Testing ZSphere+UVTiles export...

[Pixolator]

Hi :)
This is a test of a ZSphere-generated mesh and the updated UVTiles texture-mapping of the upcoming ZBrush version...
http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1039682823skm.jpg

Several of ZBrush features (including compatibility with other applications) are currently being tested and finalized. The next ZBrush release date will be posted when these tests have been successfully completed.
Meanwhile, for those of you who are creating (or planning to create) ZSpheres objects and exporting the geometry+texture to other 3D applications; I am including the mesh (OBJ format) and texture below. These files will allow you to test compatibility with your other 3D apps before the next ZBrush version is released.
http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1039642899tgt.jpg
http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1039646100adv.jpg

Note: Mesh has been updated and it is available in here... (http://www.pixolator.com/zbc-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=1&t=009275)


Thanks,
-Pixolator

[Nemo]

Thanks Pix - i will test this after work - you used lots of attractor spheres to achieve this?
It seems to me i wouldnt be able to create an adaptive skin with these features with my toolset now.

[aurick]

Here are two renders that I did.

The first one was done in Cinema 4D. In order for a ZBrush-generated texture to map correctly in C4D, it must be flipped vertically. This was already done with the supplied texture.

In C4D, set the Import/Export OBJ options to import the model at a scale of only 1%. Otherwise the model will be humongous when you import it! After import, rotate the model 180 degrees on the Y axis (Heading). Load the texture into a material's color channel. When applied to the model, the texture will look blocky until it is rendered.

http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1039687324iwb.jpg

The second image is Poser 5. Import the model and in the dialogue box that comes up tell Poser to flip the normals and place the object on the floor. You can leave the other settings alone. After importing (it will come in as a prop), you can rotate it 180 degrees on the Y axis so that it faces the camera.

Go to the Material room and create a new 2D texture node for Diffuse_Color. Load the supplied texture. (As with C4D, Poser requires that a ZBrush texture be flipped vertically before exporting from ZBrush.) Connect the node to the Specular_Color channel, as well.

In the Render options, P5 gives two options: Firefly Renderer or P4 Renderer. If using the P4 Renderer, use any render settings that you like. If rendering with Firefly, use any settings except "Use texture filtering." The image below was rendered using Firefly.

At this point, the model could be saved as a character, or rigged for posing.

http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1039688033zkp.jpg

[Zendoftheworld]

Ofer, thank you so much.

Without this, it's the end of the world as far as ZBrush and Maya for me.

I only eat carrots and drink coffee until the day this new vresion is released.

Thanks,
Zendoftheworld......

[Zendoftheworld]

Dear Ofer,

Ok, here's some more screenshots in Maya and two render tests.

I offered these to you when I first read you were making these amendments, so here they are.

The first is a view of Maya's UV texture editor. As we can see, you've allowed more room between each face compared to that in version 1.51:

http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1039690260nyl.jpg

This second image is that of the character in Maya's viewport. Looks real good to me:

http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1039690392rhi.jpg

The third image is that of the faceted character rendered using Maya's default renderer. Again, looking very sexy:

http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1039690450iaz.jpg

And finally, a fourth image of the poly character smoothed and rendered:

http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1039690506umu.jpg

All I have to say is:

1. :tu: :tu: :tu: :tu: :tu:
2. When can we have this most beautiful of things?

Thanks to you.

Regards,
Zendoftheworld......

[Antimorph]

sorry its a wide one

http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1039693318hox.jpg

Coming into max was straightforward, the habware obj importer handled stuff like rotation, inverted normals and vertex scaling.

Noticed a few gremlins, some of which seem to be shared in aurick's and Zends posts, e.g. chest misalignment, ragged texture, closeup weirdness..

so in the above

leftmost is Max viewport (OpenGL) then the uvw unwrap edit window for the highlighted poly, then the max render (note that you can faintly see the poly structure) and then a viewpoint.com export.

In max and viewpoint the little alien had a small blue patch at the top of her head, not sure if that means anything but thought I'd mention it anyway.

:)

[babbelbub]

worked fine in Lw7. I had to flip the polygons (forgot to do that when exporting from zbrush). Selected the uvmap and the texture from the surfaces meny and everything looked fine! Two twisted polygons in the mesh one on the hip one on the head. http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1039701477ihe.jpg

[Northstarr]

Imported obj into Bryce 4, Material imported as 2D texture map and applied. Rendered and that's it. No trouble at all.

http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1039714962yqo.jpg

:)

Actually he is a little pudgy and that is not due to the import process, it was me in a hurry when I resized it. Sorry!

[Ken B]

An addition to the Lightwave test:

The texture colors were flipped--left to right--when compared to the Zbrush rendering. Looking at the other posts, this seems to be true too.

Flipping either the UV coords or the texture doesn't work with the tile maps.

Furthermore, when the model is imported back into Zbrush, the texture no longer lines up properly. Even when resetting the UV to tile, the texture isn't the same. this happened on the unmodified downloaded model from this post.

[WingedOne]

Here's a test I did with POV-Ray 3.5. First I had to convert the mesh to the proper format using a utility called "PoseRay" which can be found at http://user.txcyber.com/~sgalls/index.htm.

After loading the mesh, I had to click the "calculate normals" button and then click the "Update current geometry" button. Then all I needed to do was set up my camera and lights and export the file. Seemed to work fine for me. PoseRay only has OpenGL preview, so the texture won't look right in PoseRay, but it renders fine in POV-Ray. I realize now that I should have mirrored the object on the X-Axis in Pose-Ray, after looking at your ZBrush rendering.

http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1039716849kmy.jpg

http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1039716897vgq.jpg

[zued]

Another Lightwaver.. (7.5)

Works great with subpatch ON!
( Exept for som texture artifacts on the chest, don´t know if its in the Texturemap,)

..And Ken B.. Its not only the texture that is mirrored.. objects to..


:eek: Woow.. I like this character.. )

Zued
http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1039716685egm.jpg

Heres an mirrored object: ( pulled his ear ;)


http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1039717161eax.jpg

[DLee]

This is Vue 4. I was having problems with it, then realized I had to actually flip the texture not just turn it like you can in the program. Once I did that it worked just fine. I also took it into poser 4 and it came up no problem.

http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1039717189wsv.jpg

[Mahlikus The Black]

OKay this is what happened when I tried to import it into c4d.
What is going on here...is it poly smoothing or something? I noticed that alot of posts have this...so I am not too worried...but I would like to know if it is me or not... :(

Thanks for the help yall.

http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1039725990sdd.jpg

[NOITAMINANIMATION]

This had some issues before, see following post for solution..


http://24.192.23.249/Jason/ZTest_.jpg

[aurick]

noitaminanimation, it looks like the texture needs to be flipped horizontally. :)

Mahlikus, this is most likely due to the fact that it's a small texture (only 1024x1024). A larger one will most likely be uploaded later today.

[NOITAMINANIMATION]

Aaaahhhaaa! Rotate 180 degrees and flip Horizontally. An extra step from the previous process. other than that, it works pretty well.

http://24.192.23.249/Jason/ZTest_2.jpg

[KenH]

Hi!
Just some comments on what I've seen :)

I think the other Ken is right in that we should also test the ability to bring the model back into Zbrush. I know I will want to do that.
It also seems to me that in most programs a flip and a rotate is required. Surely it would just be easier to alter Zbrushes co-ordinate system to by-pass that altogether?

In any case, this is looking good...and by the way it loads into Animation Master too. :tu:

[Antimorph]

Cool aurick, so the bugs seem like they could fade away, see how WE CAN find bugs that don't exist :)

Here's the process for zbrush obj to max.

Import the obj

These setting are not the defaults when the import plugin is first installed.

They seem to be a reasonable starting point to me.

http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1039736440xbt.gif

------

The importer spat this at me, and I dutifully ignored it.

http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1039736595czh.gif

------

She arrives lying face down on her tummy with her feet toward me, sadly she's inside out

http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1039736890rtj.jpg


------


flipped the normals, spun her over, stood her up, made her some friends, brought in the bitmap on the diffuse channel and applied it without modification

http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1039737022nqe.jpg

-----

She looks slightly funky in an OpenGL preview viewport

http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1039737128tip.jpg

-----

But everything renders fine.

http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1039737440jce.jpg


KenH, it doesn't seem to me that changing the coordinate system is going to be as easy as writing zscript helpers for exporting to and importing from each target platform. (especially as this seems likely to happen anyway)

I tried reimporting the obj into zbrush and saw no immediate problem, I'm guessing if you don't export it on the new version you'll re-introduce the same problems this thread is fixing..

I'm sure I'll sleep very happily tonight feeling like the update is so close now :)

[aurick]

Thank you, all of you, for the help that you are providing. It is much appreciated, and your feedback is invaluable. Here are several things to bear in mind.

1) The texture needs to be flipped vertically. You can do this in a snap after importing it with Texture>Flpv

2) In order to make UVTiles more readily compatible with other programs, this UV mapping method has gone through some major reworking since version 1.51. This model was created using the newer version, which means that while it can be brought into version 1.51, the texture won't be as clean as it is in Pixolator's renders.

3) UVTiles is currently being tested, and will be adjusted as needed before the final release.

[reminator]

Matt,I would desagree about the texture size. 1K texture is already quite big and does not explain why it should look like this. With a bit of UV cleaning, you can get the desired result, meaning it's not the size but the UV tile texture rendering and assignation that is not up to scratch yet.
HTH
R.
http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1039741213rld.jpg

[Mahlikus The Black]

Thanks Matt!

Here is a second go at it!
http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1039754067als.jpg

I made the second bot's txeture in zb and place them next to each other in C4D. The second one uses planar mapping?..is that right.

This was fun..too bad I had to stop!
:(

http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1039764675bld.jpg

Thanks a million Pixolator.
Such an amazing low-poly character...under 5000 too..you rock! :D

[Gray_Madder]

Heres my quick test in lightwave.....

Just figured out importing to LW from ZBrush so dont be nasty but the texture map is intact after flipping.............. null http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1039760945hgy.jpg

[Pixolator]

Thank you for taking the time to post your test-results and images :) This information has already resulted in an update to the UVTiles routines to allow for better compatibility with your tested applications.

Click here for an updated mesh (http://www.pixolator.com/zbc-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=1&t=009263)

Thanks,
Pixolator

[marcel]

:confused: i seems to be always in late... http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1039797444ywv.jpg http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1039797474fmn.jpg

[dognose]

Imports into trueSpace6 using the luuv .obj plug-in. Had to flip all normals and apply the texture manually.
http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1039803296xmd.jpg
Mike