Looking for printable tutorials on Texture Master

[Helen9]

I just went through the ZScript tutorial on Texture Master and loved what I saw. But I have this teeny little problem. I like to be able to read a tutorial as I work on my own project. I simply can't retain all the steps I saw in the ZScript. Does anyone know where I can find a detailed tutorial on Texture Master that I can print out and read as I texture my own stuff? It would be extremely helpful right now!

Thanks!

Helen
webmistress@pixelarcana.com

[juandel]

hi, Helen! a .pdf tut is available here (http://www.pixolator.com/zbc-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=1&t=005112) :) hope this helps!

- juandel

<font color="#949494" size="1"> November 22, 2002 Message edited by: juandel </font>

[MrBraun]

Welcome aboard Helen!! I have seen your site (good art inside!!!) and i hope to see one of your image created with zBrush!! ;)

[Helen9]

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I have been beating my brains out over this particular project - a pair of poseable boots for Poser 4 - and have been absolutely stymied as to how to create the texture map. I tried every trick I knew in UVMapper Classic, but still can't get rid of the seams. And since I can't afford UVMapper Pro, I decided I would go with the only other software I had that I knew might texture my obj. I was extremely impressed with the ZBrush script, and think it will do exactly what I need it to do. I'm going to soak in a hot tub and read the printed out tutorial. Then I plan to spend this weekend finishing those darn boots! I want this project out of my hair.

MrBraun, thanks for the kind remarks regarding my webpage. I certainly hope to get some ZBrush artwork done soon. I think I may take a break from my regular work schedule Christmas week and simply devote that time to playing around in ZBrush. I'm very new to the program, and have slowly been reading through the 1.51 tutorials I've found online here. Here's hoping I will have something posted come end of December. I will post the boots for a free download on the webpage when they're done, and include a render so folks can see how they turned out.

[Helen9]

Okay, I just got through the first two sections of the tutorial, and was able to make a simple 3D obj, texture it, and export it with the texture. I loaded it up in Poser to see how it would look, and it turned out great! Now to get through the next couple of chapters and then do my boots!

[Frenchy Pilou]

Hi helen
May be a little trick :)
I have an old computer so I can try ! But you can try !
Open 2 Zbrush session !
You have the script on one and your project on the other !
Ps For the texture master don't miss the KenB Tutorial ! http://www.pixolator.com/zbc-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=1&t=005141
Pilou

<font color="#949494" size="1"> November 23, 2002 Message edited by: Frenchy Pilou </font>

[Helen9]

Pilou, thanks for the tip! I haven't considered doing that, but it ought to work.

I finally got my project done. I used ZBrush to create a texture map for a pair of boots I made for Poser. The boots are poseable, and now they finally have a decent texture. I learned quite a bit about ZBrush in the process of doing this, but I realize this is only the tip of the iceberg. Here's an image of the boots I created.
http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1038107477cnv.jpg

[keith]

Hey, the license doesn't allow you to run two different copies at the same time. Check this post:
http://www.pixolator.com/zbc-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=4&t=000185

[Pres]

(Sigh.)

Hey, nice boots. I like the shader a lot! Looks like it'd be appropriate on a dune buggy or something from the 70s too. :D

Pres

<font color="#949494" size="1"> November 23, 2002 Message edited by: Pres </font>

<font color="#949494" size="1"> November 23, 2002 Message edited by: Pres </font>

[Frenchy Pilou]

Hi Keith
I presume that you don't read attentively :)
I say open 2 sessions on the "same" computer of course !
I suppose it's possible if you have enough memory on your computer ! me with my poor 32 Megas it's not possible :)
Am I right Aurick ?
Pilou

[keith]

I am somebody who can't read licenses for long but in that post aurick did say:

"The ZBrush license allows you to have ZBrush installed on up to two computers, provided that both copies are not in use at the same time."

Well you made me read it. It's in section 2.1 or the LicenseAgreement file.

<font color="#949494" size="1"> November 24, 2002 Message edited by: keith </font>

[Helen9]

Good to know about the EULA. I work off of two computers, one laptop and one desktop, and have ZBrush on both. Which computer I use depends on my mood and the project. The desktop has a small drawing tablet attached and more memory so it can handle bigger projects, but ever since I got pregnant, I've been far more comfortable working at my laptop. It's getting harder and harder to sit at my desk! :D

The texture for the boots is actually the combined result of textures created in ZBrush combined with the materials options available in Poser. I used ZBrush to get a mottled aligator skin texture and bump map, and then set the highlight color to white in Poser with a high reflectivity. I wanted a sort of faux metallic aligator skin effect, and this was as close as I could get. I think it came out pretty good. I just loved having the option to use ZBrush textures to paint my texture map!

[Frenchy Pilou]

Hi Keith
I think that is a little misunderstanding :)
May be you have never make that : for exemple
1 You start a programm like "excel" on your computer, don't close it.
2 You start again "excel" on the same computer.
So you have 2 "excel" open in the same time on the same computer.
It's that I said for Zbrush :)
Where is the problem :) It's the "same" copy :) not "two different copy" !
One computer, one monitor, one programm at the same time : windows is not "multi-action :)
Two "sessions" at the same screen. Am I right Aurick ?
Pilou :cool:

<font color="#949494" size="1"> November 24, 2002 Message edited by: Frenchy Pilou </font>

[Kevin]

Like your boots, Helen. And I've experienced the same problem you've been having with a seam on textures. I think it has something to do with the map curving at the edges so that there are a bunch of facets crunched up together. I even get the seam on maps that came with some models I bought.

Kevin

[Helen9]

Kevin, thanks! I posted the problem to two other forums to get suggestions on how to fix that. Basically, the advice I got was to avoid planar mapping if at all possible, and to map individual parts rather than the whole boot. I ended up using cylidrical and spherical mapping on the leather upper parts, and that solved the seam problems. ZBrush was able to give me seamless texturing despite having having multiple sections to texture. The final boots are now online for free download. Of course, after visiting this website, I've been thinking that my next ZBrush project will be straight up artwork. I want some play time after all this hard work I had to do!

[Kevin]

Hey, Helen, care to share a little of your technique? I have some clothes models that I bought and I've tried to paint my own textures, but I get bad stretching at the seams. The clothes are map front and back. And nothing I try seems to work. I figured I'd take them into ZBrush and give that a whirl. But I still get a seam under the arms. And no amount of painting will get rid of it. (There might be some stretching elsewhere too, but I'm probably not seeing it since one side is black and the other is white. To prepare the model, I figured I shouldn't use the original template, since that was stretching. So I remapped the model in planar mode but I didn't split it. I took that into ZBrush and I still get the problem mentioned above. Did you do something different? Also, when I painted using the TextureMaster, I got the same image on the front and the back. Is there a way for the front and the back to be different?

One other thing, I noticed in UVMapperPro that even with my new mapping, I still get stretching. I used that feature in UVMapper where you can apply a checker pattern to preview. and the squares at the sides are much larger. Does this mean that it's the fault of the model? The way it was constructed? Or am I missing something?

Thanks.

[aurick]

The fault in that case could be either the model or the mapping.

If some faces are considerably larger than others, or oddly shaped, they tend to result in texture distortion.

Also, the fewer pieces a model is unwrapped into by the UV Mapping, the more distortion there will be. Basically, if you try to map a model with very few pieces you normally get a lot of distortion. The more you can break the model up, the less distortion there will be, but the harder it will be to make sense of the map with the naked eye.

ZBrush 1.51's UVTiles method takes this to the extreme. By unwrapping every polygon separately, the texture can be created with almost no distortion. But you can't take that texture into Photoshop and paint on it by hand the way that you could with "traditional" mapping methods. UVTiles was meant specifically for texturing with an application such as ZBrush where you can paint the texture directly onto the model's surface.

[Kevin]

Thanks. Is it possible to bring a obj file into ZBrush and discard the UV Mapping that already exists and let ZBrush create one of its own?

[aurick]

Yes. You can do that using Tool>Modifiers>Texture. Simply choose the option that you prefer before you begin texturing.

If you are planning to use the texture in another application, some other programs do have problems with the current version of UVTiles. You might want to wait until the bonus upgrade to do the texturing, as these problems have been addressed. But if you are planning to use the model in ZBrush, UVTiles is the way to go, even now.

[Ken B]

http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1038939707lna.jpg

I did a quick test with a zb created model and a texture. Here is one exported into Lightwave and posed with bones. The model was painted in texture master with the UV tiles mapping. It imported fine, but as stated, the actual image map isn't workable on its own. It ceratainly is a quick way of creating no-distortion maps though.

Otherwise, there is no quick way to get a good UV map that also has an easily viewable image map. You usually need to carefully assign UV coordinates to parts of your model.

[Kevin]

Well, I've tried somethings since yesterday and I've learned a few things. I gave up on the clothes models I was experimenting with. Thought there might be something wrong with the construction. So I switched to a clothes model I got from DAZ. I loaded the TShirt into ZBrush. I suppose I was suppose to load the texturemap into the texture panel and apply it. But I didn't know to do that. Instead I clicked on some of the buttons that control UV mapping in Zbrush. I eventually settled on the planar UV Mapping. (When I clicked on them, nothing visibly changed. I just figured this was the one I was suppose to use.)

I began painting with the TextureMaster. What I painted on the front appeared on the back. I didn't have B-F checked either. When I painted on the sides, what I painted on one side didn't appear on the other. This would be fine in some cases. But not in all. Is there some setting I missed?

After I painted, I found there were a few areas that kept their white polygons. No amount of painting or turning etc could fix this. Believe me I tried. No sure why this happens. I've attached a picture to show the effect.

I remembered that I had had some success in eliminating this problem by painting outside the lines. I didn't know how to do this in ZBrush, so I exported my model and texture and then opened up my texture in Photoshop. I used a 20 pixel brush to paint around the edge of the texture, changing colors where appropriate. And when I applied the modified texture map, the white parts were gone. I've attach a picture to show how this worked.

Not sure if it matters, but when I loaded the mesh into ZBrush, it told me there were 18 polygons that had more than 4 sides or something like that. I said ok.

Is there a better way to do this, or is this how it's done? Thanks. http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1038964019czo.jpg

[Kevin]

Not sure if you can add more than one image to a post or how to do it if you can, so here's the second picture. http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1038964141zyu.jpg

[drjjwow]

too add a image to your current topic choose edit post in your topic and then add your new image to it.. i find also that its easier to import the textured map into photoshop to fix any unwanted effects