max and zbrush prob....

fritz

hello. i posted this in the wrong forum so i'm re-posting here.

i am working on a model in zbrush that was created in max. the torso is separate from the legs cause i'm going to build the part that combines the two in max. here's my prob. i need to move the legs up a bit and scale them. i tried doing that in max and then export back to zbrush but my model was all jacked when upping the sub D's once i got back to zbrush.

i heard that you can go back and forth between the two progs and make changes as long as you don't add any geo. any ideas?

arshlevon

yeah when you import your obj into max for editing, DONT do it as multiple objects, just as a single object, its an obtion in the obj import dialog. this will keep the vert order the same, also dont do any cuts welds or any changes to topology just use the move, rotate, scale, tool on the sub object level.

fritz

model is still all jacked when i boost up the sub D's in zbrush after re-importing....here's what i'm struggling with:

here's what my model looks like in z. i need to move the legs forward...up...and scale them a bit.



then i fix stuff in max after exporting the lowest sub D from zbrush.



after importing back into zbrush...it's all eff'd up.

arshlevon

im not exactly sure what is going wrong, i use to have problems untill i started importing as a single object, try reading the max to zbrush pipline doc it goes over the process more indepth with al the export settings, you can get it here http://206.145.80.237/zbrush/media/ZBrushTo3dsMax_web.zip

also try these settings

fritz

thanks so much arsh. i believe i used all the same settings....i'll try again in a bit. if all else fails...i CAN just move the crap up and over and scale when i'm ready to bake the normals in max so....not all is lost. i got frustrated w/it so i'm moving over to 2d for a bit on this rainy day.

thanks man!

fritz

you know what...i think i may not be explaining myself properly. i heard that you can sculpt a model in zbrush...then export the lowest subD level into max. then move/scale/whatever (as long as you don't alter the geo). re-import back to zbrush...AND still be able to bump it up while retaining all the sculpting you did before.

is this possible? arsh, i used those settings. my model came in fine but i lost all the sculpting i did previously. i feel like i may be missing something here.

thanks again!

arshlevon

yeah i understand what you are talking about, i do it all the time. the zpipeline doc i linked to above goes throught the process step by step. the only problem i everhad was when i tried to import the model into max as multiple objects and not just a single object. there is also a max script that is suppose to renumber the verts after you export from max. its here, http://svan.uw.hu/resources/ZtoMAXtoZ.rar

here is a brief explanation
Export a mesh from Zbrush and modify it in Max, then export it and run the script.The script will generate a new .obj file.
(it needs the original .obj exported from Zbrush and the new .obj from Max)
Refresh the model in Zbrush(import tool in edit mode)===>and the Zbrush will use the updated geometry correctly on all subdiv levels!!

fritz

arsh. i would like to thank you for your help. i have no clue what the prob is. i tried it with a different model and am still getting the same results. i went through all steps. i obviously have one little stoopid thing turned on somewhere or something. oh well...guess i'll keep doin tests or something.

thanks again man!!

arshlevon

did you try the max script i linked to? i have never tried it out, but people on the zbrush forums were really pleased with it.

fritz

yeah...i dropped it in my max folder...then when i tried to run it i got an error.

MoP

What Max import/export plugin are you using?
If it's the default plugin shipped with Max7, you'll need to set your import and export geometry drop-down to "Quads" ... if you use "Triangles" or "Polygons" from the drop down menu, it'll get all messed up and ZBrush won't like it.
I had this problem too for a while but I pinpointed it down to the Quads setting.

Arshlevon's is all good advice too, though - I just think the OBJ import/export plugin he's using may not be the same as the one you are using, Fritz.

Good luck

fritz

i'm using the quads setting. i tried it again and got a result that is a tad bit different. man...what the hell. and like i said...the same thing happened to one of my other models. here's a little step by step of my frustration...hahahaha.

exporting from zbrush on subD 1


max


make adjustments to legs


max


update tool in zbrush...legs look fine


bump back up to subD 5
OOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHH NNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

fritz

wow....started working like a charm out of nowhere. i have no idea WHAT the hell the problem was. makes me a little nervous tho....shaky progs...shaky progs.

MOP and Arsh. thanks for you input as always. pizza is on the way!!!!!!!!!!!

arshlevon

hahaha thats zbrush for you. glad everything is working now.

ThE_BirD

hey, sorry I didn't have time to read throught the whole thread cause it's busy busy this morning... the problem with the last image is that max reorders the verts when you first import it from Zbrush... It needs to be collapsed into an edit poly again before you send it back to Zbrush. If you have a file that comes in like that again try recollapsing before you send it back and it'll be fixed;) Cool lookin model BTW;)