Intro to DECAL MACHINE - the Amazing Blender Decal Add-On!

[@TheCGEssentials]

Hi everyone! Let me know if you'd like to learn more about how to use Decal Machine in the comments below! :)

[@bzz3624]

Can you make your own customised decals and then run it through the plugin?

[@TheCGEssentials]

Yep! I'll have to research a bit more on exactly how - things like logos and text are easy - things with depth, like bolts and screws I think require some normal baking or something and are a bit more complex

[@SubrosaRose]

@@TheCGEssentials I have an issue my decalmachine dosent work at all

[@TheCGEssentials]

@@SubrosaRose Did you install it?

[@SubrosaRose]

@@TheCGEssentials Yeah i did install it and i am running currently ver.2.82.7 also known as v.2.82a but when i press "D" it dosent work and when i am in preferences and under the add-on tabs the general tak is crazy laggy/slow as hell but other two tabs like Decal Creation and About working fine.

[@MACHIN3]

Wow, this is such a nice, condensed, yet beginner-friendly overview! Thanks for doing this!

[@TheCGEssentials]

Happy to do it! This is a really amazing add-on - it let me very quickly create some things that are beyond current modeling skill level in Blender ;p - I'll be talking about it more in the future, and likely looking at MESHMachine as well!

[@tortoiseisnotaturtle]

This was a very simple, non complicated and fast showcase without me loosing interest. Actually amazed I never purchased this sooner!

[@TheCGEssentials]

Glad I could help! :)

[@yingbowang3068]

As a beginner , I finally find a tutorial that I can follow! Thank you very much!

[@A-n-t-o-n-y]

Good explanation - short and clearly! It's exactly what needed for overview.

[@TheCGEssentials]

Glad you liked it!

[@shermancammack2988]

Wow! That`s cool! Yes, I would like to see more.

[@dougieladd]

Just bought it... So just playing around myself. This video was a good quick start for me. Thanks.

[@TheCGEssentials]

This is a fun one - I should really be doing more with it - thanks! :)

[@DennisAH]

Great video, will purchase that addon right away. Thank you!

[@paularnold2124]

You had me at no extra geometry 😳😳papa needs that addon🤠...great explanation too

[@TheCGEssentials]

BAM! :)

[@blackswan6386]

the first plugin i would instantly buy !! real time saver !

[@TheCGEssentials]

It's a fun one :)

[@paulbirkpowlly]

yes please I'm just starting to get my brain around DecalMachine and that sounds great.

[@3DRamenArt]

Love to see how you export this to game engine..not really familiar with blender texturing but do you just bake the textures out?

[@richardgarber4618]

I've been using Decal Machine too, for just a little bit and I find it really handy for adding extra detail real fast. It's like you say, there are times adding the geometry is time consuming and what's nice is there isn't the topography issues. Plus, like kit-ops and others, using somebody else's ideas keep mine from getting repetitive. I like the way you explained things too cause some of this was a little fuzzy for me like the Adjust feature and the keys mentioned in the menu. I didn't know what they did. Thanks for covering that! Did you do the tutorial on how to make your own decals?

[@JaredOwen]

Thanks the video!

[@TheKevphil]

Thanks, Justin!

[@ronioclarenzo6137]

Excellent tutorial! Thanks!

[@TheCGEssentials]

You're welcome!

[@hiabex]

Great video again. What's the situation for baking textures onto assets to then export into other software like? Is it straight forward 'bake by numbers' or is there an add-on specific route? Thanks

[@rededwards3479]

Well done!

[@TheCGEssentials]

Thanks!

[@francisbraun5448]

Great video!

[@anima8450]

Great video and to the point.

[@hisroyalillness]

great introduction. I got the add-on since weeks but never found the time to read the whole manual. would be great if you could share more tips and tricks...

[@TheCGEssentials]

Thanks! :)

[@NV3D]

Thank you for the useful tips.

[@TheCGEssentials]

Thanks for watching!

[@2002makki]

Yeh love to see more of it.

[@dedenmudenrozain1012]

..thanks for this tutor. And 1 questions, when I press D, I dont see my pie menu...

[@jawadwaheed5105]

fantastic ad on

[@TheCGEssentials]

:)

[@MsMidnightStories]

Great stuff more decal tuts please !

[@TheCGEssentials]

Will do! :)

[@saranshsingh21]

Awesome tool

[@TheCGEssentials]

So fun :)

[@rdxvisuals]

@TheCGEssentials Hi! Can you please make a tutorial on using all the techniques that decal machine brings, but without using the Decal machine addon? That is doing these manually

[@rsher_digital-art]

This is what I'm looking for thank you so much. I create graffiti 3D so this addon will be used often.

[@TheCGEssentials]

Awesome! :)

[@sidharthsaseendran6989]

3:3.7 when i tried applying like this the decal comes with bacjground why is that happening?

[@amindehghan5754]

Mine has a problem. When I open blender DecalMachine works fine but after inserting some decal, by pressing D it doesn't open the window to add more decals.

[@afrosymphony8207]

how tasking is this on the cpu? i have an i7 mx250 nd it kinda struggles with alphas plus i can see with the lil you added here your memory is already is at 120mb. between this and kitops which would you think is better on the pc

[@revotiva]

great video , do more decalmachine videos please.

[@Monshilstraze]

in case if i need to export it, will these decals appear in other 3d softwares? Most likely not, right?

[@TheCGEssentials]

Not 100% sure if they need to be baked or something

[@Froget_]

nice! how do you export it? is there a way to bake the normals of the decals?

[@EMB3D]

what if you export the scene to FBX file? will the decals act as separate objects?

[@mae2309]

I got this addon last week, just haven't got time to play with. Do boxcut next

[@TheCGEssentials]

It's sick - give it a shot - I'm a HUGE fan

[@mae2309]

@@TheCGEssentials are you on .82? Yes, I will layer today. Thanks.. this video will help a lot.

[@TheCGEssentials]

@@mae2309 Yeah - 2.82

[@mae2309]

@@TheCGEssentials blender has very fun addon. Useful. Do box cutter and hard ops next... the archviz addon is sexy too.

[@TheCGEssentials]

Which one is the Archviz one? Hard Ops/BoxCutter is on my list - those look deep enough that they could almost have their own channel!

[@spitart]

thank you sooooo much!

[@isimbulamadmobenibulsun660]

can I add details first with decal machine than import the mesh to substance painter as well as details? I guess first I will bake maps than use that inside substance painter

[@ua_visuals]

imagine that I have an instanced cube, is it possible to work with a cube and be able to replicate the decalls to the other cubes? Thank you

[@onurbasak793]

i try to imitate your intro everyday its so fun,whofautzup guys justinherewith deeeeee cgessentialsdotcom

[@UV-ANIMATION]

I can't get access to the pie menu after pressing D key. Even when I change the hot key to other keys than D, it doesn't work.

[@TheCGEssentials]

What version of Blender?

[@UV-ANIMATION]

@@TheCGEssentials it's the latest one for now, 2.83.3. I have HardOps and Boxcutter enabled too. They all have their own pie menu when I press D in their active mode. But, even when I am not using them, Pressing D doesn't do anything here.

[@TheCGEssentials]

@@UV-ANIMATION Have you tried disabling them and just enabling Decal Machine?

[@UV-ANIMATION]

@@TheCGEssentials How would I do that, please?

[@TheCGEssentials]

@@UV-ANIMATION Go into your preferences and disable the other 2?

[@canweng5546]

Does Blender have good nurbs modeling add-ons?

[@TheCGEssentials]

Doesn't Blender have Nurbs tools built-in?

[@nishantsingh1259]

Cn u please make a tutorial on quicktexture addon for blender please?

[@TheCGEssentials]

Never used that one before

[@nishantsingh1259]

@@TheCGEssentials kzbin.info/www/bejne/rXrRd3t_hcmlrq8 here is the link.

[@cg.man_aka_kevin]

Decal Machine addon using PBR illusion like 3D but just flat, very cool. So as not to waste polygon memory in blender.

[@tuskegeeace2840]

What is the likelyhood of being able to use these for clothing or on robotic characters Can't seem to weight them to anything without them bugging out.

[@stevelaveirge9001]

It is a nice add on. I have some issues doing the slice lines though. When I do slice it doesnt add the right decal so my bevel is the 'Access Electrical' decal instead of what it should be...which I think is 'Example_009'. You can change the decal for the slice lines but I get an error when I scroll to 'Example_009'

[@stevelaveirge9001]

So there is instruction in the FAQ on how to fix my issue. Basically you have to edit the preferences so that the Aircraft decals arent available during the slice operations. I still get errors when I try to change the style of panel the slice operation is using though.

[@TheCGEssentials]

Interesting - not sure I've had this issue yet - sounds like you might have it figured out

[@madgorilla4888]

When I press the project button I got an error it say's "Try to reapplying Decal first" anybody can help me? :(

[@kehindeaderinale6681]

While trying to remove a previously installed decal zip, I think I deleted Decal from the software because I can't find the Decal machine check box again. Please help.

[@TheCGEssentials]

So reinstall it?

[@megan8494]

Do you know how to get this working in the octane renderer?

[@chriz9959]

but can i turn the decals into geometry if i want to?

[@TerenceKearns]

Great intro. I've seen a lot of hype around this addon but nobody explained it. Snazzy trailers don't help at all.

[@jeffreyspinner9213]

Do you have a sequence to learn Blender, HardOps, Boxcutter, Kit Ops and Decal Machine? I'm so confused now, I asked MasterXeon how to do a Mando helmet and not only did he do it in like two mins while reading his twitter feed (ok, I imagine that), but he shared the Blender file and it's so low poly and good, I'm not only humbled but confused now how to best go thru the migration process from C4D to Blender with its add-ons that can be almost as complex as Blender itself. Have any pointers? I'm about 70 hrs in to Blender, 10-15 hrs into Masta addons...

[@TheCGEssentials]

I'd say start with what you're interested and try to learn one skill at a time. Maybe make a list of the things you'd like to learn and start picking them off one by one? Don't pay attention to the order other people tell you to learn everything - pick your path specifically based on what you want to create - does that help at all?

[@jeffreyspinner9213]

@@TheCGEssentials, yes and no. In other disciplines I've learned, as my skills increased so did what I could do in that discipline, i.e., it opened up more advanced skills to learn. So for example as my strength and skills increased, what I could do to defend myself opened up other skills I could use to defend myself. In another case, increasing skills caused a transformative process and deeper insight: playing classical guitar; as my skills increased it became no longer about technique but the intention of the composer and the transmission of those emotions to others. I then realized muaic is independent of instrument, because it is just the transmission of emotion. If I had not first made the technique transparent, I would have never had that insight, nor finally understood why the women around me when I played Bach reacted so positively. Especially nowadays. Who listens to classical music? They noticed not the technique but the emotion. I'm trying to get in my modeling, rigging, animating, and UE4 rendering the same level of transparency of the techniques of modeling etc., as I had in prior disciplines so I can focus on the composition of what I want to create and say. I have machinima that would be at least funny as hell, and maybe as profound. The renders I can make in UE4 of the things I create or animate, now with VRay, are indistinguishable from reality, and instead of waiting 10hrs for every three seconds of animation, I can render 30 seconds in less than 3 mins. It's that much faster... it's that high quality. What is the purpose of great cinema? Not what we've been seeing for a long time, imo. Cats wasn't the pinnical of modern cinema imo with or without cat sphincters removed...ffs, inappropriate. All I want to get to is creating my Art. If others appreciate it, that would be positive too, but like those women coming at lunchtime to hear me play for myself, I would create machinima for myself. It took me about 1,000 hrs of classical guitar playing before I noticed the transparency of technique. In grad school the Greek letters that were the equations used in proofs and applications of the Mathematics I was learning became transparent all of a sudden in about 2 years and then all I saw was the ideas. It was very beautiful and humbling Maybe, I'm just expecting way more of myself at the number of hrs I've had and I should just back off the pressure and stay more with the pleasure of making the art. I will start to write.down my machinima screenplays or storyboards and set them aside for now. I get that from your advice. Idk y I feel the need to rush. Maybe it's that I live in NYC under quarantine and now curfew while I watch police run over ppl on video in broad daylight. Maybe it's my reaction to stress. Stay safe and enjoy what you can.

[@RunTheTape]

From beginner to beginner (I've started blender a few months ago), you should put aside the addons for now, and also youtube videos, buy a good course (see udemy, cgcookie, flippednormals, etc) and follow along with that until you have all the basics for using vanilla blender so you're confident you can model almost anything (given enough time). Then you can start with addons.

[@TheCGEssentials]

@@RunTheTape I don't agree with this comment or attitude toward tools in a 3D modeling program. It's bad advice for new modelers - yes I believe that people should learn how a 3D modeling program works, and that they need to develop skills to use the built-in tools in a program, but if there is a tool that makes creating something that you want or need to model easier, the advice of "don't use add ons, just learn to do it with the vanilla program" is silly. It's like suggesting that someone who needs to dig a giant hole not use an excavator because they need to learn how to use a shovel first. Plus, what gets included in an add-on is arbitrary - it just means that a developer other than the Blender Foundation created it and it hasn't been incorporated as a native tool.

[@RunTheTape]

@@TheCGEssentials Actually that's not a good analogy. The issues here are in fact quite concrete: 1. you'll have no idea how to resolve some simple issues when the booleans from the scripts fail a bit (some vertexes to be moved ) 2. having your entire workflow depend on a plugin (that maybe only one guy is maintaining) can be a bit dangerous. What if the developer stops maintaining the tool? I do trust the included addons quite a bit more but the external ones not so much. I think it's essential to have at least the basics of a program before you dig in addons.

[@joemaccarthy2686]

How do you add more decals into the add on?

[@blendershots]

Can this add edge demages on hard curved edges... using some damage decals?

[@TheCGEssentials]

I think so? I'd have to track down some damage decals

[@bregaification]

Would you consider doing a tutorial on how to add Megascans decals in blender on top of object existing material. I tryed many times and failed :)

[@TheCGEssentials]

Wouldn't you use the shrinkwrap modifier for this?

[@nkbabusbi9103]

iI an using 1.9.4 Blender version 2.82 .I have 2 issues. 1.The pie menu "D" is not functioning. 2 decals are not displayed. can you please help

[@TheCGEssentials]

You probably need to reach out to the developer

[@ExoformStudios]

Hey, does anyone know why when I press the "D" key and bring up the pie chart and add a decal, I'm then seem to be perminently stuck in decal remove mode, and only have access to the scale/move options? I tried clicking the small x on and off but it doesnt seem to do anything? Thanks!

[@alfredbecker9337]

I have the same issue

[@LawlessTech]

This is witchcraft! How is this possible? What a cool as hell time saver.

[@TheCGEssentials]

Lol - Magic! :)

[@Billflx]

When i click D it doesn't do anything

[@beikerhuang5048]

I have the same problem. Have you solved it

[@ilkkarosma5528]

I have the same problem. Changing the D key to something else didn’t help either.

[@edisonpalomo115]

www.bilibili.com/read/cv7542175/

[@parkay3560]

In the blender I had access to (2.9) which had decal machine added, the D key didnt work to bring up the menu. Basic track back errors

[@TheCGEssentials]

Have you tried downloaded 2.83? 2.9 hasn't been officially released so I have no idea if this would work with that version or not

[@parkay3560]

@@TheCGEssentials my version at home is 2.834. I dont have the addon on mine. my version has very few addons to be honest. I'm only just a few weeks into starting out so didnt want to spend money on addons if the program ended up not being for me, Id get the addon but worry it wont work on my version and then I wasted 40 dollars. pity there is no demo to try

[@parkay3560]

oops-thanks for the fast reply!!

[@TheCGEssentials]

@@parkay3560 I don't understand - so you can't download 2.834 on the computer you have the add-on installed on, and you can't just try the add-on file that you downloaded on the version you have at home? You can have multiple Blender versions on 1 PC...

[@parkay3560]

I dont actually have the addon on my machine. Ive got 2.834 and 2.9 blender installed on my machine-both with minimal addons . The machine I originally tried Belnder on wasnt mine.it belonged to someone else I know- it was trying his version that made me decide to have a go at Blender myself as before I used Lightwave and he said to swap to Blender as it was better. On his machine, decal machine worked in the side panel, but did not show a preview panel of decals like yours did in the video if you pressed D. Since I'm only a few weeks into learning Blender and dont know if I would will with it ( I'm finding it a tough learning experience though your videos are helping loads) I decided, unless I get to a point where I'm confident enough to stick with Blender, I wont be investing in any commercial addons. I was just saying, its a pity that these commercial addons didnt come as demos for you to try( with maybe save disabled) like you can get for photoshop to try before you buy.

[@diebygaming8015]

you didnt show how you got the decal to stick to the face, my decals from decal machine just float in mid air and wont attach to anyhthihng, even if i select the decal and then an object and click project

[@JoshJay]

I'm enjoying Decal Machine but adding new decals and making them appear in the menu consistently is confusing

[@proflow9735]

is there a market for me to make these and sell them to people?

[@TheCGEssentials]

I assume so. Some people seem to be doing it

[@peterparker3079]

hoo wats'up guys!

[@TheCondorcw]

will the decals show up in a game engine

[@TheCGEssentials]

Don't know - which game engine?

[@TheCondorcw]

@@TheCGEssentials unreal engine 4

[@a.d5800]

when i press key D nothing show up

[@TheCGEssentials]

Did you install and enable the add-on?

[@cg.man_aka_kevin]

Decal means is sticker... :)

[@ak-gi3eu]

i love you man,,do you have discord?

[@Alex-tn7pv]

Holy shit!

[@ilmthirst7788]

HI Justice, Super easy way, but 40 Dollar is to much,

[@TheCGEssentials]

I suppose it depends on how much your time is worth to you...

[@madedigital]

IT LOOK LIKE NORMALS IN SUBSTANCE DESIGNER

[@TheCGEssentials]

I haven't done too much with substance, but this sounds right

[@typingcat]

I sense Terry Davis from his face...

[@TheCGEssentials]

"He" reads all the comments on his videos and...no

[@MilezTailsPrower]

Substance painter better and cheaper.