another 3D modeler. To do that, you'll need to export themodel into a format the other program can handle. Here's a brief rundown of the file formats that SL developers will generally find the mostuseful.

.OBJ: Probably the most common cross-platform export format for polygon models; it's fairly open and any 3D programworth its bits supports it. It's also well-documented and easily hackable.

.3DS: The default polygon export format supported by 3D Studio Max. Because of this, it is widely supported. However, itdoesn't have as many export options as OBJ.

.FBX: Another Autodesk format that is good if you need to export whole scenes: objects, animation, lights, cameras, etc.More importantly for our purposes, it preserves NURBS (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NURBS) objects in some programs.Especially useful if you're trading files between 3DS Max and Maya; it's also supported in some other programs but Blenderisn't among them ...yet.

.3DM: a.k.a OpenNURBS (http://www.opennurbs.com) . This is the native format of Rhino3D and MoI and, as the namesuggests, is a NURBS export format. It's gaining some popularity; unfortunately, it's not currently supported by the big three(Maya, Max and Blender). However the format documentation and code libraries are open-source, tempting those braveenough to try and write tools for it, such as 3dm2sculpt.

Other ResourcesUseful places for anyone interested in 3d modeling:

3d Buzz (http://www.3dbuzz.com) — Forums, video tutorials and even classes covering everything from 3d programs to 3dprograming and even Photoshop.An Interactive Introduction to Splines (http://ibiblio.org/e-notes/Splines/Intro.htm) — a technical introduction to NURBs.

See alsoSculpted PrimsSculpted Prims: FAQSculpt Textures in Paint ProgramsSculpted Prims: Under the HoodSculpted Prims: Sharing Sculpt Maps and TexturesSculpted Prims Beta Discussion


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Sculpted Prims_ 3d Software

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Transcript of Sculpted Prims_ 3d Software