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Smooth group import plugin for Zbrush

Please help me find the plugin for zbrush "smooth group import". I can't find it anywhere

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  • Neox
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    Neox godlike master sticky
    What does it do? Zbrush doesnt have the concept of smoothing groups. Can you use those to drive creases? Polygroups? What does it actually do?
  • AlbertS
    Neox said:
    What does it do? Zbrush doesnt have the concept of smoothing groups. Can you use those to drive creases? Polygroups? What does it actually do?
    The Smooth Group Import plugin for ZBrush helps you import models with smoothing groups from other 3D software like 3ds Max or Maya, making sure the smooth and hard edges are preserved. This keeps your model's surface details intact, saving you time by not having to adjust the smoothing manually in ZBrush, especially useful for hard-surface models.
  • kanga
  • Neox
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    Neox godlike master sticky
    kanga said:
    there is nothing in the download center, all the threads pointing to it are dead ends.

  • pior
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    pior grand marshal polycounter
    @AlbertS : but that's the thing though : Zbrush doesn't have any way to store or display hard or smooth eges since *everything* is hard facetted in it. Hence the question of what this plugin actullay does - likely, interpreting the groups (as opposed to the edges) as some sort of data that Zbrush can then leverage when stepping up.

    I am actually quite curious about this as I was just meaning to dust off my (barely used) Zbrush install and rework my custom panels and hotkeys.
  • gnoop
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    gnoop sublime tool
    I think OP meant  what zbrush calls  "creases"   probably.    A way to turn  hard edges to  zbrush creases so hard edge would stay  hard when you hit "divide" button.        It's possible to do if you apply a separate material to each smooth group in your 3d soft   and zbrush would import it as fbx polygroups.   Then its  "creasePG" button in zbrush .        For Blender I am pretty sure chat GPT  could make you  such a script .        
        Also it's possible to make those polygroups  automatically directly  in zbrush    by  "Groups by Normals"    works  quite ok on hard surfaces .
       But usually hard/split and smooth edges are something from gamedev only area  Zbrush never focused on.  You do them  after  Zbrush   on retopo, remeshed  things  usually , not on something sculpted .   You need  evenly tessellated quads only model to work on in zbrush . In game model  rarely do so.  
  • Neox
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    Neox godlike master sticky
    Yeah that would be my suggestion. If the plugin for zbrush doesn't exist anymore. Convert hard edges to creases in your DCC
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