ZBrushCentral

Problems rendering displacement in maya 2008 mentalray

ZBrush Usage Questions
#1

I’ve followed scott spencer’s PDF guide every step of the way and it’s still giving me trouble.
I’m getting shearing effects near the UV borders, it looks like when DE3 exports the map with any kind of border overpaint, it’s making these extremely high value bumps appear near the borders, and it’s making seams more pronounced than ever.
Here’s some shots

http://img383.imageshack.us/img383/7833/fckingcrapfj3.jpg
here’s the artifacts

http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/2849/fckingcrap2gl1.jpg
Here I jacked up the contrast to show the overpaint DE3 did when exporting.
For some reason it’s much brighter than other areas on the map…
I think it’s those black and white border overpaints that’s causing the shearing, but how do I fix it?

And another related issue, for some reason when I import an obj that was exported from Zbrush, all the UVs become split up. It looks ok in the UV editor but every single point is seperate.
I made sure create multiple objects is off, and when I import an obj that was exported from MAYA, the UVs stay fine.
Only happens when the obj is exported from zbrush.
Am I missing something about zbrush’s obj export settings?

Attachments

fckingcrap.jpg

#2

Hey silentragex, I don’t know about your first question. The fix for your split uv’s when you export is that in your tool pallet at the bottom is your export options, Click “Mrg” and I usually uncheck “Grp”, although it’s not necessary. You have to click “Mrg” every time that you are exporting an obj. and want to keep the uv’s merged.

Good Luck.

#3

Hey Triaxis, I actually tried what you suggested before when I was looking around in zbrush for a solution, and I tried it again to make sure, but it does not work.
All the UVs are still split up when I export this way, I tried combinations of different settings under Tool > Export, none of them seem to help.

#4

I went and double checked for you. I exported one obj. with “Mrg” checked and one without. The uv’s with “Mrg” checked stained together and the uv’s without “Mrg” checked were all separated. Sorry it’s not working for you. :frowning:

#5

could you share your maya obj import settings?
I’m fairly sure I just need to uncheck create multiple objects, but I figure it couldn’t hurt to try with the exact same settings you’re using.

#6

Hey I figure out your problem!! :smiley: I took an obj. from zbrush and exported it without “Mrg” checked. Imported it into Maya then exported it right back out with a different file name. Imported it back into Zbrush, exported it back out with “Mrg” checked. Imported it back into Maya and the UV’s were not merged.
To sum it up, if you’re uv’s were not merged when you first imported your obj. into Zbrush then the “Mrg” checked wont merge them. They have to be merged when you first import your obj. into Zbrush.
Let me know if it still does not work. :slight_smile:

#7

Maya import settings don’t matter. I checked.

#8

ok, I’ll look around some more then.
Does maya version matter? I’ve tried in 2008 and 2008 sp1 so far, both the same results.

#9

did you read my other posting just before the last one?

#10

Yeah, sorry I didn’t reply to that one.

I exported an OBJ from maya
Opened a new scene, re-imported that obj and checked to make sure the UVs are merged.

I imported this OBJ into Zbrush

I then exported this obj out from Zbrush twice, with the Mrg on/off
under tools>export.

Then I imported both objs from Zbrush into maya, and they both have split UVs.

#11

Ok there is something really funky going on with my obj import/export

EDIT: I can export objs from zbrush fine now.
The model was made from zspheres in zbrush, then re-topologized and UVs were created using GUVtiles.

But whenever I take an obj that was exported from zbrush into maya, it will always have split up UVs.

I tried everything TriAxis suggested about clicking the Mrg button under export, but it’s not fixing it.

Another weird thing is if I take the obj into maya, with the split UVs, and use merge UVs inside maya, then export this out and re-import it back into maya, now the UVs stay merged.

But the thing is, if the obj was imported into maya and exported out, it seems the vertice order got changed because when I import this back into zbrush with the ztool level 1 mesh selected, the model will blow up when I change to higher subD levels.

#12

Yea, I know. I have a character that I’ve been working on for a while. If I export a subtool for it and press merge, in Maya the uv’s are merged. If I take that same obj. and export it, then bring it back into Zbrush, then export it again from Zbrush with Mrg checked, when I bring it back into Maya the UV’s are seperated. :mad:

I spent 2 to 3 hours trying every scenario that I can think of and I still can’t figure out why the uv’s sometimes are merged and sometimes are not.

What I don’t get is why zbrush by default doesn’t keep the uv’s original state.

Usually the answer will come to me if I let it go for a while. :slight_smile:

Sorry I wasn’t more help.

#13

I THINK I FIGURED IT OUT!!! :smiley: If you subdivide the obj. in zbrush then export it back out, I did it at its lowest subdivision, checking Mrg it imports into maya with the UV’s merged.

#14

I will try your method,
but I think I also found a way to get it to work.

I deleted my startup\configfiles folder and tried it, and somehow it worked…
--
and the strange thing is all my settings under Preferences stayed the same @@