Questions and Troubleshooting for ZMapper

[drock]

Hello

I dont write anything about my computer because its not necessary.
My problem is quite differrent and maybe its simple to solve but not form me
So…
Zmapper doesnt want to work, becasue when i want to use it appears a screen like this (look picture) because my model has more then one polygroup and even when i press Group Visible the screen appears always the. How to make the one polygropup for the model to use Zmapper ?.. becasue Group Visible doesnt work. Maybe i use it wrongly ?? Dont know…

[]

[ryankingslien]

drock -

The instruction in the screen that come up are intended to explain what you need to do next. Just follow the steps and you will be in good shape.

Ryan

[ryankingslien]

jais -
ZMapper depends on certain Open GL functions in order to function. These are not special routines and are widely available. Your graphics card must be missing one of them. I would recommend that you make sure you have the latest drivers for it.

Ryan

[ryankingslien]

Hello All -

I have updated the first post in this thread to include new Maya 7 ZMapper settings. These settings emulate the normal map generated with Maya’s surface sampler. Please share your experience with it and let me know if I am off base.

Best,

Ryan

[drock]

Thx ryankingslien for very fast aswer.
The problem is that i do what is in the instruction. Tell me if i am wrong: If I press Group Visible i finish the third step ? So the 4th one tells me “Launch Zmapper…” And this is the problem becasue this window appears again. I cant launch the Zmapper even when I put Group Visible.

I just dont know what to do…

Cheers

[jais]

ryankingslien>> Tryed to delete all the drivers for the card and then d/l and install the latest drivers (20 jan). Didn’t work.
So either I’m doing something wrong in the gfx card config or else the guys at 3d labs cant be bothered to make a decent opengl driver that works with zmapper.
thanks for the answer anyways.

[pixelsoul]

Is there any easy tutorial how i can render these normal maps in maya in the pipeline documents i could only see the displacment maps…

[ryankingslien]

Hello All!

I edited the first post to include Max 8 tangent space settings. These settings are meant to be used in the Bump:Normal Bump parameter setting in the material editor. These settings should work with any UV layout. Please reply to this post if this is not the case.

Ryan

[anguyen]

after weeks of testing the zmapper settings and having no luck with the seams from the normal maps…the new updated settings (well ive only tested the max one) seem to have solved all the problems…youve saved our studio tons of time and labor in trying to work around this problem…but more importantly our games are gonna kick ass now! youve been a blessing to this community and keep up the hard work ryan!

anguyen

[tortilla1]

Ok so the “are there any 3dsmax objectspace normalmap presets in ZMapper”,
was a bit unfortunate…I should’ve taken a better look first !
However I just tried the settings for “3dsmax7 objectspace best quality”,
and they are not correct!
The only way to get the correct objectspace normalmap in 3dsmax (v8)
is by NOT rotating the model on export (obj) from max,
and then using the default objectspace settings in ZMapper.

Both rotating and not rotating the obj. file on export from max, in combination
with 3dsmax7 objectspace settings in ZMapper, create normalmaps that will
not respond correctly to lighting in max.

Now I can’t remember why I always used the rotate button on export of
an object file from max in the first place ???:o

[anguyen]

i had the same problems. but the new settings fixed the rotation problems. ryan posted up an updated preset for max 8 recently. download that. although this setting is for tangent spaced mapping, like characters. you can compare the two presets from max7 and max 8 to derive your own settings for max 8 obj space normals.

the correct settings do exist. you just gotta invest the time to find them.

-anguyen

[Jdraks]

HI ryankingslien,

I can’t seem to locate the Maya TangentSpace BestQuality.cfg on your first post, can you please re post the link.

Cheers

[ryankingslien]

Jdraks -

I removed them because they are inaccurate for some models. I have to do some more testing.

r

[eblondin]

This thread was posted else where and I am not 100 % completely sure if this question has been posted here or not, but I think it should be clarified if it hasn’t

qoute of a question from rv_el

Zmapper Import Working Model is giving me errors I was told that i could create a high res mesh from an EDITED mesh… then use Zmapper to spit out a normal map from the ORIGNIAL mesh (different number of points yet still very similar to the EDITIED mesh). This sparked my interest so i checked out Zmapper, but i’m running into some problems.

I am trying to do what is at the end of the Zmapper video tutorial but things are not coming out right. I was wondering if i could ask you about it. I’m following exactly what it says but i get errors along the way that the video does not show… here is my process through the whole thing

Load Zbrush
Load my ZTL file
Draw in view port and click edit
Goto Tool > Geometry and lower Res to level 1
Load ZMapper
Click on Projection Tab
Click Capture Mesh
Click Exit
Click Tool > Clone
Click Tool > Geometry > Delete Hidden - Error message pops up “This Function requires the mesh to be partially hidden. Hide a portion of the currently active mesh and try again”

Click Import
Open New similar but better working model - Error message pops up " Model must have the same exact amount of points and faces etc…"

What am i doing wrong? i’m clicking on exactly whats in the video and have watched the video dozens of times.

thanks

and here is the answer from me

That video is incorrect.

the part that it says to delete hidden is incorrect,

if you watch closely the guy says delete hidden but what he really does is delete all higher sub d levels, I have been meaning to post this, but it keeps slipping my mind. I should post this in the zmapper thread.

anyhow that is the only way to import new geometry into the same tool. so yeah DELETE HIDDEN DOESNT WORK DELETE HIGHER SUB D LEVELS DOES :D

[rv_el]

Hi,
My question is: Is there a way to generate a Cavity Map using an imported low poly model?

I am familiar with the process for doing this for a Normal Map and have had success doing it. I tried that very same process only this time i went over to the Normal and Cavity tab. I clicked Create Cavity Map. It appeared, on the screen, to be doing everything properly. But when it was done the entire map was bright pink.

I’m just looking to get out a high quality/detailed cavity map based on my high poly character but onto a new UV layout. - I do have a normal map for that new layout. Is it possible, as an alternative, that i could just bring in that new UV’d model, apply the appropriate normal map, and generate the cavity map from that information?

Thank you

[system]

hi
i got this massege “GL_INVALID_ENUM” when i try zmapper.
i’ve seen this thread all 12page.
due to i’m not a english speaker, it tooks so long time.
and i downloded my newist graphic card’s driver.
(wcgdrv_05050618)
but still doesn’t work with same massege.
please help me…
and my spec is…
intel xeon2.8 duel
eccrdram 2G
wildcat lll 6210
i’ll wait your help you guys…

[system]

Try to maximize your workspace and hit TAB key to load the ZMAPPER menu!

[system]

Big thanks to Pixologic for this, I’ve been eagerly waiting for it since they first mentioned it.

But I can’t get it to work properly. When I load a tool, go into edit mode and then run zmapper, it expands the canvas and the model spins around. I don’t have the control panel box for zmapper. If I click anywhere outside the canvas it closes the zmapper preview and takes me back to the editing view.

I redownloaded and ‘reinstalled’ it, but I keep getting this same problem. Anyone have any ideas (I’m pretty new to Zbrush)?

Try to maximize your workspace and hit the TAB key to load your ZMAPPER menu/control panel!

[drock]

hi
i got this massege “GL_INVALID_ENUM” when i try zmapper.
i’ve seen this thread all 12page.
due to i’m not a english speaker, it tooks so long time.
and i downloded my newist graphic card’s driver.
(wcgdrv_05050618)
but still doesn’t work with same massege.
please help me…
and my spec is…
intel xeon2.8 duel
eccrdram 2G
wildcat lll 6210
i’ll wait your help you guys…

Hmm… I have exactly the same problem, I’ve downloaded the newest drivers and still the same And the lack of answer means that no one have any idea why its happening like this? So there are some poor users of Zbrush (wich works completly fine by the way) that will not be able to use Zmapper, because… ?
I am just upset a bit that I cant enjoy one of the best plugins ever made for Zbrush. I hope that soon, guys, you will find the answer

Greetings

[system]

anyone know why there isn’t a “Flip Blue Channel” in ZMapper? Is there some workaround?

one of our engineers swears he’s using the same handed coord system as native nvidia hardware but hes getting quirky results with my ZMapper created files. we’ve tracked the problem to the fact that when i output object space normal maps using ‘nVidiaObjectSpace_Best’ (i.e. flip image vertically and flip green channel) the results are flipped in the blue channel compared to his engine.

so, whos right? how can i fix it? and why flip red and green but no blue?

other wise great plug-in.