Topology & Flow Lab

[Rastaman]

@ Snark:
In 3.0 a melting point-action wasn’t possible. I don’t know if this has changesd now in 3.1.
Some things have changed, so it is now possible to delete connection-lines without first inserting a new micro-zsphere.
But I didn’t see so far a point-melting-option. Sorry.

@mhy01.
I don’t see a way, sorry.
When you try to import an external mesh into your retopoed one to transfer the old UV-set, it either don’t work or if it works, your retopoed mesh will be replaced by the imported one along with the UV-set.
So this doesn’t make sense.
So far I know, you have to create a new UV-set on every mesh you create with a different topology.
Aurick has posted this somewhere in another thread if I remember right.

But you can export your retopoed mesh in subd-level 1, perform the UV-set-transfer in another app and then reimport it into your active retopoed mesh again at the same subd-level.
Then the mesh stays with the same topology but you transfer the desired UV-set onto your multisubd-leveled retopo-mesh.

[spaceboy412]

okay so i finally tried topology in 3.1 i’m having some weird stuff happen,when i’m drawing the topology i no longer can see the vertices, just the topology lines, the only time i remotely see vertices are along the edge of the model/canvas. so then i loaded a 3.0 model that was in the middle of being retoped and it had the verts showing as normal, strange.

yes i cleared mask,i even have the button right where i can hit it all the time.

[Displaced]

First of all: Lots of thanks to Rastaman and Plakkie for all the time and effort you’ve put into exploring this topic and sharing the results with the rest of us.

I’ve just started getting my head around retopo and after reading about 3.1 in this thread it’s just not very tempting to install the update. However: There are so many good things with it, such as zmapper, that I really don’t know what to do…

I’m guessing the answer is no, but is there a way I can have two installs of ZB3 on my computer? One 3.0 and one 3.1?

[Rastaman]

I have tried it with two versions, 3.0 in 64 bit and 3.1 in 32 bit on the same hardware.

In my case that didn’t work.
After upgrading to 3.1 in 32 bit, the 3.0 64-bit-version didn’t start anymore.
I think the license is stored somewhere on the common section of my first HDD.
I had to install 3.0 on another machine to use my dual options.

[sadicus]

Great Thread Rastaman!

Ok so now I’m in it (retopo stuff in 3.1
spaceboy412 - I have had this happen too, and for me, ZB3.1 crashes ALOT with Retopo. I have tried:
using Smaller Radius Brush,
Selecting Only parts i’m retoping,
Large Brush Radius Small Mesh selection, Every time it will crash

(trying the: Topology-Workflow - Merging Objects (by Rastaman)

Just want to be clear about the seem of two mesh intersections.
Using SHIFT + LM
The Inside of the Mesh is Also getting retopo’d instead of Over the Seem of the two Combined PM3D.
…So this Seem Area should all be done Manualy?

Thanks!

vbmenu_register(“postmenu_386449”, true);

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[spaz8]

I’m unclear if this is possible or not. Are you able to take a sculpt and transfer the detail through mesh projection onto another imported (obj) mesh. Or do you have to retopologize in zbrush with zpsheres? I’m trying to make a sculpt friendly for a SLA machine so I would like to actually add some geo and make it water tight in a few places, but obvioulsy want to transfer my sculpt to the appropriate areas.

[Rastaman]

@ Sadicus:

The Inside of the Mesh is Also getting retopo’d instead of Over the Seem of the two Combined PM3D.
…So this Seem Area should all be done Manualy?

Yes, that’s right.
You must delete the inner topo-parts and fix the seam-area manually.

(Btw: could you please use a non-black text-color ?
It’s hard to read it on the dark-gray-background of the site)

@ Spaz8:

The only thing is that the outline between the high-detailed and the lowpoly mesh must approximately match, otherwise you will have wired results.
So, a retopoed one fits always best.
But you can also try other meshes for sure.
I haven’t tried it so far, if you succeed, let us all know.

[Displaced]

Rastaman:

Ok. Thanks. Too bad, though…

waiting for 3.2 while strumming fingers on desk

[system]

@

@mhy01.
I don’t see a way, sorry.
When you try to import an external mesh into your retopoed one to transfer the old UV-set, it either don’t work or if it works, your retopoed mesh will be replaced by the imported one along with the UV-set.
So this doesn’t make sense.
So far I know, you have to create a new UV-set on every mesh you create with a different topology.
Aurick has posted this somewhere in another thread if I remember right.

But you can export your retopoed mesh in subd-level 1, perform the UV-set-transfer in another app and then reimport it into your active retopoed mesh again at the same subd-level.
Then the mesh stays with the same topology but you transfer the desired UV-set onto your multisubd-leveled retopo-mesh.

Yes, I thought about that, too. But since the pointorder between the mesh is messed up in the “Make adaptive skin” process, other apps (Lightwave&Modo in my case) don´t recognize them as the same anymore…so no one click transfer of UVs.

But I´ll research this more.

Indispensable if you want to transfer 10 different sculopts to one mesh.

I´ll get there

[SNARK]

Hey, RastaMan & Plakkie,

Thanks for all the hard work.

I have an issue I’m not understanding. After I draw my new topology and hit ‘A’ to preview (with ‘Frame’ on) the topology in the tool window looks nothing like the preview. Why does my preview look like spaghetti? I draw out a crisp pentagon shape and get nothing like it in preview. There are all these extra points that are connected to each other in weird ways.

My original tool was created from zspheres. I turned it into a polymesh.

I have looked at a lot of tutorials on 3.0 and 3.1. One source says to start new topology by shift-clicking, one source says to start new topology by control-clicking and other sources say to start new topology by simply ‘clicking’ (LMB). I am confused.

I sub-divided my original mesh to about 6 levels so I could paint a fine-line template as a guide for the re-ToPology. Image ‘3’ shows this step.

Thanks!

~S.~

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[womball]

I’m almost finished retoping my model! Is there any way of turning off the mesh transparency (on the zculpted mesh which your putting topology on) that happens when your working on a topology rig? This would help with closing off the fingers and toes. Right now I can see all of the wires on the fingers rather than one sides so its very hard to close off the finger without selecting a wrong point.

Also when the topology is finally done, do you press some button to transfer the details from the original mesh to the new one?

[Nolan_R]

I posted this in the troubleshooting forum, but thought I’d post it here as well in case the problem I’m encountering is down to the fact that my starting point is a retopologised mesh…

The problem I’m encountering is this - I don’t seem to be able to import an OBJ onto SDiv level 1 of a model with 6 SDiv levels without losing all but the highest SDiv level (I end up with a model with all the detail but no Sdiv levels). The models have identical topology.

Here’s my workflow in a little more detail…

I’m generating two adaptive skins from a re-topologised high resolution model. One at at a Density of 1 (which I’m planning to take in to Max to set up the UVs) and one at a Density of 6 (which I’m planning to use to transfer all the high level detail to the remapped version).

I export the level 1 version as an OBJ.

I take the level 6 version and go to SDiv level 1, whereupon I import the the OBJ (which as I understand it ought to just update the model at this SDiv level and retain all the higher levels)

I see a “subdividing geometry…” message, and end up with a Ztool with all the SDiv level 6 polys and detail, but no SDiv levels. Incidentally, the model gets bigger at the same time (as if the OBJ is of a larger size)

As you can see, the models have identical toplogy as they’re generated from the same re-topologised model - so what am I doing wrong?? As I remember this was pretty basic and reliable functionality in ZBrush2.5. I’m not going to be able to generate a normal map for my re-mapped low poly version if it disappears when I import it into my high detail version - help!!

[MarioBlanco]

the object are exported in the level you want but dont retain the "slider"sublevels inside ZBrush, the only object that retain that properties are the ztools, if i understand well your point.
Andreseloy

[Rastaman]

Womball:

You can hide parts of your topology along withe the base-mesh using the usual masking-features (ctrl+shift+LMB-rectangle-drag).

Nolan:

Try this:
First do only the detail-transfer into a level 6 or 7 adaptive-skin-mesh.

Now you have the retopoed model with all the details and with all the desired subd-levels (6 or 7).
Make this the active tool, go to subd-level 1 and export it for your external UV-setups.
When you later reimport this one (instead of the other way you did), it should work and preserve all your subd-levels.

I think you used the wrong build level 1 mesh.
Always create this one from your final mesh, not from the detail-transfer-setup.

SNARK:

Haven’t checked this so far, but OK, who really needs the tool-preview ?
As far as all works fine within your meshes in the canvas, this would be a minor bug for me.

Topology: you start with ctrl-Click on a mesh-point to select this one as a new start-point.

[Nolan_R]

Thanks for the reply Rastaman. That seemed like the simplest solution to me too (and it should really work with no problems), bu this was the outcome…

Re-topologised 6 level version…

Although when you import this OBJ in to MAx they are not flipped…!!!

Your thoughts would be welcome

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[Rastaman]

Nolan:

take a quick look into Preferences -> ImportExport-Settings as well as in the Tools -> Import and Export submenues.
Maybe you have wrong settinngs there ?

[Nolan_R]

What would be the right settings in your opinion Rastaman? This is how I’m currently set up…

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[Rastaman]

Yes, these are the standard-settings.

I think you should try out some combinations, in 3.0 f.i. I had to alter this sometimes depending on where my meshes were originated.
Try and error.
Some combination should work, otherwise check the same for your other app, maybe the fault lies there.

But it should definetely not be that with these settings something like flipped normals occur by simply ex- and directly re-importing a model.
Very strange.:eek:

I currently haven’t worked so much more with 3.1 and still am mostly in 3.0 because I hope that the 3.2 - bugfix is not so far away. :rolleyes:

[Rastaman]

The exploding-mesh-problem after reimporting obj-files that have been opened and saved in other apps is reported several times here in the forum.

In my own experiments with .obj-export -> mesh-manipulations in C4D -> Reimport in ZBrush, I can say so far that using C4D’s build in .obj-import/Export-function leads later in ZBrush to exploding meshes. Using the Riptide-Plugin for the obj-Import-Export in C4D does in opposite not cause any problems.

So maybe in your case it might be also a problem of the obj-import/export-functions of your external app that alters the obj-file in any way to cause ZBrush to crash.

[MarioBlanco]

stimulated by a friend who email me to post this tip i use a lot:
sometime you have a mesh that is ready for make retopolgy but in the meantime you decide to add more part or extend some part of the meshes… well you can add to the zsphere you are working with the edit topology and append a primitiev converted to polymesh to add new point, once finished you can deletd the object that was appended…

Andreseloy