ZBrushCentral

Polypaint to polygroup-Save bug?

ZBrush Usage Questions
#1

So i am experimenting with a technique where I built a running shoe base mesh in max, unwrapped then sent to ZB. I have divide the mesh a bunch, then did some polypainting to define areas to become polygroups. So far so good, it worked really well UNTIL, I save the file, after save when I move the model I can see(with polyframe active) that my clean orderly groups are no longer correct, It is definitely happening after save. I dont know how to get around this. I have tried using from polypaint again, but it takes into account the newly messed up groupings.

Any help is appreciated.

Todd

#2

Anyone? I have read in other threads about creating polygroups at a low subd level(which I didnt), but this worked until I saved the file. I need to have a higher level to create the complex shapes.

thanks again:+1:

#3

I think probably ZBrush automatically saves files at the lowest subdivision level which is what is messing up your polygroups.

What you can do is this:

  1. Export your model in GoZ Binary Complete format at the subdivision level that you need your groups.

When you want to restore the groups:
2. Store a morph target at the same subdivision level used at (1).
3. Import the GoZ file you saved.
4. Switch the morph target.

The GoZ file will be smaller and quicker than trying to export an OBJ and should be fine with meshes of several million polygons. The morph target is stored so that you don’t lose sculpting by importing the mesh but Note that any polypaint you’ve done since exporting the groups will be lost! Test out this method before you start using on anything critical and back up your model.

#4

took me a couple of tries, but my initial test seems to have worked, thanks Marcus!:+1:small_orange_diamond:D Do you know if this is something that will be addressed in future release? Should I file a bug report, or is this happening by design?

#5

I think there are technical reasons for polygroups working this way. To store polygroups on each subdivision level would take quite a lot of memory which would impact on performance. If you create polygroups on the lowest level then you can re-create them accurately on the fly for the higher levels but obviously this method won’t work the other way around.