ZBrushCentral

How do I import in previously made textures?

ZBrush Usage Questions
#1

Hi,

I have a character I need to do some seam checking on and a good normal map export for but I can not for the life of me remember how to import in the maps I made for her (I made them in Photoshop). It’s a multi mapped character so there is a face, limbs, legs and torso maps so I know all this has to be done separately but not sure what steps I need to get each part imported.

I really wish that ZBrush coders would make this easier like a drag and drop sort of thing. Be easier and more elegant than all this confusing trouble.

Thanks so much

Rich

#2

Hello,
This is what I know lol hope this helps.

  1. Click on the Star tool.

  2. Hit edit. Go to Tool Menu/Import.

  3. Import the textures for the head using the main Texture menu. When you hit the import button it will bring up a window find where your texture, normal and Displacement Maps are and select them all using the shift or the Command (mac) or CTRL (windows) key and hit import. You will see all of the Textures at the top of the texture Menu for easy access. Go to the Alpha Menu and import your Displacement map. You can also import it with the Texture Menu import but you will need to make that texture an alpha any way.
    Note: Textures work best in PSD I believe. Also would have all your textures, Displacements, Normal Maps for each part in one folder so you can easily access them. You can split the folders up 1 for the head, another for your arms and so on.

  4. If model is all one tool and not broken up into multi SubTools and each piece has different UV Maps applied to the different parts go to Importing Textures For All 1 Tool.

If it is either broken up objects or SubTools then you will need to import one like the previous way and import each object separately and then append them in the SubTool Pallet. Then go to #5.

  1. Select the Head SubTool.

  2. Go to the Texture Map sub pallet in the Tool Menu and select the big empty box and that will bring up the Main Texture Menu. Select the diffuse/color map you made for your head.
    Note: you can import the texture using this as well but I would only suggest importing just the one you need for the color/diffuse of the part of the model you are trying to texture because it will select one for you and usually not the right one.

  3. At this point you will know if you need to flip your UV’s or anything like that most software like Maya and Max etc. will need to have the UV’s flipped in the UV Map/Adjust sub pallet in the Tool Menu. Usually you need to flip the V axis.

  4. Once that is straitened out go to the Normal Map sub pallet in the the Tool Menu and once again select the big empty box and now find your Normal Map that you made in the Texture Menu.

  5. And also the Displacement Map sub pallet. When you select the big empty box this time though it will open up the Alpha Menu instead of the Texture Menu.
    You may also need to hit the apply button for the displacement map. In order to get the Apply button to work you need slide the intensity up or down.
    Note: These settings of either Normal or Displacement Map may need to be adjusted to look right.

  6. You can also check your textures, uv and seams using the Texture Map/Create sub pallet in the Tools Menu.

you can move on to the next SubTool at this point like the arms and so on and doing the exact same as you just did for your head or you can fill the SubTool with the color/diffuse map, you will need enough divisions to hold the texture and it to come out clear. You can do this by using the tutorial below #3 or you can just leave it on in the Tool Menu/ Texture Map sub pallet.

Importing Textures For All 1 Tool
If your model is all one piece meaning the head and body and legs, etc. are all one SubTool then to texture individual pieces then you need to hide all but the part you are going to texture.

  1. Starting with the head hide all other parts of the model besides the head.

  2. Select the Texture Menu and select your Color/Diffuse map for your head.

  3. Make sure that at least RGB is turned on in the Interface and RGB intensity is at 100. Click on Fill Object button found in the color menu. Note: you may need to SubDivide your model to make the texture look right. You can just leave it on in the Texture Map sub pallet but it wont work if you unhide your model. You can also split up your model into SubTools and work that way as well.
    Note: Check the UV it may need to be flipped on the V axis

  4. Go on to your Displacement map. You will probably want to select the Big Box again that you loaded your displacement map into and select Alpha Off before unhiding the rest of your model.

Note: not too sure you can apply a Normal map to a model that is only one SubTool but multiple Normal Maps for the different parts of the model. (I am just starting to learn Normal Maps :frowning: so sorry not much help there)

  1. Unhide the rest of your model and move one to the next part like the arms. Hide everything else besides the arm and do what you did with the head.
    Note: you should not need to flip the UVs again unless you have multiple SubTools.

Hope that makes sense and helps you good luck.

Also there is a button I just found in Preferences that says Import Map as Groups option in the Import section of the Import/Export sub pallet and says if your using something like Maya it can allow the obj. to be saved with the Map but have not used this myself so have no idea how that works.

You can always use GoZ if it is a recognized application to place textures and whatnot on your model.

#3

Thank you much. I very much appreciate your taking the time in this nicely detailed tutorial! :smiley: