Pixologic Release: SmoothGroup Import (PC & Mac) UPDATED for V3.5R3 Win

[aurick]

SmoothGrp.jpg


This plugin is designed by marcus_civis for those who like to work with smoothing groups in Max or an app that supports them. It will import an OBJ into ZBrush and automatically crease the borders of any smoothing groups. If there are regular groups these are unaffected.


This plugin is now available for ZBrush 3.5R3 PC and ZBrush 3.2 Mac.
You can get it from the Download Center (http://www.pixologic.com/zbrush/downloadcenter/zplugins/).




INSTRUCTIONS

Press the button and select an OBJ file from disk. You will have the option of importing into a mesh in Edit mode if you wish. The file will be imported and if there are smoothing groups defined the borders of each group will be creased.

To uncrease the smoothing groups after subdividing to the required level, SHIFT+click the Tool:Geometry:UnCrease button.



INSTALLATION

The zip contains:

SmoothGroupImport.zsc - the plugin file
SmoothGroupImportData - a folder which contains:
ZFileUtils.dll - the dll file

SmoothGroupImport_readme.txt - the readme file


Unzip the zip file to your ZBrush3\ZStartup\ZPlugs folder so that the structure is like this:

ZBrush3
|--ZStartup
|--ZPlugs
... SmoothGroupImport.zsc
|--SmoothGroupImportData
... ZFileUtils.dll Restart ZBrush. You should now have an Import & Crease button in the Tool palette (below the Import button).

A sample file of the belt buckle shown above may be download here (http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/attachment.php?attachmentid=83337).


We hope you find the plugin useful.

thumb.jpg

[Jester]

I can't download the plugin due to this error message:

This server can only be accessed by the proper referring server.

What does that mean?

[77model]

Good work

[Jester]

By the way, it would be nice to have a crease all groups script. For us, who are not working with max

[Jester]

Marcus, is there any plan to extend the plugin with importing creased edges from Softimage, etc.?

[marcus_civis]

Marcus, is there any plan to extend the plugin with importing creased edges from Softimage, etc.?

Does Softimage export creased edges in an OBJ? If there is relevant data in the OBJ then it should be possible. If you can try a simple cube and send it to me, I'll take a look.

[Jester]

Looking at the generated OBJ file, it doesn't, but it export vertex normals. It looks like that if vertex is hard (not smoothed) it's normal points to 0,0,1 direction. Otherwise the vertex normal shows fraction numbers.

The cube.OBJ is attached.

Thanks!

[marcus_civis]

Thanks. I think it may be more complicated than you suggest, after all this is only a cube and what goes for this may not necessarily go for more complex shapes. I presume the normals have been adjusted so that some faces appear smoothed but I'd need to understand more about how the normals are calculated to be sure and to make use of it. I'll look into it as it interests me but I can't promise a speedy result. (I've a lot on at the moment.)

How do you define a smoothed area in XSI? Could you define the area as a polygroup instead? This is essentially what is happening with the Max 'smooth group'. The only difference with ordinary polygroups is that the faces in the OBJ are grouped under an 's' tag rather than 'g'.

[Jester]

Hey Marcus, nice idea.

In XSI there are hard edges, and smoothing performed over these edges. IMO that's far simpler to work with (on the artist side). There are also Clusters (sub-element groups). Alas XSI doesn't export clusters in OBJ, unless it has different material assigned. I may create a script to XSI that makes the Smoothing group cluster with SM prefix in the name, assign the same name as the cluster. Small preparation on XSI side, but it worth it.

Here is a cube exported as I mentioned

[Orkanslayer78]

excellent plugin, saves me having to bounce through lightwave for the bandsaw before i take it into zbrush

[dutch]

The download page says the 3.5 version is coming soon. There is no 3.1 link. Where can I find this?

[Hellfire]

The download page says the 3.5 version is coming soon. There is no 3.1 link. Where can I find this?look this thread
http://www.zbrushcentral.com/showthread.php?t=79540

[danexmurder]

Is there an ETA on when this is going to be available for zbrush 3.5? This plugin is integral to my workflow.

[Eastman]

I've been running 3.1 alongside 3.5 R3 just so I can use this plugin, as it's integral to my workflow as well.

Every time I piss and moan about Pixologic being slow updating their plugins they surprise me by doing an update a few days later. Hopefully this will be the case, but I have a sneaking suspicion they won't bother and just make it part of r4 or v4, whichever comes first.

It still annoys the crap out of me how they lure us in with these awesome plugins, make them part of the reason to buy ZBrush, let us develop a great workflow with them, and then don't update them along with the rest of the program thus breaking our workflow; having us choose between updating to the latest version with new amazing features, or stay with the older version for a few more months just because the way we work depends on it.

There, done complaining. Just please get your s**t together, Pixologic. You make the best 3D sculpting software out there, and I love you to bits and pieces but I feel like I'm in an abusive relationship here where you take me for granted :P

[marcus_civis]

This is now available for 3.5R3 - see the Download Center (http://www.pixologic.com/zbrush/downloadcenter/zplugins/).

[Norman3D]

Yesss!!!! Thank you!!

[Spittle]

I just posted this in the wrong forum - there's a problem with the plugin - or maybe I'm doing something wrong.

http://www.zbrushcentral.com/showthread.php?t=83943

[marcus_civis]

For technical reasons the polygroups are lost on import. It's not possible to correct this at the present time. I suggest you do the following:

1. Import smoothing groups and crease.
2. Subdivide as far as you wish for creased edges.
3. At level 1 store a morph target.
4. Import OBJ with polygroups.
2. Switch Morph Target.

[discmage]

I have the latest download of Zbrush (3.5 R3), I have also extracted the smooth group plugin into the zplugs folder. However the Import and Crease button is nowhere to be found (I believe it is meant to be under the standard import button?)

Am I just blind or have I done something wrong.

This would be an amazingly useful plugin, as long as I get it to work :)

Any help, pointers, double checks would be greatly appreciated.

[Spittle]

It's now under the ZPlugin menu.

[discmage]

So it is, thankyou very much!

[Anykey]

Hi !
Sorry but I can't just uncrease my mesh , I just did it as you said and nothing happen , the smooth groups are staying :confused:

[Spittle]

you need to hold shift, or alt, or ctr when uncreasing (I forgot which as not used ZBrush for couple of months)

[marcus_civis]

Hi !
Sorry but I can't just uncrease my mesh , I just did it as you said and nothing happen , the smooth groups are staying :confused:

As Spittle says, SHIFT+click the Tool>Geometry>Uncrease button to remove all creases.

You can also specify the Crease Level before dividing the mesh so that creasing is removed above that subdivision level. Set the Tool>Geometry>CreaseLvl slider.

[Anykey]

I just did it as he said and nothing happen

It doesn't work at all :confused:

[marcus_civis]

I just did it as he said and nothing happen

It doesn't work at all :confused:

You will only see an effect when you divide the mesh after uncreasing. The mesh won't change otherwise, apart from the creases will not show as dotted lines. To see creases you must have polyframes visible (Shift+F).

It would help if you posted a picture showing the problem you are having.

[Anykey]

My mesh is already subdivided to the 7th level and I can't subdivide more , how can I uncrease it and keep the details i've sculpted on it ?

[marcus_civis]

My mesh is already subdivided to the 7th level and I can't subdivide more , how can I uncrease it and keep the details i've sculpted on it ?

Why do you want to uncrease your model at that level? It won't make any difference to the sculpting if you are not dividing further.

[Anykey]

It's because I want to generate my normal map only where i've sculpted something.

http://s2.noelshack.com/old/up/rugerexplanation-1ee2ed7a73.jpg

If I can uncrease and keep my sculpting details , maybe it will work , but I just can't uncrease :confused:

[marcus_civis]

What you need to do is:

1. Go to the lowest subdivision level.
2. Store a morph target by pressing Tool>Morph Target>Store MT.
3. Import your original model through the Tool>Import button. This will restore your base mesh.
4. Generate a normal map. This will be correct for your original mesh and will use the sculpting of the highest level.

Important Note: If you want to continue sculpting or generate texture maps from a higher subdivision level then you should press Tool>Morph Target>Switch before leaving the lowest level.

HTH,

[Anykey]

Thanks for trying to help me , but it hasn't changed anything , it still generates the whole normal map while it should only generate where i've sculpted something , if I knew that the smoothgroup import plugin would bring this kind of issue , I would have never used it :confused:

Don't know if the plugin maker read me , but I'm sure that I'm not the only one who would like to see this issue fixed in the next version of the plugin :D

[marcus_civis]

It is nothing to do with the plugin. All that does is crease the edges of the groups as they are specified by the 's' tags in the OBJ. It doesn't affect normal map generation.

There's a step I forgot which will probably make a difference in your case:
3.5 After you re-import your base model SHIFT+click the Tool>Geometry>Crease button.
4. Generate the normal map.

This may sound perverse but try it.

[Anykey]

It's worse because every face appears on the normal map generated now :confused:

Thank you very much for trying to help me , but it looks like desperate :cry:

[marcus_civis]

It's worse because every face appears on the normal map generated now :confused:

Thank you very much for trying to help me , but it looks like desperate :cry:


OK, try one more thing. Go to the lowest subdivison level and switch the morph target so the the smooth group-creased mesh is restored, then generate the normal map from that. That will only have your sculpting in the normal map because it will be generated for the creased mesh, not your original.

You may find that you get a better map with Adaptive turned off. And don't use Smooth UVs.

[Anykey]

It doesn't work , i've tried everything , with cage and without , import with the plugin and without , switch with the cage or without :confused:

[marcus_civis]

Can you send me the model? I'll generate a normal map for you. You can send it to marcus(a)pixologic.com - that's with the (a) replaced by @