workflow critique

ironbearxl

Hey guys I'm trying to speed up or look for holes in this workflow I spent sometime putting together.

-put together rough concept and collect reference
-model dense enough control mesh
-export to Zbrush
-make poly mesh 3d, assign groups, GUV tiles, and create morph target
-subdivide and model down to high frequency detail
-set draw smooth tolerance above 0
-export hi-poly to Max to check painting results
-paint spec level, then diffuse, then spec color, fix seams, and apply materials in Max
-place control mesh over hi-poly, optimize, turn edges, no intersecting
-test bake normal map w/ auto unwrap, make adjustments
-rig and then unwrap control mesh
-bake normal map
-bake diffuse, spec color, and spec level w/ 100% self-illum one at a time
-animate
-done

I export the hi-poly to Zbrush and use GUV tiles so I can use the Z-app link to paint it with photoshop and Zbrush. I think I'd paint the specular level map first since It'll determine the overall lighting for the map. The diffuse color and spec color will determine color info only, and no bump map is included (not sure if this is good or bad just yet).

I would bake the lighting with the basic material in projection master and use that as a base for the maps. Last thing to mention is that I'd bake the finished maps onto the low-poly one at a time with 100% self-illumination.

Hopefully this will be useful to everyone.

Ruz

why not unwrap/uv your models in max first, then export to zbrush?

ironbearxl

Well, I thought about unwrapping first then exporting, but I think it speeds things up, and the uvs of the highpoly don't really matter in the end.

Ruz

well what i do is uv is in max first, export to zbrush, use the zapplink to paint it in pshop.
the advantage I suppose is that you can clearly see what is going on with the texture in 2d whereas using guv tiles you can't?

I then export the displacement maps and normal map straight from zbrush.

ironbearxl

Well with the AUV tiles, you can't really tell whats going on, but GUV tiles groups them the best it can to try and keep it readable.
However, you could always come back to the texture after you unwrap the finished lowpoly mesh.
Also, you'll be able to see the model w/ the normal map applied in Zbrush once the zmapper plugin is released:
http://206.145.80.239/zbc/showthread.php?t=28498&page=1

EarthQuake

You forgot baking out a GI lightmap from max =D

Nakur

[ QUOTE ]

-paint spec level, then diffuse, then spec color, fix seams, and apply materials in Max

-bake diffuse, spec color, and spec level w/ 100% self-illum one at a time

I export the hi-poly to Zbrush and use GUV tiles so I can use the Z-app link to paint it with photoshop and Zbrush.

[/ QUOTE ]

So if I understand this right, you can paint the color / spec maps onto the high poly mesh, and when you bake in Max, it creates the texture map for the low poly? Didn't know it could work like that. I'll have to try that out.

ironbearxl

You wouldn't need to bake a GI lightmap in max for any of the maps because zbrush allows you to do this with any of it's materials.

"I would bake the lighting with the basic material in projection master and use that as a base for the maps."

Using the high frequency geometry I would apply the basic material or you could go with the toy plastic shader, go into projecton master and check shading, don't make any changes, and when you pick it up the lighting is baked onto the mesh. All the crevices and highlighty areas are defined when you do this, and you can directly paint over it.

This is why I would paint the greyscale spec level map first, and the color(diffuse/spec) afterwards.

Once you go into max all your maps are finished, you're just baking the finished maps onto the lowpoly cage w/ 100% self illumination.

EarthQuake

if you're just loading the diffuse map onto the high poly and using RTT to bake it onto the low poly as a diffuse map you dont need to use self illum, baking a diffuse map in max dosent bake lighting or shadows.

ironbearxl

Oh, you're right EQ. That's the correct way to do it, w/o lighting and shadows.

ironbearxl

Since the workflow above had flaws in it, I updated it below based on what you guys added:

-put together rough concept and collect reference

-model dense enough control mesh

-unwrap (for better results when editing in 2d)

-export to Zbrush

-make poly mesh 3d, assign groups, GUV tiles (if not unwrapped), and create a morph target

-subdivide and model down to high frequency detail

-set draw smooth tolerance above 0

-export hi-poly to Max to check painting results

-bake lighting using Zbrush material for spec level map

-paint spec level, diffuse color, spec color

-fix seams/export, and apply materials in Max

-place control mesh over hi-poly, optimize, turn edges

-rig and unwrap control mesh

-bake normal map

-bake diffuse color, spec color, and spec level using the diffuse map setting minus lighting and shadows one by one

-animate

-done

*edit
(removed no intersecting)

EarthQuake

- ???

- Profit

cep

You can tell EQ does it that way.

ironbearxl

haha, the profit is in the satisfaction of a job well done.

ironbearxl

That's for the projection modifier. Try not to have the hi and low meshes insersecting between each other.

MoP

Yeah, like Per says, ironbearxl - you don't need to worry about high and low intersecting. I do it all the time with the Projection modifier in Max, it hasn't caused any problems for me.

vahl

there will sometimes be an artefact if you bake shadows and if the lowpoly casts shadows, if not, then everything works fine in max.

ironbearxl

Wow, that WAS a pain to keep having the the hi not intersecting w/ the low, thank you guys very much.

About the projection modifier, as long as it fits the low poly model, do you need to use push on it at all?

vahl

the cage has to cover the highpoly model.

read poop's tut on this
http://www.poopinmymouth.com/tutorial/normal_workflow.htm

ironbearxl

The reason I made sure minimal intersection occured between the hi and low was to bypass as much as possible adjusting the cage in the projection modifier.