REVIEWS - Autodesk Mudbox 2010 [OLD VERSION]

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Product FeatureMudbox 2010 is a premier digital sculpting and●

texture painting solution ideal for 3D/2D artists,fine artists, web and multimedia professionals,traditional sculptors, studentsBecome productive in hours with the intuitive●

Mudbox user interface--work interactively in anenvironment in which high-res 3D models retaintheir subtlety, realism, and detailProvides an organic brush-based 3D modeling●

experience that includes 2D and 3D layers toeasily manage sculpting and painting iterations onmultiple meshes and mapsDesigned by professional artists in the film, games,●

and design industriesMudbox 2010 interoperates well with Autodesk●

Maya, Autodesk 3ds Max, Autodesk Softimage, aswell as with other 3D software applications,making it a natural choice for experienced artistsRead more ●

Product DescriptionAutodesk® Mudbox™ digital sculpting and texture painting software gives modelers and texture artists thefreedom to create 3D digital artwork as if they are working with clay and paint. Designed by professional artistsin the game, film, television, and design industries, Mudbox combines a highly intuitive user interface with apowerful creative toolset of stencils and brushes to help create ultra-realistic 3D characters, engagingenvironments, stylized props, and more. Available for the Macintosh® computer and Microsoft® Windows®operating systems. Read moreProduct DescriptionAutodesk Mudbox 2010 digital sculpting and painting software gives artists the freedom to create 3D digitalartwork as if they were working with clay and paint. Designed by professional artists in the film, game, anddesign industries, Mudbox combines a highly intuitive interface with a powerful toolset of stencils and brushesfor creating ultra realistic models and environments.

Mudbox combines a highly intuitive interface with a powerful toolset of stencils and brushes for creating ultrarealistic models and environments.

Whether you're a seasoned 3D professional, an artist who works with traditional media, an amateur enthusiast,or a 2D graphic designer or illustrator looking to add 3D to your workflow, Mudbox is what you need to add awhole new dimension to your creativity.

"Mudbox has always been a part of my workflow since I started to use it on King Kong. I really liked thereal-time shading and rendering features that were added in the recent versions, and as a Maya user, I loveMudbox's working environment." -- Pascal Raimbault, 3D Modeler

Hit the road to freedomMudbox gives artists the ability to create without worrying about the technical details. Sculpt and paint as fastas you think. With its friendly user interface, Mudbox can be easily used by both traditional and digital artists.

Welcome to the age of digital sculpting and 3D paintingThere was a day when design ideas were visualized through a physical model fabricated or sculpted frommaterials such as metal, paper, wood, or clay. There was a day when digital artists worked in 2D. That time isover. Meet Mudbox.

Brush based digital sculptingWith Mudbox you can digitally sculpt ultra realistic 3D models with incredible detail--down to the pores on acharacter's skin--with easy-to-use, high-quality sculpting tools, stamps, and stencils. Choose from an extensivelist of brushes, or quickly tailor them to fit your project's particular needs.

If you are new to 3D, you can use one of the simple built-in primitive shapes, such as a sphere, as a startingpoint for creating organic forms. Artists already familiar with 3D software may want to begin their designs in a3D application like Autodesk Maya, Autodesk 3ds Max, or Autodesk Softimage, and then bring them intoMudbox to refine the shape and add depth and texture. The Mudbox interface will be familiar to artists whoalready know these tools.

Texture paintingRotate your model to apply paint precisely where you want, no matter how complex the surface. Quickly andeasily paint multiple diffuse, specular, reflection, and bump textures across multiple high-resolution maps onyour 3D models. 3D painting is integrated with the familiar stamps and stencils workflow.

Become productive in hours, rather than weeks, with the intuitive Mudbox user interface. Click to enlarge.

High-quality brushes, stencils, and curves enable you to more quickly "sculpt" your geometry into the 3D modelyou envision. Click to enlarge.

Store different detail passes, design directions, libraries of morph targets, and more on multiple layers. Click toenlarge.

Enjoy excellent interactive camera performance with even the densest meshes. Click to enlarge.

Extend and customize Mudbox using its C++ application programming interface (API). Click to enlarge.

Create ambient occlusion maps for extremely high-resolution models. Then, bake the soft shadows and details of amodel out to an image you can reuse without expensive recalculations. Click to enlarge.

Maintain performance when displaying textured models by managing how you use the graphical processing unit(GPU) memory to display textures on models with multiple UV tiles. Click to enlarge.

More quickly create high-quality images for design reviews and more by rendering your scene directly from theviewport. Click to enlarge.

What you visualize is what they'll seeThe real-time rendering effects in Mudbox enable you to see your work in progress from any angle. Whenyou're done, use Mudbox to show it off to clients, co-workers, or friends.

"Mudbox is a joy to use and is always surprising me with new possibilities for creativity. This software gets an Ain my book and is a must-have for the serious CG artist." -- Tom Cushwa

From 2D to 3DIt's never been easier to add a whole new dimension to your creativity. Adding Mudbox to your current 2Dworkflow frees you from the creative limitations associated with traditional photography, 2D software, handillustration, and other traditional graphic design methods.

While the tools themselves will feel familiar to those who sculpt with clay, the Mudbox workflow offers theadvantages of digital creative tools, such as Adobe Photoshop software, including the ability to organize yourwork using layers, mirror or flip them, and nondestructively edit your 3D models.

Let your inner child come out and playWhen was the last time you played with Play-Doh? It's time to try it again (minus the funny smell)! Mudboxguarantees hours of guilt-free fun--you're on a computer, so you must be working, right? After all, Mudbox is awork tool used by major film, TV, and games studios to create 3D characters and environments.

Ideal for:

3D artists2D artistsFine artistsWeb and multimedia professionalsTraditional sculptorsStudents

Applications:

Web and multimedia contentFilmGamesTelevision productsDesign--automotive, consumer goods, industrial, architecturalAdvertisingProduct packagingIllustration (classic, medical, or scientific)

Features

What's Included

Documentation and Learning:

Learning movies --Watch these movies to learn the essential skills to work in Mudbox.QuickStart tutorial--Learn the basics of sculpting and painting in this step-by-step lesson.Online documentation--The fully searchable online HTML-based help system includes user guides, toolreferences, and best practices.

Community:The AREA, a community for Autodesk Media & Entertainment products. Access free tutorials, downloads orinteract with fellow users in discussion forums and see the multitude of talent from around the globe. Directlyconnect with industry professionals through blogs--more at area.autodesk.com.

Detailed FeaturesIMPORTANT: Please read the System Requirements. As new hardware is added on an on-going basis, pleasealso visit Autodesk's updated requirements.

User InterfaceBecome productive in hours, rather than weeks, with the intuitive Mudbox user interface.

For traditional artists with no previous 3D experience, tools that closely mimic the behavior of their real-worldcounterparts are quickly understood and easily adopted.Work with tools such as brushes, stamps, and stencils to quickly sculpt and create lifelike textures.Use the Layer Editor to organize your work.Maximize your workspace by hiding UI elements and using standard hotkeys to manipulate the camera.

CamerasMudbox features innovative, accelerated camera manipulation, for excellent interactive performance with eventhe densest meshes.

Use multiple real-time cameras within a scene, including true perspective and orthographic cameras.Bookmark your camera positions.Model using reference images: each camera has its own image plane.Use Smart Focus to position the camera based on the cursor position and brush size.Manipulate your camera with trackball-style controls.Use the same keyboard shortcuts for Mudbox cameras as those that are used for cameras in Autodesk Mayasoftware.

DisplayWork interactively in an environment in which high-res 3D models retain their subtlety, realism, and detail.

Apply one or more image maps to any object, independent of the other objects in the scene.Use smooth shading mode to get a display more representative of the limit surface.Interactively view multiple texture channels (including bump and reflection) at the same time.Interactively view multiple maps and multiple materials in the scene.Work in real time with models that properly display advanced lighting (including HDRI-based lighting) andshadows.Incorporate advanced display options into your presentation, including ambient occlusion, depth of field, andtone mapping.

Sculpt LayersStore different detail passes, design directions, libraries of morph targets, and more on multiple layers.

Mirror or flip the detail stored in one or more layers.Edit nondestructively: Mudbox delivers paintable masks.Quickly duplicate, merge, flatten, and reorder layers.Precisely blend layers using interactive multiplier sliders and layer masks.Use layers to store libraries of morph targets.

Advanced Digital SculptingHigh-quality brushes, stencils, and curves let you quickly "sculpt" your geometry into the 3D model youenvision.

3D Brushes

Use intelligently designed default brushes or quickly tailor them for custom behavior and performance.Choose from a number of base brush types, including

Dry brush--enables you to create an effect similar to what can be achieved by painting only on the raiseddetails of a modelClone brush--enables you to quickly and easily copy existing paint on a model from one area to another, foryour retouching needsSculpt brush--enables you to create complex forms with great controlFlatten brush--enables you to quickly create planes and wipe away detailWax brush--enables you to easily fill in area

Accurately shape your brush tips with falloff curves and stamps. A sharp falloff curve will cut an accurate,sharp stroke into the geometry with no soft stroke profiles.

Workflow

Sculpt both sides of topologically symmetrical models simultaneously--even when they are in an asymmetricalpose--with the powerful tangent space mirroring functionality.Use curves as guides for brush strokes.Use image stamps to quickly brush (in 3D) a detailed texture directly into your mesh.Quickly add high-quality detail through mesh displacement. Use 8-, 16-, or 32-bit images to displace yourmesh; Mudbox even supports displacement using multiple maps at one time.

Texture Painting and AssignmentQuickly and easily paint multiple diffuse, specular, reflection, and bump textures across multiple high-resolutionmaps on your 3D models.

Apply detail precisely where required, regardless of UV distortion or surface complexity. In the Mudbox 3DPaint mode, the brush position relative to the model is calculated in true world space; paint is projectedtangent to the model. 3D painting is integrated with the familiar stamps and stencils workflow.Selectively paint reference images onto the model from a particular viewpoint. Using the new Projection brush,you can project paint onto the model from screen space.Paint hero characters with ease: Mudbox supports the painting of multiple maps on multiple meshes.Paint both sides of your model simultaneously with the familiar symmetry workflow.Paint and display a different texture for each UV square unit tile.Use the intuitive layer editor to easily manage multiple paint layers. You can select, blend, and organizeseveral images for each texture channel.

Texture BakingWith its robust texture baking capabilities, Mudbox solves one of the most common bottlenecks in productionpipelines: baking of normal and displacement maps.

Bake high-quality normal and displacement maps between multiple arbitrary meshes. Detail can be baked into8-, 16-, and 32-bit maps.Generate smooth, high-quality maps using extraction options designed to address issues related to polyfaceting by extracting between the limit surfaces of the given meshes.Displace your meshes using multiple floating point maps.Bake normal maps that are compatible with Autodesk Maya and Autodesk 3ds Max software.

General WorkflowMudbox performance is renowned, with tools organized in a familiar, intuitive manner.

Work in real time even on 3D models that are fully subdivided into tens of millions of high-quality polygons.Manipulate the camera using conventional camera controls--to maximize your workspace and reduce "backand forth" workflows.Streamline your workflow through tools such as the Hover Pick functionality and hotkeys.Use asymmetrical mirroring to streamline the process of working on posed or asymmetrical models.Work on one mesh in the context of others: Mudbox supports multiple meshes within the scene.Use the built-in image browser--with full support for 8-, 16-, and 32-bit images--to view reference images andquickly assign them to stamps, stencils, or camera image planes.

Connectivity and IntegrationMudbox works well with Autodesk Maya and Autodesk 3ds Max, Autodesk Softimage, as well as with other 3Dsoftware applications, making it a natural choice for experienced artists.

Simpler interoperability with Maya, 3ds Max and SoftimageMudbox has support for Autodesk FBX file transfer technology, allowing artists to import and export scene datacontaining more information than the usual OBJ file format. Important data can be retained, including paintedtexture maps, cameras and image planes. This results in higher fidelity transfers; saving artists time.

Supported Formats

Scene Import OBJ, FBX

Scene Export OBJ, FBX

Texture Import BMP, EXR, GIF, JPEG, PNG, TIF

Bitmap Output BMP, EXR, JPEG, PNG, TIF. Someformats applicable to certainrenderers only.

PSD File SupportRound-tripping of Mudbox paint layers (converting to and from Adobe Photoshop) is now possible throughadded support for PSD import and export.

Software Developer Kit (SDK)The addition to Mudbox of a software developer kit (SDK) opens up the software as never before, givingdevelopers the ability to customize Mudbox and integrate it with their production pipeline. This is the launch ofthe Mudbox SDK and it is anticipated to be expanded with future releases.

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