Efficiency for super high poly normal mapping...
polycounter lvl 17
So I was wondering, with many of you who do those extremely high detail ZBrush or Mudbox models, then use those for normal mapping, what practices do you use to make things quicker;
-When you are sculpting in either Zbrush or Mudbox, what makes the program run more smoothly?
-Then when generating the normal map what do you use? Max or Maya, plugins like ZMapper, or a different program altogether like that NVidia standalone?
-Do you cut your super high poly model into pieces and piece it back together in photoshop?
-When you are sculpting in either Zbrush or Mudbox, what makes the program run more smoothly?
-Then when generating the normal map what do you use? Max or Maya, plugins like ZMapper, or a different program altogether like that NVidia standalone?
-Do you cut your super high poly model into pieces and piece it back together in photoshop?
Replies
I generate the normalmap in whatever I feel like - ZMapper makes sense for organic meshes from ZBrush, xNormal if you're bringing stuff in from many programs (or Max if most of my objects are in there already).
I cut my highpoly model into pieces wherever it makes sense and I can get away with it. If you've got one big organic mesh with very little doodads/armour/clothing covering it, then you're probably best doing it all in one piece and just masking off areas you're not working on in ZBrush/Mudbox.
If your mesh has armour/clothing etc, I'd model those as separate pieces and split up the highpoly organic mesh underneath them so that the doodads hide the seams.
Per128 had a nice Powerpoint slideshow containing more info on that workflow, but the link is dead on his site - I'm pretty sure it was referenced in Polycount somewhere though, if you search you might get it.