Second Life Wiki - User contributions [en]

Sculpted Prims: Resident-made Tools

2007-12-07T02:14:17Z

Darius Lehane: /* Texture Wizard (Commercial) */

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This page showcases '''special purpose tools''' for creating, manipulating, and viewing sculpted prims. Most of them are created by SL residents, but the reason they are on this page is that they are ''not'' general purpose 3D tools.
For that list, see [[Sculpted Prims: 3d Software Guide]].

= Preview Tools =

== Offline Preview Tools ==

Basic tools that can be used to preview what a sculpt texture will look like when uploaded into Second Life and rendered as a prim. All of these are made by other Residents and should generally be considered beta or works in progress.

=== SculptySpace ===
Supports textured Sculpt preview with Second Life style texture parameters.
*'''Creator''': [[user:Sculpty Carver | Sculpty Carver]]
*'''Link to get it''': [http://www.sculptyspace.com/index.php?id=2 Download from website]
*'''Requires''': Windows XP SP2 or Windows Vista, [http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=200b2fd9-ae1a-4a14-984d-389c36f85647&displaylang=en Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 SP1 Redistributable]

=== XNA Sculptpreview ===

*'''Creator''': [[user:Eddy Stryker | Eddy Stryker]]
*'''Link to get it''': [[User:Eddy_Stryker/XNA_Sculptpreview | XNA Sculptpreview]]
*'''Requires''': Windows XP SP2 or Windows Vista, along with the Microsoft XNA framework (see above link for details)
*'''Derivatives''': [http://mailerdaemon.home.comcast.net/SculptedPreview.zip XNA SculptPreview] - Modified version to include LOD and a more sensible camera configuration (and a bunch of other changes under the hood).

=== A Hacky Sculpt Previewer ===

*'''Creator''': [[user:Yumi Murakami | Yumi Murakami]]
*'''Link to get it''': [http://www.bijodesign.com/sculpt/SculptPreview.html Web Start Launcher], [http://www.bijodesign.com/sculpt/SculptPreview.jar Executable JAR file], [[Hacky Sculpt Previewer | Source Code]] (Java SDK required to run from the source).
*'''Requires''': [http://java.com/en/download/index.jsp Java Runtime Engine 1.6 or higher], [http://java.sun.com/products/java-media/3D/download.html Java 3d API] and any OS that will run them (Win and Linux are well covered, Mac is not). If installing or upgrading the JRE, be sure to do it before installing Java3d. The Web Start link above should be able to automatically install any needed components. Note that it will attempt to automatically redirect your browser to a download page, so if nothing happens when you click on it, please check your security settings will allow this.

=== Cel_Sculptpreview ===

*'''Creator''': [[user:Cel Edman | Cel Edman]]
*'''Link to get it''': [http://www.xs4all.nl/~elout/sculptie/ Download from website]
*'''Requires''': [http://java.com/en/download/index.jsp Java Runtime Engine 1.6 or higher] installed on your system. This is a simple Sculpt previewer created in [http://processing.org/ Processing]. Downloads available for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. Currenly not further developed, since Cel continues on developing Sculptypaint (Resident-made Sculpt Creation Tools) at the moment, that got this realtime previewer as well.
 

== In-world Preview Tools ==

Tools that can be used to view in Second Life what a sculpt will look like before the texture is uploaded.

=== Texture Wizard (Commercial) ===

*'''Website:''' [http://sl.infomyth.com/texturepreview/texturepreview.htm Infomyth.com]
*'''In-World:''' [http://slurl.com/secondlife/Horowitz/164/20/21/ Horowitz]
*'''Cost:''' L$399 (about $1.80 U.S.)
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows XP

Works using the media texture on your land (you must own or rent land to use it) using QuickTime, the way an in-game TV does. Saving a .bmp, .jpg or .psd file will automatically update the image in-game. You can see your changes live on a prim. Avoids uploads until you are done (you must still upload for a permanent version). Also works just as a regular texture previewer.
 

=== Sculpt Preview using Parcel Media ===

*'''Website:''' [http://nandnerd.info/blog/2007/06/16/sculpty-media-video-url-previewer/ blog.nandnerd.info/...]
*'''Forum Discussion:''' [http://forums.secondlife.com/showthread.php?t=191214 forums.SecondLife.com]
*'''Author:''' [[User:nand Nerd | nand Nerd]]
*'''In-World:''' [http://slurl.com/secondlife/Lasiocampa/133/209/57 Lasiocampa]
*'''Requirements:''' Web hosting

Tutorial on using the Parcel Media as a Sculpt Texture Preview. Example available at location above (Lasiocampa 133,209,57).

= Special purpose Sculpt Creation Tools =

The tools listed here aren't fully-fledged 3d modeling programs — they are stand-alone tools for creating sculpt maps, usually in some limited way. As with the previewers above, consider them works in progress.

On the other hand, if they do what you want, a lathe tool, for example, then they are much easier than buying, setting up, learning, and using a full 3D modeler.

=== PloppSL ===

*'''Creator:'''[[User:Imp Iwish | Imp Iwish]]
*'''Link to get it:''' http://www.secondplopp.com/
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows, Mac OS

PloppSL allows you to create Sculpted Prims for SecondLife by painting the front and back side of your model. Thus, texture and model are created in one step. You can create or use different textures for the front and backside of your model. You can also paint in your favored paint program, import the images into PloppSL by drag&drop and turn them into 3D models.

'''Resources'''

* [http://forums.secondlife.com/showthread.php?t=213219 sl forum thread] (restricted access)

=== ROKURO Sculpted Prim Maker ===

*'''Creator:'''[[User:Yuzuru Jewell | Yuzuru Jewell]]
*'''Link to get it:''' http://kanae.net/secondlife/
*'''Requires:''' Windows/Mac OS X/Linux using wine

Rokuro translates from Japanese as "lathe" and that's basically what this is: a standalone version of the lathe tool found in many 3d modeling programs that saves directly to sculpt maps. You draw a line in 2d by editing the various points and the program effectively spins that line around an axis to create the 3d object. Cylinders and polygonal prisms are both possible. Obviously limited to things you can create with this method so far, but easy for anyone to pick up and use and more features are still being added. Created by Yuzuru Jewell...arigato!

'''Resources'''

* [http://forums.secondlife.com/showthread.php?t=184264 sl forum thread] (restricted access)

=== TOKOROTEN(extruder)Sculpted Prim Maker ===

*'''Creator:'''[[User:Yuzuru Jewell | Yuzuru Jewell]]
*'''Link to get it:''' http://kanae.net/secondlife/tokoroten.html
*'''Requires:''' Windows

This Program makes Sculpted Prim texture .tga file of the pushed-out object.
TOKOROTEN is Japanese jelly extruded to thin strips.
An object will be pushed out if the form of the hole which you push out is made.
You can twist or round an object. You draw a line in 2d by editing the various points and the program. Obviously limited to things you can create with this method so far, but easy for anyone to pick up and use and more features are still being added. Created by resident Yuzuru Jewell...arigato!

'''Resources'''

* [http://forums.secondlife.com/showthread.php?t=184264 sl forum thread] (restricted access)

=== sculpty.php ===

*'''Creator:''' [[User:nand Nerd | nand Nerd]]
*'''Link to get it:''' http://www.nandnerd.info/sculpty.php
*'''Requires:''' Browser

A web-based series of tools, still rather primitive but constantly updating. Currently implemented are revolve and z,r revolve which both take a series of values (radii and z-pos,radii values respectively) and rotate them around the z-axis. Recently implemented a constant cross-section which extrudes a series of x,y values through the z-axis.

=== SculptyPaint v.091===

*'''Creator''': [[user:Cel Edman | Cel Edman]]
*'''Link to get it''': [http://www.xs4all.nl/~elout/sculptpaint/ Download from website]
*'''Requires''': [http://java.com/en/download/index.jsp Java Runtime Engine 1.6 or higher] installed on your system?! In case it wont work.
Last update: october 19 - 2007. Realtime sculpt previewer. Drawing tool: manipulate the width, height and shape of the Sculpt. Edit RGB Layers, Flower, Stone, Stair and Point, Texturesketch and Morph Tools. Downloads available for Windows, Mac-OSX and Linux.
 

=== Math Sculptor 1.0===

*'''Creator''': [[user:Burhop Piccard | Burhop Piccard]]
*'''Link to get it''': http://mark.burhop.net there is also a [[MathSculptor|MathSculptor]] wiki page.
*'''Requires''': Windows XP or Vista.
Math Sculptor is free application for creating and viewing sculpted primitives. It provides dynamic viewing and modification of sculpties. What differentiates this application is that it is build upon an extendable "addin" architecture. This allows others to easily create new algorithms that generate completely new types of sculpties. See http://mark.burhop.net for more information and sample sculpted primitives.
 

=== SnurbO'Matic ===

*'''Creator''': [[user:Anjin Meili | Anjin Meili]]
*'''Link to get it''': [http://www.slexchange.com/modules.php?name=Marketplace&file=item&ItemID=273452 Slexchange]
*'''Requires''': Secondlife client and a sandbox with at least 1100 primitives.
SnurbO'Matic is an in world tool that allows editing and creation of sculpties. The system uses a molding method, allowing a mesh to be molded around other inworld objects. Objects must not be phantom. The mold may be modified using normal in world build tools. Each mesh node is visualized as a sphere, and can be moved as desired. Once finished, the mold is saved and a casting produced thru an automated web process. The user gets a URL when completed for a TGA file containing the texture. This can be further refined using off grid tools, or simply uploaded to Second Life as is. For new modelers, its easier to start with a close approximation of an object, rather then manipulating a sphere to the object they wish. For landscapers, the tool can produce organic, smooth, and unique rocks, logs, etc. Search for the group SculptO'Matic, or visit our sandbox and lab in Talakin.
 

=== Sculpted Sim Terrain Mapper ===

*'''Creator''': [[user:Anjin Meili | Anjin Meili]]
*'''Link to get it''': [http://www.slexchange.com/modules.php?name=Marketplace&file=item&ItemID=270738 Slexchange]
*'''Requires''': Secondlife client and a object create and script permissions on a parcel.
The Sculpted Sim Terrain Mapper creates a sculpted primitive map in 3D of any given Simulator. The tool simply is rezzed onto a parcel in the sim, and allowed to run. It will report back to the operator a URL to pickup a completed sculpted texture in TGA format. The data collected may also be used to create higher detail maps of the simulator, by using more prims, up to an 8x8 grid of sculpted prims to represent a simulator. Or just the default of one prim for the entire simulator. While the packaged tool is fee based, due to the costs of operating the backend... There is an open source version written entirely in LSL that requires minimal server side support. Contact Anjin Meili for a copy of the open source code. This tool is an example of using data to create sculpted primitives, with very little interaction. The source details using PPM as a description format within LSL for the sculpted texture map.
 

=== InWorld Sculptor Tool Kit (Free) ===

*'''Creator''': [[user:TheBlack Box | TheBlack Box]]
*'''Link to get it''': [http://www.slexchange.com/modules.php?name=Marketplace&file=item&ItemID=266428 SL-Exchange]
*'''Requires''': SL (works ok with 65 Prims) and Browser

An in-world sculpting toolkit with off-world file-conversion as last step. It is free and open source but very basic. You start with modifying a "bone" to get the general shape you want. In the second step you created slices and use the bone to position and rotate them correctly.
It is a bit of a hassle to use due to a lot of copy & pasting.
 

=== TheBlack Box - Sculpt Studio (Commercial) ===

*'''Creator''': [[user:TheBlack Box | TheBlack Box]]
*'''Link to get it''': [http://www.slexchange.com/modules.php?name=Marketplace&file=item&ItemID=278458 SL-Exchange]
*'''Requires''': SL (70 Prims for Quick Creation, 1000+ Prims for Full Mesh) and Browser

A fully in-world sculpting tool that results in an URL where the sculpt-texture is located. The Sculpt Studio allows to sculpt either by utilizing a simplified "Quick Creation" or by having "Full Mesh" control. It allows to start off extremely easy but yet has the option to even do algorithmic sculpting with LSL.
 

=== Terrain Sculptor (Open Source) ===

*'''Creator''': [[user:Cadroe Murphy | Cadroe Murphy]]
*'''Link to get it''': [http://spinmass.blogspot.com/2007/08/terrain-sculptor-maps-sims-and-creates.html Blog]
*'''Requires''': .NET 2.0

Terrain Sculptor is a .NET application which uses a [http://www.libsecondlife.org/wiki/Main_Page libsecondlife] bot to retrieve the elevation data for a sim and generates a sculpty texture of the terrain. It also downloads the world map image from the web for use as a texture. The user can teleport to specific locations within sims and monitor the process through a graphical display. The operation usually takes a number of seconds after logging into a sim. Elevation data can be saved and loaded seperately. The application is relatively user-friendly but errors are not always handled informatively. The source code is open.
 

[[Category: Sculpted Prims]]

= File Converters =

These utilities are made to translate 3d files directly into sculpt maps, with varying degrees of sucess.

=== 3dm2sculpt ===

*'''Creator:''' [[User:Cindy Crabgrass | Cindy Crabgrass]]
*'''Link to get it:''' [[3dm2sculpt|3dm2sculpt]]
*'''Requires:''' Windows

A command-line utility that reads an [[#3D_File_Formats | OpenNURBS]] .3dm file and generates a .tga sculpt map from it. Still in need of a lot of testing but potentially very useful for any program that supports this format.

=== obj2sculpt ===

*'''Creator:''' [[User:Cindy Crabgrass | Cindy Crabgrass]]
*'''Link to get it:''' http://forums.secondlife.com/showpost.php?p=1505114&postcount=14
*'''Link on the TG forums:''' Nonexistent, can someone please fix this?
*'''Requires:''' Windows

A command-line utility that reads a Wavefront Style .obj file and generates a .tga sculpt texture from it. Still in need of a lot of testing but potentially very useful for any program that supports this format.

= Importers =

These utilities assist in bringing sculpted creations in to the Second Life world

=== SL Image Upload ===

*'''Creator:''' [[User:Eddy Stryker | Eddy Stryker]]
*'''Link to get it:''' [[SLImageUpload|SLImageUpload]]
*'''Requires:''' Windows, Linux, OSX

A simple graphical user interface to upload textures to the grid. It will show you the compressed texture size before uploading and allow you to upload lossless images, perfect for 64x64 or smaller sculpt maps.

=== importprimscript ===

*'''Creator:''' [[User:Eddy Stryker | Eddy Stryker]]
*'''Link to get it:''' [[Importprimscript|Importprimscript]]
*'''Requires:''' Windows, Linux, OSX

A command-line utility to batch upload an entire folder output from Qarl's Advanced Maya Sculpt Exporter in to Second Life and rez the scene as a full permission linkset. The sculpt maps are uploaded as lossless images and the textures are uploaded with the normal compression settings.

'''NOTE:''' Although the main utility is command-line, for using the app on Windows there is a GUI provided by Johan Durant on the importprimscript page.

Sculpted Prims: 3d Software Guide

2007-05-25T03:47:28Z

Darius Lehane:

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== About 3D Modeling Software ==

This page offers a comprehensive list of 3D modeling software for use with Sculpt Maps for [[Sculpted Prims]], along with a short explanation of popular 3D file formats and offline previewers. Each entry lists the software package's web site, operating system support, cost and trial versions if applicable, and the license.

;What Features are important for making Sculpted Prims?

Each software entry includes a rundown of features that are particularly useful for creating Sculpt Maps. Although support for these features isn't necessary in order to create Sculpt Maps, it can make the process a whole lot easier.

*'''User Scripting:''' A script interface is one of the easiest and fastest ways to add functionality to a program or to automate tasks the program is already capable of. Plugins and SDKs can do the same thing but may not be available.
*'''NURBS:''' NURBS stands for "[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NURBS Non Uniform Rational B-Splines]". It's an advanced modeling technique in which shapes are created by manipulating a series of curved splines. Compare this to [[Sculpted Prims Creators Guide#PolygonMesh|polygon modeling]], a more economical method of manipulating the faces, edges and vertices of a polygon mesh, which is frequently used for computer graphics. NURBS are very good at creating organic shapes and smooth curves and, according to Qarl Linden, they convert to sculpted prims much more easily than polygon meshes. (However with the flood of Resident solutions for creating sculpt prims in different programs, this distinction may turn out not to be relevant.)
*'''Built-in texture baking/generation:''' This term describes the ability to create/"render" textures and export them to image files. If this functionality is built into the software, it is available to user-generated scripts. For example, it allows manual export of Sculpt Maps with [[#Blender|Blender]] and [[#Lightwave_.28Newtek.29|Lightwave]]. It can also make it easier to create regular textures for your model; you can apply colors, patterns or just a template guide to your model and bake it out for upload or further detailing in a paint program.

;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 have no 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 system requirements on the software vendor's webpage for specific details.

== Offline Previewer Tools ==

Basic tools that can be used to preview what a sculpt texture will look like when uploaded into Second Life and rendered as a prim. All of these are made by other Residents and should generaly be considered beta or works in progress.

=== XNA Sculptpreview ===

*'''Creator''': [[user:Eddy Stryker | Eddy Stryker]]
*'''Link to get it''': [[User:Eddy_Stryker/XNA_Sculptpreview | XNA Sculptpreview]]
*'''Requires''': Windows XP SP2 or Windows Vista, along with the Microsoft XNA framework (see above link for details)
*'''Derivatives''': [http://mailerdaemon.home.comcast.net/SculptedPreview.zip XNA SculptPreview] - Modified version to include LOD and a more sensible camera configuration (and a bunch of other changes under the hood).

=== A Hacky Sculpt Previewer ===

*'''Creator''': [[user:Yumi Murakami | Yumi Murakami]]
*'''Link to get it''': [http://www.bijodesign.com/sculpt/SculptPreview.html Web Start Launcher], [http://www.bijodesign.com/sculpt/SculptPreview.jar Executable JAR file], [[Hacky Sculpt Previewer | Source Code]] (Java SDK required to run from the source).
*'''Requires''': [http://java.com/en/download/index.jsp Java Runtime Engine 1.6 or higher], [http://java.sun.com/products/java-media/3D/download.html Java 3d API] and any OS that will run them (Win, Mac and Linux are well covered). If installing or upgrading the JRE, be sure to do it before installing Java3d. The Web Start link above should be able to automatically install any needed components. Note that it will attempt to automatically redirect your browser to a download page, so if nothing happens when you click on it, please check your security settings will allow this.

== Online (In-Game) Previewer Tools ==

Tools that can be used to view in Second Life what a sculpt will look like before the texture is uploaded.

=== Texture Wizard (Commercial Tool) ===

*'''Website:''' [http://sl.infomyth.com/texturepreview/texturepreview.htm Infomyth.com]
*'''In-World:''' [http://slurl.com/secondlife/Horowitz/217/105/23/ Horowitz]
*'''Cost:''' L$399 (about $1.80 U.S.)
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows XP

Works using the media texture on your land (you must own or rent land to use it) using Quicktime, the way an in-game TV does. Saving a .bmp, .jpg or .psd file will automatically update the image in-game. You can see your changes live on a prim. Avoids uploads until you are done (you must still upload for a permanent version). Also works just as a regular texture previewer.

== Resident-made Sculpt Creation Tools ==

These programs aren't full-fledged 3d modeling programs nor do they integrate with such programs (those get listed with their respective software below) but Residents have made these stand-alone tools specificly for creating sculpt textures. As with the previewers above, consider them works in progress.

=== ROKURO -Sculpted Prim Maker ===

*'''Creator:'''[[User:Yuzuru Jewell | Yuzuru Jewell]]
*'''Link to get it:''' http://kanae.net/secondlife/
*'''Requires:''' Windows (OSX port in development)

Rokuro translates from Japanese as "lathe" and that's basically what this is: a standalone version of the lathe tool found in many 3d modeling programs that saves directly to sculpt maps. You draw a line in 2d by editing the various points and the program effectively spins that line around an axis to create the 3d object. Cylinders and polygonal prisms are both possible. Obviously limited to things you can create with this method so far, but easy for anyone to pick up and use and more features are still being added. Created by resident Yuzuru Jewell...arigato!

'''Resources''' 
http://forums.secondlife.com/showthread.php?t=184264

=== 3dm2sculpt ===
*'''Creator:''' [[User:Cindy Crabgrass | Cindy Crabgrass]]
*'''Link to get it:''' [[3dm2sculpt|3dm2sculpt]]
*'''Requires:''' Windows

A command-line utility that reads an [[#3D_File_Formats | OpenNURBS]] .3dm file and generates a .tga sculpt texture from it. Still in need of a lot of testing but potentialy very usefull for any program that supports this format.

=== obj2sculpt ===
*'''Creator:''' [[User:Cindy Crabgrass | Cindy Crabgrass]]
*'''Link to get it:''' http://forums.secondlife.com/showpost.php?p=1505114&postcount=14
*'''Requires:''' Windows

A command-line utility that reads a Wavefront Style .obj file and generates a .tga sculpt texture from it. Still in need of a lot of testing but potentialy very usefull for any program that supports this format.

=== sculpty.php ===
*'''Creator:''' [[User:nand Nerd | nand Nerd]]
*'''Link to get it:''' http://www.nandnerd.info/sculpty.php
*'''Requires:''' Browser

A web-based series of tools, still rather primitive but constantly updating. Currently implemented are revolve and z,r revolve which both take a series of values (radii and z-pos,radii values respectively) and rotate them around the z-axis.

== Free 3D Modeling Software ==

=== Blender ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.blender.org blender.org]
*'''License:''' [http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html GPL]
*'''Operating Systems''': Cross-platform (Windows, Mac, Linux, Irix, Solaris, FreeBSD and others)
*'''Supports user scripting?:''' Yes, Python
*'''Supports NURBS?:''' Yes
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?:''' Yes
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' Development in progress by SL residents. Also, people have figured out how to get Blender to generate sculpt maps as you work, without needing a script! The process is documented [http://amandalevitsky.googlepages.com/sculptedprims here], and [http://www.bentha.net/sculpted2/Blender-to-sculpted.html here]

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

'''Resources'''
* [http://www.blender.org/tutorials-help/ Blender.org Documentation and Tutorials]
* [http://amandalevitsky.googlepages.com/sculptedprims How to Make Sculpted Prims with Blender]
* [http://www.bentha.net/sculpted-tuto/Blender-export-template-tut.html A template file to start with and export easy]
* [http://blendernewbies.blogspot.com/2007/04/video-oven-baked-pretzels-in-blender-3d.html Oven Baked Pretzels @ BlenderNewbies.com] - A video tutorial that covers the basics of Blender's new sculpt mode, useful if you're creating sculpties using the above manual method.
* [http://www.bentha.net/sculpted2/Blender-to-sculpted.html An almost complete method] to export almost anything from blender
* [http://forums.secondlife.com/showthread.php?t=110607 Offline Prim Builder] for standard prims (Secondlife.com login required)

=== Art of Illusion ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.artofillusion.org artofillusion.org]
*'''License:''' [http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html GPL]
*'''Operating Systems:''' Any OS that will run Java (requires Java Runtime Environment 1.4 or later)
*'''Supports user scripting?:''' Yes, Java via [http://www.beanshell.org/ Beanshell]
*'''Supports NURBS?''' Yes
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?:''' ???
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' No

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

'''Resources'''
*[http://www.artofillusion.org/documentation AoI Documentation]

=== Moment of Inspiration ===

*'''Website:''' [http://moi3d.com/ Moment of Inspiration]
*'''License:''' Open beta testing/freeware
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows 2000/XP/Vista
*'''Supports user scripting?:''' ?
*'''Supports NURBS?''' Yes
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?:''' ?
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' Yes, try [[3dm2sculpt]]

This program has some cool things going for it. It's the work of a former [[#Rhino_3D | Rhino]] developer and has an interface that pretty much lets you draw shapes with the mouse or a pen tablet. Documentation on the website is sparse however and being in beta means there will be kinks.

It should be noted that MoI will become a commercial product when it leaves beta testing (expected later this summer), but it will still be comparatively inexpensive; the estimated cost is between US$200-$100.

'''Resources'''
* [http://moi3d.com/forum/ Moment of Inspiration Forums]
* [http://mefeedia.com/tags/momentofinspiration/ Video Tutorials]

=== Ayam ===

*'''Website:''' [http://ayam.sourceforge.net/ Ayam]
*'''License:''' [http://www.opensource.org/licenses/bsd-license.html BSD license]
*'''Operating Systems:''' Unix/Linux (native), Windows 98, 2000 and XP, Mac OSX (with X11)
*'''Supports user scripting?:''' Yes, tcl
*'''Supports NURBS?''' Yes (NURBS modeling only; polygon meshes can be imported)
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?:''' No
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' No

'''Resources'''
* [http://ayam.sourceforge.net/docs.html Ayam Documentation page]

=== Wings 3D ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.wings3d.com Wings 3D]
*'''License:'''[http://www.opensource.org/licenses/bsd-license.html BSD license]
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows, Mac OSX, Linux (binaries), other Unixes (source only)
*'''Supports user scripting?:''' ? (Plugin interface avalible)
*'''Supports NURBS?''' No
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?:''' ?
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' Yes. Wings 3D is the easiest way to get started making scultpties. See the first post in this [http://forums.secondlife.com/showthread.php?t=183764 forum thread]for instructions on getting set up.

Wings3D is a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subdivision_surface subdivision] modeler and has the advantage of being fairly easy to learn and is well suited to making sculpted prims. Documentation is sparse, but there are many tutorials on the Web.

'''Resources'''
*[http://sourceforge.net/project/downloading.php?groupname=wings&filename=wings3d_manual1.6.1.pdf&use_mirror=internap Wings User Manual] (Sourceforge, PDF)

== Professional 3D Suites ==

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

* '''Don't''' post links to downloads of pirated software or directions/tools to crack trial software. They'll be deleted.

* '''Don't''' ask in a public forum where you can download pirated software.

* '''Don't''' be fooled by online retailers selling "cheap OEM" copies of software online. None of these programs come in OEM (original equipment manufacturer, or anyone who makes computer hardware and bundles software with them) versions. Many companies such as Autodesk only sell their software through authorized retailers. These too good to be true offers are just that: crooks trying to get you to pay them money for pirated software. (ed.: Trust me: I've fallen for it before and now know better).

* '''Do''' be aware that downloading pirated software is a good way to end up with malware on your system such as trojans and keyloggers.

That said, here are some of the legal options you can look for:

* '''Educational Licenses''': If you're a student or know one willing to help you, you can usually get a significant discount on most of these programs. The downside is that many educational licenses say you're not supposed to use the program for commercial purposes.
* '''Annual Licenses''': Many of the same educational vendors also offer an option to buy a one or two year license to the full version of the program, sometimes for as little as $200 or less. Even over the course of several years, this could be the most economical option and you won't be crippled by the terms of an educational license.
* '''Subscriptions''': If you already own the software, some companies, particularly Autodesk, offer subscriptions that can get you access to extra new features and deals on upgrades.
* '''Trials''': Most 3d software has a demo or a "learning edition" that you can download from the software maker and try on your system. They will be either time or feature limited but this is a good way to get your feet wet.

So with that out of the way, the list...

=== Amorphium ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.eitechnologygroup.com/products/amorphium Electric Image Amorphium]
*'''Cost:''' US$79 ("Standard")
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows, Mac (UB)
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes
*'''Supports user scripting?:''' Yes
*'''Supports NURBS?''' Yes (controllable with pen-tablet)
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?:''' 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)

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

'''Resources'''

=== Maya (Autodesk/Wavefront) ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.autodesk.com/maya Autodesk Maya]
*'''Cost:''' US$3000 ("Complete") - US$7000 ("Unlimited"). ("Complete" version sufficient for creating sculpted prims.) Educational licence: US$300
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows XP SP2, Max OSx 10.4, Linux (SUSE, RedHat and Fedora supported)
*'''Trial version available?:''' "Personal Learning Edition", no time limit but not usable for creating sculpted prims (sculpt textures ruined by watermark)
*'''Supports user scripting?:''' Yes, MEL Script
*'''Supports NURBS?''' Yes
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?:''' Yes
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' Yes, script by Qarl Linden available on their wiki [[LlSculpt mel|here]], instructions [[Sculpted_Prims:_FAQ#MayaExporter|here]].

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

'''Resources'''

[http://webpages.charter.net/talilal/Balloon%20Tutorial/ Maya Sculpt Tutorial] by Talila Liu

=== 3d Studio Max (Autodesk) ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.autodesk.com/3dsmax Autodesk 3ds Max]
*'''Cost:''' US$3495. Educational License: ~US$200. Subscription: ~US$500/year.
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows 2000/XP, Windows Vista (with version 9.1)
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes, 30-day demo, full features
*'''Supports user scripting?:''' Yes, MAX Script/plugins
*'''Supports NURBS?''' Yes
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?:''' Yes (version 8 and higher)
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' 3 methods in development:
** [http://www.joe-brown.net/SecondLife/SculptTut/SculptTut.html Method 1] by Gearsawe Stonecutter, uses a premade template file.
** [http://forums.secondlife.com/showthread.php?t=182461 Method 2] by Abu Nasu, uses a shader and is capable of handling arbitrary shapes but requires Max 8 or higher. [http://forums.secondlife.com/showpost.php?p=1505984&postcount=46 Download the Materials file here]. Tutorial coming soon.
** [http://forums.secondlife.com/showthread.php?t=185426 Method 3] by Shack Dougall, is a vertex-based method using MAXScript and preset geometry as a starting point. Tested on 3dsMax 9.

Formerly Maya's main competitor, especially in the game industry. Then Autodesk (the makers of Max) bought out Alias (the makers of Maya) a couple years ago. So far the company is developing both products separately, marketing Maya at the movie industry and Max at the game developers, but they have long had comparable feature sets, and in the future it's likely that there will be tighter integration between the two. A choice between Maya and Max generaly 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'''

=== Zbrush (Pixologic) ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.pixologic.com/zbrush/products/products.php Pixologic :: Zbrush]
*'''Cost:''' US$489
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows 98/2000/ZP, Mac OSX
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes, 30-day time limit
*'''Supports user scripting?:''' Yes, Zscripting
*'''Supports NURBS?''' No
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?:''' Yes
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' No, future support is planned by Linden Lab

Zbrush pretty new and a bit unique. It's a 3d painting and sculpting tool; instead of manipulating polys or curves, you select a brush and literally ''paint'' and chisel and mold...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 [http://www.epicgames.com/ Epic Games] use it to create the details for their normal maps and some SL designers are already using it for the 3d painting capabilities.

'''Resources'''
* [http://www.pixologic.com/zbrush/education/documentation/guides.php Zbrush Documentation]
* [http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/index.php ZbrushCentral - Official Forums and Online Community]

=== Lightwave (Newtek)===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.newtek.com/lightwave/ Lightwave]
*'''Cost:''' US$795
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows XP, Mac OSX 10.3.9 or higher
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes, 30 day time limit
*'''Supports user scripting?:''' Yes, LScript
*'''Supports NURBS?''' Yes, with LWCAD 2.1 add-on (costs extra)
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?:''' Yes
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' Yes, manual method instructions here: [[User:Patchouli_Woollahra/Lightwave_Sculptie_Rendering]]

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

'''Resources'''

=== Rhinoceros (McNeel) ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.rhino3d.com Rhino 3D]
*'''Cost:''' US$995
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows 2000/XP/Vista (Vista not recommended due to OpenGL issues)
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes, save count limited
*'''Supports user scripting?:''' Yes, VBScript
*'''Supports NURBS?''' Yes (limited polygon functions)
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?:''' No
*'''Current 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 brief trial with it, it handles certain operations (like joining 2 or more objects) somewhat more intelligently than 3ds Max. A couple UI tricks make the learning curve much less steep than the sea of buttons you're initially presented with: a help window to one side explains each operation as you select it and 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 or menu option is.

'''Resources'''

=== trueSpace (Caligari) ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.caligari.com Caligari]
*'''Cost:''' US$595 for latest version (7), but legacy versions are sold for lower prices ($199 for TrueSpace 5)
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows XP/Vista
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes, prior version of the program
*'''Supports user scripting?:''' Yes
*'''Supports NURBS?''' Yes
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?:''' Yes
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' No

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

'''Resources'''

[http://forms.caligari.com/forms/ts3all_free.html trueSpace3.2 Full Version (very old) for Free]

=== Softimage XSI (Avid) ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.softimage.com/products/xsi/ Softimage XSI]
*'''Cost:''' US$495 ("Foundation") - US$6995 ("Advanced")
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows XP SP2/64 bit
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes, 30 day trial with full features, free "Mod Tool" supported by [http://www.valvesoftware.com/ Valve] with limited features (watermarks images).
*'''Supports user scripting?:''' Yes, Python, COLLADA and C#
*'''Supports NURBS?''' Yes
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?:''' Yes
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' No

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 their client list includes everything from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half-Life_2 Half-Life] to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howl's_Moving_Castle_(film) Howl's Moving Castle]. Pluses? It's one of the few commercial programs that uses non-proprietary languages for their scripting...yes, I said languages, because apparently you have a choice between several. However it's unlikely that it has a significant user base within the SL community at the moment.

'''Resources'''

=== Modo 203 (Luxology)===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.luxology.com/ Luxology Home]
*'''Cost:''' US$895 professional, $149 Educational, $99 "Good Student" price. Download a trial version then wait 1-2 weeks and you'll receive a voucher dropping professional price to US$695.
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows, Mac
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes
*'''Supports user scripting?:''' Yes
*'''Supports NURBS?''' No
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?:''' Yes
*'''Current 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 modeling and painting toolset, ideal for creating models for Second Life.

'''Resources'''
* Lovecraft Forest Testbed [http://www.rabbitroo.com/SL/SLtest4.lxo SLtest4.lxo]
* Lovecraft Forest Usage Instructions: [http://www.lovecraftforest.com/blog/2007/05/17/sculpted-prims-in-modo-part-ii/ Blog Post]

=== Mudbox (Skymatter) ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.mudbox3d.com/ Mudbox]
*'''Cost:''' US$299 ("Basic") - US$649 ("Professional")
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows XP SP2, Atm untested on x64 or Vista
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes, 15 days trial fully functional.
*'''Supports user scripting?:''' No
*'''Supports NURBS?''' No
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?:''' Yes
*'''Current 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 brushes like 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 used be many 3D professionals and studios like WETA Digital and some artists at Raven Software and id Software.

'''Resources'''

=== Carrara (Daz) ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.daz3d.com/ Daz]
*'''Cost:''' US$249 ("Standard") - US$549 ("Professional")
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows, Mac (UB)
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes
*'''Supports user scripting?:''' Yes (plugin development, no scripting)
*'''Supports NURBS?''' No
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?:''' No (Yes with third party plug from [http://www.inagoni.com/content.php?content.3/ Inagoni]
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' No

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, but Daz 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'''

== Other 3d Programs ==

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

=== Google Sketchup ===

*'''Website:''' [http://sketchup.google.com/ Google Sketchup]
*'''Cost:''' Free (Google Sketchup 6)/$495 (Google Sketchup 6 Pro)/$45 (Educational/Student Price)
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows XP/2000, Windows Vista (with OpenGL 1.5 or higher), Mac OSX (10.3.9 or higher)
*'''Trial version available?:''' 8 hour trial available for Sketchup Pro
*'''Supports user scripting?:''' Yes, Ruby
*'''Supports NURBS?''' No
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?:''' No
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' No

Since before Google bought the company that made SketchUp, the program was designed with a very specific aim: fast, easy to use architectural rendering and other similar conceptual art. While a cool program in and of itself, it's not particularly designed for organic shapes. The texturing and materials tools are about as basic as those found in the Second Life build tools and export to other formats like OBJ is limited to the paid Pro version.

'''Resources'''

=== MilkShape 3D ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.milkshape3d.com/ www.milkshape3d.com]
*'''Cost:''' US$25 / €25
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows
*'''Trial version available?''' 30-day unrestricted trial, save disabled thereafter until registered
*'''Supports user scripting?''' Plug-in SDK available (Does that count?)
*'''Supports NURBS?''' No
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?''' No
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support:''' Import/Export plugin under development

'''Resources''' 
: See the '''Tutorials''' and '''Links''' sections on the [http://www.milkshape3d.com/ MilkShape website]

=== POV Ray ===

*'''Website:''' http://povray.org
*'''Cost:''' FREE
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows/Linux/Mac
*'''Trial version available?'''
*'''Supports user scripting?'''
*'''Supports NURBS?''' No
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?''' Yes
*'''Current 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 which make up the model.

=== Hexagon 2 (DAZ Productions) ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.daz3d.com/i.x/software/hexagon/-/? Hexagon product page]
*'''Cost:''' Full version: $149, "Crossgrade" from other DAZ software: $79, Upgrade: $49
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows 2000/XP, Max OSX 10.2 or higher
*'''Trial version available?''' Yes, it's burried: go [http://www.daz3d.com/i.x/support/downloads/-/ here] and select Hexagon from the list.
*'''Supports user scripting?''' No
*'''Supports NURBS?''' No
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?''' No
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support:''' No

SL animators may have heard about (and perhaps been disappointed with) [http://www.daz3d.com/i.x/software/studio/-/? DAZ Studio], a competitor to Poser. Others may be familiar with [http://www.daz3d.com/i.x/software/bryce/-/? Bryce], a landscape creation tool with a much better reputation. Hexagon appears to be a spinoff of DAZ Studio and while it appears to be a perfectly capable 3d program by itself with polygon modeling subdivision modeling, sculpting tools, and is that 3d painting I see?, the absence in their feature list of either texture baking or any sort of user scripting or plugin interface could be a deal-breaker until something like a reliable .OBJ converter comes along.

== 3D File Formats ==

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

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

:*'''.3DS''': The default polygon export format supported by [[#3d_Studio_Max_.28Autodesk.29|3D Studio Max]]. Because of this, it is widely supported. However, it doesn'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 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NURBS NURBS] objects in some programs. Especially useful if you're trading files between 3DS Max and [[#Maya_.28Autodesk.2FWavefront.29|Maya]]; it's also supported in some other programs but [[#Blender|Blender]] isn't among them ...yet.

:*'''.3DM''': a.k.a [http://www.opennurbs.com OpenNURBS]. This is the native format of [[#Rhinoceros_Rhino_3D|Rhino3D]] and [[#Moment_of_Inspiration|MoI]] and, as the name suggests, is a [[Sculpted_Prims:_3d_Modeling_Glossary#NURBS_Modeling | 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 brave enough to try and write tools for it, such as [[#3dm2sculpt | 3dm2sculpt]].

== Other Resources ==

Useful places for anyone interested in 3d modeling:

* [http://www.3dbuzz.com 3d Buzz] - Forums, video tutorials and even classes covering everything from 3d programs to 3d programing and even Photoshop.

== See also ==

* [[Sculpted Prims|Sculpted Prims]]
* [[Sculpted Prims: FAQ|Sculpted Prims: FAQ]]
* [[Sculpt Textures in Paint Programs]]
* [[Sculpted_Prim_Explanation|Sculpted Prims: Under the Hood]]
* [[Sharing_sculpt_maps_and_textures|Sculpted Prims: Sharing Sculpt Maps and Textures]]
* [[Sculpted Prims Beta Discussion|Sculpted Prims Beta Discussion]]

[[Category:Sculpted Prims]]

Sculpted Prims: 3d Software Guide

2007-05-25T03:45:09Z

Darius Lehane:

{| align="right"
| __TOC__
|}

== About 3D Modeling Software ==

This page offers a comprehensive list of 3D modeling software for use with Sculpt Maps for [[Sculpted Prims]], along with a short explanation of popular 3D file formats and offline previewers. Each entry lists the software package's web site, operating system support, cost and trial versions if applicable, and the license.

;What Features are important for making Sculpted Prims?

Each software entry includes a rundown of features that are particularly useful for creating Sculpt Maps. Although support for these features isn't necessary in order to create Sculpt Maps, it can make the process a whole lot easier.

*'''User Scripting:''' A script interface is one of the easiest and fastest ways to add functionality to a program or to automate tasks the program is already capable of. Plugins and SDKs can do the same thing but may not be available.
*'''NURBS:''' NURBS stands for "[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NURBS Non Uniform Rational B-Splines]". It's an advanced modeling technique in which shapes are created by manipulating a series of curved splines. Compare this to [[Sculpted Prims Creators Guide#PolygonMesh|polygon modeling]], a more economical method of manipulating the faces, edges and vertices of a polygon mesh, which is frequently used for computer graphics. NURBS are very good at creating organic shapes and smooth curves and, according to Qarl Linden, they convert to sculpted prims much more easily than polygon meshes. (However with the flood of Resident solutions for creating sculpt prims in different programs, this distinction may turn out not to be relevant.)
*'''Built-in texture baking/generation:''' This term describes the ability to create/"render" textures and export them to image files. If this functionality is built into the software, it is available to user-generated scripts. For example, it allows manual export of Sculpt Maps with [[#Blender|Blender]] and [[#Lightwave_.28Newtek.29|Lightwave]]. It can also make it easier to create regular textures for your model; you can apply colors, patterns or just a template guide to your model and bake it out for upload or further detailing in a paint program.

;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 have no 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 system requirements on the software vendor's webpage for specific details.

== Offline Previewer Tools ==

Basic tools that can be used to preview what a sculpt texture will look like when uploaded into Second Life and rendered as a prim. All of these are made by other Residents and should generaly be considered beta or works in progress.

=== XNA Sculptpreview ===

*'''Creator''': [[user:Eddy Stryker | Eddy Stryker]]
*'''Link to get it''': [[User:Eddy_Stryker/XNA_Sculptpreview | XNA Sculptpreview]]
*'''Requires''': Windows XP SP2 or Windows Vista, along with the Microsoft XNA framework (see above link for details)
*'''Derivatives''': [http://mailerdaemon.home.comcast.net/SculptedPreview.zip XNA SculptPreview] - Modified version to include LOD and a more sensible camera configuration (and a bunch of other changes under the hood).

=== A Hacky Sculpt Previewer ===

*'''Creator''': [[user:Yumi Murakami | Yumi Murakami]]
*'''Link to get it''': [http://www.bijodesign.com/sculpt/SculptPreview.html Web Start Launcher], [http://www.bijodesign.com/sculpt/SculptPreview.jar Executable JAR file], [[Hacky Sculpt Previewer | Source Code]] (Java SDK required to run from the source).
*'''Requires''': [http://java.com/en/download/index.jsp Java Runtime Engine 1.6 or higher], [http://java.sun.com/products/java-media/3D/download.html Java 3d API] and any OS that will run them (Win, Mac and Linux are well covered). If installing or upgrading the JRE, be sure to do it before installing Java3d. The Web Start link above should be able to automatically install any needed components. Note that it will attempt to automatically redirect your browser to a download page, so if nothing happens when you click on it, please check your security settings will allow this.

== Online (In-Game) Previewer Tools ==

Tools that can be used to view in Second Life what a sculpt will look like before the texture is uploaded.

=== Texture Wizard ===

*'''Website:''' [http://sl.infomyth.com/texturepreview/texturepreview.htm Infomyth.com]
*'''In-World:''' [http://slurl.com/secondlife/Horowitz/217/105/23/ Horowitz]
*'''Cost:''' L$399 (about $1.80 U.S.)
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows XP

Works using the media texture on your land (you must own or rent land to use it) using Quicktime, the way an in-game TV does. Saving a .bmp, .jpg or .psd file will automatically update the image in-game. You can see your changes live on a prim. Avoids uploads until you are done (you must still upload for a permanent version). Also works just as a regular texture previewer.

== Resident-made Sculpt Creation Tools ==

These programs aren't full-fledged 3d modeling programs nor do they integrate with such programs (those get listed with their respective software below) but Residents have made these stand-alone tools specificly for creating sculpt textures. As with the previewers above, consider them works in progress.

=== ROKURO -Sculpted Prim Maker ===

*'''Creator:'''[[User:Yuzuru Jewell | Yuzuru Jewell]]
*'''Link to get it:''' http://kanae.net/secondlife/
*'''Requires:''' Windows (OSX port in development)

Rokuro translates from Japanese as "lathe" and that's basically what this is: a standalone version of the lathe tool found in many 3d modeling programs that saves directly to sculpt maps. You draw a line in 2d by editing the various points and the program effectively spins that line around an axis to create the 3d object. Cylinders and polygonal prisms are both possible. Obviously limited to things you can create with this method so far, but easy for anyone to pick up and use and more features are still being added. Created by resident Yuzuru Jewell...arigato!

'''Resources''' 
http://forums.secondlife.com/showthread.php?t=184264

=== 3dm2sculpt ===
*'''Creator:''' [[User:Cindy Crabgrass | Cindy Crabgrass]]
*'''Link to get it:''' [[3dm2sculpt|3dm2sculpt]]
*'''Requires:''' Windows

A command-line utility that reads an [[#3D_File_Formats | OpenNURBS]] .3dm file and generates a .tga sculpt texture from it. Still in need of a lot of testing but potentialy very usefull for any program that supports this format.

=== obj2sculpt ===
*'''Creator:''' [[User:Cindy Crabgrass | Cindy Crabgrass]]
*'''Link to get it:''' http://forums.secondlife.com/showpost.php?p=1505114&postcount=14
*'''Requires:''' Windows

A command-line utility that reads a Wavefront Style .obj file and generates a .tga sculpt texture from it. Still in need of a lot of testing but potentialy very usefull for any program that supports this format.

=== sculpty.php ===
*'''Creator:''' [[User:nand Nerd | nand Nerd]]
*'''Link to get it:''' http://www.nandnerd.info/sculpty.php
*'''Requires:''' Browser

A web-based series of tools, still rather primitive but constantly updating. Currently implemented are revolve and z,r revolve which both take a series of values (radii and z-pos,radii values respectively) and rotate them around the z-axis.

== Free 3D Modeling Software ==

=== Blender ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.blender.org blender.org]
*'''License:''' [http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html GPL]
*'''Operating Systems''': Cross-platform (Windows, Mac, Linux, Irix, Solaris, FreeBSD and others)
*'''Supports user scripting?:''' Yes, Python
*'''Supports NURBS?:''' Yes
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?:''' Yes
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' Development in progress by SL residents. Also, people have figured out how to get Blender to generate sculpt maps as you work, without needing a script! The process is documented [http://amandalevitsky.googlepages.com/sculptedprims here], and [http://www.bentha.net/sculpted2/Blender-to-sculpted.html here]

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

'''Resources'''
* [http://www.blender.org/tutorials-help/ Blender.org Documentation and Tutorials]
* [http://amandalevitsky.googlepages.com/sculptedprims How to Make Sculpted Prims with Blender]
* [http://www.bentha.net/sculpted-tuto/Blender-export-template-tut.html A template file to start with and export easy]
* [http://blendernewbies.blogspot.com/2007/04/video-oven-baked-pretzels-in-blender-3d.html Oven Baked Pretzels @ BlenderNewbies.com] - A video tutorial that covers the basics of Blender's new sculpt mode, useful if you're creating sculpties using the above manual method.
* [http://www.bentha.net/sculpted2/Blender-to-sculpted.html An almost complete method] to export almost anything from blender
* [http://forums.secondlife.com/showthread.php?t=110607 Offline Prim Builder] for standard prims (Secondlife.com login required)

=== Art of Illusion ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.artofillusion.org artofillusion.org]
*'''License:''' [http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html GPL]
*'''Operating Systems:''' Any OS that will run Java (requires Java Runtime Environment 1.4 or later)
*'''Supports user scripting?:''' Yes, Java via [http://www.beanshell.org/ Beanshell]
*'''Supports NURBS?''' Yes
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?:''' ???
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' No

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

'''Resources'''
*[http://www.artofillusion.org/documentation AoI Documentation]

=== Moment of Inspiration ===

*'''Website:''' [http://moi3d.com/ Moment of Inspiration]
*'''License:''' Open beta testing/freeware
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows 2000/XP/Vista
*'''Supports user scripting?:''' ?
*'''Supports NURBS?''' Yes
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?:''' ?
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' Yes, try [[3dm2sculpt]]

This program has some cool things going for it. It's the work of a former [[#Rhino_3D | Rhino]] developer and has an interface that pretty much lets you draw shapes with the mouse or a pen tablet. Documentation on the website is sparse however and being in beta means there will be kinks.

It should be noted that MoI will become a commercial product when it leaves beta testing (expected later this summer), but it will still be comparatively inexpensive; the estimated cost is between US$200-$100.

'''Resources'''
* [http://moi3d.com/forum/ Moment of Inspiration Forums]
* [http://mefeedia.com/tags/momentofinspiration/ Video Tutorials]

=== Ayam ===

*'''Website:''' [http://ayam.sourceforge.net/ Ayam]
*'''License:''' [http://www.opensource.org/licenses/bsd-license.html BSD license]
*'''Operating Systems:''' Unix/Linux (native), Windows 98, 2000 and XP, Mac OSX (with X11)
*'''Supports user scripting?:''' Yes, tcl
*'''Supports NURBS?''' Yes (NURBS modeling only; polygon meshes can be imported)
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?:''' No
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' No

'''Resources'''
* [http://ayam.sourceforge.net/docs.html Ayam Documentation page]

=== Wings 3D ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.wings3d.com Wings 3D]
*'''License:'''[http://www.opensource.org/licenses/bsd-license.html BSD license]
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows, Mac OSX, Linux (binaries), other Unixes (source only)
*'''Supports user scripting?:''' ? (Plugin interface avalible)
*'''Supports NURBS?''' No
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?:''' ?
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' Yes. Wings 3D is the easiest way to get started making scultpties. See the first post in this [http://forums.secondlife.com/showthread.php?t=183764 forum thread]for instructions on getting set up.

Wings3D is a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subdivision_surface subdivision] modeler and has the advantage of being fairly easy to learn and is well suited to making sculpted prims. Documentation is sparse, but there are many tutorials on the Web.

'''Resources'''
*[http://sourceforge.net/project/downloading.php?groupname=wings&filename=wings3d_manual1.6.1.pdf&use_mirror=internap Wings User Manual] (Sourceforge, PDF)

== Professional 3D Suites ==

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

* '''Don't''' post links to downloads of pirated software or directions/tools to crack trial software. They'll be deleted.

* '''Don't''' ask in a public forum where you can download pirated software.

* '''Don't''' be fooled by online retailers selling "cheap OEM" copies of software online. None of these programs come in OEM (original equipment manufacturer, or anyone who makes computer hardware and bundles software with them) versions. Many companies such as Autodesk only sell their software through authorized retailers. These too good to be true offers are just that: crooks trying to get you to pay them money for pirated software. (ed.: Trust me: I've fallen for it before and now know better).

* '''Do''' be aware that downloading pirated software is a good way to end up with malware on your system such as trojans and keyloggers.

That said, here are some of the legal options you can look for:

* '''Educational Licenses''': If you're a student or know one willing to help you, you can usually get a significant discount on most of these programs. The downside is that many educational licenses say you're not supposed to use the program for commercial purposes.
* '''Annual Licenses''': Many of the same educational vendors also offer an option to buy a one or two year license to the full version of the program, sometimes for as little as $200 or less. Even over the course of several years, this could be the most economical option and you won't be crippled by the terms of an educational license.
* '''Subscriptions''': If you already own the software, some companies, particularly Autodesk, offer subscriptions that can get you access to extra new features and deals on upgrades.
* '''Trials''': Most 3d software has a demo or a "learning edition" that you can download from the software maker and try on your system. They will be either time or feature limited but this is a good way to get your feet wet.

So with that out of the way, the list...

=== Amorphium ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.eitechnologygroup.com/products/amorphium Electric Image Amorphium]
*'''Cost:''' US$79 ("Standard")
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows, Mac (UB)
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes
*'''Supports user scripting?:''' Yes
*'''Supports NURBS?''' Yes (controllable with pen-tablet)
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?:''' 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)

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

'''Resources'''

=== Maya (Autodesk/Wavefront) ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.autodesk.com/maya Autodesk Maya]
*'''Cost:''' US$3000 ("Complete") - US$7000 ("Unlimited"). ("Complete" version sufficient for creating sculpted prims.) Educational licence: US$300
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows XP SP2, Max OSx 10.4, Linux (SUSE, RedHat and Fedora supported)
*'''Trial version available?:''' "Personal Learning Edition", no time limit but not usable for creating sculpted prims (sculpt textures ruined by watermark)
*'''Supports user scripting?:''' Yes, MEL Script
*'''Supports NURBS?''' Yes
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?:''' Yes
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' Yes, script by Qarl Linden available on their wiki [[LlSculpt mel|here]], instructions [[Sculpted_Prims:_FAQ#MayaExporter|here]].

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

'''Resources'''

[http://webpages.charter.net/talilal/Balloon%20Tutorial/ Maya Sculpt Tutorial] by Talila Liu

=== 3d Studio Max (Autodesk) ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.autodesk.com/3dsmax Autodesk 3ds Max]
*'''Cost:''' US$3495. Educational License: ~US$200. Subscription: ~US$500/year.
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows 2000/XP, Windows Vista (with version 9.1)
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes, 30-day demo, full features
*'''Supports user scripting?:''' Yes, MAX Script/plugins
*'''Supports NURBS?''' Yes
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?:''' Yes (version 8 and higher)
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' 3 methods in development:
** [http://www.joe-brown.net/SecondLife/SculptTut/SculptTut.html Method 1] by Gearsawe Stonecutter, uses a premade template file.
** [http://forums.secondlife.com/showthread.php?t=182461 Method 2] by Abu Nasu, uses a shader and is capable of handling arbitrary shapes but requires Max 8 or higher. [http://forums.secondlife.com/showpost.php?p=1505984&postcount=46 Download the Materials file here]. Tutorial coming soon.
** [http://forums.secondlife.com/showthread.php?t=185426 Method 3] by Shack Dougall, is a vertex-based method using MAXScript and preset geometry as a starting point. Tested on 3dsMax 9.

Formerly Maya's main competitor, especially in the game industry. Then Autodesk (the makers of Max) bought out Alias (the makers of Maya) a couple years ago. So far the company is developing both products separately, marketing Maya at the movie industry and Max at the game developers, but they have long had comparable feature sets, and in the future it's likely that there will be tighter integration between the two. A choice between Maya and Max generaly 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'''

=== Zbrush (Pixologic) ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.pixologic.com/zbrush/products/products.php Pixologic :: Zbrush]
*'''Cost:''' US$489
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows 98/2000/ZP, Mac OSX
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes, 30-day time limit
*'''Supports user scripting?:''' Yes, Zscripting
*'''Supports NURBS?''' No
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?:''' Yes
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' No, future support is planned by Linden Lab

Zbrush pretty new and a bit unique. It's a 3d painting and sculpting tool; instead of manipulating polys or curves, you select a brush and literally ''paint'' and chisel and mold...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 [http://www.epicgames.com/ Epic Games] use it to create the details for their normal maps and some SL designers are already using it for the 3d painting capabilities.

'''Resources'''
* [http://www.pixologic.com/zbrush/education/documentation/guides.php Zbrush Documentation]
* [http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/index.php ZbrushCentral - Official Forums and Online Community]

=== Lightwave (Newtek)===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.newtek.com/lightwave/ Lightwave]
*'''Cost:''' US$795
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows XP, Mac OSX 10.3.9 or higher
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes, 30 day time limit
*'''Supports user scripting?:''' Yes, LScript
*'''Supports NURBS?''' Yes, with LWCAD 2.1 add-on (costs extra)
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?:''' Yes
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' Yes, manual method instructions here: [[User:Patchouli_Woollahra/Lightwave_Sculptie_Rendering]]

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

'''Resources'''

=== Rhinoceros (McNeel) ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.rhino3d.com Rhino 3D]
*'''Cost:''' US$995
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows 2000/XP/Vista (Vista not recommended due to OpenGL issues)
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes, save count limited
*'''Supports user scripting?:''' Yes, VBScript
*'''Supports NURBS?''' Yes (limited polygon functions)
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?:''' No
*'''Current 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 brief trial with it, it handles certain operations (like joining 2 or more objects) somewhat more intelligently than 3ds Max. A couple UI tricks make the learning curve much less steep than the sea of buttons you're initially presented with: a help window to one side explains each operation as you select it and 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 or menu option is.

'''Resources'''

=== trueSpace (Caligari) ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.caligari.com Caligari]
*'''Cost:''' US$595 for latest version (7), but legacy versions are sold for lower prices ($199 for TrueSpace 5)
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows XP/Vista
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes, prior version of the program
*'''Supports user scripting?:''' Yes
*'''Supports NURBS?''' Yes
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?:''' Yes
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' No

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

'''Resources'''

[http://forms.caligari.com/forms/ts3all_free.html trueSpace3.2 Full Version (very old) for Free]

=== Softimage XSI (Avid) ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.softimage.com/products/xsi/ Softimage XSI]
*'''Cost:''' US$495 ("Foundation") - US$6995 ("Advanced")
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows XP SP2/64 bit
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes, 30 day trial with full features, free "Mod Tool" supported by [http://www.valvesoftware.com/ Valve] with limited features (watermarks images).
*'''Supports user scripting?:''' Yes, Python, COLLADA and C#
*'''Supports NURBS?''' Yes
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?:''' Yes
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' No

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 their client list includes everything from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half-Life_2 Half-Life] to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howl's_Moving_Castle_(film) Howl's Moving Castle]. Pluses? It's one of the few commercial programs that uses non-proprietary languages for their scripting...yes, I said languages, because apparently you have a choice between several. However it's unlikely that it has a significant user base within the SL community at the moment.

'''Resources'''

=== Modo 203 (Luxology)===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.luxology.com/ Luxology Home]
*'''Cost:''' US$895 professional, $149 Educational, $99 "Good Student" price. Download a trial version then wait 1-2 weeks and you'll receive a voucher dropping professional price to US$695.
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows, Mac
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes
*'''Supports user scripting?:''' Yes
*'''Supports NURBS?''' No
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?:''' Yes
*'''Current 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 modeling and painting toolset, ideal for creating models for Second Life.

'''Resources'''
* Lovecraft Forest Testbed [http://www.rabbitroo.com/SL/SLtest4.lxo SLtest4.lxo]
* Lovecraft Forest Usage Instructions: [http://www.lovecraftforest.com/blog/2007/05/17/sculpted-prims-in-modo-part-ii/ Blog Post]

=== Mudbox (Skymatter) ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.mudbox3d.com/ Mudbox]
*'''Cost:''' US$299 ("Basic") - US$649 ("Professional")
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows XP SP2, Atm untested on x64 or Vista
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes, 15 days trial fully functional.
*'''Supports user scripting?:''' No
*'''Supports NURBS?''' No
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?:''' Yes
*'''Current 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 brushes like 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 used be many 3D professionals and studios like WETA Digital and some artists at Raven Software and id Software.

'''Resources'''

=== Carrara (Daz) ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.daz3d.com/ Daz]
*'''Cost:''' US$249 ("Standard") - US$549 ("Professional")
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows, Mac (UB)
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes
*'''Supports user scripting?:''' Yes (plugin development, no scripting)
*'''Supports NURBS?''' No
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?:''' No (Yes with third party plug from [http://www.inagoni.com/content.php?content.3/ Inagoni]
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' No

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, but Daz 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'''

== Other 3d Programs ==

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

=== Google Sketchup ===

*'''Website:''' [http://sketchup.google.com/ Google Sketchup]
*'''Cost:''' Free (Google Sketchup 6)/$495 (Google Sketchup 6 Pro)/$45 (Educational/Student Price)
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows XP/2000, Windows Vista (with OpenGL 1.5 or higher), Mac OSX (10.3.9 or higher)
*'''Trial version available?:''' 8 hour trial available for Sketchup Pro
*'''Supports user scripting?:''' Yes, Ruby
*'''Supports NURBS?''' No
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?:''' No
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' No

Since before Google bought the company that made SketchUp, the program was designed with a very specific aim: fast, easy to use architectural rendering and other similar conceptual art. While a cool program in and of itself, it's not particularly designed for organic shapes. The texturing and materials tools are about as basic as those found in the Second Life build tools and export to other formats like OBJ is limited to the paid Pro version.

'''Resources'''

=== MilkShape 3D ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.milkshape3d.com/ www.milkshape3d.com]
*'''Cost:''' US$25 / €25
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows
*'''Trial version available?''' 30-day unrestricted trial, save disabled thereafter until registered
*'''Supports user scripting?''' Plug-in SDK available (Does that count?)
*'''Supports NURBS?''' No
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?''' No
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support:''' Import/Export plugin under development

'''Resources''' 
: See the '''Tutorials''' and '''Links''' sections on the [http://www.milkshape3d.com/ MilkShape website]

=== POV Ray ===

*'''Website:''' http://povray.org
*'''Cost:''' FREE
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows/Linux/Mac
*'''Trial version available?'''
*'''Supports user scripting?'''
*'''Supports NURBS?''' No
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?''' Yes
*'''Current 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 which make up the model.

=== Hexagon 2 (DAZ Productions) ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.daz3d.com/i.x/software/hexagon/-/? Hexagon product page]
*'''Cost:''' Full version: $149, "Crossgrade" from other DAZ software: $79, Upgrade: $49
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows 2000/XP, Max OSX 10.2 or higher
*'''Trial version available?''' Yes, it's burried: go [http://www.daz3d.com/i.x/support/downloads/-/ here] and select Hexagon from the list.
*'''Supports user scripting?''' No
*'''Supports NURBS?''' No
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?''' No
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support:''' No

SL animators may have heard about (and perhaps been disappointed with) [http://www.daz3d.com/i.x/software/studio/-/? DAZ Studio], a competitor to Poser. Others may be familiar with [http://www.daz3d.com/i.x/software/bryce/-/? Bryce], a landscape creation tool with a much better reputation. Hexagon appears to be a spinoff of DAZ Studio and while it appears to be a perfectly capable 3d program by itself with polygon modeling subdivision modeling, sculpting tools, and is that 3d painting I see?, the absence in their feature list of either texture baking or any sort of user scripting or plugin interface could be a deal-breaker until something like a reliable .OBJ converter comes along.

== 3D File Formats ==

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

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

:*'''.3DS''': The default polygon export format supported by [[#3d_Studio_Max_.28Autodesk.29|3D Studio Max]]. Because of this, it is widely supported. However, it doesn'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 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NURBS NURBS] objects in some programs. Especially useful if you're trading files between 3DS Max and [[#Maya_.28Autodesk.2FWavefront.29|Maya]]; it's also supported in some other programs but [[#Blender|Blender]] isn't among them ...yet.

:*'''.3DM''': a.k.a [http://www.opennurbs.com OpenNURBS]. This is the native format of [[#Rhinoceros_Rhino_3D|Rhino3D]] and [[#Moment_of_Inspiration|MoI]] and, as the name suggests, is a [[Sculpted_Prims:_3d_Modeling_Glossary#NURBS_Modeling | 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 brave enough to try and write tools for it, such as [[#3dm2sculpt | 3dm2sculpt]].

== Other Resources ==

Useful places for anyone interested in 3d modeling:

* [http://www.3dbuzz.com 3d Buzz] - Forums, video tutorials and even classes covering everything from 3d programs to 3d programing and even Photoshop.

== See also ==

* [[Sculpted Prims|Sculpted Prims]]
* [[Sculpted Prims: FAQ|Sculpted Prims: FAQ]]
* [[Sculpt Textures in Paint Programs]]
* [[Sculpted_Prim_Explanation|Sculpted Prims: Under the Hood]]
* [[Sharing_sculpt_maps_and_textures|Sculpted Prims: Sharing Sculpt Maps and Textures]]
* [[Sculpted Prims Beta Discussion|Sculpted Prims Beta Discussion]]

[[Category:Sculpted Prims]]

Sculpted Prims: 3d Software Guide

2007-05-25T03:23:29Z

Darius Lehane:

{| align="right"
| __TOC__
|}

== About 3D Modeling Software ==

This page offers a comprehensive list of 3D modeling software for use with Sculpt Maps for [[Sculpted Prims]], along with a short explanation of popular 3D file formats and offline previewers. Each entry lists the software package's web site, operating system support, cost and trial versions if applicable, and the license.

;What Features are important for making Sculpted Prims?

Each software entry includes a rundown of features that are particularly useful for creating Sculpt Maps. Although support for these features isn't necessary in order to create Sculpt Maps, it can make the process a whole lot easier.

*'''User Scripting:''' A script interface is one of the easiest and fastest ways to add functionality to a program or to automate tasks the program is already capable of. Plugins and SDKs can do the same thing but may not be available.
*'''NURBS:''' NURBS stands for "[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NURBS Non Uniform Rational B-Splines]". It's an advanced modeling technique in which shapes are created by manipulating a series of curved splines. Compare this to [[Sculpted Prims Creators Guide#PolygonMesh|polygon modeling]], a more economical method of manipulating the faces, edges and vertices of a polygon mesh, which is frequently used for computer graphics. NURBS are very good at creating organic shapes and smooth curves and, according to Qarl Linden, they convert to sculpted prims much more easily than polygon meshes. (However with the flood of Resident solutions for creating sculpt prims in different programs, this distinction may turn out not to be relevant.)
*'''Built-in texture baking/generation:''' This term describes the ability to create/"render" textures and export them to image files. If this functionality is built into the software, it is available to user-generated scripts. For example, it allows manual export of Sculpt Maps with [[#Blender|Blender]] and [[#Lightwave_.28Newtek.29|Lightwave]]. It can also make it easier to create regular textures for your model; you can apply colors, patterns or just a template guide to your model and bake it out for upload or further detailing in a paint program.

;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 have no 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 system requirements on the software vendor's webpage for specific details.

== Offline Previewer Tools ==

Basic tools that can be used to preview what a sculpt texture will look like when uploaded into Second Life and rendered as a prim. All of these are made by other Residents and should generaly be considered beta or works in progress.

=== XNA Sculptpreview ===

*'''Creator''': [[user:Eddy Stryker | Eddy Stryker]]
*'''Link to get it''': [[User:Eddy_Stryker/XNA_Sculptpreview | XNA Sculptpreview]]
*'''Requires''': Windows XP SP2 or Windows Vista, along with the Microsoft XNA framework (see above link for details)
*'''Derivatives''': [http://mailerdaemon.home.comcast.net/SculptedPreview.zip XNA SculptPreview] - Modified version to include LOD and a more sensible camera configuration (and a bunch of other changes under the hood).

=== A Hacky Sculpt Previewer ===

*'''Creator''': [[user:Yumi Murakami | Yumi Murakami]]
*'''Link to get it''': [http://www.bijodesign.com/sculpt/SculptPreview.html Web Start Launcher], [http://www.bijodesign.com/sculpt/SculptPreview.jar Executable JAR file], [[Hacky Sculpt Previewer | Source Code]] (Java SDK required to run from the source).
*'''Requires''': [http://java.com/en/download/index.jsp Java Runtime Engine 1.6 or higher], [http://java.sun.com/products/java-media/3D/download.html Java 3d API] and any OS that will run them (Win, Mac and Linux are well covered). If installing or upgrading the JRE, be sure to do it before installing Java3d. The Web Start link above should be able to automatically install any needed components. Note that it will attempt to automatically redirect your browser to a download page, so if nothing happens when you click on it, please check your security settings will allow this.

== Online (In-Game) Previewer Tools ==

Tools that can be used to view in Second Life what a sculpt will look like before the texture is uploaded.

=== Texture Wizard ===

*'''Website:''' [http://sl.infomyth.com/texturepreview/texturepreview.htm Infomyth.com]
*'''Cost:''' L$399 (about $1.80 U.S.)
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows XP

Works using the media texture on your land (you must own or rent land to use it) using Quicktime, the way an in-game TV does. Saving a .bmp, .jpg or .psd file will automatically update the image in-game. You can see your changes live on a prim. Avoids uploads until you are done (you must still upload for a permanent version). Also works just as a regular texture previewer.

== Resident-made Sculpt Creation Tools ==

These programs aren't full-fledged 3d modeling programs nor do they integrate with such programs (those get listed with their respective software below) but Residents have made these stand-alone tools specificly for creating sculpt textures. As with the previewers above, consider them works in progress.

=== ROKURO -Sculpted Prim Maker ===

*'''Creator:'''[[User:Yuzuru Jewell | Yuzuru Jewell]]
*'''Link to get it:''' http://kanae.net/secondlife/
*'''Requires:''' Windows (OSX port in development)

Rokuro translates from Japanese as "lathe" and that's basically what this is: a standalone version of the lathe tool found in many 3d modeling programs that saves directly to sculpt maps. You draw a line in 2d by editing the various points and the program effectively spins that line around an axis to create the 3d object. Cylinders and polygonal prisms are both possible. Obviously limited to things you can create with this method so far, but easy for anyone to pick up and use and more features are still being added. Created by resident Yuzuru Jewell...arigato!

'''Resources''' 
http://forums.secondlife.com/showthread.php?t=184264

=== 3dm2sculpt ===
*'''Creator:''' [[User:Cindy Crabgrass | Cindy Crabgrass]]
*'''Link to get it:''' [[3dm2sculpt|3dm2sculpt]]
*'''Requires:''' Windows

A command-line utility that reads an [[#3D_File_Formats | OpenNURBS]] .3dm file and generates a .tga sculpt texture from it. Still in need of a lot of testing but potentialy very usefull for any program that supports this format.

=== obj2sculpt ===
*'''Creator:''' [[User:Cindy Crabgrass | Cindy Crabgrass]]
*'''Link to get it:''' http://forums.secondlife.com/showpost.php?p=1505114&postcount=14
*'''Requires:''' Windows

A command-line utility that reads a Wavefront Style .obj file and generates a .tga sculpt texture from it. Still in need of a lot of testing but potentialy very usefull for any program that supports this format.

=== sculpty.php ===
*'''Creator:''' [[User:nand Nerd | nand Nerd]]
*'''Link to get it:''' http://www.nandnerd.info/sculpty.php
*'''Requires:''' Browser

A web-based series of tools, still rather primitive but constantly updating. Currently implemented are revolve and z,r revolve which both take a series of values (radii and z-pos,radii values respectively) and rotate them around the z-axis.

== Free 3D Modeling Software ==

=== Blender ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.blender.org blender.org]
*'''License:''' [http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html GPL]
*'''Operating Systems''': Cross-platform (Windows, Mac, Linux, Irix, Solaris, FreeBSD and others)
*'''Supports user scripting?:''' Yes, Python
*'''Supports NURBS?:''' Yes
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?:''' Yes
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' Development in progress by SL residents. Also, people have figured out how to get Blender to generate sculpt maps as you work, without needing a script! The process is documented [http://amandalevitsky.googlepages.com/sculptedprims here], and [http://www.bentha.net/sculpted2/Blender-to-sculpted.html here]

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

'''Resources'''
* [http://www.blender.org/tutorials-help/ Blender.org Documentation and Tutorials]
* [http://amandalevitsky.googlepages.com/sculptedprims How to Make Sculpted Prims with Blender]
* [http://www.bentha.net/sculpted-tuto/Blender-export-template-tut.html A template file to start with and export easy]
* [http://blendernewbies.blogspot.com/2007/04/video-oven-baked-pretzels-in-blender-3d.html Oven Baked Pretzels @ BlenderNewbies.com] - A video tutorial that covers the basics of Blender's new sculpt mode, useful if you're creating sculpties using the above manual method.
* [http://www.bentha.net/sculpted2/Blender-to-sculpted.html An almost complete method] to export almost anything from blender
* [http://forums.secondlife.com/showthread.php?t=110607 Offline Prim Builder] for standard prims (Secondlife.com login required)

=== Art of Illusion ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.artofillusion.org artofillusion.org]
*'''License:''' [http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html GPL]
*'''Operating Systems:''' Any OS that will run Java (requires Java Runtime Environment 1.4 or later)
*'''Supports user scripting?:''' Yes, Java via [http://www.beanshell.org/ Beanshell]
*'''Supports NURBS?''' Yes
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?:''' ???
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' No

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

'''Resources'''
*[http://www.artofillusion.org/documentation AoI Documentation]

=== Moment of Inspiration ===

*'''Website:''' [http://moi3d.com/ Moment of Inspiration]
*'''License:''' Open beta testing/freeware
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows 2000/XP/Vista
*'''Supports user scripting?:''' ?
*'''Supports NURBS?''' Yes
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?:''' ?
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' Yes, try [[3dm2sculpt]]

This program has some cool things going for it. It's the work of a former [[#Rhino_3D | Rhino]] developer and has an interface that pretty much lets you draw shapes with the mouse or a pen tablet. Documentation on the website is sparse however and being in beta means there will be kinks.

It should be noted that MoI will become a commercial product when it leaves beta testing (expected later this summer), but it will still be comparatively inexpensive; the estimated cost is between US$200-$100.

'''Resources'''
* [http://moi3d.com/forum/ Moment of Inspiration Forums]
* [http://mefeedia.com/tags/momentofinspiration/ Video Tutorials]

=== Ayam ===

*'''Website:''' [http://ayam.sourceforge.net/ Ayam]
*'''License:''' [http://www.opensource.org/licenses/bsd-license.html BSD license]
*'''Operating Systems:''' Unix/Linux (native), Windows 98, 2000 and XP, Mac OSX (with X11)
*'''Supports user scripting?:''' Yes, tcl
*'''Supports NURBS?''' Yes (NURBS modeling only; polygon meshes can be imported)
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?:''' No
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' No

'''Resources'''
* [http://ayam.sourceforge.net/docs.html Ayam Documentation page]

=== Wings 3D ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.wings3d.com Wings 3D]
*'''License:'''[http://www.opensource.org/licenses/bsd-license.html BSD license]
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows, Mac OSX, Linux (binaries), other Unixes (source only)
*'''Supports user scripting?:''' ? (Plugin interface avalible)
*'''Supports NURBS?''' No
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?:''' ?
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' Yes. Wings 3D is the easiest way to get started making scultpties. See the first post in this [http://forums.secondlife.com/showthread.php?t=183764 forum thread]for instructions on getting set up.

Wings3D is a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subdivision_surface subdivision] modeler and has the advantage of being fairly easy to learn and is well suited to making sculpted prims. Documentation is sparse, but there are many tutorials on the Web.

'''Resources'''
*[http://sourceforge.net/project/downloading.php?groupname=wings&filename=wings3d_manual1.6.1.pdf&use_mirror=internap Wings User Manual] (Sourceforge, PDF)

== Professional 3D Suites ==

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

* '''Don't''' post links to downloads of pirated software or directions/tools to crack trial software. They'll be deleted.

* '''Don't''' ask in a public forum where you can download pirated software.

* '''Don't''' be fooled by online retailers selling "cheap OEM" copies of software online. None of these programs come in OEM (original equipment manufacturer, or anyone who makes computer hardware and bundles software with them) versions. Many companies such as Autodesk only sell their software through authorized retailers. These too good to be true offers are just that: crooks trying to get you to pay them money for pirated software. (ed.: Trust me: I've fallen for it before and now know better).

* '''Do''' be aware that downloading pirated software is a good way to end up with malware on your system such as trojans and keyloggers.

That said, here are some of the legal options you can look for:

* '''Educational Licenses''': If you're a student or know one willing to help you, you can usually get a significant discount on most of these programs. The downside is that many educational licenses say you're not supposed to use the program for commercial purposes.
* '''Annual Licenses''': Many of the same educational vendors also offer an option to buy a one or two year license to the full version of the program, sometimes for as little as $200 or less. Even over the course of several years, this could be the most economical option and you won't be crippled by the terms of an educational license.
* '''Subscriptions''': If you already own the software, some companies, particularly Autodesk, offer subscriptions that can get you access to extra new features and deals on upgrades.
* '''Trials''': Most 3d software has a demo or a "learning edition" that you can download from the software maker and try on your system. They will be either time or feature limited but this is a good way to get your feet wet.

So with that out of the way, the list...

=== Amorphium ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.eitechnologygroup.com/products/amorphium Electric Image Amorphium]
*'''Cost:''' US$79 ("Standard")
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows, Mac (UB)
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes
*'''Supports user scripting?:''' Yes
*'''Supports NURBS?''' Yes (controllable with pen-tablet)
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?:''' 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)

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

'''Resources'''

=== Maya (Autodesk/Wavefront) ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.autodesk.com/maya Autodesk Maya]
*'''Cost:''' US$3000 ("Complete") - US$7000 ("Unlimited"). ("Complete" version sufficient for creating sculpted prims.) Educational licence: US$300
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows XP SP2, Max OSx 10.4, Linux (SUSE, RedHat and Fedora supported)
*'''Trial version available?:''' "Personal Learning Edition", no time limit but not usable for creating sculpted prims (sculpt textures ruined by watermark)
*'''Supports user scripting?:''' Yes, MEL Script
*'''Supports NURBS?''' Yes
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?:''' Yes
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' Yes, script by Qarl Linden available on their wiki [[LlSculpt mel|here]], instructions [[Sculpted_Prims:_FAQ#MayaExporter|here]].

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

'''Resources'''

[http://webpages.charter.net/talilal/Balloon%20Tutorial/ Maya Sculpt Tutorial] by Talila Liu

=== 3d Studio Max (Autodesk) ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.autodesk.com/3dsmax Autodesk 3ds Max]
*'''Cost:''' US$3495. Educational License: ~US$200. Subscription: ~US$500/year.
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows 2000/XP, Windows Vista (with version 9.1)
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes, 30-day demo, full features
*'''Supports user scripting?:''' Yes, MAX Script/plugins
*'''Supports NURBS?''' Yes
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?:''' Yes (version 8 and higher)
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' 3 methods in development:
** [http://www.joe-brown.net/SecondLife/SculptTut/SculptTut.html Method 1] by Gearsawe Stonecutter, uses a premade template file.
** [http://forums.secondlife.com/showthread.php?t=182461 Method 2] by Abu Nasu, uses a shader and is capable of handling arbitrary shapes but requires Max 8 or higher. [http://forums.secondlife.com/showpost.php?p=1505984&postcount=46 Download the Materials file here]. Tutorial coming soon.
** [http://forums.secondlife.com/showthread.php?t=185426 Method 3] by Shack Dougall, is a vertex-based method using MAXScript and preset geometry as a starting point. Tested on 3dsMax 9.

Formerly Maya's main competitor, especially in the game industry. Then Autodesk (the makers of Max) bought out Alias (the makers of Maya) a couple years ago. So far the company is developing both products separately, marketing Maya at the movie industry and Max at the game developers, but they have long had comparable feature sets, and in the future it's likely that there will be tighter integration between the two. A choice between Maya and Max generaly 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'''

=== Zbrush (Pixologic) ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.pixologic.com/zbrush/products/products.php Pixologic :: Zbrush]
*'''Cost:''' US$489
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows 98/2000/ZP, Mac OSX
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes, 30-day time limit
*'''Supports user scripting?:''' Yes, Zscripting
*'''Supports NURBS?''' No
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?:''' Yes
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' No, future support is planned by Linden Lab

Zbrush pretty new and a bit unique. It's a 3d painting and sculpting tool; instead of manipulating polys or curves, you select a brush and literally ''paint'' and chisel and mold...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 [http://www.epicgames.com/ Epic Games] use it to create the details for their normal maps and some SL designers are already using it for the 3d painting capabilities.

'''Resources'''
* [http://www.pixologic.com/zbrush/education/documentation/guides.php Zbrush Documentation]
* [http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/index.php ZbrushCentral - Official Forums and Online Community]

=== Lightwave (Newtek)===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.newtek.com/lightwave/ Lightwave]
*'''Cost:''' US$795
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows XP, Mac OSX 10.3.9 or higher
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes, 30 day time limit
*'''Supports user scripting?:''' Yes, LScript
*'''Supports NURBS?''' Yes, with LWCAD 2.1 add-on (costs extra)
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?:''' Yes
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' Yes, manual method instructions here: [[User:Patchouli_Woollahra/Lightwave_Sculptie_Rendering]]

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

'''Resources'''

=== Rhinoceros (McNeel) ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.rhino3d.com Rhino 3D]
*'''Cost:''' US$995
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows 2000/XP/Vista (Vista not recommended due to OpenGL issues)
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes, save count limited
*'''Supports user scripting?:''' Yes, VBScript
*'''Supports NURBS?''' Yes (limited polygon functions)
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?:''' No
*'''Current 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 brief trial with it, it handles certain operations (like joining 2 or more objects) somewhat more intelligently than 3ds Max. A couple UI tricks make the learning curve much less steep than the sea of buttons you're initially presented with: a help window to one side explains each operation as you select it and 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 or menu option is.

'''Resources'''

=== trueSpace (Caligari) ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.caligari.com Caligari]
*'''Cost:''' US$595 for latest version (7), but legacy versions are sold for lower prices ($199 for TrueSpace 5)
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows XP/Vista
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes, prior version of the program
*'''Supports user scripting?:''' Yes
*'''Supports NURBS?''' Yes
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?:''' Yes
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' No

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

'''Resources'''

[http://forms.caligari.com/forms/ts3all_free.html trueSpace3.2 Full Version (very old) for Free]

=== Softimage XSI (Avid) ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.softimage.com/products/xsi/ Softimage XSI]
*'''Cost:''' US$495 ("Foundation") - US$6995 ("Advanced")
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows XP SP2/64 bit
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes, 30 day trial with full features, free "Mod Tool" supported by [http://www.valvesoftware.com/ Valve] with limited features (watermarks images).
*'''Supports user scripting?:''' Yes, Python, COLLADA and C#
*'''Supports NURBS?''' Yes
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?:''' Yes
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' No

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 their client list includes everything from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half-Life_2 Half-Life] to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howl's_Moving_Castle_(film) Howl's Moving Castle]. Pluses? It's one of the few commercial programs that uses non-proprietary languages for their scripting...yes, I said languages, because apparently you have a choice between several. However it's unlikely that it has a significant user base within the SL community at the moment.

'''Resources'''

=== Modo 203 (Luxology)===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.luxology.com/ Luxology Home]
*'''Cost:''' US$895 professional, $149 Educational, $99 "Good Student" price. Download a trial version then wait 1-2 weeks and you'll receive a voucher dropping professional price to US$695.
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows, Mac
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes
*'''Supports user scripting?:''' Yes
*'''Supports NURBS?''' No
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?:''' Yes
*'''Current 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 modeling and painting toolset, ideal for creating models for Second Life.

'''Resources'''
* Lovecraft Forest Testbed [http://www.rabbitroo.com/SL/SLtest4.lxo SLtest4.lxo]
* Lovecraft Forest Usage Instructions: [http://www.lovecraftforest.com/blog/2007/05/17/sculpted-prims-in-modo-part-ii/ Blog Post]

=== Mudbox (Skymatter) ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.mudbox3d.com/ Mudbox]
*'''Cost:''' US$299 ("Basic") - US$649 ("Professional")
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows XP SP2, Atm untested on x64 or Vista
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes, 15 days trial fully functional.
*'''Supports user scripting?:''' No
*'''Supports NURBS?''' No
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?:''' Yes
*'''Current 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 brushes like 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 used be many 3D professionals and studios like WETA Digital and some artists at Raven Software and id Software.

'''Resources'''

=== Carrara (Daz) ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.daz3d.com/ Daz]
*'''Cost:''' US$249 ("Standard") - US$549 ("Professional")
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows, Mac (UB)
*'''Trial version available?:''' Yes
*'''Supports user scripting?:''' Yes (plugin development, no scripting)
*'''Supports NURBS?''' No
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?:''' No (Yes with third party plug from [http://www.inagoni.com/content.php?content.3/ Inagoni]
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' No

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, but Daz 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'''

== Other 3d Programs ==

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

=== Google Sketchup ===

*'''Website:''' [http://sketchup.google.com/ Google Sketchup]
*'''Cost:''' Free (Google Sketchup 6)/$495 (Google Sketchup 6 Pro)/$45 (Educational/Student Price)
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows XP/2000, Windows Vista (with OpenGL 1.5 or higher), Mac OSX (10.3.9 or higher)
*'''Trial version available?:''' 8 hour trial available for Sketchup Pro
*'''Supports user scripting?:''' Yes, Ruby
*'''Supports NURBS?''' No
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?:''' No
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support?:''' No

Since before Google bought the company that made SketchUp, the program was designed with a very specific aim: fast, easy to use architectural rendering and other similar conceptual art. While a cool program in and of itself, it's not particularly designed for organic shapes. The texturing and materials tools are about as basic as those found in the Second Life build tools and export to other formats like OBJ is limited to the paid Pro version.

'''Resources'''

=== MilkShape 3D ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.milkshape3d.com/ www.milkshape3d.com]
*'''Cost:''' US$25 / €25
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows
*'''Trial version available?''' 30-day unrestricted trial, save disabled thereafter until registered
*'''Supports user scripting?''' Plug-in SDK available (Does that count?)
*'''Supports NURBS?''' No
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?''' No
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support:''' Import/Export plugin under development

'''Resources''' 
: See the '''Tutorials''' and '''Links''' sections on the [http://www.milkshape3d.com/ MilkShape website]

=== POV Ray ===

*'''Website:''' http://povray.org
*'''Cost:''' FREE
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows/Linux/Mac
*'''Trial version available?'''
*'''Supports user scripting?'''
*'''Supports NURBS?''' No
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?''' Yes
*'''Current 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 which make up the model.

=== Hexagon 2 (DAZ Productions) ===

*'''Website:''' [http://www.daz3d.com/i.x/software/hexagon/-/? Hexagon product page]
*'''Cost:''' Full version: $149, "Crossgrade" from other DAZ software: $79, Upgrade: $49
*'''Operating Systems:''' Windows 2000/XP, Max OSX 10.2 or higher
*'''Trial version available?''' Yes, it's burried: go [http://www.daz3d.com/i.x/support/downloads/-/ here] and select Hexagon from the list.
*'''Supports user scripting?''' No
*'''Supports NURBS?''' No
*'''Built-in Texture Baking/generation?''' No
*'''Current Sculpt Map Support:''' No

SL animators may have heard about (and perhaps been disappointed with) [http://www.daz3d.com/i.x/software/studio/-/? DAZ Studio], a competitor to Poser. Others may be familiar with [http://www.daz3d.com/i.x/software/bryce/-/? Bryce], a landscape creation tool with a much better reputation. Hexagon appears to be a spinoff of DAZ Studio and while it appears to be a perfectly capable 3d program by itself with polygon modeling subdivision modeling, sculpting tools, and is that 3d painting I see?, the absence in their feature list of either texture baking or any sort of user scripting or plugin interface could be a deal-breaker until something like a reliable .OBJ converter comes along.

== 3D File Formats ==

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

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

:*'''.3DS''': The default polygon export format supported by [[#3d_Studio_Max_.28Autodesk.29|3D Studio Max]]. Because of this, it is widely supported. However, it doesn'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 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NURBS NURBS] objects in some programs. Especially useful if you're trading files between 3DS Max and [[#Maya_.28Autodesk.2FWavefront.29|Maya]]; it's also supported in some other programs but [[#Blender|Blender]] isn't among them ...yet.

:*'''.3DM''': a.k.a [http://www.opennurbs.com OpenNURBS]. This is the native format of [[#Rhinoceros_Rhino_3D|Rhino3D]] and [[#Moment_of_Inspiration|MoI]] and, as the name suggests, is a [[Sculpted_Prims:_3d_Modeling_Glossary#NURBS_Modeling | 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 brave enough to try and write tools for it, such as [[#3dm2sculpt | 3dm2sculpt]].

== Other Resources ==

Useful places for anyone interested in 3d modeling:

* [http://www.3dbuzz.com 3d Buzz] - Forums, video tutorials and even classes covering everything from 3d programs to 3d programing and even Photoshop.

== See also ==

* [[Sculpted Prims|Sculpted Prims]]
* [[Sculpted Prims: FAQ|Sculpted Prims: FAQ]]
* [[Sculpt Textures in Paint Programs]]
* [[Sculpted_Prim_Explanation|Sculpted Prims: Under the Hood]]
* [[Sharing_sculpt_maps_and_textures|Sculpted Prims: Sharing Sculpt Maps and Textures]]
* [[Sculpted Prims Beta Discussion|Sculpted Prims Beta Discussion]]

[[Category:Sculpted Prims]]