In this tutorial, I will show you how to get started using 3DCoat Textura for modeling a 3D model for your project.
About
3DCoat Textura is a texturing program that costs €119 euros ($130 USD) for a permanent license or €11 euros ($12 USD) for a monthly rental
You can use it for a free 30-day trial before purchase
The company often runs discounted specials so keep an eye out for sales
Interface
Let’s start by quickly looking at 3DCoat Textura’s interface and navigation
When you first open Textura you will see a quick menu with information about the software as well as the ability to open a recent project
Across the top, you will see the standard menu options plus options for depth, smoothing, etc.
You also have access to all of your brush settings
Along the left-side, you have access to the color palette and the brushes
If you hover over each brush, you will see some information about that brush as well as a tutorial video link
On the right-side you can access your brush alphas, brush options, and color palette
Below your brush options, you will see your materials panel and material options
Lastly, on the bottom, you will have access to your layers and layer options
Importing Models
For this tutorial, I’ll be using a model from Sketchfab
NOTE: This downloads as a RAR file so you will need to convert it to FBX or OBJ – you can search for free convertors online
To import a model, go to the File Menu and then Import and Model for Per Pixel Painting
You will then be greeted with import options
For the Normal Map option – you have multiple choices – I will choose Blender
Subdivision allows you to subdivide the mesh before importing – I will leave this as No Subdivision
You can either keep the UV Map that comes with the mesh or you can auto-map the mesh – I will just keep the UV
For Smoothing, you have multiple options depending on how you want smoothing to affect the mesh – I will choose No Smoothing
Just for time, I won’t be going over all the options
If you hover over each option, you will see further information
Keep Treat Materials As Separate Textures ticked
You can change the UV Set Name
You can also change the UV scale – I’m going to keep it at 2K
Navigation
Once you have the model imported, you can zoom in-and-out using the ALT + RMB
Moving the mouse away from you will zoom out and moving the mouse toward you will zoom in
ALT + LMB allows you to easily pan around the model
ALT + MMB allows you to move the model in space from your current point-of-view
You can use the NumPad keys to snap to a specific view of the model or use the Camera view in the upper-right of the Viewport [4 for front]
Basic Texturing
Before you begin texturing, go to the Textures menu and choose Calculate Occlusion and Calculate Curvature
For this tutorial, just leave the options at default
You will now see two locked layers added to the stack
The Cavity Map is automatically hidden to make it easier when texturing
If you open the Texture UV Editor (located under the Textures menu), you can view your UV Map
You can add a new Layer using the icon at the bottom of the Layer Stack – use the arrow icons to move the Layer within the Layer Stack
Double-clicking on the Layer allows you to rename the Layer
You can change the color using the Color Palette and selecting a Brush
Now you can simply change the Radius of the Brush in the menu and paint directly onto the model
You can also use the open and close brackets to change the Radius of the Brush
Notice there is Depth to this process because of the Depth channel
If you use CTRL + Z to undo the painting, you can change the Depth strength in the Brush option at the top of the Viewport
These same options can be accessed by using the Tilda Key
If you change the Falloff, Smoothing, and Opacity options, you can see how each will affect the Brush and how it textures the model
Notice that whatever you do on the model, you can see in the Texture UV Editor
You are also able to paint in the Texture UV Editor on the UV Map and it will show up on the model itself
Under the Smart Materials tab you will find various groups of materials available to you
If you want to use a plastic material for the model, choose the Plastic tab and select a Material
You will see a Smart Material Preview which allows you to see what the Material will look like on the model
Once you have your Material selected, you can click on the icon in the upper-right corner of the Preview to close it
You can use the LMB to move it out of your way
You can hold down the LMB and paint on the Material
You can also choose the Fill option to fill the entire model
NOTE: If your model has different materials already set up before importing, you can fill each different material individually
For example, you can click on the bottom of the model with one Material and the top of the model with a separate Material [green]
If you want to make changes to the Material, double-click on it to open it and you will have access to the Smart Material Editor
You can save this as a New Material
You will also have access to a large library of PBR Materials through the PBR Library – link is in the description
On the site you can look for a material you want to use and download it
Save your project because once you install the Material you will need to restart Textura
To install the new Material go to the File menu, then Install, and then Install Extension – you can install multiple Materials at once
When you restart Textura and go to your Smart Material tab, you should see your new Material
To delete any Material, simply right-click on the Material and choose Delete
Stencils/Alphas
You can also use Stencils or Alphas to make further changes to the model
If you do not want the Foreground Color to affect the Decal, Right-click on it to deactivate it
If you do not want your Material to influence the Stencil, click on a blank area of the Smart Materials panel to deselect the Material
You can choose the Brush option and choose one of the Stencils from the multiple tabs that come with Textura
For example, you could choose Cracks and then select one of the Stencils
Using a negative Depth will allow you to stamp into the mesh
Using the E-key you can bring up options for using the Stencil
I prefer using the Stamp Mode which allows me to click and drag the Stencil while also holding down the LMB to rotate the Stencil
You can find more Stencils under the Brush Type in the PBR Library
To install the Stencil, select the proper Group and then click on the Plus icon – you will have the option to Open Texture File
You can download or make your own Stencils and bring them in the same way
I have a video tutorial showing how to make sculpting alphas which is the same process for making Stencils for Textura – link is in the description
To delete any Stencil, simply right-click on the Stencil and choose Delete
Decals
You can also apply decals to your model
Add a new Layer
Make sure you have the Brush option selected and the Color Palette disabled (unless you want the color to affect the Decal)
Under the Brushes panel, you can import your Decal just like you imported the Stencil
Use the E-key to bring up options for using the Decal
Select your preferred means of applying the Decal