ZBrushCentral

4R3 Trying to UV a high res model keeps freezing Zbrush - Workaround?

ZBrush Usage Questions
#1

Hello fellow Zbrushlers!

I did a stupid beginners mistake:
I modelled some lowpoly billboards in Cinema4D and imported them via GoZ to Zbrush.
Then I did something stupid - I masked the area I wanted to work on and then subdivided it till a polycount of 3.5 mil.
Then I started shaping and texturing (via polypaint).
When I in the end tried to set the geometry to the lowest Res to do the UV’ing, I discovered that Zbrush did not save the “resolution steps” (because I use the Divide on a masked area).

I tried to do a UV via UV Master and AUV/PUV/GUVtiles, but it froze Zbrush every time.

I managed to get the polycount down to roughly 600k via Decimation Master, but ZBrush keeps freezing when I try to get an UV.

Because I put a lot of time and effort into the modelling, I would hate to start from scratch - So does some kind Zbrush expert have an idea how to get a UV out of the highres model? Ideas involving 3rd party software solutions are also welcomed!

Thanks a lot!
Newman

#2

if you made the mesh in C4d originally just use that mesh and import it into Zbrush at your lowest possible subD level. Zbrush will then try to project the mesh onto the highpoly version. If that doesn’t work you can do it old school

tool.import.original mesh
tool.load.ztl file that has the highpoly goodness.
tool.append.original mesh
select original mesh
subD up to an amount that would be needed to maintain detail
tool.morphtarget.storeMT
tool.subtool.project all

to fix errors use the morph brush to push back to the un-projected mesh and then resculpt those areas.

You can also try using xNormal and dumping out your mesh with polypaint data applied (just have colorize on when you tool.export)
You can load in both the original mesh and the HP mesh with polypaint and project one onto another. Almost any other 3D package can do this as well. xNormal rocks because you never actually see the HP mesh though. I’ve loaded in 12million polygon single meshes to project to. You can also load in multiple highpoly meshes that never have to display on the video card. I’ve hit well over 80 million for project.

eh, my 2cents

#3

Wow beta_channel,
your 2 cents are worth a million to me!
xNormal really is a great program, especially to avoid freezing 3d programs due to highpoly models.

Thanks a lot!
Newman