ZBrushCentral

ZBrush normal maps to Vue?

ZBrush Usage Questions
#1

I am trying to figure out the proper set of export options to get my Multi Map Exporter normal maps to work in Vue.

I built a test ‘blob’ object with 5 levels of subdivision and a lot of little displacement detail to see if I can use just the Level 1 object mesh in Vue with a displacement and normal map from Level 5. I’ve tried various combinations of SwitchRG, SwitchRB, FlipR, FlipB, etc. but always end up with an imported object in Vue that seems lit from the wrong direction. Anyone here with successful experience in getting their ZBrush models into Vue with good normal maps for fine displacement detail?

Dan

#2

Just to update/clarify a bit: with Tangent turned on and everything else at default I get a normal map that appears ‘inverted’ - it produces detail on my model in Vue where bumps become pits and ridges become furrows. Curiously, that same normal map produces exactly correct detail in Modo. For some reason Vue is interpreting the image in an inverted sense from Modo and I’m at a loss to figure out what to do with either the normal map export options in ZBrush or with the imported image in Vue to make it work in Vue…

#3

Try opening the normal map in an image editor like photoshop, and inverting the green channel.

#4

Yup, that did it! So, I just tried the FlipG option in Multi Map Exporter as well and that does the trick straight out of ZBrush. I could swear I had tried that as one of the permutations of options I tried before - don’t know why I didn’t note it to work before. Anyway, that seems to be the solution for getting ZBrush normal maps to Vue - flip green.

Thanks!

Dan