Pixologic Release - Displacement Exporter (Now included in ZBrush 3.1)

[aurick]

DEImage.jpg


This plugin is now a part of ZBrush 3.1



Pixologic has now released the new plug-in, Displacement Exporter and Multi Displacement 2 for the Macintosh and PC.

Displacement Exporter contains many innovative features such as the ability to convert a displacement map into a normal map. From this plug-in you can export 8 bit, 16 bit, or 32 bit RGB or grey-scale maps. You have full control over each channel, can flip your map as well as have access to the innovative 8dot8 file export.

8dot8 allows you to use 8 bit displacement maps to achieve results similar to what you achieve with 16 bit displacement maps. 8dot8 separates out major and minor forms into two different maps that can be added together at render time. To use 8dot8 turn the status of Major8 and Minor8 to On.

The Multi Displacement 2 will bake real-world coordinates (and remove the need for the Alpha Depth Factor) into your 32 bit floating point maps for models that were imported into ZBrush. Multi Displacement 2 has been production tested by ILM and other major studios.






:b3: :b3: :b3: Download Displacement Exporter, Multi Displacement 2 & Documentation Here (PC) (http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/Plugins/DispExporterRevC-PC.zip) <A href="http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/images/smilies/dot3.gif" target=_blank> :b3: :b3: :b3:



September 22nd, 2005: Version A released
October 18th, 2005: Version C released
November 2nd, 2005: Version D released

Version C changes:
Added Multi-Displacement 2 for the Mac
Changed tilde key, "~" in file name to a dash "-"




:b3: :b3: :b3: Download Displacement Exporter, Multi Displacement 2 & Documentation Here (MAC) (http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/Plugins/DispExporterRevD-Mac.sit)<A href="http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/images/smilies/dot3.gif" target=_blank> :b3: :b3: :b3:



Version D changes:
Fixed some issues with 32 bit export for the Macintosh





Installing the Displacement Exporter




:b3: Extract the zip file to anywhere on your computer.
:b3: Move the contents to the ZStartup/ ZPlugs directory. If your ZStartup directory does not have a ZPlugs folder, create it.
:b3: Launch ZBrush
:b3: The plugin will place two buttons in your Alpha palette and a new sub menu, Multi Displacement 2, in your ZPlugins palette.
:b3: You can move the documentation, ADE4.PDF, anywhere you want.





Using the Displacement Exporter



:b3: Create a displacement map
:b3: Select the alpha in the Alpha palette
:b3: Open the Alpha palette along the top row and there are two new buttons: DE Options and DExporter
:b3: Click DE Options to open the Displacement Exporter
:b3: Choose your settings
:b3: Click Export Current to export out the map


You can use DExporter to automate the exporting of several types of maps. Click the button and it will export out a map for each option with its Status set to On.






Using Multi Displacement 2



:b3: Select your model in the tool palette
:b3: Go to the lowest subdivision level
:b3: Open the Multi Displacement 2 submenu and choose your settings
:b3: Click Export options to open the Displacement Exporter
:b3: Choose your settings
:b3: In the Multi Displacement 2 submenu click Create All







Disp_thumb2.jpg

[deity]

awesome!! thanks a ton for this! cant wait to start using it :)

[edonkey]

the export option on the tif works
but when trying to import the same file
zbrush doesn't recanize the format .tif


improper format

[pnoland]

Oooh boy! Got a new toy to play with tonight! Thansk guys, you rock. :)

[cy]

Everything being release on schedule. Me happy.

[SolidSnakexxx]

Eagerly waiting for the Mac version :) Didn't know this year Chrismas is coming early (^_^)

[aminuts]

woohoo love to get presents after a long day at work.

Thanks guys!!

[Thomaskl]

Thank you so much ! You guys really do rock !

Regards,
thomas

[Moochie]

Thank you. :D

[Bandred]

Thanks all. This looks to be an excellent addition to an excellent prohram :D

[SERcan]

Does somebody know the date of arrival of the version Mac, I am impatient to test it : -) :rolleyes:

[LY]

How does the plugin work with the MultiDisplacement plugin?

[vlad74]

Thank you very much guys!!!

[santyGroovy]

if someone is in the same room than the guy who progrmmed this - please kiss him twice on both cheeks.

[el-d]

Cheers...you may want to plonk it on the top row ...I completely missed it when I looked at the site, had to learn about its release from CGtalk...oh such shame 2nd hand news :cry:

Yes I know its sticky and very obvious, but I think its like the "gorillas in our Midst " experiments.

thanks again
El-d

[Noggin]

Thankyou Thankyou Thankyou!

[metamesh]

Great work again from the Pixologic team, congrats people!!

[JackMcRip]

Big Thanks!
My next favorits is NormalMapper and 2.5 :D

[MrMoe]

A big thankyou to everyone on another fabulous addition.

MrMoe.

[abgrafx3d]

Sweet!!! Thank you very much Pixologic team! :tu:

[lemonnado]

Wow, this is great. I cannto find anything I cannot tweak. The end of displacement map headache and another proof of the outstanding professionality of ZBrush!
:tu:^10
LemonNado

[Mentat7]

Well :scratches head: I followed the install instructions exactly as stated. I can not see any extra buttons in the Alpha pallet before or after I create a displacement map. For all I can tell it doesn't even look like the plugin is there.

This is what the directory looks like once I unziped it to the ZPlugs folder:

dir.JPG

It seems to work fine when I load it manually as a ZScript.


AHA! Found the problem. You can not unzip it as the instructions indicate and then leave it be. You must move both the DispExporterData folder and the DispExporter.zsc BACK to the ZStartup/ZPlugs root folder. If you just extract it as instructed it will create a subfolder within the ZPlugs folder called DispExporter RevB (see the image above) and will not place the files where they need to be.

Edit: I see the installation instructions have been amended. :tu: Now I just need to get me an app that actually uses displacement maps. :lol:

[Dickie]

Thanks guys! I've been waiting for this one. I'll test it out later today...:D

Dickie

[Kerstin]

Thanks :) :tu:

[Pestopants]

I think I'm going to get the zbrush logo tattooed to my arm today...... or maybe somewhere else.. I love you guys thanks!

pestopants.

[aminuts]

mentat.....you have one...ZB:rolleyes:

[Mentat7]

mentat.....you have one...ZB:rolleyes:
ummm... something that would have need of an exported displacement map not native to ZB.

[pete330]

hahaha! pestopants, i'll meet you at the tatoo parlor! zb's the best toy since the hulahoop!

[Svengali]

Thanks Pixologic, for a critical new plugin and the crisp, clear .PDF that accompanies it. If anyone hasn't read the .PDF yet, you need to.

If this is any indicator, the 2.5 release will be a very Merry Xmas present!

Sven

[odhinn]

Aurick:
Thanks...brilliant:tu::tu::tu:

Mentat7:
Thanks for posting the install directions, I couldn't get it to load either.

[ryankingslien]

The installation instructions have been updated in the first post. Thanks Mentat7 for pointing this out. :)

[Bas Mazur]

MAC, MAC, MAC, MAC, :cry:

[hyper1]

Yeah, I have many different rendering programs, each a little different on how they render displacement. This plugin will be VERY helpful. Thanks again for all of your hard work.
Keep pushin' those pixols, and tappin' to the code!

[Mr micro26]

This is so usefull indeed. Keep it up:D :tu:

[ZB_Artist]

This will be useful on the MAC as well.

[Kerwin]

"Pixologic has now released the new plug-in, Displacement Exporter for the Macintosh and PC."

Apparently I'm not parsing this announcement right--I see the word "released" and "Macintosh" in the same sentence, but no Macintosh download . . .


:D

[marxel39]

Where is the Mac version?

[aurick]

The Mac version will be available within the next few days.

[acmepixel]

We Mac users are not as bug-tolerant as PeeCee users. Better to be late and bug-free.
:tu:

[DimitrisLiatsos]

The Mac version will be available within the next few days.
Cool....can't wait. This couldn't happen in a better time thatn this...thanks.
Waiting for the MAC version.:cool:

[Brian Healy]

Looks interesting and I've quickly gone thru the manual but where is the Quick Code for Lightwave or is Lightwave one of the formats listed there just not labeled Lightwave?


Can't seem to find any Quick Codes posted anywhere.

Brian

[Webhead]

Cool....can't wait. This couldn't happen in a better time thatn this...thanks.
Waiting for the MAC version.:cool:

I'll second that! :D

[RichArt]

Thanks, this could be usefull.

Peace,
Rich-Art. :tu:

[cannedmushrooms]

anyone see what setting works best for maya yet?

[Shadowfiend]

Hi everyone!

I have been messing with displacement mapping for ages now and have found some interesting things mainly concerning accuracy. More on this in a later post.

But first for all you people who just want a quick code for Maya:-


DE-HAEK-EAEAEA-D32


This will make a 16 bit colour image that Maya will open without issue.

After you save the file go and rename the file removing the tilde “~” character as Maya seems to dislike this. (I also remember reading that this is not good to be using in filenames in any case)

Take note of the alpha depth factor for use later in Maya.

Also check out section 6 in this link for Zbrush import and export settings.

See you later :)



Shadowfiend.

[Shadowfiend]

Sorry I mean this link:-

http://www.pixol.com.au/zbrush_maya_tutorial.htm

:o

[Shadowfiend]

So as promised here are my results from my research for displacement mapping.

I have devised a technique for measuring the accuracy of a resulting rendered displacement in Maya. I start off in Maya with a plane that measures 10 x 10 units and has 10 by 10 divisions.

Export this as an object and import it into Zbrush. Place it on the canvas, enter edit mode and divide no more than 3 times. Then orient it to be facing you (hold down shift) and enter projection master.

Now paint 2 dots side by side using the single layer brush, one at 100 positive and the other 100 negative. The center should be a flat circle. Now pick up with projection master and export the object. Go back to the base mesh level and import the original plane object to restore its shape. Now create a displacement map, default values should be fine. Next the fun bit! Go to the newly installed plugin DE Options and select an unused slot. copy paste “DE-HAEK-EAEAEA-Maya” ignoring the quotes into the quick code box (use the button “Paste”) All of the settings should pop in so now just click export current and give it a name. (if you remove the “~” it will come back so rename it after you save and get rid of it because Maya don`t like it!)

Now back in Maya import the object you just saved and move it to the side (keep it on the grid plane though). Select the original object and assign a lambert shader. Find the shading group attribute node. Click the Displacement Mat button select file and find the newly created tiff. Go to the file node and enter the alpha depth factor multiplied by 10 in the Alpha Gain box. Type “= -file1.alphaGain/2” ignoring quotes in the Alpha offset box. Choose mental ray and render. With any luck the 2 objects should be indistinguishable in the render except for the shaders.

Now for the clever bit. Select the plane and go modify> convert> displacement to polygons. A direct comparison of the original object made in Zbrush and the resultant displacement is now possible!

Using this technique I was able to ascertain that Photoshop alters the grey values when converting to 16 bit colour (the old way) even with colour management turned off! To a lesser degree this plugin does the same thing (approximately one percent error) presumably because of the conversion from greyscale space to colour space and the colour luminance per channel. With 64436 intensity levels 1% drift is pretty big. I believe that the 16 bit grey (single channel) tiff output is spot on but Maya cannot load this type of file.


So the challenge is to find a way of closing that 1% luminosity drift.;)

Cheers.

Shadowfiend.

[Atomicdog]

Mac Version!!!!

[dzip]

The note saying the Mac version would come out in a few days (on the first post of this thread) has been removed...but I guess until I see the download link that says mac, I should not use the plug-in...
Can't wait.

[ZB_Artist]

The note saying the Mac version would come out in a few days (on the first post of this thread) has been removed...
Maybe this means that it will be available today!
:)

[cy]

You will get your bone Dog be patient what is a day or two.

[CGVampire]

Hi,,,this looks great, has anyone got a qucik code for Max 7.5

cheers CGV

[CGVampire]

Hi

can anyone help me with a qucik code for Max 7, iv'e created a low poly box model in 3ds Max, exported as .obj to zbrush, sculpted, and now i want to get it back in Max as a displaement map,

thanks CGV

[Shadowfiend]

Has anyone used my Maya quick code yet? If so post your results.;)

[warpodude]

Waiting for the Mac version *** bites his nails anxiously ...
guys, will the plugin work with Zbrush 1.5 ?

can't wait

[acmepixel]

Waiting for the Mac version *** bites his nails anxiously ...
guys, will the plugin work with Zbrush 1.5 ?

can't wait

These plugins are early releases of the upcoming v2.5 update. They will also work with v2.03.

[warpodude]

These plugins are early releases of the upcoming v2.5 update. They will also work with v2.03. So i guess it won't work on any Zbrush version prior to 2.03 :cry: ...

oh well Acmepixel thanks for replying

i guess i'll play for a whole year with the save unable demo ti'll I get the money to buy the new version ...

!!!But wait!!!! the Mac version of the plugin is not even out yet !
... wait wait wait :rolleyes:

These things happens to the poor lol :lol:

[aurick]

These plugins will not work with versions earlier than 2.0. They rely on features that did not exist in version 1.55b. And since 1.55b is a free upgrade to all registered ZBrush users, there's no reason to still be using 1.55b anyway!

[warpodude]

These plugins will not work with versions earlier than 2.0. They rely on features that did not exist in version 1.55b. And since 1.55b is a free upgrade to all registered ZBrush users, there's no reason to still be using 1.55b anyway! Exactly! u need 1.55b to be able to upgrade, wich i don't,
I got 1.55r2

:confused:

[warpodude]

Hi Aurik !

I received your private message regarding my version of Zbrush and now I feel hope :D I filled the online form to request an upgrade with my purchase info and I hope to be able to start using Zbrush soon !!!!

yay ! did I mention that Zbrush is my favourite software for doing textures and morphs ?

Thanks guys !!!

warpodude :tu:

[cannedmushrooms]

everything looks good as far as the tif file but ya the results are ballooning up pretty bad. Your still manually setting the depth factor from the alpha right>? and then depth /2 negative. Mental ray is not liking it to well. I'm using maya 7. But I must be missing somthing. Anyone have a good link to a maya shader network that works good?

[aminuts]

if I remember correctly Scott Spencer has some on his website you can check out.

[Shadowfiend]

Hi Cannedmushrooms,

The ballooning you are talking about is maybe to do with the import and export settings in Zbrush. Try these settings

Settings.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%2718884%27,%27Settings.jpg%27,1, 0%29)

Re-export your base mesh and re-create your displacement map.

Please let me know how you get on.

Cheers. :)

[Scott Spencer]

hey Canned Mushrooms,

Import Export options in zbrush govern the mesh scale and orientation only. They really wont have a direct effect on the displacement in Maya.
If your mesh is bloating in mental ray is it a problem with the alphaGain alphaOffset or the way Mental Ray is reading the map.
Make sure the alpha offset is set to
- file1.alphaGain /2 ;

Also be aware that Mental Ray HATES tiff files. Convert it to a .map file at the command line with
imf_copy -p oldMapName.tif newMapName.map
I tried rendering with the raw tif from zbrush and got nothing, I converted to .map and the detail came across fine.

Then raise your alpha gain by 10 or so and render. As long as your approximation settings are right it will work
This is for a 16bit map with 3 channels set to flip.
quick code
DE-HBEK-EAEAEA-Undefined

Let me know if you still have problems.

Scott

[Scott Spencer]

Here are some images to illustrate:

This was rendered with the tiff output from the displacement exporter

tricRender2.jpg


Then after converting the map to a format mental ray likes with the imf_copy command renders pulled off fine. Nothing changes here other than the format of the map.

tricRender1.jpg

This is a mental ray issue and it would be nice if the program could deal with a file format as omnipresent as tiff... anyway, hopefully this will resolve some issues people have with the new maps.


S

[willog]

Lots of great stuff happening in here now that people are getting to use the plugin, Just wondered if there is any information about the Mac version?

[Shadowfiend]

Hi Scott, for your consideration :-

Can I ask what version of Maya you are using? I am using version 7 and have managed to render displacement in mental ray with the tiff file the exporter creates without any conversion. The important thing is that you must rename the file after exporting and remove the "~" character. Otherwise it just wont work. I`m not saying that its not a good idea to convert to the .MAP format but it is less hassle to just rename.

The other thing was that I have also managed to render displacements that are almost 100% accurate by using a the settings in my earlier post (#47 and #63 in this thread) I would like to hear your feedback.

Cheers,

Shadowfiend.

[Scott Spencer]

Hey Shadowfiend,

DOH!
Smacks head!
Not being among early adopters I am using 6.5. As for the tilde character in the filename I removed it and ran a second test and it seems to be a truisim. Add that to the list of forbidden in maya characters like } <<grins>>
Good call! I jumped the gun there but when you start using 32bit maps Mental Ray will have a fit unless it is a .map file format.
I am not using 16 bit at all now in favor of the 32bit export option.

You really do want to use .map with Mental Ray no matter what bit level since the format is designed to be read faster than others and can speed up renders substantially.

Your settings look great. From what I can tell the only difference is that scale is off rather than set to ADF. The final renders I try with both don't show any differences.

Good call on the tilde character!

Scott

[Shadowfiend]

Great! Maybe the next version of the plugin could not have the tilde "~" charactor automatically placed in the filename upon export.;)

I must ask why are you using 32 bit for your export, isn`t 16 bit good enough?

[Scott Spencer]

No 16bit is weak and girly!

JK

Other than the fact more information can be stored in the map and the renders look a million times better real world displacement scale is baked in. That means you put your map on set AG to 1 and offset to -.5 and thats it. No messing with settings. It just renders exactly as you saw it in Zbrush (provided the tesselation settings are right).

The 32bit format is near 4 million levels of intensity while 16bit is only 65,000

S

[Shadowfiend]

Well seeing as though you put it like that I would have to agree (4.2 million so they say in the PDF file;)). Im just going to give that meathod a try for myself. Will post my results tomorrow (getting late). Nice to talk.

Cheers,

Shadowfiend.

[Xarf]

Lots of great stuff happening in here now that people are getting to use the plugin, Just wondered if there is any information about the Mac version?

Yes there is information. We were told 'a couple days', so you should naturally expect it sometime in late november.....

Xarf

[Scott Spencer]

Shadowfiend: sent you a PM : )


S

[mutouren]

thanks a lot~~~:D

[WingedOne]

Thanks for the useful utility. :tu:

I'm trying something with POV-Ray with this right now.

[cannedmushrooms]

Never knew the tif conversion thing thanks

[Atwooki]

Here's a very useful little' utility from Francesca Luce:
available for download from 'CGTalk':

http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=194935&page=1&pp=15

psd>><mental>>images

A simple set of scripts for photoshop to export your current document directly to the mentalimages imf_copy utility.
It support also .psd to be translated on the fly, copy to all the host
involved into the net for instant tests on DR, and a mass converter to
get a whole folder out to .map pictures.
I added the maya imf_copy path, the chance to append any format to the
imf_copy, alpha support and a more robust file checking for hosts
failures. (You might need PS CS to utilise this set of scripts)

Edit:
Alternatively, just drag an image file onto the attached (zipped) .bat file,
and it will convert it to a .map file :D

Chris

[tgraupmann]

Is there a tutorial on how to use this thing?

[kingotho]

the Mac version, but all that was there was a cheese sandwich. Not a very bad cheese sandwich, but not what I was looking for.

[Antimorph]

Please do not taunt the cheesemakers.

[robkoni]

I know I'm lazy ,but you would have thought that the Guys at Pixelogic would have included presets for all the major apps.......would have been nice:cry:

[3dj]

I can't imagine why it is taking so long for a Mac version, but then again, I don't do programming. I guess I am frustrated by the first statement:

Pixologic has now released the new plug-in, Displacement Exporter for the Macintosh and PC.

Maybe they should edit it?

Oh well, we wait.

-Jim

[aminuts]

well maybe while they are working on the FREE plugin for mac and the FREE plugins that are left and 2.5 which will be FREE to you if you have zb 2.0 full they can drop by your work and do your job for ya while giving you a back rub too.

These plugins are a taste of what is coming with 2.5 but they are kindly giving them to us now for free all while going crazy trying to get 2.5 working well enuf to release and you wanna cry about not getting presets?

come on now. read the manual that came with it you should be able to figure it out fairly quickly if you know the app you are going to be using the results in. Then you can be the big guy and share it with the other that come after you.

[3dj]

>>well maybe while they are working on the FREE plugin for mac and the >>FREE plugins that are left and 2.5 which will be FREE to you if you have >>zb 2.0 full

You use the word "FREE" losely. I paid for my ZB 2.0 because their marketing said I would get the next upgrade with my purchase.

Again, I'm not a programmer, so I can only imagine the issues that come up. My point is that the original post is incorrectly stating the plug is relaesed for mac and pc.

>>they can drop by your work and do your job for ya while giving you a >>back rub too.

You add little value to this thread being so sarcastic.

[aminuts]

3dj I agree with you on your point, I agreed with you the first time you made it.

my reply was for robkoni which I thought I addressed but didn't. my fault.

[tgraupmann]

doh, I forgot it came with a manual!

[3dj]

aminuts,

well as long as the back rub is "free" then thats cool ... ;-)

[Atomicdog]

Still no mac version! :cry: :cry: :cry:

[Kerwin]

Still no mac version! :cry: :cry: :cry:
Yeah, but they did edit the the first post to say "Mac to follow." Guess they ran into troubles.

-K

[Guitartist]

One of the most admirable and refreshing things about Pixologic is that they do not release anything until it works! Speaking for myself, I'd rather wait for an update or plugin that functions properly than get something buggy that will require one or more patches to make it do what it's supposed to do. Patience will be rewarded. Keep doing what you're doing, Pixologic . . . nobody does it better.

[lemons]

Prior to the release of XSI 5 I couldn't get a displacement to render properly in 4.2. With the nifty displacement import options in r5 as part of the import dialogue, it's a walk in the park.

The displacement map export options work real nice with XSI 5

[lemons]

That's weird. My post disappeared. Try again.

What I said was that the displacement map export in Z works perfectly in XSI 5. In 4.2 I could not for the life of me get a decent render, but with the nifty new OBJ import options it's a walk in the park. Set and forget. It's great!

Apologies if this has been mentioned somewhere else.

[GORILLA]

Pixologic has now released the new plug-in, Displacement Exporter for the PC. (Mac to follow)
-----------
How long will the (Mac to follow) be? :eek:

[ecentinela]

lemons, can you make a quick explanation about how you get these good results in XSI 5 (the steps to follow)?

Thanks.

[mA!k]

Yes, im trying to do a nice render in xsi 4.2 but is imposible, no wanted quality. it crashes and dont get zbrushes definition level...:cry: :cry: i used ztiff addon, grayscale to rgb i did all tutorials in internet (i think) and i´m going absolutely crazy!!
Has anyone reach a nice detailed render with this exporter? i need to use de xsi5 vers.? please help me!

Thanks to all!:(

[spaz8]

if i was a beting man, i would guess that whats holding up DE on the mac is a LibTiff issue. I remember when Lynx3d was making a 16bit grayscale importer for the mac version of LW that was the caviet in codewarrior, compiling the tiff library.

[Stoehr]

Has anyone found a setting that works well with XSI 4.2?

Edit: I experimented and found the PN32 and the R32 work with Mental Ray in XSI 4.2, however the file sizes are quite large; ie. 48 MB. I know this sounds niave, but is this a good thing, to use 32 bit displacements, and is this a common usage industry wide?

I forgot to mention my resolution of the final image is 2048x2048

[aurick]

:::::: A thread for Troubleshooting any problems that you might be having with Displacement Exporter is in the Questions & Troubleshooting forum. Please do not post such messages here. Post them in the Questions & Troubleshooting Thread (http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/showthread.php?p=236395#post236395) instead. Thanks! :)

[ryankingslien]

Hello All -

Displacement Exporter has been updated to include Multi-Displacement 2 for both the Mac and the PC. The initial post has been updated to include this information.

Multi-Displacement 2 will allow you to bake in real-world coordinates into your displacement map when using 32 bit floating point displacement maps! :) This will relieve the need to record the Alpha Depth Factor and will provide the highest degree of fidelity to your ZBrush model.

The Pixologic Team

[Bas Mazur]

Got it!! :tu:

[frogspasm]

Somewhere, Skycastle must be smiling.
With a full on robot chubby.

~Mike D.

[Moochie]

I've no idea what that means, but it sounds cool. Thanks!

[SoulRebel]

Mac version at last!

I'll never lose faith again! :-)

[DarK ZanatoS]

Maybe im kind of lost but, little question, this can be use for the texture aswell? i want the texture of my model for maya but i got no idea how to make it get in the right way in maya.

[Antropus]

Awesome!!! Thanks Ryan and Pixologic ;)

Kris

[Enigma]

Maybe im kind of lost but, little question, this can be use for the texture aswell? i want the texture of my model for maya but i got no idea how to make it get in the right way in maya.

Nope. The DE does not do textures unless you count using your displacement map as a bump.

You map is just upside down. You, need to vetically flip your texture for it to display correctly in Maya. You can do this from the ZB texture pallet, just click the flip V button before you export the texture. Or in Maya select the file node for you texture and enter a (-1) in the V direction. Failing all else just open the texture in photoshop and flip it there.

Hope that helps! :D

[Enigma]

I have a question about Multidisplacement 2. I see that you still have to enter your DE map settings. So, how is the 32-bit map baking accomplished?

Do all of the 32-bit displacement configuration automatically bake in real world coordinates? Or do you have to enter specific settings? I was under the impression that 32-bit map resolution always presured real world scale.

[DarK ZanatoS]

thanks much enigma, ill try that :D

[wierdPal]

In case any of You missed it. The Mac Version is now available. :)

[Scott Spencer]

Enigma: If you want world scale backed into your map and it was an obj that was imported into ZBrush you need to use the MultiDisplace2 plugin not the standard method of generating the map under tools. In multidisplace2 you set your resolution and dpsubpix settings then click Export Options. This brings up the DE window. Set up using this quick code for maya
DE-LBEK-EAEAEA-D32

Click close and use the Create All button to generate your map.
This will create a 32bit map with the original object scale baked in NOT the zbrush scale as the other (tools>displacement) method does. This is imperative for getting good renders in outside applications. In Maya just load the map and for Alpha Gain EDIT as of now use 2 and offset use - 1

Scott

PS
If your model started in Zbrush as Zspheres and the skin was never reimported back into itself then you can use the original tools>displacemebt method for making a map.

[Enigma]

Thank you very much for that answer Scott. :D

[mrghoste]

thanks, working great :D

[babiroussa]

That's great, just waiting for someone quick code for V-ray 3ds Max and it will be fine :), Excellent Job from Pixologic, you're the best :D

[andylou17]

I used the displacement exporter and render in renderman and here is the result

I used the code from the web

I need help plsask1.jpg

[Jason Belec]

Hey andylou17, more info please. This should be easy to fix.

Base geometry the same?

Morph stored at base in Zbrush?

What displacement shader did you use?

What was your Km value?

I think I've seen this problem before, so the above info will confirm it and I'll do my best to help you. ;)

[andylou17]

i used cage to export my model and i export level one i got that result, but when i export my level 3 i get all the detail i want with the level 3 displacement, i don't know why?

if you see the pic, the displacement looks like bump, i think my kb it's lower than 0.5 what is the relation between kb and displacement bound?

I used ensemble and apply simple as displacement

thanks for your help i am very appreciated

[Jason Belec]

Hello andylou17, level 1 is hard, level 2 should be fine. Each app works slightly different and level 1 could be used if the shader was modified, but really not necessary.

You could try increasing the Km (if it's KB, that is a weird shader) and see what you get.

Searching my memory about ensemble - drawing a blank.

Displacement (Km) is how much detail/heigth you want the normal at any point to be moved in relation to the map along the normal. Bounds guarantees that space in memory is kept for your object. The smaller the bounds the better as long as clipping doesn't occur. Usually a good approach is half of Km. A good tight bounds will speed up rendering quite a bit.

Now instead of simple displacement, do you have a more detailed option?

[andylou17]

i will send you the screen capture of it once i got to school computer

i have another question do i need to keep track of alpha factor? is it very useful to doing displacement? i try to put on alpha factor in the color balance-> gain but it's getting worse

[Jason Belec]

Alpha factor is important, but it does depend on a few things. Let's get it working properly first, then we can discuss finess. Currently I'm doing a lot of work with Pixie, not Renderman and we have found that we need to double the Alpha factor from Zbrush. It really depends on the shader (in this case Displacement) you are using. All this can be controlled within once you get it somewhere half decent. Then you can hardcode the proper info and forget about it. ;)

[andylou17]

Untitled-4.jpg here is my rendering setting that i get it right with the level 3 export outUntitled-1.jpg Untitled-2.jpg Untitled-3.jpg

[Jason Belec]

Hey andylou17, I take it ensemble is the the displacement shader you are using, not sure about that one.

Ok what app are you working in, Maya?

Are you exporting polys? SubDs?

Are you averaging your normals?

How about step by step explaining what you are doing and the values? This will help me see what is wrong, as we are at present comparing apples and oranges as i use Liquid to export from Maya and I convert all to SubD. I also have far more control it seems than the access provided by the tools supplied to you.

So I just need to visualize what you are doing and see which step is causing the error. However I don't think you will ever get a good result from level 1, level 2 yes, but not level 1. Edwin, myself and Aurick worked back and forth on this a couple months back and the best we could do was level 2. Now I don't think another issue comes into as you appear to be starting from a pre-existing model, but your detailed account will help rule things out.

Once you have it, you'll be flying, well assuming you can repeat... ;)

[andylou17]

am i doing right? apply displacement to ensemble
yes i am working in maya

i am export the level 3 zbrush polygon to maya and convert to renderman SubD

I don't do average normal

first i change the gain value of the texture-map (file) to get the most information from the grayscale then i make it contrast using remap and put it

I try with my level 2 but it turns out that looks bump map and not displacement
when i export with my level 3 everything work out, but the way the highest level of my model is level 6 with 3 million polygon

[eggsrgood]

So ah, maya always gives an error reading the 32Bit image, ok when I convert it to 16Bit but do i lose some detail. Can't seem to get a nice render with MR.
Any suggestions? Cheers

[Jason Belec]

OK, first eggsrgood - can't help you, sorry. I convert any and all MR files to REYES equivalent and render under Pixe, 3Delight, what have you. However if you search the forum, quite a few people use MR and have posted the effective steps.

And andylou17, sounds right, even if the terminology isn't. If ensemble is the displacement shader it gets applied to your mesh. Then you attach a tif (or the proper tex map) to it. Now I would suggest not playig with the texturemap at all from Zbrush until you are further along on this process you may be introducing a lot of errors and you are definitely destroying some detail. Now you say level3 looks exactly like your Zbrush sculpt, but you haven't posted those 2 images side by side.

If it works on level 3 and not level 2, either your attempts to improve the shader are the error, or perhaps the version of Maya. When you assign SubD, is it within Maya or MTOR? This is important as I do know of Maya errors.

Try reloading the obj back into Zbrush, then under Texture (Tool), set adju/adjv to -1 and apply then re-export load this mesh into Maya beside your current mesh and apply everything the same then render. Tell/show me what you get.

[andylou17]

i will show you the result after i got to school and render it with renderman with what you have told me plus the result before.

I wondering why i have to offset my UV coord to -1?

yes i apply subd in maya environment, but i used Renderman Subd. the maya version that i am using to render out with renderman is 6.5

thanks you very much for your help

[andylou17]

another problem with my UV, I check today
my UV seems no problem before i export out to zbrush and after that when i take a look at my zbrush mesh in maya, the uv is going weird, i show you the pic

[ryankingslien]

Eggsrgood- Maya's software render will not use 16 bit files. Mental Ray will. Maya will give you a warning that it can't use 16 bit, but if you are using mental Ray just ignore this warning and press render. It will work, hopefully. :)

andylou17- Can you try reimporting the model into itself to see if that fixes the uv issue? If the base mesh has been modified then you can simply tranfer uv sets in Maya from the original to the ZBrush exported model. Then reimport that. :)

Ryan

[Enigma]

Eggsrgood-

To use a 32 bit map in Maya you have to first convert your 3 channel Tiff file into a Mental Ray .map file. Check the Maya help files, there is an command line feature called im_copy which is used to convert your files. You may also want to go to www.cgtalk.com (http://www.cgtalk.com/) and performa a search in the Maya>Rendering Forum. ?You will find helpful information and downloadable utilities which will allow you to convert your files via drag and drop.

Hope that helps! :D

[andylou17]

If I am fix the UV and reimport back will it effect my higher level mesh

and i want to know why it zbrush mess the uv, am i do something wrong?

[Scott Spencer]

If you maintain the vertex order in importing and exporting the mesh will come back into ZBrush fine and not damage anything. If you are using MAYA make sure make multiple objects is off on the obj import options and turn off groups and point groups on export.

As for map files and tifs

Like Ryan said MR will read the tiff whereas Maya wont. For the sake of stability and speed when rendering locally use the .map format. It saves a lot of headaches. Maps over 2k on a 2 gig machine I found crashed incessantly. Converted to map they worked fine.

Lots of good info can also be found in the Troubleshooting thread for Displacement Exporter. (http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/showthread.php?t=29778&page=1&pp=15) Mostly Maya at the momebt but it is a cross platform/app thread : )

Scott

PS Great info Jason. You are feeding my interest in getting onto the micropolygon bandwagon : D

[andylou17]

here is the update pic for the setup aboveUntitled-1.jpg Untitled-2.jpg

[eggsrgood]

Maya and Max don't like a 32Bit TIFF, but I found after converting it to .HDR it loves it. You get the option of using the HDR as real world pixel or 16 Bit, whatever you fancy. The displacement seem to work perfectly for MR in Max but yet to try in Maya. Wasn't getting great results with MR for Maya when using 16 Bit TIFF. Probably missing something though. Anyway, the file size is of the map is greatly reduced from 200MB to 5MB so I assume you are saving a lot of memory there. Was just wondering if anybody knew whether I'm losing any detail converting it. Seems to look pretty close to Zbrush. Cheers


EDIT: Well MR for Maya seems to love the .HDR form at also. Renders are looking exactly like Zbrush. :D

Edit: You know what, you actually get some stepping with .HDR so converting to .MAP is the way to go. :o

[andylou17]

this is with the -1 apply to adjU and adjV

Untitled-3.jpg

[jerfoo]

I'm having the same problem as andylou17 where Zbrush is moving one UV that I had layed out in Maya. So I have a my modified Ztool and when I go to create a displacement map that one UV crosses into another Uv space creating a big streak in the map which displaces in the render. Is it possible to correct that one little guy and preserve all the work and subdivions to get a clean map, Or would i have to redo all that sculpting over again?

I wasn't quite following ryankingslien's suggestion:


"Can you try reimporting the model into itself to see if that fixes the uv issue? If the base mesh has been modified then you can simply tranfer uv sets in Maya from the original to the ZBrush exported model. Then reimport that."


But if it is a work around for my problem I would love for you to elaborrate more on how to work this out.


Jeff

[Scott Spencer]

Thats an odd one.
Check the UVs on your original model to be sure it is what you want.
Reexport this as an OBJ with a new filename
Go to level 1 in ZBrush and import this new obj.
This should reset the UVs on the tool.

EDIT
I didnt notice you had a Maya screengrab there, my apologies.
Thats weird still. The process above should still work. Anyone have an idea why and how ZBrush would shift one UV like that??


S

[ryankingslien]

1. reduce your model to its lowest level of resolution
2. In the Tool: Export sub-menu make sure MRG is on and GRP is off
3. Tool: Export, now export your model
4. In a UV editor import the model
5. redo the UVs
6. Export out the model with new UVs from your UV editor
7. In ZBrush, make sure your model is at the same level of resolution as you exported it.
8. In the Tool: Import sub-menu you can now import the new model into this one.
9. If the vert order did not change you can now go up and down your levels and resolution and you will have new UVs.

:)

Ryan

[jerfoo]

Thanks Scott and Ryankingslien, your trick worked out fine and I got rid of that streak. Still don't know why Zbrush is doing that but might have something to do with me cutting up my mesh in order do the multi displacement technique discussed in this thread:
http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/showthread.php?t=29778&page=3

thanks again for the tip!

Jeff

[andylou17]

hi ryan,

i have try and follow it, but when i go to level 2 my model blown up. i export my level 1 and do my UV in maya, i don't change the mesh just rearrange the UV

but it doesn't work
my mesh blowing up

[aurick]

hi ryan,

i have try and follow it, but when i go to level 2 my model blown up. i export my level 1 and do my UV in maya, i don't change the mesh just rearrange the UV

but it doesn't work
my mesh blowing up
One of your settings -- probably one of the import settings for Maya -- cause the point order to change. Paul Hourmouzis has a tutorial in the FAQ>Other Apps>Maya area here at ZBC that tells what settings to use to avoid this.

[andylou17]

thanks everyone, i miss the step when i import to maya i have to turn off Create Multiple objects (can anyone tell me why i have to do this?) and then when export back to zbrush i have turn off Group and turn on Point Groups ( this I also don't know why?)

but thank you very much

[andylou17]

Hi Jason Belec,

I haven't heard from you, i think i have to focus on exporting my displace from zbrush,

does anyone know how to set up displacement from zbrush the step before using displacement exporter,

I turn on Mode and adaptive and DPRes set to 4096, mid to 0, am i doing right? do i need to turn on SmoothUV, or change the intensity value?

[Scott Spencer]

Hey andylou17 (http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/member.php?u=32293) vbmenu_register("postmenu_238540", true); ,
If the settings is off Maya will create a seperate obejct per face of the obj file. Honestly, I don't know why this is but it is consistent across multiple 3D applications. Turning off make multiple objects will make sure the object comes back in as one mesh and preserve point order.

EDIT>

To set up to generate the displacement leave mid at 5 just set adaptive and smooth UV ( smooth UV is not always required) and then generate the map with the MultiDisplace2 plugin in the plugins menu. This method will bake your object scale into the mesh whereas the tools:displace option will not.
4096 or 2048 are both good res to use and then export it with R32 using the following quick code
DE-LBEK-EAEAEA-R32


S

[andylou17]

thanks scott

[ryankingslien]

Hello All -

We have updated the first post in the thread with a RevD of the plug-in intended for the Macintosh community. RevD fixes a 32 bit export issue.

The Pixologic Team :)

[duplex2]

Please, I´m looking for a quick code for Cinema 4D R9.
Could anybody help me to get it?
Thanks.
(I´m sorry for my english, I´m spanish)

[ryankingslien]

Duplex2-

All you need to know is if you are going to render an 8 bit, 16 bit or 32 bit map. Then you select either the R8 or R16 or R32 depending on your bit depth. You can also select "flip vertically" in the options and make sure that you have Full Range in all the Channels. Export that and you have a useable 8, 16, or 32 bit map.

The question we need to understand is if it renders 8 bit, 16 bit or 32 bit. Once we have that, the rest follows. :)

Ryan

[ozone1979]

Anyone have a quick code for 3dsmax?

[duplex2]

Thanks ryankingslien I will try to create the code by myself.

[bicc39]

Atwookie
First to summarize, thank you very much.
Have Maya, purchased Alex Alvarez dvd, in which he mentions
the advisability of converting files ( bump, specular, etc ) to the
map format.
Not to beat this into the ground, have spent a lot of time, in vain,
trying to find out how to do it.
Saw a reference to this under a post by Scott Spencer.
Thank you very much for something that has bothered and annoyed me
for some time.
.

[stoNe]

:D

[Hezza]

Hey Scott Spencer, i have a question for you, or other knowledgable peeps on here :)

I've tried your method and it works a treat, exported a 32bit tiff using multi-displacement 2. Converted it to a .map file using that batch file someone posted, setup my maya scene, set the alpha gain to 2 and alpha offset to -1 and it looks pretty spot on. I've only tried it with fairly large deformations but it seems accurate.

My only question was about the size (bytes) of these map files, a 32bit TIF, at 2k res is 48mb, once converted to a map file this becomes 64mb. The character i'm working on is split into several parts, the upper body and head is one mesh, so i'd probably want to use a 2k map on that. Then there's the trousers, which won't be as detailed, might get away with a 512 but more likely a 1024 map, then theres the boots and the gloves.

So all in all i'm probably looking at around 128mb of displacement maps, is this overkill, will mental ray cope with it? I know i'll have to experiment with it but i'm still uv-unwrapping atm and was just curious. Whats yours or anyone else's experience of this?

Does using 32bit maps for the real world displacement value outway using 16bit maps and tweaking the alpha gain performance wise etc

Cheers
Hez

[Scott Spencer]

Hey Hezza,

Hey, I am glad to hear it worked out for you! I wouldn't worry too much about the filesize growing. The benefit of the -p flag and .map format is that the file textures are memory mapped and only those portions needed by Mental Ray will be loaded into memory as required. I should mention that Sunit called to my attention that this is only beneficial when rendering locally, meaning, if you are on a renderfarm and your texture files are not on the local machine that is rendering this benefit is lost.

You can use smaller maps for various parts of the body, sure. I wouldn't use 16bit over 32bit float though since 32bit has millions of levels and the quality is so vastly superior. You also will have some work tweaking the alpha gain value between maps to keep a unified look among all your displacements especially if you are using multple maps on a single body part.

Thats my thoughts on it, I am sure there are other approaches though. I just always err on the side of the highest quality the machine(s) can handle.

S

[kaibosh]

So can one use Displacement Exporter with Zmapper?
Create the Normal map in Zmapper then use Displacement Exporter to send it to 3ds Max for example?

[kaibosh]

I realized I had some basic concepts mixed up. Thanks to those of you who offered help. I am getting some good results but I was wondering where the list of settings for ADE are? Isn't there just a generally accepted setting for each major platform? And if so where might this list be?
Thanks in advance.

[ryankingslien]

kaibosh - It is not as simple as that. First, Maya uses Mental Ray as well as their own default renderer. Instead of thinking about each package having their own setting you can think about 8 bit, 16 bit and 32 bit displacement maps.

Each type of map has certain qualities that might be important to you. 32 bit has real-world coordinates baked into the map (if creeated from Multi-Displacement 2)...

On another note, each package (Maya, XSI, Max) uses Mental Ray. Once you understand the concept of mental ray in one package you just have to find the buttons for it in the other program (slight simplification but justified).

r

[kaibosh]

I definitely understand that it is not a simple matter, but shouldn't we try to make it simple? When the ADE was released it said that people would post "quick codes" for all the major platforms to help others. Does anyone know where to find these "quick codes"? Going from Zbrush2 to 3ds Max 8 must be a pretty common setup so I assume there must have been people who have successfully done it. But I cannot find any "quick codes" to save my life. Thanks.

[ryankingslien]

Kaibosh-
I feel Displacement Exporter does simplify things as much as possible. We can not control other platforms so there is really nothing that Pixologic can do to make this a simple matter other than making creating displacement maps as fast and as simple as possible. Within Max you may need to use an 8 bit displacement map, 16 bit or 32 bit depending on whether you are using Max's default renderer or Mental Ray or Final Ray or...

Does this make sense? How can Displacement Exporter know what renderer you are going to use in Max? It can't. If we created all the presets for every renderer (renderman for maya, mental ray for maya, 32 bit floating point mental ray for maya, maya's default renderer, max's default renderer...) it would be way more buttons and in the end it would all come down to whether you need an 8 bit, 16 bit or 32 bit map. Whether you wanted it to be grey-scale or whether you wanted it to be rgb.

The over arching concept is bit depth. Max's mental ray is much the same as Maya which is much the same as XSI. One map generated for Maya will work much the same in Maya and Max (some variations, of course, but I am simplifying things here). In that sense why would we generate a separate preset for each package?

Also, if Mental Ray reads 32 bit maps much the same way as RenderMan why would there be a separate button for each renderer.

I hope this helps. The problem is inherint to the technology. There is no "Just Render" button though that does not mean it isn't a possible eventuality. :)

r

[alonso varela]

If you talk and undestand only spanish, check www.zbrush.es for dowload the spanish PDF file.

Regards.

[detrum]

EDIT
I didnt notice you had a Maya screengrab there, my apologies.
Thats weird still. The process above should still work. Anyone have an idea why and how ZBrush would shift one UV like that??


Shey Scott. I'm fairly familiar with your work, etc. You do some really great stuff. Also, nice review on the wacom tablet (wish i had one). im a fellow scad student, i graduated right along side ya ;) only, i was in ITGM

I had the exact problem with zbrush. I imported an arm, checked the UV's in zbrush (and they were perfect, matched original UVs) then after 'zbrushing' my model, i checked the UV's again in zmapper, and it did the EXACT same thing to me as what andylou17 had happen to him (pulled a vert way far away). No idea why it did this.

But Scott, man, thank you very much. Did what you said (didnt know you could fix UV's like that by reimporting on top of a tool).. you saved me a lot of trouble. thanks again!

[ashaiad]

in the Doc it say, that DpSubPix will govern the number times the mesh is divided as the displacment generated

now my Q is
let say you have a mesh that was divided 6 times
u go to level ONE then change the DPSubPix to vlaue of 6

however the mAX is 4

I guess I'm littel confused in that part...
thanks

[0bz]

Its reffering to the number of times in ADDITION to what you already have.
So your base of 6, plus the max of 4 = 10.

Higher DSUBpix = better map, slower generation.

[ashaiad]

I modfied the Mental Ray .map file conversion script (http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/showpost.php?p=236569&postcount=77) a littel bet to make it work on PC
the modification is on the cgtalk thread

http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=194935&page=2&pp=15

[monkeyd]

Hi, I have a problem relating to the MD2 exporter. It is failing to produce 32 bit displacment maps for the current model I'm working on.

Using regular 16 bit displacement maps I can get everything working fine, and at 4096x4096 I can my sculpted detail reproduced fine, but with additional nicks and scratches and banding that I don't want.

I got the md2 exporter for 32bit maps. All the indications are that that would fix the problem, as initially I did some tests that showed this, however for my current model md2 FAILS to produce displacement maps. It just says there was an error during displacement map generation and doesn't output anything (after calculating the map for 5-10mins as usual).

What are the possible reasons for failure to generate a 32bit displacement map? Could it be an issue with the cleanliness of the model? (Admittedly there are a couple of triangles here and there and maybe 1 or 2 pentagons, but 99.9% quads, and guv'ed in zbrush).

fyi the steps I took:
-basic quad mesh in max, export as obj using the zbrush pipeline guide settings
-import into zbrush, store mt, divide up to 6 levels
-sculpt
-back at level 1 switch mt
-guv with the auv slider on ~15
-check export settings, have adaptive on in the tools/displacement menu and map size at 4096^2
-Use the correct max code
-calculate and fail

also I tried it without switching to the original morphtarget.

If anyone professional wants to take a look I can supply the mesh, but this is a real headscratcher right now... I would appreciate any help I can get

attached is a pic - on the left the max base with lvl1 nurms, on the right the imported mesh with the 16bit displacement map I can generate on it - anomalies on the nose, spines and banding etc present elsewhere not visible in the render. I just did the sculpt in 2 mins because I won't spend time on it properly till I get this issue sorted out.

[moebius]

I ran in to the same problem a while ago. When you input the max code did you paste it in or type it, that was the problem for me. If i pasted the code or used the buttons to input it it failed, but if i typed it in it would work. Anyways not sure if it helps but it might be worth a try.

[monkeyd]

HI, thanks Moebius...

This time I tried applying guv with auv slider at 1, and I retyped the code manually DE-LBEK-EAEAEA-R32 (EVEN THOUGH it was identical to the one in there). It worked..I got a ****1001-R32.tif output.

However I can't import the 4096^2 R32.tif into max 8... it consistently gives I/O error saying it can't read it? Restarting max doesn't fix it (has done before with non 32bit tifs, when this happens I usually ascribe it to memory issues).

This is a 192mb 4096^2 file though, is that too big for max to handle? I have 2gb of Ram here and a 3ghz machine.

edit: ok so I created a 2048^2 sized R32 tif, and that imports ok...I get stepping and artifacts?? This has not been opened in another program between zbrush and max8? See the attached picture (this is with turbosmooth on 4 iterations). Also I'm not sure if the displacement is baked in for max, but it seems not, at least using the displace modifier (I guess that it might be for a mental ray displacement). I have an odd feeling that if I could just get a 4096 32 bit map into max that the extra resolution would fix it. Can anybody throw any further light on this?

Thanks
Alex

[ashaiad]

Zbrush dosn't want to import back the displacment created by the Multi Disp
even if its 16 bit tiff

So i guess I missed something in the pipeline



--------- EDIT ---------------
http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/showthread.php?t=29778&page=2&pp=15

[dudepearson]

Thanks just the stuff mate straight outa the top draw. dude

[aurick]

ZBrush cannot import 32-bit maps, period, since those maps are created by a plugin and ZBrush 2 itself was never designed to handle them.

As for 16-bit maps, it is not recommended to import TIFF into ZBrush. Instead, it's better to export as TIFF but import as PSD (assuming, of course, that you're running Photoshop CS as earlier versions did not support 16-bit correctly).

[mattcioffi]

how come zmapper has a raytracing function but md2 doesn't?:rolleyes: can also use an abitrary mesh with zmapper. :mad: why not just combine these two plugin?

for folks asking why. you can't capture features that have been pinched or inflated without this function

[theflatlander]

I have big problems to install this plugin.....doesn´t anyone else?
I use PC and have placed all the contents in the zplugs folder, but when I load the plugin in zbrush and chose export options in ZPlugin palette, I get this message that says that it can´t find the DispExporter plugin!

Does anyone know how to solve this? thanks!/Jimmy

[aurick]

I have big problems to install this plugin.....doesn´t anyone else?
I use PC and have placed all the contents in the zplugs folder, but when I load the plugin in zbrush and chose export options in ZPlugin palette, I get this message that says that it can´t find the DispExporter plugin!

Does anyone know how to solve this? thanks!/Jimmy That fact that you have to load the plugin indicates that it was not installed correctly. Plugins load automatically when ZBrush launches.

First, be sure the folder name is Zplugs rather than zplugs. Path names are case sensitive.

Second, here's what you SHOULD have:


ZStartup
.....Zplugs
..... .....DispExporter.zsc
..... .....DispExporterData
..... ..... .....Six other files

If your structure is any different from this, the plugin will not load or function correctly. If you have all the files in one folder without any DispExporterData subfolder then you need to use WinZip to extract the archive and make sure that the Use Folder Names option (found in the Extract dialogue box) is checked.

[theflatlander]

thank you very much, I really appreciate it! and it worked=) But I still get an error/message when I open up zbrush but it works anyway!

[mayajulian]

Does anyone know the code to export the displacement to Renderman

Thank you

[Jason Belec]

If you have a displacement shader for Renderman, it should work just fine. What issues are you having? ;)

[mayajulian]

I am not having any issues yet because i haven't export the displacement yet.

but since i can use DE-LBEK-EAEAEA-R32 Quick Code to set the 32-bit export options for Maya, I was hopping there is a code for Renderman

[mayajulian]

I found this:


DE-LBEK-EAEAEA-R32 Maya

DE-BAEK-CAAAAA-EIAS Positive
DE-BAEK-DAAAAA-EIAS Negative
DE-BCEK-CAAAAA-EIAS Pos Max
DE-BCEK-DAAAAA-EIAS Neg Max
DE-BAEK-CBAAAA-EIAS PosMajor
DE-BAEK-DBAAAA-EIAS NegMajor
DE-BAEK-CCAAAA-EIAS PosMinor
DE-BAEK-DCAAAA-EIAS NegMinor

but as u can see no renderman code

[nautilussoftware]

I am running a 64 bit athlon with 3 gig of memory with windows XP 32 bit os.

when i try to export and create all or just missing displacements the tool crashes zbrush.

I have had multiple problems exporting a file out to C4D.
codes: DE-FCGK-EACADA-4D_D16
the exporter is the Reve C version off this forum.

I can not export something that works. very frustrating.


HERE IS THE CRASH INFORMATION

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-16"?>
<DATABASE>
<EXE NAME="ZBrush2.exe" FILTER="GRABMI_FILTER_PRIVACY">
<MATCHING_FILE NAME="ZBrush2.exe" SIZE="11549519" CHECKSUM="0x19115A2E" BIN_FILE_VERSION="2.0.0.0" BIN_PRODUCT_VERSION="2.0.0.0" PRODUCT_VERSION="2, 0, 0, 0" FILE_DESCRIPTION="ZBrush Executable" COMPANY_NAME="Pixologic, Inc." PRODUCT_NAME="ZBrush" FILE_VERSION="2.0" ORIGINAL_FILENAME="ZBrush2.exe" INTERNAL_NAME="Z2" LEGAL_COPYRIGHT="Copyright © 1997-2004 Pixologic, Inc. Developed By Ofer Alon." VERFILEDATEHI="0x0" VERFILEDATELO="0x0" VERFILEOS="0x4" VERFILETYPE="0x1" MODULE_TYPE="WIN32" PE_CHECKSUM="0x0" LINKER_VERSION="0x0" UPTO_BIN_FILE_VERSION="2.0.0.0" UPTO_BIN_PRODUCT_VERSION="2.0.0.0" LINK_DATE="03/31/2004 10:56:18" UPTO_LINK_DATE="03/31/2004 10:56:18" VER_LANGUAGE="English (United States) [0x409]" />
<MATCHING_FILE NAME="UninstallerData\Uninstall ZBrush2.exe" SIZE="319488" CHECKSUM="0xB038D83" BIN_FILE_VERSION="4.5.2.0" BIN_PRODUCT_VERSION="4.5.2.0" PRODUCT_VERSION="4.5.2.0" FILE_DESCRIPTION="LaunchAnywhere GUI" COMPANY_NAME="Zero G" PRODUCT_NAME="LaunchAnywhere" FILE_VERSION="4.5.2.0" ORIGINAL_FILENAME="laxw.exe" INTERNAL_NAME="LaunchAnywhere" LEGAL_COPYRIGHT="Copyright © 1998-2002" VERFILEDATEHI="0x0" VERFILEDATELO="0x0" VERFILEOS="0x40004" VERFILETYPE="0x1" MODULE_TYPE="WIN32" PE_CHECKSUM="0x0" LINKER_VERSION="0x0" UPTO_BIN_FILE_VERSION="4.5.2.0" UPTO_BIN_PRODUCT_VERSION="4.5.2.0" LINK_DATE="01/04/2002 11:01:40" UPTO_LINK_DATE="01/04/2002 11:01:40" VER_LANGUAGE="English (United States) [0x409]" />
<MATCHING_FILE NAME="UninstallerData\resource\iawin32.dll" SIZE="68608" CHECKSUM="0x839ACEF2" BIN_FILE_VERSION="2.3.0.0" BIN_PRODUCT_VERSION="2.3.0.0" PRODUCT_VERSION="2, 3, 0, 0" FILE_DESCRIPTION="Intel Win32 Extentions DLL" COMPANY_NAME="" PRODUCT_NAME="Intel Win32 Extentions Dynamic Link Library" FILE_VERSION="2, 3, 0, 0" ORIGINAL_FILENAME="Intel Win32 Extentions.DLL" INTERNAL_NAME="Intel Win32 Extentions" LEGAL_COPYRIGHT="Copyright (C) 1998" VERFILEDATEHI="0x0" VERFILEDATELO="0x0" VERFILEOS="0x4" VERFILETYPE="0x2" MODULE_TYPE="WIN32" PE_CHECKSUM="0x0" LINKER_VERSION="0x0" UPTO_BIN_FILE_VERSION="2.3.0.0" UPTO_BIN_PRODUCT_VERSION="2.3.0.0" LINK_DATE="04/23/2003 18:23:35" UPTO_LINK_DATE="04/23/2003 18:23:35" VER_LANGUAGE="English (United States) [0x409]" />
<MATCHING_FILE NAME="UninstallerData\resource\remove.exe" SIZE="109056" CHECKSUM="0x65BD619" MODULE_TYPE="WIN32" PE_CHECKSUM="0x0" LINKER_VERSION="0x0" LINK_DATE="05/06/2003 21:34:52" UPTO_LINK_DATE="05/06/2003 21:34:52" />
<MATCHING_FILE NAME="UninstallerData\resource\ZGWin32LaunchHelper.exe" SIZE="45224" CHECKSUM="0x46BD308A" MODULE_TYPE="WIN32" PE_CHECKSUM="0x0" LINKER_VERSION="0x0" LINK_DATE="04/19/2001 22:54:44" UPTO_LINK_DATE="04/19/2001 22:54:44" />
<MATCHING_FILE NAME="ZData\ZPlugs\WebZPlug.dll" SIZE="49152" CHECKSUM="0xD4D7D066" MODULE_TYPE="WIN32" PE_CHECKSUM="0x0" LINKER_VERSION="0x0" LINK_DATE="01/12/2004 16:29:31" UPTO_LINK_DATE="01/12/2004 16:29:31" />
<MATCHING_FILE NAME="ZData\ZPlugs\ZSort.dll" SIZE="49152" CHECKSUM="0xE25630B8" MODULE_TYPE="WIN32" PE_CHECKSUM="0x0" LINKER_VERSION="0x0" LINK_DATE="03/21/2004 13:32:54" UPTO_LINK_DATE="03/21/2004 13:32:54" />
<MATCHING_FILE NAME="ZStartup\zplugs\DispExporterData\ZBrushDLL.dll" SIZE="98304" CHECKSUM="0xB3CEC3C3" MODULE_TYPE="WIN32" PE_CHECKSUM="0x1A123" LINKER_VERSION="0x0" LINK_DATE="07/01/2005 04:31:53" UPTO_LINK_DATE="07/01/2005 04:31:53" />
</EXE>
<EXE NAME="kernel32.dll" FILTER="GRABMI_FILTER_THISFILEONLY">
<MATCHING_FILE NAME="kernel32.dll" SIZE="984064" CHECKSUM="0xF12E1D4A" BIN_FILE_VERSION="5.1.2600.2945" BIN_PRODUCT_VERSION="5.1.2600.2945" PRODUCT_VERSION="5.1.2600.2945" FILE_DESCRIPTION="Windows NT BASE API Client DLL" COMPANY_NAME="Microsoft Corporation" PRODUCT_NAME="Microsoft® Windows® Operating System" FILE_VERSION="5.1.2600.2945 (xpsp_sp2_gdr.060704-2349)" ORIGINAL_FILENAME="kernel32" INTERNAL_NAME="kernel32" LEGAL_COPYRIGHT="© Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved." VERFILEDATEHI="0x0" VERFILEDATELO="0x0" VERFILEOS="0x40004" VERFILETYPE="0x2" MODULE_TYPE="WIN32" PE_CHECKSUM="0xF724D" LINKER_VERSION="0x50001" UPTO_BIN_FILE_VERSION="5.1.2600.2945" UPTO_BIN_PRODUCT_VERSION="5.1.2600.2945" LINK_DATE="07/05/2006 10:55:00" UPTO_LINK_DATE="07/05/2006 10:55:00" VER_LANGUAGE="English (United States) [0x409]" />
</EXE>
</DATABASE>

[aurick]

Have you checked for overlapping UV's? Press Tool>Texture>Uv Check. If any portion of the model turns red, you have bad UV mapping and ZBrush will crash every time.

[nautilussoftware]

Really!?!?!?!
Oh!!!

how can you fix this problem??
i modeled the character using c4d, then used teh "undertow" plugin to map the uvs on the head to be perfectly setup for texturing, then used the "riptide" exporter to import it into zbrush. :)

I tell you what, ... I'm getting real good at re-doing the model, hahaha.
5 times from scratch in zbrush every time.

-pete

[daytona]

Is there one place/thread where you can find all the quick codes for other programs?

[mocaw]

ZStartup
.....Zplugs
..... .....DispExporter.zsc
..... .....DispExporterData
..... ..... .....Six other files

If your structure is any different from this, the plugin will not load or function correctly. If you have all the files in one folder without any DispExporterData subfolder then you need to use WinZip to extract the archive and make sure that the Use Folder Names option (found in the Extract dialogue box) is checked.I've tried this, and a number of combinations, but I can't get it to run! Either I get NOTHING or I get and error and buttons that do nothing at all.
There was no Zplugins directory in the ZStartup- so I created one (case sensitve), does this maybe have something to do with it? My ZData folder was the only one with a Zplugins folder before...

So again- I've followed all the directions here and everywhere else...but it's a no go for me!

[Purist]

I am having technical issues with the PC version of this plugin:cry: Has anyone else received this error when attempting to launch Zbrush 2:

Unable to open/Create a FileC:\PROGRAM FILES\PIXOLOGIC\ZBRUSH2\ZStartup\ZPlugs\DispExport erData\data.mem

The OS I'm running is Windows 2000 in case that helps...

The message is classified as a INTERNAL ERROR Afile.cpp Line:517

Please help!

[mecha]

Hey All,

I am trying to export my first displacement map using Displacement Exporter RevD on OSX and for some reason it doesnt write the file. I get a flash where the correct export details should pop up, followed by another window stating that Zbrush is saving two files entitled "work HD -D32.tif / workDH -R32.tif"

Needless to say these are not the file names, or location, I entered.

I am geting results out of the default Displacement Exporter though!

Any ideas? My model is a basic head, all quads with a couple of poles exported from Maya 7 as OBJ!

Many thanks.

mecha

[nautilussoftware]

Well I always get seems when I export a displacement map. sometimes they are minor, sometimes major when going to c4d. But if I can not get a reliable way to always get a good displacement map out, I will be moving to mudbox for sure.:td:

-nautilussoftware
http://www.nautilussoftware.com

[aurick]

Unable to open/Create a FileC:\PROGRAM FILES\PIXOLOGIC\ZBRUSH2\ZStartup\ZPlugs\DispExport erData\data.mem

This is most likely a permissions issue. ZBrush MUST be able to write to its own folder AND subfolders. If permissions do not allow that, you'll get this error.

[aurick]

I am trying to export my first displacement map using Displacement Exporter RevD on OSX and for some reason it doesnt write the file
What is your pathname for ZBrush, and also the pathname for where you want the files to be written to? If there are any spaces or non-letter characters, you'll have this problem. You'll also have this happen if you try to write to a networked drive rather than the local drive.

[aurick]

Well I always get seems when I export a displacement map.Have you read the ZPipeline Guide for C4D, which is found in the sticky at the top of the Tutorials forum?

Also, are you making sure not to use ANY texture filtering such as antialiasing or MIP-mapping?

Also, with some models and rendering engines you will get better results if you create the map at 4096x4096 and then resize it down to what you actually need. This doesn't happen often, but there have been cases for some users.

[nautilussoftware]

Have you read the ZPipeline Guide for C4D, which is found in the sticky at the top of the Tutorials forum?

Also, are you making sure not to use ANY texture filtering such as antialiasing or MIP-mapping?

Also, with some models and rendering engines you will get better results if you create the map at 4096x4096 and then resize it down to what you actually need. This doesn't happen often, but there have been cases for some users.I have tried using the pipeline tutorials. I always have problems with every model I create. I have normal map problems and displacement map problems.

Before Export in Zbrush
test2.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%2746880%27,%27test2.jpg%27,1,0%2 9)

Afterwards in the import to C4d 9.6 with the riptide export/import
My problems are mosty with seams.

zbout2.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%2746878%27,%27zbout2.jpg%27,1,0% 29)
zb-out.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:zb_insimg%28%2746879%27,%27zb-out.jpg%27,1,0%29)

I always get these problems with different characters.

[king_p]

Hey nautilussoftware (http://www.pixolator.com/zbc/member.php?u=45286),

I used to have the same problem when i did displacements, i realized after running a test, that it was because i was using adaptive uv's, try using grouped uv's instead: Tool>Texture>GUVTiles, let us know if that fixes it mate.:tu: vbmenu_register("postmenu_322189", true);

[king_p]

Highlight above post, don't know what happened.

[lildragon]

I have tried using the pipeline tutorials. I always have problems with every model I create. I have normal map problems and displacement map problems.

Before Export in Zbrush


Afterwards in the import to C4d 9.6 with the riptide export/import
My problems are mosty with seams.

I always get these problems with different characters.Question, what are your settings for both normal/disp? Shouldn't be getting results like this unless you missed a few crucial steps.

Cheers

[aurick]

Just off hand: Are you flipping your maps vertically, either prior to exporting them from ZBrush or by using the feature in C4D to flip the map? Your seams look an awful lot like a map that hasn't been flipped.

[everlite]

Hi,

I've just downloaded and installed the displacement exporter & multi displacement 2 plugin from the first post of this thread.

So what should this give me? I've found the Dis.Exporter as DE options under the alpha menu, check.

Then what about the multi displacement 2 plugin? i can't seem to see this. The previous version under the zplugin menu is still multi displacement (without the numeral 2)

Am i correct in thinking this is two seperate plugins? and i should now see multi displacement 2 under the plugin menu?

I've also noticed, looking at the PDF titled ZBrushTo3dsMax that the Dis.Exporter looks very different to the one i'm using, in the PDF the instructor suggests clicking the R32 on page 15, though when i look over at zbrush these options are very different with no option for R32 ????? It goes from Z2 (top left) to 20 (bottom right) but no R32.

This is really confusing.

I also wish to use this plugin with MR for 3ds Max, any tips or suggestions would be an added bonus http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/images/icons/icon12.gif

Cheers - David.

[nautilussoftware]

Just off hand: Are you flipping your maps vertically, either prior to exporting them from ZBrush or by using the feature in C4D to flip the map? Your seams look an awful lot like a map that hasn't been flipped.yes;
I flip them before I export to c4d.
i do not know the setings I am using at this moment, however I use A 4096X4096 adaptive and I can't remember at the moment. I do not have my machine in front of me. I'm logging in from work.


Maybe I can upload the file and someone can take a look at it for me? is that something I can do?

I have had to redo this character 5 times and get the same results. I want to have a pretty low poly model for rigging in c4d with cactus dan's rigging plugins which are awesome.

thanks in advance guys!!!

-peter

[kidlizard]

Is the link still active? Why cant I download this plug? Er is there some other link? Pls help.

[yuriythebest]

I am having technical issues with the PC version of this plugin:cry: Has anyone else received this error when attempting to launch Zbrush 2:

Unable to open/Create a FileC:\PROGRAM FILES\PIXOLOGIC\ZBRUSH2\ZStartup\ZPlugs\DispExport erData\data.mem

The OS I'm running is Windows 2000 in case that helps...

The message is classified as a INTERNAL ERROR Afile.cpp Line:517

Please help!I am having the same issue on windows xp sp2. How does one change the permission rules you talked about? Also in the plugin rar file were the files ZbrushDll.dll and zbrushDll.lib and the guide didn't mention em- where do I put them, I tried putting them in the plugins folder also... wait I figured it out!

1.place DispExporter.zsc in the zplugs folder
2.in the zplugs folder create a new folder and name it "DispExporterData"
3.place the files data.mem, ZbrushDll.dll and zbrushDll.lib in the newly created folder and tada! works!

hope that will be of help to someone

[yuriythebest]

I'm trying to use multi displacement 2 to export my displacement map (just installed it)- however the button is greyed out and there is a questionmark sign. Did I install it wrong or did I miss something?

zbr3qc0.jpg

[masterchief]

Win32 systems have hidden folder located in C:\Documents and Settings\<user> ... It is the SendTo folder.

Place the convertfile batch file inside the SendTo folder and when you right-click TIFF image you will be able to send it directly to the convertfile batch file. Resulting MAP image produced by the batch file will reside inside the same folder as original TIFF image.

convertfile.bat
------------------
:convertfile
@IF %1 == "" GOTO end
imf_copy -p %1 "%~d1%~p1%~n1.map"
@SHIFT
@GOTO convertfile
:end
@ECHO.
@ECHO Done!
@pause
------------------


regards,
William

[Gareee]

Is this built into zbrush 3.1?

[Gareee]

Found it rooting around in zbc...

[spaz8]

It seems any maps I export through DE is not recognized by zbrush when i try and re-import it.. is this expected functionality.. i know with Zb2.. 32 bit maps were an additional feature so no support.. just curious if this is still outstanding in zb 3.1, since im getting no luck unless I use a 16 bit tif from the "traditional" displacement drop down.

[sunnywei2001]

:confused:

Disp Exporter Not working for me?
I am using Mac Pro
2X3GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon
2GB 667MHz DDR2
ATI Radeon X11900 XT
OSX10.5.5
Zbrush 3.12

Any one?

[wleung]

Hi i tried to get this plugin but it isnt working i am trying to get the mac version and it just saves a file called DispExporterRevD-Mac.sit how does it work?


Thanks

[aurick]

There is no Displacement Exporter for Mac 3.12 at this time. You can see the complete list of current plugins by clicking the Download Center link in my signature.

[Simoon]

After installing the plugin (../Zstartup/Zplugs ) I've got the following alerts:

Zscript Note: Specified execute -file could not be found
[FileExecute,[Var,dllPath],FirstCall,,]


..and after:

Zscript Note...
Zscript skipped due to error in its content: DispExporter

FRUSTRATION CONTINUE --> Having a license of zBrush it's like being married to Marylin Monroe and have no sex wathsoever

[Eraserhead]

Ok, I'm having a huuuuuuge problem here. I haven't seen any posts about this, I've made sure my UVs are not overlapping and they aren't going over the tile. I have a mesh with new UVs on multiple tiles and when I go to bake out 32 bit displacement maps I get these perfectly horizontal streaks going across the map. Not only that, but zbrush gives the tile the wrong number. for example, I have the 64th tile but zbrush renames it to 1. Its really important that I get a response to this any help is badly needed and appreciated.

[florencepapillon]

Please clarify things about Mac: is this working on Zbrush 3.xx ?

Then you write that the plugin is now part of Zbrush 3.1 .... which version, Mac, PC or both ? Are you sure it is part of 3.1, because I can't find it.

[dymaxion]

User: Kerwin shared the following:

A couple of key things are missing, notably Zmapper and Multidisplacement. You will probably told you don't need these things anymore. I suggest you try for yourself and decide. You'll can search the threads and see what several other long-time ZB Mac users have to say about ZB 3.12 if you don't believe me.

There are also signicant bugs around displacement map generation, subtools and topology, some acknowledged by Pixologic and some not.

Very few of my students who need to take a model from ZBrush into another package (such as Maya) are using ZB 3.12 Mac right now because of these issues.

I myself use Windows now for Zbrush, though we have several macs in the shop. It is simply not worth the lost time to fight the problems with ZB 3.12, and now with little sign of ZB 3.5, it would be ill-advised to start any professional animation modeling using ZB Mac.
___________


Actual usage of zmapper, xnormal and ZB 3.12's mapping and evaluating the results may alter your opinion.

Hence many mac users want Zmapper3 and Multidisplacement3 with their additional support and settings. (I myself simply stopped using ZB on a Mac--it's pipeline usability is, to be generous, limited.)

[neilford]

Hey Aurick,

There is a download for the Mac, but when I run ZbrushOSX3.12 or "B" version, there is a script execute-file error. It seems that disp exporter is missing. Why is there a Mac download if there is not Mac version? Thanks.

neilford

[spaz8]

Some of DE has been rolled into the displacement panel of 3.12B.. there is now a button for 32 bit, and 3 channel maps option..

[M i c h e l]

Some of DE has been rolled into the displacement panel of 3.12B.. there is now a button for 32 bit, and 3 channel maps option..

Hi Ken,
This is Michel from luxo forum
Could you please give a try to this DE with 3.12B and tell me if it works.

[Mannu]

Can anyone tell me whats wrong ? Thanks !

[Ekko-84]

Hello guys, I have got the version 3.12 for Mac and I just tried to create a displacement map of my Orc. But the export options button on Multi Disp. 2 always shows the same error (execute file did not found...). The files were put to the right folder, like it is described: ZStartup > ZPlugs...
I have attached my Zbrush Interface, too, to show you wich version it is.
Currently I am working on the Orc and the dragon.

Hope someone can help me!

Bildschirmfoto 2009-12-29 um 20.51.11.jpg (javascript:zb_insimg('','Bildschirmfoto%202009-12-29%20um%2020.51.11.jpg',1,0))
Bildschirmfoto 2009-12-29 um 22.29.38.jpg (javascript:zb_insimg('173160','Bildschirmfoto%202 009-12-29%20um%2022.29.38.jpg',1,0))
Test_all1_klein.jpg (javascript:zb_insimg('173161','Test_all1_klein.jp g',1,0))

[andretunes]

Somebody knows why I can't convert .tif files to .map on Windows 7?
I tried to use this .bat file, but when I try to run in DOS it say that can't open the TIF file for converting it to .map.

I created the .tif file in ZBrush and it's a 32-bit. Am I missing something?

thanks for the help!

[spaz8]

A shot in the dark is a missing Tif Library. Win7 does not have.

[Osea]

hi! i'm new entry! so i've got some problem to install Displacement map in my mac,

so when I put in the folder all file, and after I lunch z brush appears an error,

ZScript Note: Specified execute-file could not be found.
[FileExecute,[Var,dllpath],FirstCall,,]

why???

Someone can help me??

Thanks!