Finally I got around to making a preview video of my little paint app. Screenshots are ok, but a video helps show how the app works a lot better. As with many projects, getting the main functionality working was quite quick, but the various redos (when I realise there is a better way of doing something) and the polishing take 90% of the time. I will do a first alpha release as soon as I can.

The classical 'app dilemma'

I've had to think carefully about where I want to go with the app, and I suspect many of us will have faced the same choice. The big danger I find with most apps is to get carried away without there being a market. One big difference between games and apps, is that with games (like movies), you can (almost) never have too many games. No matter who you are competing against, there will always be people interested in trying a new game. With apps, that isn't true. People invest time in learning an app, and if there is a better one for doing the same job, they will tend to go with the better one (if they can afford it).

I am realistic that there are several other great programs out there already for doing 3d texturing (Mari, Mudbox, 3d Coat to name a few), so in order to compete in that market I would have to dedicate a lot of time, and / or make a lot of effort to differentiate and make a niche. And even though I'm making a free app, effectively my 3d paint would be competing against pirate versions of the above.

So for now my attitude is to release early, move onto something else, and if there is interest I will spend more time on it.

I have achieved most of what I set out to do:

1. Fast creation of diffuse texture maps (primarily for games) using a layering system similar to photoshop
   
2. Easy projection of faces / body parts from photographic reference images
   

This was born out of frustration from the workflow of 3d texturing in blender, which didn't seem well designed for dealing with layers.

I can see many possible obvious things to add if I do continue with it:

1. Support for multiple channels : Specular, Normal maps etc
   
2. Move OpenGL support to more recent version for shaders
   
3. More liquify options for matching reference images to geometry
   
4. Layers groups, layer effects and adjustment layers
   
5. More automation for common tasks (adding scratches etc)
   
6. Support for bezier curves
   
7. More brush options and brush tools
   

But the best thing for me may be to step back once it is released (aside from bug fixing), and assess whether there is really a need to develop it further, and if not move back to other projects.

Addendum
Finally I released a test version! :)
https://github.com/lawnjelly/3dpaint