The BOBJECT painter
Free, open source traditional texturing software
As a traditional painter with an interest in creating 3D art, I have always been limited to creating the textures for my models digitally. I wished there was a way for me to work on my textures while still experiencing the tactile feeling and smooth blending of oil paints.
Finally, I decided that I had learned enough about programming that I could develop a solution myself - an app which takes a webcam video of my canvas and wraps it around the model in realtime, meaning that I can create hand-painted models with the ease of a digital texturing workflow.
Texture models with traditional methods
Using webcam frame correction and synchronization the app can render the physical canvas area to the surface of the 3D model in real-time
Paint diffuse and normal maps
The system is capable of demonstrating the surface colour produced by hand-painted diffuse textures and the lighting effects which are produced by hand painted normal maps
Generate normal maps from diffuse paintings
The app contains built-in algorithms which generate normal maps that make each brushstroke in the diffuse appear as a plane on the model
Check it out for yourself! (Currently only available on Windows)