Hello, I am working on an animation for a college project and I want to transfer my ZBrush detail over to my retopo low poly model in Maya 2018. We are using Arnold renderer and I think I need to use Vector Displacement maps.
My current problem is that me exr file looks very black with tiny hints of red. Is this how a vector displacement map is supposed to look like?
nope.
I’m confused. Why you think you need a VDM at all?
It’s my first time working with rendering in Arnold and I thought I read that’s what I should use for getting my high poly details.
Though I could just go the bump map way, if I do, are there pros to baking out the bump maps in ZBrush or baking it in Maya? I usually bake my details in Substance Painter.
You only need VDM if your lowpoly mesh needs to displace to a vector other than Z.
It sounds like you just need to bake a displacement and tangent space normal map.
I recommend doing this in Substance Designer as it can bake a height map and it will bake all of your maps correctly for support inside of Painter.
Hey thanks! I’ll try that and let you know how it goes later today.
Vector displacements from Zbrush work well in Maya Arnold renderer but I have only had success with World space and not Tangent space, which is what you would need for animation. I use a flip and switch setting of 47 for World space vector displacements. Please post if you have a good setting for Tangent space. In Maya you need to use Arnold shaders and set the subdivisions to Catclark. Please see attached screenshots of renders.
Hi ZeeSculptor,
just a question because I saw your render result with VDM, that’s amazing how it generates the bended shape.
Until now I have used only Displacement, but had problems with shapes like bending cloth parts.
What is the downside of Vector Displacement?
I always thought, there must be reason, why this is not the default standard…
just because I never spoke to someone who used it.
(I’m working with Maya Vray, but I know the basics of Arnold too.)
Thanks, Alexx
Hi Alexx,
That is not a blend shape it is the actual displacement from the vector displacement. Before I sculpted in Zbrush, I UVd and stored a morph target. After sculpting I went to the lowest level and switched morph targets and then generated the vector displacement. Of course you would not do it this way if you wanted to control the displacement parts in Maya but you can see the amazing capabilities of Vector displacements. This is a world space setting so I do not think that it can be used for animation. I need to find a Tangent space setting.
Hi Alexx,
My apologies I misread your post and thought that you said blend shape.