ZBrushCentral

Project Polypaint to Layer?

ZBrush Usage Questions
#1

Hi guys, I’m trying to project polypaint to a layer.

If I project, I get a really faint projection, even with RGB set to 100% and even if I paint out the layer with a solid color first.

I know the workflow for doing this with a sculpt - I can import a mesh (with identical verts) as a morphtarget and then paint out the morph using the morph brush with the 3D Layer recording

Does anyone know if there is an equivalent workflow for getting existing polypaint data onto a layer?

Thanks in advance and sorry if this has already been answered

1 Like
#2

I stumbled on a workaround for this, just in case anyone runs into the same problem.

It does require UVs. I just used AUV tiles for this:

  • Select the subtool that you want to take the texture from. Choose ‘Texture Map - New from Polypaint’. (This will be greyed out if your subtool doesnt have UVs. Just choose 'UV Map - 4096 - AUVTiles).

  • Back in the ‘Texture Map’ palette, click - ‘Clone Texture’. The texture will get stored in your Texture tray.

  • Select the Subtool that you want to add the texture to. Go to the ‘Layers’ palette.

  • Create a new layer by clicking the + button, leave it set to ‘REC’

  • Select ‘Rgb’ mode.

  • Paint the part of the subtool where you want the texture to be projected (or just paint all of it).

  • In the ‘Texture’ palette choose the texture that you just saved.

  • Click ‘Texture On’

  • Go to the ‘Polypaint’ palette and choose ‘Polypaint from Texture’.

  • The texture will be applied as polypaint to the activated part of the subtool in the layer.

2 Likes
#3

Hello @deanjl

This appears to be a bug in the current version. :frowning_face: You’ve already discovered the workaround that I would recommend.

Interestingly I noted that if you bake the layer immediately after projecting while still in record mode, the polypaint bakes correctly, but if you exit record mode or fiddle with the layer intensity, then when you attempt to bake it it bakes as the faint color.

#4

Thanks!

This bug happens in 4R7 and 2019 releases of ZBrush.

Hopefully it gets fixed in a future release

#5

Old thread that I revive as it isn’t fixed yet. Some tutorials show how one can use the Layers recording to Project Polypaint then reverse the polypaint projection using Alt. But one cannot project the Polypaint at all when Record is ON. It’s not even “faint” it’s no polypaint at all…

#6

Yea…after 2 hours of trying…this is just frustrating!
Just seem like such a basic need.

#7

Yeah definitely.
In my workflow I often export an already polypainted sculpt to 3D-Coat. From there I calculate a Curvature and bake some Light from the (Renderman) Render Room. This adds a lot of “realism” to the polypaint. Then I bring back the sculpt to ZBrush with this slightly enhanced Per-Pixel painting. 3D-Coat tends to triangulate the geometry so I project this new polypaint onto the original sculpt.

But if auto curvature and a light baked add a lot to my hand painting, it’s never exactly what I want in some areas. So I project the new polypaint but I’d love the possibility to gently paint/morph back some areas to what they were.

But nope… morph is just for the geometry now. That sucks really… Especially since this was possible in earlier ZBrush versions using Morph Target and Layers…