ZBrushCentral

Again! The remapping UV problem

ZBrush Usage Questions
#1

Hello everbody,
I have a big problem with the remapping of my UV´s so I just tell you my workflow.
I start modeling a char in Max 8 with low number of polys, I do a fine and clean unwrapping. I export the char now as .obj with uv´s and one without uv´s. I import the non-uv .obj into z3 and disable the uv, divide a few times and then start painting on the polys. After that I go back to the lowest subdivision, enable uv´s and import the hasuv´s .obj to get my uv information…crash.
I´ve read a lot of tuts and solving threads, but nothing works…please help me. What am I doing wrong, what do I have to do to get a nice and clean texture out of z3 for 3dsmax 8?

If there are more information needed, just ask…

Thanks

seb

#2

i dont know to much or any of uv but after you work in Z3 you have to press auv or guv then enable UV.

This word are from the wiki page:
http://www.zbrush.info/wiki/index.php/Learn_to_Paint#The_Polypainting_Concept
With this in mind, polypainting a model and producing a texture map is a simple process.


  1. First, get a model. For this description, we’ll assume that you don’t need your UVs and can add them at the end of the process.
  2. Set your subdivision level to 1.
  3. Press Tool:Texture:Disable Uvs. This will delete your UVs. Make sure to have a back up OBJ file if you wish to use those UVs again.
  4. Subdivide the mesh to get the number of polygons needed to match the map resolution you have in mind.
  5. Paint the model, using alphas, masking, etc. Of course, you can sculpt at the same time you paint. Remember to turn on Tool:Texture:Colorize before starting to paint.
  6. Once painting is complete, create new UVs by pressing Tool:Texture:Auv or Guv. If you want to bring in UVs you made outside of Zbrush see Remapping UV Coordinates above.
  7. Set the resolution of your desired texture map with Texture:Width and Texture:Height.
  8. Create a new texture map at that size by pressing Texture:New.
  9. Press MRGBZ in the shelf and set RGB Intensity to 100.
  10. Press Tool:Texture:ColTxr. ZBrush will create the texture map, put it into the texture palette, and select it. You will now be viewing the model with the texture map applied.
  11. If you wish to continue Poly Painting the model, set the texture back to Texture Off. If you don’t do this, the new texture will be used to render the surface of the model, and you won’t see any effect from your painting.
Remapping UV Coordinates

Polypainting allows you to easily remap UV coordinates. This can be a major advantage if you find that, for some reason, the original UV mapping for your base mesh must be changed. Here’s how:


  1. A base mesh is imported. For simplicity, we’ll assume this mesh has UV coordinates applied already.
  2. The mesh is sculpted and painted, and a texture map is generated and exported.
  3. At some point, it becomes obvious that the original UV mapping is not satisfactory (perhaps it doesn’t give enough detail in some areas, or creases are visible). In your external application, a new UV mapping is generated and applied to the base mesh.
  4. The model is selected in ZBrush at the base mesh subdivision level, and the newly mapped external base mesh is imported over that base mesh. The imported base mesh, along with its new UV coordinates, replaces ZBrush’s base mesh for the model, but does not affect the polypainting of the model.
  5. You can now generate a texture map from the polypainted ZBrush model, exactly as before.
Some points to note:


  • Importing the new base mesh may change the geometry of the base mesh in ZBrush. If you use Tool:Morph Target:StoreMT before importing, you can then use Tool:Morph Target:Switch to switch back to the original geometry.
Also, if you have an existing texture you need to remap, you can:


  1. Use Tool:Texture:TxrCol to polypaint the selected texture onto the model in ZBrush. Of course, the UV mapping of the model at this point must match the texture that was generated using that UV mapping.
  2. If you wish, use polypainting to sharpen areas, add details, etc.
  3. Remap the polypainting to a new texture map as described above.
Retrieved from “http://www.zbrush.info/wiki/index.php/Poly_Painting_UVs”

Andreseloy

#3

Thanks, that was a fast answere,

but I found these help files too, they did not get me through. The problem is, that if I finished painting on my NON-UV-Object, I cannot get the result of my work on the HAS-UV-Object, because z3 crashes. I have two heads.obj (e.g) one with uv one without, everything else is exactly the same. Now I paint the non-uv head with disabled uvs and colorized and rgb and evrything else explained in these helpfiles. BUT…now I import the other uv-head to get the informations on the UV texture(because i want to export the texture to have them in 3dsmax as diffuse), now the big crash happens. I dont know why…
Am I overlooking something?

thanks again

seb :slight_smile:

#4

You’re not overlooking something. Zbrush 3 has a bug that causes obj’s imported from max to crash the program if you attempt to import them into the bottom of a subdivided mesh.

The solution is fairly simple.

  1. Export your UV’d mesh as an OBJ from Max.
  2. Import your UV’d mesh from Max into zbrush as a SEPERATE tool.
  3. Export your UV’d mesh as an OBJ from Zbrush.
  4. Reimport the copy of your UV’d mesh that you made in Zbrush into the bottom of your stack.

Now it works.

For some reason it works. A number of Zbrush 3 functions are broken or difficult to use. There are workarounds but they often require a bit of file-sorting gymnastics.

Best of luck.

#5

friend look at Jason Welsh aka Cannemushroom tutorial and you will see there a tutorial straight in your needs.
http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/showthread.php?t=45316
Andreseloy

#6

Ok… this is the second time I’ve encountered an encyclopedic response from…
new member Context…

The info in this post is GREAT! Thank you all!..

Context… what is you magic source of zb3 user information and can I get a copy?

Hmm… I wonder what thread are you responding to next?.. you leave a wake of good information.

#7

I would cry if I would have tears left:-D

IT WORKSSSSS god d*** it. Big kiss Context, you just saved my life.
Thanks man., thanks…the export from zbrush and reimport has been the problem.

Cu

thanks again

#8

Context: Thank you very much, you really are the one!!!

#9

Cool! Anyone using max 8 to do this? I watched Jason’s poly paint tut, which is great btw, but he used maya instead. Here’s the problem:

  1. Export sub-d 1 as obj to max using default.
  2. Import into max convert to edit poly and pelt map unwrap uvw.
  3. collapse stack and export obj
  4. Import into Z3 and export as obj all defaults still
  5. Load up the poly painted tool and drop down to sub-d1 and store mt
  6. Enable uvs, import the obj and restore form or not with mt

All works and no crash but the model is destroyed when I attempt to raise the division back up. Faces are duplicated and inverted so it seems. Are there proven settings for exporting the OBJ from Z to MAX then back to Z again. I’m following an old Z2 convention, but I fear it’s obsolete. In other words the vertex orders are getting reversed or changed moving the obj around. Is there an up to date pipeline for max uvs and poly painting? I searched around but couldn’t find anything Z3 related…