Loosing details because of Projection (look at pic)

Lenulik

Hello guys,

I have this Projection problem in Zbrush

In Maxstudio or Mudbox works as simple baking without the necessity of remesh, just set "bubble"shell and it project itself nice and clean.

Is there any option without loosing nice clean details I work with?
What is the point of that if I lose them in the end? Is there any magic I don't know?

Please help Thank you.

unit187

Why do you even try to blend them? Leave them as separate subtool (or polygroup).

Edit: if you want those piece to follow the surface, you might want to try insert mesh brush, it bends your inserted geomentry based on underlying surface.

Lenulik

if I keep it as separate subtool I wont get low poly mesh from so many subtools (many wheels, IMM brushes etc.) and also I would have problem with texturing with uv and export nice maps (without blurred detials).

By using insert mesh you have to "Freeze Subdivision Levels" and than zbrush makes automatic projection, so its basically the same thing as IMM brushes.

cryrid

I'm still confused as why they can't be split into separate subtools. Its more physically accurate and would give you even more control over how they subdivide. Uving shouldn't cause any other issues as well.

Popol

Like the others I don't see why you can't keep them as seperated subtools. Why wouldn't you get a lowpoly mesh if there is many subtools? I think the problem comes from the way you're planing to make the lowpoly.

Lenulik

I need to keep very low polycount (in hundreds, not thousands) and its better have few polygons with nice rendered textures and that chain as you see on picture would be just on texture, not low poly model. I just can´t afford it. (older engine)

with that chain I would consider alpha instead of low poly model, but I am really saving...

would you redo low poly chain on your model?

see below, rendered in mudbox, but I would rather make it in zbrush, if i could

cryrid

If you're doing the detail with a normal map only, alphas could do a similar job. But subtools would be just as easy and wouldn't prevent you from baking the detail (especially with xnormal)

Bartalon

The Matchmaker brush in ZBrush will conform a subtool to the curvature of another subtool.

http://pixologic.com/zbrush/features/brushes/matchmaker/

Obscura

I think the "projection" word is confusing you. You would like to bake maps right? So the chain would be just on the texture. What you did is to project a geometry to an another geometry.

https://www.google.hu/#q=baking+normal+map+in+zbrush

Lenulik

I tried to render that chain from that upper pic .
It seems to work out even it looks like a mess, BUT it make two other things I don´t like.

On the lowest level it make little bump under and when I smooth it makes a ditch (as you can see on the pic)
and on the sphere is not smooth.

I also lost polygroups when I went on Level 1. Can I do something to prevent it?

cryrid

Your UVs look like they became detached and flipped, for one.

The 'bump' is the result of you physically projecting the chains onto a spherical mesh, instead of just leaving them as separate subtools like people have been suggesting. That kind of action (projection) will change the form of the lowpoly mesh because you're turning that detail into something that only exists when the mesh is subdivided. Its similar to if sculpting in a large change of form at a high subdivision level; that change will travel down and affect lower subidivion levels as they try and match the volume. So now your normal map has to use those gradients as compensation to try and make the end result look spherical again. This gradient shouldn't cause a problem on your actual mesh once rendered if everything is all synced up. Otherwise, its really hard to judge a normal map by looking at the map alone since its just a piece of the puzzle.

Really though, you should just be keeping things as separate subtools and baking with xnormal or something else instead. You'll get a lot more control of the result along with less of a headache.

I also lost polygroups when I went on Level 1. Can I do something to prevent it?

Polygroups need to be created at the lowest level possible. They can be temporarily created at a higher level, but you're going to mess them up if you step down in subdivisions or reload the tool. A polygon can only belong to one polygroup, and by creating them on higher subdivision levels you're essentially trying to assign at least 4 polygroups to a single face (a number which exponentially increases every subdivision up).

Lenulik

Sorry, I probably didn´t explain it right. My fault

I basically wanted Diffuse from polypaint from Zbrush. I never had problems with other maps (thanks other programs like Xnormal,polybump, mudbox etc.)


I am afraid there is not such a option what I want.


- my goal: render easily one diffuse map together with many painted subtools included.


I want to somehow include / or project that 1 polypainted subtool on my upper sphere. just for render maps.


I want them separated. Problem is render easily one diffuse together. I need just put it on diffuse texture.

With merge maps there must be uvs space, but I dont need it their uvs
i need just have them on the texture.

http://docs.pixologic.com/user-guide/zbrush-plugins/multi-map-exporter/

cryrid

I basically wanted Diffuse from polypaint from Zbrush. I never had problems with other maps (thanks other programs like Xnormal,polybump, mudbox etc.) I am afraid there is not such a option what I want.

Xnormal bakes polypaint just as well as it bakes normal maps. Previous advice throughout this thread still applies.

Your highpoly sculpt does not have to be the same mesh as your lowpoly object that goes into the game. Adding subtools doesn't mean you need to change the topology, silhouette, or UVs.

Lenulik

oh so

That´s great news!:)

I thought that polypaint can´t be exported at all (that´s why i freaked out with projection)
and I use other programs but Xnormal.

but..
now I found out that export is done by exporting every single subtool and their textures for import into xnormal.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-tVESVuC64"]Quick Tip Converting Polypaint Data From Zbrush Using xNormal - YouTube[/ame]