{"id":4249,"date":"2011-07-06T10:40:38","date_gmt":"2011-07-06T10:40:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mrbluesummers.com\/?p=4249"},"modified":"2012-01-24T06:43:39","modified_gmt":"2012-01-24T06:43:39","slug":"sculptris-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.mrbluesummers.com\/4249\/3d-tutorials\/sculptris-review","title":{"rendered":"Sculptris Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sculptris is a piece of 3d graphics software that allows you to “paint” 3d objects as though you were working with clay. \u00a0This isn’t anything new since we’ve had ZBrush and Mudbox for almost a decade, but Sculptris caught my eye for one very important reason- it’s free<\/strong>. \u00a0After downloading the application and giving it a whirl, I think it’s worth writing about and giving it a little publicity.<\/p>\n

Today we’ll take a brief look at this software, where it excels and where it falls flat. \u00a0Click here to go to the Sculptris download page<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Enough, but Just Barely Enough<\/h2>\n

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\nIn short, Sculptris is a simple and easy-to-use software package. \u00a0While it has a respectable array of features, it’s nowhere near the complexity and functionality of competing commercial software. \u00a0If you don’t already have ZBrush or Mudbox, go download Sculptris<\/strong>. \u00a0You’ll find it useful.<\/p>\n

Highlights – My Favorite Aspects<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Totally Free – <\/strong>As in “Free Beer”, Sculptris is a free product. \u00a0Pixologic is backing the package so we have to assume that they’re offering it to get leads for selling full versions of ZBrush. \u00a0I don’t blame them- the two are very similar. \u00a0Except with Sculptris you don’t have to “brown-bag” your lunch for 3 months to get it.<\/p>\n

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\nAutomatic Levels-of-Detail<\/strong> – Gone are the days of subdivision control and remeshing. \u00a0Almost, anyway. \u00a0Sculptris works using triangulated meshes (a plus and<\/em> a minus) and automatically adds mesh resolution wherever it’s needed while you’re painting. \u00a0Call me an old man, but that really blew my mind. \u00a0For animation you’ll still need to retopo in another program, but for stills (95% of my work) this was God-sent.<\/p>\n

Fails Gracefully – <\/strong>If you’ve worked with ZBrush and Mudbox, you know that you can easily create shapes that are so off-the-wall bonkers that it crashes the program. \u00a0Sculptris crashes very elegantly and, on restart, opens the last known state. \u00a0So far I’ve lost two brushstrokes during the 10 or 11 crashes I’ve encountered with Sculptris.<\/p>\n

Light but Complete Tools<\/strong> – Sculptris contains just enough basic tools to get the job done.<\/p>\n