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Questions and Troubleshooting for ZMapper

ZBrush Usage Questions
#181

–E-- you are right. You have to delete higher. I will have to change the video. :slight_smile:

rv_el: make sure that you generate the cavity map with flip red and flip green off. This should solve the problem you are experiencing. If not, let me know. :slight_smile:

kikiyawa and drock: ZMapper uses basic Open GL commands. However, it may be that in your case, the graphics card doesn’t support ZMappers requests. Unfortunately, I do not have an easy answer for you here. :expressionless:

cat_i: Thanks! I must have missed that one. Yes, it seems ZMapper wants you to have room for the control panel. This requires a screen resolution of at least 1280 x 1024 and for the trays to be closed.

wet-nap: I have a request in to see about this. :slight_smile:

Ryan

#182

Hey guys sorry if this has been asked before but I’m in a little rush and don’t time yet to read twelve pages…

Anyway I got a normal map generated, exported subdiv 1 model as obj and applied my normal map to it in 3ds Max 8. The only problem is the damn thing doesn’t BUMP!!! Below is what I mean. I have no clue why its acting as a diffuse map instead. Can anyone help?

But its meant to look like this:

Thanks in advance.

-Nii

P.S. Oh and I know the model is upside down :lol:

EDIT: Oh and while I’m at it, can I somehow bake the intensity metal material and my texture to make one standard diffuse map?

#183

Is it our video cards? Or do we need to download a new driver for Zbrush? I have a Radeon 9600 Pro card.

From what I have seen, no one knows what to do beyond switching to another PC. I’m a sad panda ;_;

#184

Hello All -

I have attached some ZMapper settings that emulate Maya’s Surface Sampler utility. You should be able to get a normal map that is very close to what you would get from Surface Sampler. I would love your feedback on this. Please post images though, as language alone just won’t do it. :wink:

Please note that these settings are not always going to work in Maya’s viewport. For example, the elephant model that comes with ZMapper will have seams in his ears when using a normal map generated with these settings. However, the seams should be the same seams you would see if you used the Surface Sampler. :slight_smile:

Best,

Ryan

#185

Have you tried generating a cavityMap yet?

Thanks, love these preMade settings that save me hours of fiddling. Cheers.

#186

Ok here is what i did.

Brought in hi poly, clicked Edit
Went to subdiv 1
Opened Zmapper, and Captured Mesh
Cloned object and Deleted higher divs
Imported my low poly OBJ
Went back into Zmapper
Click on Bottom left tab - “Normal & Cavity Map”
Opened Configuration - “Max 8 Best Quality”
Turned off [Flip Green Channel] (only one that was on)
Clicked Create Cavity map

The map came out pure white this time.

Could somebody please give me a step by step on this?

thank you

#187

rv_el - ZMapper’s projection option does not work with cavity maps at this time only normal maps. :slight_smile:

Ryan

#188

Let me know if this sounds crazy, but It might be worth a try.

Can i create a Cavity Map the same exact way the tutorial video shows, only using some sort of auto unwrap feature.

Then i save out that cavity map as a bitmap, and i also export out the low poly OBJ with its new UV layout (matching the generated cavity bitmap)

Then i import the OBJ into MAX and apply the Cavity Map to it.

Then on the (very similar) model with my own UV set on it… I run Render To Texture and Render a complete/diffuse type map referencing the model from Zbrush… thus baking the cavity information from the Zbrush one over to my new UV set.
???

If this is possible, what would the steps be. Mostly i’d need to know how to generate the cavity map for a new auto uv set in Zbrush.

Thank you

#189

Hey guys … I’ve run into a real WEIRD problem …

I’ve recently installed the ZMapper plugin in the correct directory … but ZBrush can’t seem to find it …

I’ve tried manually loading it as well …

Here’s a screengrab :

zmapper_error.jpg

When I click on the icon, I get this message :

ZScript Note : The Zmapper plug-in could not be found

Anybody else get this issue?

Strange …

Is there an environment variables-type text file I can manually edit to show ZBrush where the plug-in is?

I’m running ZBrush 2.0 with ZMapper Rev D

Thanks for your help guys.

#190

Hi Ryan,

Thanks for posting this :slight_smile: , I used it last night and my normal maps using maya software renderer are very close to the displacement maps via mental ray. I did find that I needed to flip the green chanel to get a clearer picture and increase the filter in maya to smooth out some seams but it looks good.

Cheers

#191

Never before have I seen a normal map to be comparable to a displacement map, except perhaps for smaller details.

#192

Never before have I seen a normal map to be comparable to a displacement map, except perhaps for smaller details.
Depends on how close you get to the object. Check out my workhere for an example of displacement map vs. a normal map.

#193

Wow very cool. But thats using a displacement map isn’t it? I didn’t look at the whole thread, my university internet data cap is very low :lol: So I couldn’t tell which was normal mapped or displaced (I stopped when pic was half loaded :slight_smile: )

I’ve heard about using both a normal map for high frequency details and displacement map for medium frequency details, but wouldn’t it be better to use displacement map for both anyway? Its not like its less detailed…

#194

The second picture in the post is the one I was referring to.[font=&quot]

here

sometimes it is hard to get high frequency details with displacement maps, and it is often mcuh easier to use normal or bump maps for high frequency details

and sometimes (like with games) you cant use displacement

#195

Hi, I have another problem now, when I import a model from max, always show up that UV problem, how can I fix that? And my normal maps always comes with many errors, why?

Thanx.

#196

I have the same problem.
I make low poly model in max8, create UV map, export .obj, import in zbrush, convert it to polymesh, subdiv it, add detail, go to lowest subdiv lvl and when i want to start zmapper it says that multiple uv regions have been detected and bla, bla, bla… suggested steps don’t work and i don’t have mupltiple uv regions, it’s all in one tile. What is the problem?
Plz help!

#197

luisaum_gma - Can you please post specific issues you are having with your UV layout and/ or the problems with the normal maps? I can not offer any help with the information you provided. Sceen shots are extemely helpful as well.

NenadB - ZMapper is telling you that you have UVs outside the 0-1 area. It could be that you have some UVs lying directly on the border. These could be seen as part of other UV regions. Can you post an image of your UV layout? Also, what was the result of the steps that it asked you to take? Please be specific. I know there is an urge to post that it just doesn’t work but there is nothing that I can do with that answer. :smiley:

Best,

Ryan

#198

Thanx for reply Ryan,
as i said, uvw map is in one tile, here is a pic of uvw map and screen that pop up when trying to start ZMapper:

Attachments

uvw_temp.jpg

screen.JPG

#199

NenadB - unfortunately I can’t tell much from the image of your UVs. Is there a border area or line? My main question is if you select one of the verticies is it possible that it is placed at the border of the 0 to 1 region?

Also, check out the ZPipeline guide for Max 8. Here is something that may help:

"Once you have fixed overlapping faces and welded the verts, you should apply a Reset Xform and collapse the stack. This is a clean up measure that will ensure that the geometry transfers cleanly into ZBrush. When collapsing the stack choose Editable Poly. The Poly object is the best choice for compatibility between 3ds Max and Zbrush. " section 2.1

:slight_smile:

Ryan

#200

Ryan - image above is rendered UVW template so edge of image is edge of region. Now, Max doesn’t show overlapping and all vertices are in 01 region but still UV map isn’t exported properly since UV Check in ZBrush show overlapping. I’ve tried Reset XForm (altough i don’t know what does that do :rolleyes:) but same thing happens. I’m sure i’m doing something wrong in Max i just can’t see what…