Mudbox Vs Nomad Sculpt which will you use- A Beginners Guide

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As someone who is passionate about 3D sculpture, I was beyond ecstatic when I learned about Nomad Sculpt & Mudbox a couple of years ago.

I’ve always been curious about whether or not there was a way I could sculpt on a tablet and get the results to look as good as they do in Mudbox.

The fact that Mudbox is an Open source of Free Software was the primary factor that led to its selection over Nomad to start with. Nomad and Mudbox both are good products.

Mudbox is a just a little bit more pricey but a superior option. It did not occur to me at the time. After becoming familiar with Mudbox, I looked for a program that was comparable to it, and, in the end, I decided that nomad was the most suitable alternative.

As of now, I have moved from Mudbox to Nomad as Nomad Sculpt is more on the go- Just I can sit on my couch and start sculpting.

It is not really fair to compare Mudbox to Nomad because Mudbox is the industry standard and has a significantly larger number of options and tools than Nomad.

However, so far as light sculpting and a reasonably good render experience are concerned, Nomad is the On the go option available on the market for mobile devices.

Nomad Sculpt + Apple Ipad + Apple Pencil is a monster combo and gives a lot of power in your palm to create anything you want.  Below is sculpted, painted, and rendered in nomad I did recently.

Since the advancement in technology made by CPU, GPU, and increased RAM, applications targeted specifically for Modelling, Digital art (Including Hand Drawn) and sculpting have become increasingly popular. Forger and Nomad are popular choices.

Quick Comparison…

• Nomad Sculpt costs $14.99 per Lifetime. Mudbox while it is not expensive, is still paid $90 Per Year
• Apple Pencil is bloody amazing. But you can do just fine even with a cheap Wacom pen on the PC.
• Mudbox is on the desktop. So you’re mostly limited by your PC specs. Same with the iPad but there are more limitations there.
• Mudbox offers a full pipeline. Nomad sculpt is just for sculpting.

Nomad Sculpt is a fantastic tool for learning about sculpture, but Mudbox and Blender offer so many more capabilities that you will ultimately want to include them in your toolbox.

Because of your decision, you can now concentrate on learning to sculpt in Nomad while you save money for the next piece of gear and software that you will need.

Your trip will begin with achieving your stated goal, and you will progress through the process of learning how to sculpt while adding extra software and hardware as you gain experience.

The sculpting abilities you develop in Nomad will be transferrable to future applications.

Unfortunately, the reality of computer art is that you are always switching from one application to another and from one machine to another.

A computer and an app are purchased on the same day; thus, saving for the following app and computer begins on that day as well.

However, Mudbox is quite older than Nomad and is capable of performing tasks that Nomad cannot…yet.

As a complicated program/software with a steep learning curve, Mudbox might be intimidating.

The fact that you’ll already know how to sculpt in Nomad will help you to decrease the length of your Mudbox learning curve, as you’ll be able to focus on the new software.

Just sculpt every day for the time being.

We will discuss in this article whether is Nomad sculpt worth it compared to other Software like Mudbox

Check out our Blog on The 10 best Wacom Tablets for Graphic design and Digital Art

The Comprehensive Guide to Learn Nomad Sculpt has landed & selling fast! 500+ Downloads in 7 Countries across the globe!!…

What is Nomad Sculpt

Nomad Sculpt is an Android and iOS software for 3D modeling, texturing and rendering.

As if modeling clay, you may create models with as many as millions of polygons in Nomad.

It uses a PBR-based texturing approach and can render in real-time.

The Former Sketch fab developer Stéphane Ginier has developed and released Nomad Sculpt, a highly promising new digital sculpting app for iPads and Android tablets.This $14.99 app enables artists to sculpt and paint organic characters on the move, then export the results in OBJ or glTF format to refine in other DCC software.

Nomad Sculpt has a comprehensive set of digital sculpting, 3D Painting, and Remeshing tools.

Nomad comes with a comprehensive set of sculpting tools that can be used on a touchscreen or with the iPad’s Apple Pencil stylus.

This includes a basic set of brushes such as Clay, Crease, Move, Flatten, and Smooth, as well as falloff, standard control parameters, alphas, and masking, as well as line and curve cutting tools.

The app employs a dynamic tessellation system similar to that of desktop tools such as ZBrush or Mudbox, which automatically changes the resolution of the part of the mesh being sculpted to accommodate new details.

Is Nomad sculpt worth it? The Complete Guide

What is Mudbox

The Mudbox® software is a digital 3D sculpting and painting tool that enables users to create characters and environments that are rich in detail and feature stunning textures.

• Sculpting tools that are easy to use can help bring 3D designs to life.
• Models can be given their finishing touches with the help of flexible texture painting capabilities.
• Get more done in less time with a layer-based workflow that’s intuitive to use.

So, Why use Mudbox?

Why use Mudbox, do you ask?
An easy-to-use digital toolkit The artist-friendly modeling tools in Mudbox give you the freedom to create anything your imagination can conjure up quickly and easily.

High-quality models
You are able to create both realistic and stylized models by using texture painting workflows that are accurate.

Workflows that are fluid and based on brushes
Your creations will reach new heights when you use brush-based workflows for working with polygons and textures.

What can you do with Mudbox

What all the possibilities are with Mudbox

• Sculpt 3D characters and environments with a lot of detail.
• Your 3D assets should have normal, displacement, and ambient occlusion maps baked into them. Create clean meshes suitable for production use from scanned, imported, or sculpted data with the help of sophisticated retopology tools.
• Apply the finishing touches with texture painting tools that are precise.
• You can perform direct manipulation on 3D models by painting directly onto them across multiple channels or by adding resolution to a mesh in areas where it is required.

Because of its flexible sculpting tools and its capacity to produce high-resolution meshes and textures, Mudbox is utilized by a wide range of professional visual effects and game development studios.

Pros of Mudbox:

• Mudbox customizable brushes sculpt, texture, and paint realistic 3D models. Imported models can be used to produce a high-quality basis mesh.
• Its 3D painting and texturing capabilities can improve poly painting and UV mapping. Mudbox community, documentation, and tutorials make learning easy.
• It provides the scope of the entire workflow along with Maya from concept to realization,. Game Engine ready asset. It’s an industry-standard quality.

Cons of Mudbox

• Scope and capabilities make the learning curve difficult. An annual license costs $95, which is Ok But a bit more expensive than Nomad which is 14.99 Lifetime…
• UI can be overwhelming without customization.
• The system contains more software documentation than a website.
• Like other long-lived software solutions, the UI requires a revamp to better organization.
• There is speculation among the 3D community that Mudbox may eventually die off and get incorporated into Maya.

Is Nomad Sculpt good enough to be used professionally?

Nomad can surely be used as a wonderful beginning point for professional work If you ask me!. My fantasy of being able to sit on the couch and relax while sculpting is full-filled with Nomad Sculpt. Read my blog – What can you do with nomad sculpt? 5 Cool Things you can do with Nomad sculpt

The workflow is similar to sculpting in Blender (Free) or Mudbox, but considerably more user-friendly.

You can finish your sculpture in Nomad and then export it to Blender or Maya to Retopologize, unwrap, and texture it.

Of course, if you want to use vertex paint, you can do it in Nomad, export it to Blender, and even transfer the vertex paint to UV maps after the model has been unwrapped.

Read my Blog – How to get Started with Nomad sculpt – The Complete Beginners Guide

(Vertex Paint: Painting on 3D mesh could be more complex than you think. Vertex painting is when you are able to paint on 3d mesh as it is and the resolution of texture depends on the resolution of mesh, unlike UV painting.

While industrial painting software like Substance Painter ( Also Mobile Devices App – Procreate) utilizes UV texturing. So you basically sort out your mesh by unwrapping UVs within Maya or Blender before painting on it) if you are after the game-ready model which is supposed to be lighted so it’s not heavy on animation and performance.

Why I feel my art is not good enough- Explained

Nomad Sculpt is an excellent tool to start learning to sculpt, but Mudbox and Blender have so many more capabilities that you’ll want to add to your skill set in the future.

The benefit of your choice is that you can now focus on learning to sculpt in Nomad Sculpt while saving for new hardware and software.

As you indicated in your aim, you are on a trip to learn to sculpt, and as you progress, you will add new software and hardware.

You’ll be able to use the sculpting abilities you acquire in Nomad in future applications. It’s a great starter kit. You learn while you are playing.

The unfortunate reality of computer art is that you are constantly switching from one app to the next and from one computer to the next.

You begin saving for the next app and computer the day after you purchase an app and a computer.

Nomad is fantastic, and I adore it, however, Mudbox is quite older and capable of performing tasks that Nomad cannot…yet.

Mudbox is a sophisticated beast with a learning curve- can be a bit overwhelming for beginner sculptors. In other words, Nomad Sculpt could be a lighter version of Mudbox.

The Mudbox interface is overwhelming and intimidating besides it is impossible to sculpt On-the-go ( Portable) in Mudbox unless you have the pricey Wacom Mobile Pro Tablet or a substitute.

This problem is solved when you are sculpting on your tablet sitting comfortably on your couch while watching Netflix.

Besides, you’ll shorten your Mudbox learning curve by learning to sculpt in Nomad Sculpt because you’ll already know how to sculpt and can focus solely on the new software add-ons and extra features.

Nomad Sculpt Vs. Mudbox

Features

Nomad Sculpt is a great tool to learn to sculpt but Mudbox has so many more features that you will eventually want to add that software to your skill set.

The advantage to what you chose is that now you can concentrate on learning to sculpt in Nomad Sculpt while you save for the next hardware and software.

From the goal, you stated you are on a journey learning to sculpt and over time you’ll add other software and hardware as you learn.

The sculpting skills you learn in Nomad Sculpt App will translate to future software.

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Learning Curve

Mudbrush is a Light-Medium complex high learning curve beast. By learning to sculpt in Nomad Sculpt you’ll reduce your Mudbox learning curve because you’ll already know how to sculpt and can concentrate on just the new software.

Devices/ System Requirements

Nomad sculpt is completely On the go and used only on iPads and Andriod tablets.

Mudbox is not on the Go- need a Desktop to use this software unless you are willing to splurge on a stand-alone Wacom Tablet like this …Wacom Mobile Studio pro

Pricing

Nomad Sculpt is One Time Buy for USD 14.99 ( For iPad)and free for Android Tablets( Very Limited Features)

Mudbox Pricing is shown in the below Image as USD 95 ( Billed Annually) Or USD 10.00 /mo if Billed Monthly

Buy Mudbox

Subscription | $270/paid every 3 years BEST VALUE | $95/paid annually | $10/paid monthly |Enjoy a 30-day money-back guarantee | Subscribe for 3 years and save

Is Nomad Sculpt good enough to be used professionally compared to Mudbox?

This depends on what is one expecting from a sculpting app

• Creating and sculpting 3D objects?
  Yes, Nomad Sculpt’s easy UI lets you achieve Creating & Sculpting 3d Objects. Check out my video here
• Can Nomad Sculpt do Painting?
  Yes, you have Basic vertex painting tools in Nomad, letting you achieve already amazing results.
• UVs for texturing?
  Yes ! since the latest version 1.6.2
• Can Nomad Sculpt help in Rendering?
  Almost yes. The results are breathtaking for a real-time output on tiny devices. But Subsurface scattering Just to mention one missing thing, is leveling up other renders.
• Adding easily fine detail objects, like hair, fabric, fur?
  No, Nomad Sculpt is on its way but not there.
• Can Nomad Sculpt help with Posing?
  Possible, but far away from optimal. However, you can use 3rd party tools like POSEit( Poseit is an App) to get the work done.

As an Illustrator Nomad Sculpt is maybe all you need – combined with painting and vector apps, for 3D, no.

But no sculpting app except blender is offering everything you need to solve all tasks in 3D. And blender is not perfect in any solution it offers.

My verdict

Mudbox lets you create highly detailed 3D characters using amazing digital tools and I love how I can imagine things sketch them and finally work on the original thing.

It’s user-friendly. You don’t even need words when you can see clearly the product idea from all the different angles, with Mudbox in less than one hour you can draft a great model that works as an amazing starting point. Mudbox is Very good software for modeling and texturing and lighting. I’d say a bit difficult for amateurs & beginners.

Nomad Sculpt lets you enter this amazing field of 3D sculpting with wonderful ease giving you the most satisfying results. In general, Nomad Sculpt is a reliable tool with a lot of experience. Shoot for the top of her head and her weapons should not provide an issue.

It’s not like taking fair battles is something you should do; instead, knock them on their asses first and then murder them to knock them over the edge of the planet.

Overall, I would say that it is a fantastic beginning place for professional work and should be used as such.

The approach is comparable to that of sculpting in Blender or Mudbox, but Nomad Sculpt is (in my view) far more user-friendly and straightforward More Importantly Beginner friendly. But if you are looking at Industry Standard High quality sculpts go for Mudbox.

In nomad Sculpt, you can create your whole sculpture and then export it out of the application, bringing it into Blender or Maya to re-topologize, unwrap, and texture it.

Of course, if you want to use vertex paint, you can do it within Nomad, export it to Blender, and even move the vertex paint to the UV maps once the model has been unwrapped and rendered.

However, For More & professional Design Options Mudbox will be better.

Pro Tip: I would say, By learning to sculpt in Nomad Sculpt you’ll reduce your Mudbox learning curve because you’ll already know how to sculpt and can concentrate on just the new software & new/Complicated Features in MUDBOX.

If you are keen on Learning Nomad Sculpt- get this ebook that can help you with the Basics of Nomad Sculpt. Click here to purchase the Nomad Sculpt Comprehensive Guide

Nomad Sculpt download in Apple store .. Click here

The Future of Tablet-Based 3D Modeling

Mobile applications receive a great deal of investment and attention.

In 2021, Maxon, the creator of Cinema 4d, acquired Forger, one of the most popular iOS applications.

To my mind, with technological advancements and the attention of large companies, it’s only a matter of time before 3d art on mobile devices becomes more mainstream.

Final Thoughts

I hope this article has convinced you of the value of mobile modeling and sculpting. It’s a lot of fun and a dream come true for 3d artists (or at least me).

I strongly encourage you to give it a try with time and practice, regardless of your level of experience you will be amazed at what Nomad Sculpt App has to offer you and what you will be able to achieve.

I believe it will only grow in popularity in the coming years and only get better.

What are some alternatives to Nomad Sculpt & Mudbox

When comparing forger and Nomad Sculpt, you can also consider the following products

ZBrush – ZBrush is a digital sculpting and painting software solution.

Blender – Blender is an open-source, cross-platform suite of tools for 3D creation.

meshmixer – meshmixer is an experimental 3D modeling tool for making 3D mashups without too much hassle.

Sculptura – 3D sculpting for everyone

Putty3D – SCULPT ANYTIME, ANYWHERE

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