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Displacement maps exported with MD3 don't match the HiPoly object

ZBrush Usage Questions
#1

Hello,

I’ve been trying to compare displacement map I get out of zBrush applied to the low poly object (tool) with the actual Hi Poly tool that is made in zBrush 3.

Here is what I get when rendering Hi Poly object (5th levels of subD in zBrush) exported to Maya and rendered with Renderman:

Now If I export displacement map using MD3 and use it on the lowest level polygon(first level of subD in zBrush) that is exported from zBrush and then is subdivided in Renderman, this is what I get :

So my question is, what is the solution if what we need is exactly the Hi Poly object through LowPoly+Displacement?
I tried to export the low poly + displacement from level 2 instead of 1 and it made things much better but still not exactly that it is in Hi Poly:

Hi Poly Object:

And here is what it looks like with Level 2 low poly + its displacement:

And still it doesn’t match the Hi Poly.
Any ideas?
Thanks,
Sepehr

#2

Since I don’t know what your original model looked like before you started sculpting, I’m a little restricted in my advice. I have to make some assumptions based on what I see in the pictures.

I’m guessing that the pulled-out sections of the model were created in ZBrush and that your original was a sphere. In that case, you’re not going to have an original base mesh that can be deformed via displacement to get the figure you want. So you need to have ZBrush create the cage. Here’s how:


  1. Go to level 2 of your mesh.
  2. Turn on Tool>Geometry>Cage and export the model.
  3. With Cage still turned on, create your displacement map and export that.
ZBrush’s Cage feature examines the highest subdivision level of the mesh and then changes the current subdivision level into something that would end up being very close to the high level version once subdivided. Then you create a displacement map for that cage to get the high frequency details and finish off the mesh.

#3

Thanks for your reply. I’m going to try it now.
I should have put an image of the low poly object…

Sepehr

#4

Thanks aurick. I just tried it. It is better now.