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Diamant Modeling Tools Alpha 1.0 (Formally Diamant UV) release!

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Diamant
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Diamant polycounter lvl 9
Hi everyone,
It has been a long time since there was an update to Diamant UV tools and I am pleased to finally announce the release of the Alpha version of Diamant Modeling Tools 1.0 for Maya 2011 and 2012 x64.

This is a full rewrite of what was in the past called Diamant UV. I have renamed this tool to Diamant Modeling Tool since it has evolved into so much more than just an automatic UV tool.

If you have or have not used Diamant UV in the past, you need to try this new version out! Every aspect has been vastly improved in terms of functionality, speed, and stability. I am very proud to finally get this version out to the public. It really has been years of my free time in the making.

Information:
Diamant Modeling Tool is a fully integrated Automatic UV mapper and Editor for Maya as well as a suite of Custom Modeling Tools made specifically for production use. It is currently used at some of the top video game studios in the world including Naughty Dog, Blizzard Entertainment, and various other Sony studios worldwide.

Specific features include:

Custom Selection Brushes for UV Edge and Ancor Marking

Automatic UV Mapping

Custom UV Editor with color distortion

Maya UV Editing Tools

UV Ratio

Symmetrical Brush based Modeling Tools

Custom Retopology Tools

Mesh sliding

Mudbox/Zbrush style Brushes

Topology Point Transfer

More to come in the future!

Currently the proper website for this tool is not online so I have posted a temporary site with information on my main webpage. You can find the download link as well as movies which show off some of the features. More movies will be coming soon going into specific details per tool.

Please check out the help section as well. There is a ton of information which talks about workflows and usage. This will really help understand how to get the most out of the tool. Any questions please feel free to ask.

Currently there is only a Maya 2011 and 2012 x64 version for Windows. In the future I will provide 32 bit versions.

Enjoy!

http://www.rd3d.com/dtools.htm

Replies

  • Del
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    Del polycounter lvl 9
    Modeling and UVing just got so much smoother. This insanely useful.
    Thanks for a great update, Rich!
    dragLoop.giftweakUnwrapShell.gif
  • Froyok
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    Froyok greentooth
    Ho yeah ! I'm gonna try that now ! :)
  • Ace-Angel
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    Ace-Angel polycounter lvl 12
    I hate Maya users so much right now! Awesome stuff mate.
  • passerby
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    passerby polycounter lvl 12
    Ace-Angel wrote: »
    I hate Maya users so much right now! Awesome stuff mate.

    the idea is to learn both, and use what is best for the situation, i generally prefer maya for most of my workflow, and management of my scenes, but there are some cases where the 3ds max modifier workflow can be really nice, since for some more complex shapes it is so much easier to model the surface detail in a plane than throw a curve and some ffd's on it.
  • Noors
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    Noors greentooth
    If you can afford both :/
  • Froyok
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    Froyok greentooth
    Hey, I see in the readme than you need an internet connection to use it ? Why ?
    DIAMANT TOOLS requires an active internet connection at this time.
  • passerby
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    passerby polycounter lvl 12
    kinda screwed up on install, it ened up wiping out one of my shelfs when the first run thign was adding a shelf button.

    Definatly need to fix that since it took me a good 30min to get that shelf put back togeather.

    or atleast recommend people make a temp shelf to put it on and drag it where they want latter.
  • o2_is_alright
    This looks really awesome! Will definately check it out. I've just recently started to use stand-alone uv-mapping software in an attempt to speed up the unwrapping process, but this might give me a reason to stick to Maya a bit longer (which I don't mind). I'm not a fan of having to export/import stuff to other programs.
    Hope it works as well as it seams:)
    Thanks for sharing
  • JacqueChoi
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    JacqueChoi polycounter
    Thanks Rich!! Looks fantastic!

    Can't wait to boot it when I get home!

    ^_^
  • mLichy
    Damn! That looks sick. Going to try this out for sure. I just started having to use Maya at work, so this could be very useful :).
  • mLichy
    Hmm... the only thing that scares me is the Always needing to have an Internet Connection.
  • Mark Dygert
    Ace-Angel wrote: »
    I hate Maya users so much right now! Awesome stuff mate.
    Buck up little camper at least you have Graphite Modeling tools.

    Rich, AWESOME tools!
  • nazca
    I will try this, right now..
  • Mathew O
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    Mathew O polycounter
    I can't wait to use this, I've missed diamant so much and just haven't been able to find a plugin as good :D
  • Renaud Galand
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    Renaud Galand polycounter lvl 19
    Glad that you can finally share this. I like the presentation, animated gif FTW :D
  • artquest
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    artquest polycounter lvl 13
    I've been waiting for this update for SOOOO long.
  • TrevorJ
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    TrevorJ polycounter lvl 9
    This is free? shiiiit, awesome stuff
  • MadnessImport
    Symmetrical modeling had me at hello!

    Mirroring just became close to obsolete :D
  • Sculptaur
    This is so badass, I have been pretty sad ever since tools3d went down and I couldn't use DiamantUV. Only problem is we still use Maya 2009 for our export pipeline at work. But maybe I can get away with only using 2012 for modelling and uv's and 2009 for export :p.
  • wailingmonkey
  • Gannon
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    Gannon interpolator
  • Bal
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    Bal polycounter lvl 17
    Awesome, was really interested in trying these when you showed them a few years back at some conference, happy to finally get the chance.
    Will give them a try asap.

    Update 5 minutes later : These tools are awesome! Thanks alot!
    Now I'm really looking forward to a Maya 2011 x32 version, as that's what we use at work, and I doubt we'll get to upgrade before our current project is over. :(
  • Joopson
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    Joopson quad damage
    Looks promising, but because I'm all sorts of deficient, I can't figure out how to actually make the retopo quads "real". I hover over them and they turn blue, but then what? In the videos it isn't really explained, but I'm sure it's right under my nose somewhere.
    These tools really look wonderful. I should stop now before I become dependent on it, haha.

    [EDIT: Didn't realize there was a help file. Figured it all out!]
  • gray
    this looks quite nice. i will be sure to test these out.
    i have quick question for Diamant or anyone else...

    are these tools compatible/tested with view port 2.0?
  • pior
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    pior grand marshal polycounter
  • ShootandRun
    Thanks! This is really awesome!!!
    I've been having fun with the unwrap tools! cant wait to mess around with the other ones
  • Diamant
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    Diamant polycounter lvl 9
    Thanks for all the enthusiasm! It makes it very worth the effort!

    So regarding the internet connection. I have plans to eventually release this product as a commercial app for sale. Because of that, I need a way to control the tool. Hopefully this makes sense.. sorry that it causes issues.

    passerby- I am sorry that the tool screwed up your shelf.. that is very odd since there is no deletion code in there. The only thing it should do is add a shelf button to a shelf.. I'd hate to ask if this is reproducable haha. Any idea the menu you put it on? Is anybody else having this same issue?

    Renaud! Thanks for the idea of the animated Gif!! Going over well it seems :)

    Sculptaur- it is possible to make a special build for 2009.. I can look into that as well.

    Bal- I will eventually get a 32 bit version as well.. I dont have the libs currently installed.

    gray- Technically these work in viewport 2.0 with the exception of locators being drawn. Maya requires you to code things very specific in order to get locators to draw with the new viewport. Its a bit more complicated to be honest.. but I do plan on making it work.. especially since that is the future of Maya.. so currently, you aren't going to get the full benefits in 2.0.. but there are plans for the future..

    Thanks again guys and let me know if you have any other questions or feedback!
    -Rich
  • Torch
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    Torch interpolator
    Something like this has been needed for a long time now, thank you so much :D Have used it and its very intuitive, kinda cancels out the need for stuff like Topogun or 3D coat - glad I can keep a lot more of my workflow in Maya now, nice one Rich!
  • nj0r0g3
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    nj0r0g3 polycounter lvl 6
    nice tool but i get an odd error it says alpha of diamant tool is over any ideas? has anyone else got an error like this? I am using maya 2012.
  • passerby
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    passerby polycounter lvl 12
    Diamant wrote: »

    passerby- I am sorry that the tool screwed up your shelf.. that is very odd since there is no deletion code in there. The only thing it should do is add a shelf button to a shelf.. I'd hate to ask if this is reproducable haha. Any idea the menu you put it on? Is anybody else having this same issue?

    ya i can try to recreate it today, will just make a temp one and throw some random stuff in to test it.

    i wasnt adding to one of hte default ones i added it to one of my custom ones that contains mostly my own scritps.

    edit: i wiped out the config.cfg and ran the first run installer a few more times and wasn't able to recreate the issue.
  • pasha_sevez
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    pasha_sevez polycounter lvl 13
    Thanks, Richard! The tools look completely owesome!!! I believe this plugin is much more stable and well optimized than NEX which often leads to a modeling process lags and even hangs((
    And... what will be a price for a final product (at least roughly)? $168 for NEX seems to me too much :))
  • mLichy
    I'll definitely give this a shot, but maybe wait and do it on my home PC.

    Sounds like it may be an issue using it at work, but they want me to test it out first to see if it will cause any file issues and if it will be useful for other people in general. I definitely think it could be though.
  • vikk0
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    vikk0 polycounter lvl 6
    Hey, it looks amazing!!! Great job, I can't wait to try it at home! :)
    Thanks a lot!!!!
  • Sculptaur
    That would be fantastic Rich, no pressure though. Thanks! :)
  • Shmaba
    Does anyone know if this works on mac version of Maya and if not will there be an update for mac users?
  • gray
    Diamant wrote: »
    gray- Technically these work in viewport 2.0 with the exception of locators being drawn. Maya requires you to code things very specific in order to get locators to draw with the new viewport. Its a bit more complicated to be honest.. but I do plan on making it work.. especially since that is the future of Maya.. so currently, you aren't going to get the full benefits in 2.0.. but there are plans for the future..

    thats why I asked because there are compatibility issues with some tool controls as you noted. view2.0 has a dramatic poly count boost. it makes maya a viable re-surfing environment given the right tools. i would buy$ re-surfing tools for maya if they work with view2.0. thanks again for the beta :thumbup:
  • Joopson
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    Joopson quad damage
    For me, it worked perfectly. Then I exited Maya. Later on I opened Maya again, it asked me to add a button to the shelf (again?), so I clicked no, and it deleted my shelf. Thank goodness I always back up my shelves, but it was weird.

    By the way, 64bit Maya 2012, on Windows 7 64bit. Not sure if that information helps at all.
  • passerby
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    passerby polycounter lvl 12
    Joopson wrote: »
    For me, it worked perfectly. Then I exited Maya. Later on I opened Maya again, it asked me to add a button to the shelf (again?), so I clicked no, and it deleted my shelf. Thank goodness I always back up my shelves, but it was weird.

    ah so the problem isnt olny isolated to me.

    thought it was just something with my setup since i want able to recreate the issue.
  • viktor
    Hello all.
    I have a problem, my Maya 2012 SP2.
    When i use wacom intous 3 pen and press shift or anothe key, my cursor going to the left of screen and stick and don't moved from here.
  • danbr
    Maya has been lacking these tools for far too long, congrats on creating something so useful. Unfortunately I'm having some issues.

    Maya 2012-x64: I try to open the plugin window and nothing happens. My hypershade will open but only with the menu at the top, none of the panels.

    Error message on load:
    // mental ray for Maya 2012
    // Error: (Mayatomr) : setup command execution failed //
    // Error: initializePlugin function failed (Mayatomr) //
    // Error: Plug-in, "compositingInterop.mll", was not found on MAYA_PLUG_IN_PATH. //

    Error message when attempting to open script panel:
    // Error: Object's name 'PluginRowColLyt1' is not unique. //

    Similar errors when opening other windows.

    Maya 2011-x64 just crashes while loading, no error message again.


    I attempted to delete my preferences but the problem persisted.

    whatIs rd_modeling_tool_ui;
    // Script found in: C:/DiamantToolsAlpha1.0/scripts/rd_modeling_tool_ui.mel //
    rd_modeling_tool_ui;
    // Error: Cannot find procedure "modelingContext". //

    Maya seems to know where the script is =x. Any ideas?
  • danbr
    Somehow my environmental variables got messed up at some point, all's well now. Amazing stuff!
  • throttlekitty
  • elte
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    elte polycounter lvl 18
    x86 please, still stuck with that.
  • Sputch
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    Sputch polycounter lvl 18
    Oh man! I've only played with the UV tools so far, but I'm loving it. Can't wait to try out the modeling and retopo workflow. Thanks Rich!
    passerby- I am sorry that the tool screwed up your shelf.. that is very odd since there is no deletion code in there. The only thing it should do is add a shelf button to a shelf.. I'd hate to ask if this is reproducable haha. Any idea the menu you put it on? Is anybody else having this same issue?
    I did get this initially. I had chosen my custom shelf and when I went to it everything was gone except the plugin. I played around for a bit and experienced a crash upon trying to do multiple undos. After restarting Maya, my shelf was back, as it hadn't been able to save the changes I suppose. This time I made sure the shelf I wanted was active and it was fine when I loaded the plugin. Maybe a workaround?

    (Maya 2012 64 bit, Windows 7 64 bit)
  • passerby
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    passerby polycounter lvl 12
    @Sputch ya sounds exactly like what happened with me, since than i have backed up all my configs, and made a temp shelf for testing plug-ins that want to add stuff.

    never have been able to recreate the problem since the first install though which is good.
  • kylehorne3d
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    kylehorne3d polycounter lvl 9
    Many thanks for this. So as I understand it so far we get the sculpting abilities of Z brush with the Mesh sculpt, The manual UV seams found in Maya Bonus Tools, and I believe Max, and the functionality to retopologize found in Topogun all in one. Awesome. But I did get my custom shelf erased "add" to shelf was actually "replace."
  • Hazardous
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    Hazardous polycounter lvl 12
    This is awesome man!! Thanks for making this public - badass!!!
  • Diamant
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    Diamant polycounter lvl 9
    nj0r0g3 - are you still getting this error?

    pasha_sevez - thanks man! I really tried hard to make sure it is as stable as it can be.. Sometimes that can be tough! I haven't decided yet on a price point to be honest.. I'm hoping it is something that will make sense to everybody..

    gray - i hear you.. viewport 2.0 is the future.. I want it too!!

    I have no idea why people are getting the shelf bugs.. i am going to keep trying to test this on my end and try to figure something out.. It is annoying to hear that!

    viktor - no idea man! are you in pen mode or mouse mode? Do you have new wacom drivers?

    danbr- glad you got that sorted out! :)

    x86 will be coming!

    Sputch - glad you are enjoying it! and sorry about the shelves... any idea what you were doing when you crashed with the undo's?

    kylehorne3d - also sorry about the shelf :/

    Hazardous - thanks man! looking forward to your teaching thing :) have fun with that! very cool idea!

    thanks again everyone! Hopefully more cool things to come in the future!
    -Rich
  • viktor
    I found source of my problem:
    Once I disabled the auto loading of plug-in(DiamantTools), everything worked correctly.
    In general, the plugin must be activated only once. After this icon appears, and every next time you boot the program everything works fine. To use the plugin simply need to click on its icon.
  • pasha_sevez
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    pasha_sevez polycounter lvl 13
    Rich, looking forward to see the final product - it seems to become a "must have" addition for many maya modelers, especially of organic stuff. :thumbup:
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