quick zbrush topology question

Junkie_XL

I can tell the normals on my topology are flipped when I preview the projection. How can I flip this back?

The "flip" button under display properties is grayed out when working with the retopo cage.

Thanks.

Spark

Hey Junkie, the reason it is grayed out from what I am assuming, is that it isnt a true mesh. Try turning the topology into a polymesh and see if once you do the normals are flipped back? I haven't come across your problem before, have seen objs come in and used the display to flip from there, and did you check to see if the flip button was grayed out while you were seeing what the topo would look like?

Spark

Junkie_XL

Hi Spark,

With both preview on or off the flip is grayed out and not selectable.

Not sure what you're asking about turning it into a mesh. I'm nowhere near ready to "make adaptive skin". The insides of the legs for example are all messed up. Because the normals are flipped it is trying to project across the opposite leg. I tried starting over and it did the same thing...normals are flipped because projecting is acting odd.

I was wondering if it had something to do with the way poly's are built? Like old school max you had to select your points counter clockwise? This is really weird and it is why I avoided the topology tool in the past. Frustrating stuff...


edit: Changing the Projection strength to -1 isn't working either btw before someone mentions. This is strange.


edit2: Well I flipped the normals on my target mesh which made it look weird until I ticked on "double" -sided of course. Now the retopo is projecting properly. Crazy oddness... So I guess that is a fix...sort of?

Spark

Hey Junkie, yeah I was suggesting that you make it an adaptive skin and see if it fixed the problem. I would suggest you go back into your modeling program and try resetting the xform, as it sounds like the normals are wrong with the original mesh ( even though it shows right in zbrush ) Then bring it back into zbrush and try the retopo tool again, as that is a step I always take with my meshes, before bringing them into zbrush. I will dig into this further once I get to work to see if I can see whats happening to you, but in the meantime try fixing your meshes xform and doing the process again.

Spark

Junkie_XL

Hi Spark. I guess what I mentioned under "edit2" will work for now. Seems odd I'd have to purposely invert the normals on the target mesh so the outer cage projects properly, but whatever I guess.

My new question has to do with moving the cage points along the surface...they don't exactly STICK to the surface when moved around after the points are laid down...with "Projection Range" maybe this doesn't matter, but is there something I'm not aware of to make sure the points can move with the surface better?

Neox

I hate that and i didn't find a way to change that or even reproduce that, i thought it might be the order you are creating the vertices but thats not totally the truth, it also happens more often on symmetrical models where i'm not retopoing just one part of the model but both symmetrical.
And yes it kills the projection because it projects into the direction of the face and that REALLY sucks big times.

Junkie_XL

Thanks for trying Neox. It is definitely a fickle thing.

btw your Airborn stuff looks nice.