ZBrushCentral

Fixing lost smooth UVs to generate polypainted texture map

ZBrush Usage Questions
#1

I haven’t come across a solution to smoothed UV information being lost when stepping up and down SDVIS. Which, is a rather annoying issue when generating a texture map of a highres polypainted mesh. However, I have come up with 2 workarounds that may help others who have ran into such a problem.

PROBLEM: UV smoothing information ‘lost’ when moving back and forth between SDIVs. As a result, COL>TEX generated is based on original unsmoothed UV layout.

SOLUTION 1:


  • Clone your source model at it’s highest level
  • With the cloned model selected, store a morph target at it’s highest subdivision level
  • Go to the lowest subdivision level and delete the higher levels
  • Enable SUV and subdivide back to the same subdivision level as the morph target and switch
  • Fill your object to clear the texture (as the previous polypaint information will most likely be blurred)
  • Apppend the cloned object to your original model
  • Disable Zadd and Enable RGB
  • Use the Zproject brush w/ modifier set to 100. to paint the texture from your original model onto the target subtool
  • Press COL>TEX to create a texture that is based on smoothed UV layout.
SOLUTION 2:


  • Save a morph target of the model at the highest subdivision level.
  • Export out all views (front, back, right, left, bottom, top) of the model to your photo editing software via ZAPPLINK plugin
  • Save the exported file as a temporary file.
  • Back in Zbrush, go to the lowest subdivision level delete higher.
    [list=1]
  1. Enable SUV option and divide the model to the same sub level as the stored morph Target
  2. Switch to morph target to recapture the original sculpted detail.

[/list]


  • Re-export out all the same views via ZAPPLINK
  • Close the file
  • Rename your temporary file to the new generated file ZAPPLINK created (TempZAppLinkExport.psd)
  • Renter Zbrush and apply apply the changes
  • Hit COL>TEX
  • Your UV smoothed texture will appear in the Texture palette

Both work, however with the zapplink method there are areas where touch up would more than likely be required, often in recessed areas.

#2

Thanks for sharing!