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Changing UVs after polypainting and sculpting in Zbrush 4r6

ZBrush Usage Questions
#1

Hello,

I made a low poly axe (with multiple parts) in 3ds Max, unwrapped it and imported the same in Zbrush. The axe has multiple sub tools, each unwrapped already. I am now done detailing sculpting and poly painting all the sub tools of the axe. However, I noticed that after doing a test run for generating a combined texture map (by Multimap exporter) of all the sub tools, there were some UV elements which overlapped each other stating the overlaps while I did the unwrapping in 3Ds Max.
I want to fix the overlaps but I am confused how to apply the poly paint and sculpt details to the same axe, but with the changed UVs.
P.S: I didn’t generate any maps yet. So the model with its sub tools still has the sculpting and poly paint details.

Please help me on what to do here!

#2

Hi JakeRay,
I am quite new myself in zBrush and coming from Maya, but polypaint and sculpting is not influenced by your UV layout.

So your more exact question is, how to import a new UV-layout from another application?
Maybe here is some information
http://polycount.com/discussion/72144/importing-uvs-into-sculpted-mesh-in-zbrush

Did you try also GoZ ? (maybe the plug-in works for it)

Would be also for me interesting to know, if it works and how…

p.s. Another similar topic is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OoiQk6VXV8
It’s not the same question, but maybe helpful elements

#3

Thanks my friend. I will check them

Actually, I use the plugin called smoothing groups to import the mesh so that I can crease the edges of my mesh according to smoothing groups made in 3Ds Max. If I click on ‘Import’ from the tools menu or use GoZ while keeping the right sub tool highlighted then that will not crease the particular edges according to smoothing groups.
That’s what I am confused about how do I import the obj of the same object with corrected UVS, apart from using GoZ or Import tool?

#4

Another Idea:
Import your new axe (with good UV) as a subtool into the old axe (which has a bad UV but has good polypaint and sculpting).
With “append” you can import it anyhow, maybe when you first take just the star as placeholder.

Then you have to go through each pair of subtools

  • the new with good UV (which is hopefully correctly imported with the obj)
  • and the old with bad UV but all your work

a) Try in UV master: copy UV (from new) and paste UV (into the old subtool)
or try
b) Project all details and polypainting from each old subtool on your new subtool
(Tools > Subtool > Project)

Often save each substep of your work, because each step can cause something wrong and undoable…
Let me know what worked in the end…:wink:

#5

Hi,
Thanks for showing the methods.

I tried method A and it worked just like clockwork.

I imported the mesh with corrected UVs to the same subtool as the original one (one with the bad UVs but good painting and sculpting details). The, using the UV master, I copied the good UVs from the newly imported mesh and pasted them in the original mesh (one with the bad UVs but good painting and sculpting details)

Thank you all for the help and suggestions!