zBrush keeps dropping my hot keys + normal map question

BARDLER

I am using 4R4

I set up my hot keys to my favorite 6 brushes with holding alt + asdzxc. I saved my hot keys as a separate file and so they load on start up which works fine. Every hour or so my hot keys stop working and wont even load back through my saved file. They only way to get them back is to reload zbursh or manually set them again. Has anybody had this issue before?

I was also going to start a new thread for a normal map question that I cant find the answer for. Is there an easy way to comp multiple normal maps together easily in photoshop with a blend mode or something? I baked out an object in 3 different bakes for the same map but it is kind of a pain to slowly erase around each one to get the final normal map. I figure I would just ask it in this thread to make it easier.

Thanks for the help everybody. Always appreciated.

Ace-Angel

The hotkey is weird, are you running ZB in admin mode? Also, it is patched to Patch2? Did you at least run ZB once and close it clean before creating the keys?

Lastly, a considerable amount of stuff changed in R4, the Pixo suggest not importing old Keys and such from older revisions of ZB as they might cause issues (although in my case, it really didn't happen) so you might want to check in that? I'm sure the support forums could shed some more light on this issue.

As for the Normal Map, are you baking in ZB? Last I checked, ZB doesn't create cages and/or explodes the mesh when baking, so alot of the clean up your doing can be avoided in a more appropriate software.

What methods are using to bake in NRM's?

BARDLER

I will look into patch 2 tomorrow. As for the normal maps I baked them in xnormal in 3 different parts for one mesh. It was for a bug I did which was a little complicated so I baked out the legs, head, and body all separately. I then took the 3 normal maps in photoshop and composted them together for the final result. So I was just wondering if there is a faster way to do that in photoshop instead of slowly masking around your UVs.

Fingus

I just use Hard Light. You can also use Overlay but then you need to reduce your blue channel by 50%. As far as I understand neither technique is 100% mathematically correct and can give some slight variation in results, but I find that Hard Light works for almost everything I've come across. And if you are just blending on top of neutral normal color then it really shouldn't be a problem.

Froyok

For blending my normals map I use this technique (that I have made as an Action in Photoshop) : http://vimeo.com/8025133

BARDLER

Thanks a lot that video is perfect.