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Ken Brilliant Lesson 8 -- UV Mapping

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#21

The key is to change the rotation of the model in the Tool palette preview window. You do this by using the Tool>Modifiers>Deformation>Rotate command.

In the example at left, the robe was given Cylidrical mapping at the default orientation (shown in the inset). At right, I applied a Rotate X -90 deformation and then applied the cylindrical mapping again. You can see the difference in the preview window, and also in the results on the canvas.

With the model that you show, this same deformation will have the effect that you’re looking for.

The order is:

  1. Apply the deformation
  2. Press Tool>Modifiers>Texture>Uvc

For this model, though, I would really recommend using the Adaptive UVTiles instead. You’ll avoid the distortion on the arms that is clearly visible in my example above. While your model won’t be as drastic because the arms are lowered, it will still be noticeable.

[img]http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1043983174coc.jpg[/img]

Create a new texture that is the size that you plan to use (using the Texture palette to set the size and then press Texture>New) or load a texture that you want to use as a base, and apply it to the model. If you do not have a texture applied to the model, ZBrush will assume a size of 1024x1024. Optimal results will be attained if the texture size is a power of 2 (such as 1024x1024, 2048x2048, etc.)

Next, set the Tool>Modifiers>Texture>AUVRatio slider to a value that you like (I used 30 here), then press the AUVTiles button right next to it. If your texture is not optimal (either too small for the mesh or not sized to a power of 2), ZBrush will display a warning. Otherwise, AUVTiles will be calculated to make the best use of the available texture space.

I applied the grid texture by dropping the model with TextureMaster, setting B+F on and turning Fade off. Then I dragged a couple of textures across with the Simple Brush and picked. Presto! Instant mapping with no need to worry about object orientation.

A couple of other really nice things about the new process: When you export the model from ZBrush, the texture will automatically be saved in the same folder as the OBJ as a BMP with the same name. It will be flipped vertically so that you don’t have to mess with that before taking the model to another program. In addition, the Fix Seams procedure will be run, “padding” the edges of the tiles to eliminate any artifacts when the model and texture are used in another program. How’s that for user-friendly? :smiley:

#22

Thank you Ken for the tuts. I’ve been slowly working thru them, they’ve been a big help!!

Thanks also aurick for your helps too!

#23

Ken B, precisely I think I forgot to re-apply the texture or not punched in the right code.

Thanks for the in depth analysis Aurick, I think I understand.
I have not yet dwelved into the realms of UV tiles.
I am using 3d copy for texturing though, have you read my technique? You probably already know this and since you’re such a pro, I’ll summarize. :slight_smile: I bake the layer shading and transfer it as rgb values to a flat color switched model at the time of transmission. (settings, S, AI off)

It was a big improvement for me because of the additional color shading (I cheat by loading to a basic material first) which tends to blend in those shades before switching to flat color. It sets up a good base, I think… It also helped me practice by leaving the paint over, though I can often nuke the texture. :slight_smile:
See, it is backwards, worry about the texture, coat the model, forget the paint > coat the paint in flat color, don’t worry about texture, worry about the paint.
Last time around, I couldn’t get UV tiles to click at all with 3d copy.

I think I’m backwards too… On the last full model, I had a really, really messed up mesh, that got 3d copied absolutely well, now I finally work on a “stable” mesh and I run into texture problems.
ie, my last mesh>
PS, now that’s user friendly. :wink:

edit: Odd, this mesh did use UV tiles but I didn’t notice…
I wonder how it worked. I suspect it has something to do with colorize>by accident I colored the polygons first. I remember I forgot the texture.
I’m finding that I am increasingly more of an oddball.

#24

Greetings!
Thank you for the tutorials, (and Great books!)

I have used Preview to rotate the head mesh and reapply UVc but seem unable to get the results you have shown.

sorry if this is an obvious mistake i am making.

thanks!

Attachments

UVcMap.jpg

#25

I’ve been trying to download ANY of the Ken Brilliant tutorial series PDF’s for three days and the links are broken.

Anyone have the whole series (or any of them for that matter) that I can get a link to download them from?

#26

:Dyes i would like them also plz

#27

Links are working again. :slight_smile:

#28

Hello. I know very little about UVmapping, and I throw myself on the mercy of the members who know what they are doing! I have the same problem as Sadicus. Perhaps I am doing something stupid. Or perhaps the tutorial on the pdf file is for Zbrush 1.5 and I am using 2? Some of the descriptions do not match the controls in 2. If anybody could let me know what the changes would be to update this, I would be very grateful!! Thanks.

#29

Hmmm, I seem to kill almost every thread I post on. No one ever responds! :frowning: Take some pity on a little newbie, please.

#30

I’m a noob too with zbrush, but this much I know from other 3d modeling. UVW mapping is NOT easy. Your GOING to have seams. The trick is where to hide them. Your posting in this thread so obviously you DL’ed ken brilliants pdf on the subject right?. Did you get the zbrush practical guide too? It’s another one of those learning curve things and there is no magic button you can press to get uvw mapping right (though I hear ZB 2.5 is going to have some VERY cool new tools to aid in that very endevour.) There are entire software apps dedicated to it. (deepUV<-expensive ,Ultimate Unwrap3D <-cheap by the way and quite cool))

#31

Hi there jlester2000. I was getting hung up a bit too when I noticed that my texture palette thingy wasn’t quite the same as in the tutorial.

If you read the tutorial though, the basic lesson seems to be something like you can’t do much beyond simple stuff in zbrush, so go give uv mapper a try.

The tutorial is a half decent start, but there’s a better (so far) tutorial on uv-mappers site. You can follow it with your zb exported obj.

One area though, where Mr. Brilliant’s tutorial is a little sketchy seems to be on taking the remapped uv coords back into zbrush and doing something with them. I understand that the .obj will have the alternate uv’s in them but I haven’t figured out (yet) what to do past that, but I’m still in the uvmapper section.

Please anybody feel free to jump in here if I’ve mistated something.

#32

I’ve tried!!!

My intent is to make a model in zbrush using zsphere (zbrush 2.03 Mac) and exporting it for Maya.
My hope was a good UVmapping, making a good texture and using than Maya for animating the model.
As you can see i have some problems

uvmapping.jpg

Now i have a question…does zbrush work or am I too stupid for that??
Any suggestion?

#33

http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/showthread.php?t=8558
Maybe that enlightens you.
Lemo

#34

lol lemo!
that is the same thread! :smiley:

#35

Can you show us your zspheres? I’ve seen this before, but need to see the structure to help you. :wink:

#36

:wink:
Lemo

PS:The question is… Did you ever generate UV’s? Did you check how the UV Map looks like now?

#37

so, Jason…i hope this one can help us

dinoSphere.jpg

Thaxs a lot guy…i didn´t feel me alone anymore

#38

I forgot…the Uv check give me also terrible results

textureCheck.jpg

#39

Hello There,

I am haveing the same problems as posted above. Thing is though…i took a regular sphere out of maya and slapped it into Zbrush 2, and it came in with proper shperical mapping. The poles were messed up as expected but it mapped around the rest of the sphere just fine. Now when i applied Zbrush 2’s spherical mapping it freaked out and gave that horrible seam.

Now i am a 3D animator and i know about uv’s and the like…and yes seams have to be hidden at times…but on a regular sphere…with spherical mapping…there should not be this problem.

I read through this tut numerous times and have come to a dead end.

Anyone have any ideas??

#40

Yes Mr. Ghost…i feel the same like you…
but this time i’ve try to make all my work in ZBrush !!!
i could accept some “import” problem Maya <—> Zbrush but i can’t understand how could it append now if i work with ZSphere only…
I’ve done all the thing i had to do…or not ???
If someone out there could thing to help me it will be very kind!!
I think it can be that ZBrush doesn’t work properly and that ZBrush 2 have some several bugs … and i hope ZBrush 3 could be the woundering software that Pixologic present to us (the Preview is AMAZING)
The just thing i can’t understand is: how make the “ZBrush artist” the wonderfull works that we can see in the featured gallery???

Please help us to understand what’s wrong in our works…
Is any Zbrush Guru out there ???

Tanx – Moka