What Do You Use Nvil For?

I was just wondering what everyone else here uses Nvil for?

I'm a newcomer to this software but I'm no stranger to 3d modelling, I plan on using this software as part of my workflow for modelling game ready characters/assets and base mesh creations that I will then sculpt upon in Sculptris or Zbrush and bring back to Nvil for retopologizing...

I'm pretty curious as to what everyone else here intends on using this software for, or what you do use it for. (aside from the obvious "creating models")


Kind Regards,
Patrick

+1 on the retopo. Apart from creating character and hard surface assets, I also use it to retopo too.

I am surprised by how functional the retopo tool is when I explore it. I used to use Topogun, but I find Nvil very capable in retopo stuffs too.

I use it for my block out meshes, and subd work, than I tend to move things into Maya for everything else, or if I'm sculpting I move my blockouts to zbrush, than retopo in modo.

Wish I could use it for more but that is too hard with what it currently supports.

Passerby, I am curious what are the other things you wish could use it for? (I found that modeling is all I need from Nvil, I assembly my scene in Maya to do other stuffs. UVing and Sculpting is something I don't expect Nvil to do, unless it did a better job than Zbrush or Uvlayout. The only thing I am suffering with right now is the performance, which has to do with my old laptop. But then I probably don't do much modeling enough to know what I am missing.)

I am also curious what advantage modo has in retopo over Nvil? Any special tools you use that you really need that's in Modo but not in Nvil?

+1 on the retopo. Apart from creating character and hard surface assets, I also use it to retopo too.

I am surprised by how functional the retopo tool is when I explore it. I used to use Topogun, but I find Nvil very capable in retopo stuffs too.

I have yet to play around with the retopology tools within Nvil, I will later today for sure but I used to use Topogun a while back when I had it available to me, but I don't have a license that I own at home for it so I am glad to hear you say this about the retopology tools in Nvil.

I use it for my block out meshes, and subd work, than I tend to move things into Maya for everything else, or if I'm sculpting I move my blockouts to zbrush, than retopo in modo.

Wish I could use it for more but that is too hard with what it currently supports.

As of right now I use Maya solely for rigging and animating my models, I have the 2012 license so I don't have those 'modelling tools' that allow for easy retopo work :S

I really would love to get my hands on Modo but that application is just way too expensive for me to be able to get right now and I use the software's for commercial work too so a student or educational version is not a good idea for me

It's good to see that others are using this for similar things though, thanks for the replies... Do you have any thoughts on the UV mapping side of things with Nvil?


Regards,
Patrick

NVil, being a 32-bit application, has a hard time handling very dense meshes for retopology work. I tend to use 64bit applications like 3dcoat or MODO for UV'ing/retopology. I also have Topogun.

I'm still learning Nvil ... it's workflow is still a bit awkward for me. Even though I haven't used Silo regularly, or for many months ... I can open it and get right back into it very quickly. I'm also comfortable modeling in MODO because of my long history with LW (it's predecessor). 

I have yet to play around with the retopology tools within Nvil, I will later today for sure but I used to use Topogun a while back when I had it available to me, but I don't have a license that I own at home for it so I am glad to hear you say this about the retopology tools in Nvil.

I think the advantage of retopolizing in Nvil compare to Topogun is we can utilize its modeling tools, I use Loop Tidy Mid Position and Loop Relax in Nvil a lot during retopo to adjust spacing between edge loops.

As for the Retopo tool, it has a lot of functions, but I don't use much of it yet, so far the create polygon points, ctrl click drag point, and shift click drag edge, and ocasionally the connecting splines (which is awesome, I didn't expect to find this in Nvil) are what I use.

Retopo tool, extrude edges, loop relax, loop tidy, Brush tool to move and smooth points, symmetry and some other common modeling tools is making up much of my retopo workflow, liking it so far.

NVil, being a 32-bit application, has a hard time handling very dense meshes for retopology work. I tend to use 64bit applications like 3dcoat or MODO for UV'ing/retopology. I also have Topogun.

I just fear I might face this sooner or later. So far, I am exporting relatively low density mesh out of Zbrush to retopo, so I don't face too much trouble, but I guess once the reference mesh getting denser I might need to find some workarounds or use other software 

NVil, being a 32-bit application, has a hard time handling very dense meshes for retopology work. I tend to use 64bit applications like 3dcoat or MODO for UV'ing/retopology. I also have Topogun.

Well I don't really retopo really dense models because NVil don't have baking tools, what I do is that I decimate my sculpts to a point where I could recognize detail(50k-100k usually), then reimport it in zBrush using GoNVil for projection. With this I could retopo even if I have 12m polys in zBrush.

I use xnormals for baking my maps, guys do you have any suggestion for other baking methods with my workflow? thanks.

Passerby, I am curious what are the other things you wish could use it for? (I found that modeling is all I need from Nvil, I assembly my scene in Maya to do other stuffs. UVing and Sculpting is something I no don't expect Nvil to do, unless it did a better job than Zbrush or Uvlayout. The only thing I am suffering with right now is the performance, which has to do with my old laptop. But then I probably don't do much modeling enough to know what I am missing.)

I am also curious what advantage modo has in retopo over Nvil? Any special tools you use that you really need that's in Modo but not in Nvil?

When working on envirments I do a lot of modeling and UV work at the same time, since I'm mapping polygons to existing textures, so I require good UV tools from the getgo. Also no scripting or support for exchange formats that work with game engines.

In Maya I have a lot of my own custom tools for working with game engines.

Keep in mind this is just my workflow, since I got access to all this apps and can write addons for most I use what is best for the task at hand. Then I just find modos retopo less buggy more mature and handles higher poly counts. Eventually I will compleat my Maya retopo tools that I'm making and just use modo for subd stuff nvil can't handle.

So nvil is pretty much my dedicated subd and blockout tool. I would need to be able to see and edit uvs as I model for it to be good for lowpoly work and lods for me.

Just as a note, I don't want to sound like a downer, since I love the modeling workflow especially after my custmizations of nvil, I can work faster than Maya or modo with it. I think it needs a rethink in uvs, and polish in retopo once performance is taken care of.

Well for environments and stuff .obj would suffice for game engines??

At least most of the game engines worth using that I can think of and have used.

I will look into the UV's and such as I will be using the UV mapping in Nvil for a little project I am working on, I like Maya for being able to script my own plugins too, its great but I got this for something pretty specific and I am enjoying it more now I have customized it some and I quite like it, I think I will continue to include it in my workflow even further.

If you can, what kind of poly count (on average) does Nvil start to screw up?

Also @Passerby, if you ever feel like sharing that retopo tool you're making for Maya, I'd love to give it a shot! lol

I really would like to eventually get my hands on Modo and 3D Coat, even though I own Maya and Zbrush I quite liked the trial of 3D Coat and Modo has a nice set of tools for working in a certain way from what I remember!

Most of the work I plan on doing within Nvil is pretty low to medium poly counts anyway, so I should be fine my question about what kind of poly count was causing issues was just out of pure curiosity...

(I'm still working on customizing my interface and tool pallets in Nvil)


Regards,
Patrick

the retopo tool isn't done yet something I started building 1 week ago.
OBJ is no good for modern game engines, no vertex colour, no animation, no multi UV,s and it doesn't export binornals and tangents.

Right, well I know there is no animation with OBJ, just most environment stuff that I work on doesn't require animation (most, not all XD) but then again I don't do a great deal of environmental work, I mostly use Unity as my game engine lately though and the FBX format for most things unless they're static I just keep those as obj unless a client requests specific export settings and formats.

I meant to say once you complete it, I guess my mind thought one thing and my hands typed another or just skipped that


Regards,
Patrick

ah fbx is needed so I can use normal maps with a synced tangent bias, and because I am using lightmaps, and require 2 UV sets per object, and I also sometimes use vertex colour as a blending mask in my materials.

Ahh ok, but if you work faster in Nvil, there is nothing stopping you from making most of your stuff in this and then exporting as OBJ to Maya or whatever application you do the rest of the stuff in, and voila? lol

I'm not quite as efficient with Nvil as I am Maya just yet, but I ma sure once I complete my configuration and such I will be!