ZBrushCentral

retopology and polygon limit on imported topology

ZBrush Usage Questions
#1

Hi folks,

I’m writing here because I really don’t know what’s going on with my zbrush model when I try to retopology it.

I would like to say that I’ve already been through the retopology process few times with other models in the past and I found it working most of the times…
The problem this time is that I can’t import my obj model as base mesh using the Zsphere.

what I’m doing is:

  • importing my high res zbrush model on the tools list
  • deleting all the low res steps and making it clean of history
  • importing my new topology as obj
  • appending the low res model to the high res model and making sure they’re matching
  • creating a zsphere, selecting the high res model as model to retopology (rigging/select mesh)
  • going back to the high res tool, selecting the imported one in order to making it the main mesh of the tool
  • going back to the zsphere and going to topology/edit topology/select mesh…
    (basically I’m doing everything the main guide says! step by step)

at this poing zbrush would not use my imported obj as new topology…
it doesn’t even appear in the viewport… zbrush just ignores it.

I made some tests with other simple object and everything works fine!
but it doesn’t want to work with my model…
I’m talking about a 34000 triangles/17000 facets model… so I though that Zbrush might have some limit for the step zero mesh… don’t know…
so I made a new test with my model… just because I wanted to figure out if it was my model that might had some problems…

I’ve tried to delete a bunch of polygons off the model (on my 3D software, and export the obj again) and try the process of retopology again… and it worked!!

Zbrush seems to have a sort of limit in the retopology tool that doesn’t allow you to import base meshes bigger than a certain numbers of polys…

does anybody know how can I turn around this issue?
I really don’t want to trash my work in high res and star over again with my new topology… isn’t this one of the most popular feature of Zbrush? I would like to make it work if I can :slight_smile:
I hope somebody can help me…
thank you very much

-Iacopo

#2

There is a limit to how many polygons can be edited using the retopology feature.

I’m confused, though: You said you’re importing a new topology anyway. Why are you then going in to edit this new topology? Shouldn’t it have been what you wanted before you imported it?

#3

of course I don’t want to edit the topology of my new model… as you said, it would be non sense since I’ve made all the modification to the topology in my 3D software…

I’m just trying to transfer the details from my high res mesh to my new mesh…
in order to do it… I’m using the retopology process to the high res tool…
using the zsphere… as the zbrush guide says…

is this making sense?

Cheers
-Iacopo