CGTalk - Texturing in CS4

Decency

12-08-2008, 05:59 PM

First of all if there is another thread somewhere discussing this I would love to find it as I'm sure this topic has been discussed before. I just got the demo today so I'm going to be experimenting and checking back here all day.

I guess my main question is I'm wondering what some of the 3D artists have to say about it's functionality? I would love to hear from someone with a bit of experience how they like the new 3D tools and if they have found their texturing workflows to be improved with CS4.

I know it might be a bit early but if anyone has any good tutorials to share that deal with the 3D stuff from a 3D perspective that would be wonderful too. Most of the tutorials I find explain some of the features but never from a 3D artist perspective, so they just don't address those little questions we all have.

leigh

12-09-2008, 12:30 PM

They're pretty useless from a production perspective. For now.

Decency

12-09-2008, 07:19 PM

Really, thats not good. Could you elaborate on why you find them useless?

DecWest

12-10-2008, 11:19 AM

If you want to paint 'textures' on a 3D object I would look at Bodypaint 3D (version 4 I think). It's rock solid and works nicely with Photoshop/.PSD's

From what I have heard CS4's 3D painting is a nice addition but a) years too late(?) b) not as good as it could/should have been. If I HAVE to texture paint I will use BP

suztv

12-10-2008, 04:34 PM

I've played with the demo and I like it. You have the full capability of Photoshop's tools and painting on the 3D model itself. Useless? I don't think so - I think that it is worthwhile especially if you are looking to enhance an existing texture or create a texture that you will later modify in a 3D application. For instance: If I have a texture of a lamp that I want to add some lovely Chinese or Paint on some realistic looking china pattern - it is way easier than trying to learn another software package, plus the workflow is a bit less daunting because photoshop is something I use daily and know well. I know some of you swear by Body Paint - more power to you. But the less applications between me and the final product the better. IDK why some people hate it. I have heard that CS4 works better in a 64 bit environment vs 32. That could be what is causing the gripes.

redforty

12-10-2008, 07:57 PM

I'd have to agree. I've never used Body Paint, nor have I - in the past - needed to actually paint on geometry. But recently, I just popped open photoshop cs4 for fun to see what it could do to paint on geometry.

It's not useless. Although you don't get a really precise camera control system or symmetry tools (at least I didn't find them), you DO get this amazing ability to use all the familiar tools (brushes, textures, etc..) in photoshop!

It's familiar enough to get the job done for me. I use PS and Maya all the time.

I'll definitely be looking into BodyPaint 3D now, too. Just to see how it compares.

leigh

12-11-2008, 12:02 PM

Really, thats not good. Could you elaborate on why you find them useless?

They're limited (ie you can't work on large size textures, which makes it pretty useless for me as I work in film), and since Photoshop has such problems handling memory as it is, it falls apart from quickly. The OpenGL additions in CS4 are certainly welcome but they do slow things down a lot. I've tried the 3D tools extensively and I think they need a lot of work before they'll be of any use to me. Personally I'd love an all-in-one solution for texture painting, but Photoshop has a long way to go in that regard.

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12-11-2008, 12:02 PM

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