Also on the subject of alpha gain:
@Scott:
Did you mean the values in the maya 2d_file_node were now alpha gain 1 and alpha offsett -0.5 for a 32bit displacement created in ZB3.5 R3 instead of the previous 2.2 and -1.1??
(Assuming that the mid point is left at 0.5)
I noticed that gain 2.2 and offset -1.1 bloated my model and that gain 1, and offset -0.5 looked correct.
Thanks for your time
James
the gain and offset are a ratio.
Meaning if you can scale the intensity of your map by shifting the value range.
Displacement is more about what looks right rather than a science.
Note: For Maya 2010 on Windows OS
I have found converting your .tif files to a pyramid .map file will render nice
you can do this on windows by clicking on start, then typing in cmd
This will bring up a command shell
navigate to your directory using cd to change directory
Once in the folder where your .tif file is type
imf_copy -p nameofimage.tif nameofimage.map
the -p is to convert to pyramid texture, in maya use the mip mapping filter on the file node.
Hi jimeeh,
Based on my experience the new alpha gain and offset values will be 1 and -.5 which is what they were always intended to be. I get really dead on render details with that setting.
As for the image conversion see the script in my signature to make that process easier.
Cheers!!
Scott
Thanks scott!
I assumed the old 2.2 came from saving the displacement in the sRGB colour space of a tif file, which meant it needed a multiply by 2.2 to be correct.
I’m guessing the new displacement maps have this done all ready to the rgb values? or something like that:qu:
I’m not really sure.
James
Hi
Even though I’ve been using zbrush for many years, I don’t use it on a regular basis and need some assistance with a uv seam problem. I’m using zbrush 3.5 (first time) and have tried to solve the problem in both Maya 2009 and 2011. When I export my mesh (level 1) from zbush as a .ma with my displacement and color map, the uv’s gets messed up. The uv’s look fine at first glance, but zbrush un-stich them into many small shells. When I render the model with these un-stiched uv’s (default), I get no seams, but the displacement looks ugly/bulky where the uv borders are. To solve this problem, I manually re stiched my uv’s in Maya again, but now I get large uv seams/cracks! I’ve tried both adaptive and DPSubPix displacement, but ended up with the latter one and have tried the Mrg button in the export section, but still has the same problem! This project has a very tight deadline so please help.
edit…
It sounds like you have forgotten to turn off “grp” and turn on “mrg” in the export submenu under tool.
Personally mental Ray in Maya requires patience (one size doesn’t fit all)
judging by your model, you may be able to get away with a slightly higher Rez base mesh and a bump map.
Having said that I think the problem was in the way you exported your mesh from zbrush.
Also you should make it a habbit to establish a link between Maya and zbrush early on, by exporting and reimporting your mesh as obj.
Hope that helps
Thanks for quick reply. New features are always buggy and the export as .ma feature in zbrush 3.5 is no exception! I’ve already tried exporting my mesh as .obj in order to keep my uv’s stitched and it works, but it does still not solve my problem. Yes, I might get away with only using a bump map and then use a blend shape to correct the mesh where the displacement was very strong, but will then also lose a whole lot of details on the legs etc…
Is really the Zbrush to Maya workflow this buggy or can there be another solution? I’ve done this with success many times before…
It’s not IMO “buggy” anymore than every other 3d app out there, most likely less. I have been using 3.5r3 in production and alot has improved even the ASCII export.
Having said that Maya will re-order vert Ids on a mesh to suit its convention.
So its good to establish a connection early. I would go so far as suspecting windows xp playing some part in it too.
Anyway, you should export your mesh to Maya, run the clean, re-import.
If it doesn’t fix it then I would bring in the Maya mesh and use project all.
Then only export the map not the geo, provided uvs and vert are the same.
As far as blend shapes and disp goes, you should really be using disp only for details and not for form.
If you like post your mesh and I’ll take a look see.
hey i used to get this sort of problem a lots time
whenver i exported it again and again
so this is what i did selected all the uvs in maya and clicked on merge uvs
done the patchy uvs were whole again
and believe i am dead sure this works
so be happy and keep zbrushing
yes merging uvs in maya will fix the uv seam issue, but the issue still remains with the map generation which is why you need to bring the new uvs into the mesh or use it to rebuild.
I’ve checked my mesh and its uv´s for faults several times. I’ve re-merged my uv´s in Maya when using the buggy .ma export method in zbrush and have imported these “new” uv´s back into Zbrush before exporting my displacement. Other suggestions are appreciated? I hope I’ve missed something obvious that can easily be fixed.
I have an issue with a displacement in Maya I have tried the file in 2010 and 2011. It does not render at all , screen comes up black. The other nodes in the scene do come out with their displacements in tact however one object doesn’t. I use the zbrush 3.2 and work off of a mac book pro.
I have rendered several scenes with mental ray and have never had this problem. I have tried switching the morph target on the original mesh and other thngs like exporting a .ma file all with the same results. The wierd thing is the displacement shows up fine if I choose high quality render in the perspective port. Any body else ever had a problem with this?
use polygon cleanup to fix non manifold edges in maya,and it will render.
So simple and it worked! I see you have one post but have been a member since 2006 so thanks for coming on here to help me out much appreciated.
Hello,
I am running Maya 2011 / Zbrush 3.5R3
64x system 24G ram
I’ve read the above issues and solutions, I have applied all the settings and tried all the solutions Im still getting seams.
Is there yet a fix to this issue?
The closest I got was a hard Zbrush -> Maya2011 Export, smoothing the mesh. But still not perfect…
Also… Does the edge artifacts prove that my UV’s are too thin?
If anyone can steer me into a good direction please do… I used to have NO problems before maya 2010
Thank you!
If you want more displacement add more subdivisions in the approx. editor. As for the weird spike artifact, check your displacement map especially where the seams are… could have some unwanted whites in there. I hope that helps at bit.
I am new to zBrush, and I am thinking of buying zBrush 4. I have Maya 9 will I have issues using zBrush 4 with Maya 2009?
Will goZ help in the ongoing displacement rendering problems?
1.First correct your uv layout, looks like you have some uvs outside 0-1 and overlapping. Also the actual layout looks totally wrong, spend more time optimizing the space and the uv to poly ratio.
2.I would then suggest totally checking your mesh twice for any nasty geo.
3.Now export that clean mesh out of maya, then bring it back in and re-apply your shader and create a new approx node. (This is a maya related step, I have personally had meshes not render properly simply because there was a problem with the nodes in maya, exporting out then in again will solve this.)
Use a higher mesh to render with
here is a list of values i use for the min and max of the approx node
2,3
3,5
4,6
make sure you are using a subdivision apporx not disp.
Change the approx to spatial at least, parametric is too simple.
Make sure you understand that undercuts will not render out.
Use 32bit, but do not edit it, if you use 16bit increase the texture size.
The artifacting (spikes) in your render is from the bitdepth banding and values of the map getting crunched from too high settings in your file node.
Some things to consider
When using Adaptive mode to create displacement or normal maps in 3.5, please first set the Tool : SubTool : PA Blur value to 8. This setting works in tandem with Adaptive mode to create the best quality maps.
When creating a 32-bit displacement map, please first assign any alpha to the Tool : Displacement Map thumbnail to enable the Mid slider. Once enabled, set this slider to 0. This will ensure that your 32-bit displacement map is created with the correct grayscale values.
When creating a displacement map for a model that has hard edges (such as a cube), do the following after sculpting your details: Go to level 1, restore your base mesh as usual but then Shift+Click on the Tool : Geometry : Crease button. Now create your displacement map. This will ensure that the hard edges are calculated correctly without any gradiation in the displacement map.
Can someone please confirm or deny if the ccMesh smooth uv seams problem is still an issue with Maya 2011 and zBrush 4.
If so, does Scott’s ccMesh script work with Maya 2011?
Thanks!