Polygroups from Zbrush not transferring to Blender 2.8?

[Imagin Illyar]

I'm picking up a project I haven't worked on in some time and I upgraded my Blender and am finding some things work differently. Normally if I set polygoups on my model in Zbrush, export it as an obj and then import that obj into Blender the polygroups are saved and show as different colors in Blender. This is helpful because then when I upload the model to Second Life the polygroups become faces I can texture separately in SL. But with Blender 2.8 the polygroups from Zbrush don't seem to transfer over with the model. Am I missing something?

[OptimoMaximo]

1 hour ago, Imagin Illyar said:

Am I missing something?

Yes, good modeling practices.

First, the geometry coming from ZBrush is trash but for sculpting, it's not really meant for game assets, even the zmodeler tool set can create crappy topology. 

Secondly, polygroups have an organizational purpose only, for the select tool and at most hardsurface modeling in couple with the deformation tools in the tools palette when it comes to polishing. 

Third, dividing geometry by materials for easy texturing ends up in a pile of VRAM heavy textures when you could use better packed UVs in a single texture.

[Imagin Illyar]

Thanks for the sermon.  If anyone has the answer to my question it would be most appreciated.  Please don't let this devolve into a debate over ZBrush.

[Polenth Yue]

When you say it used to show as different colours, what was Blender doing exactly? Turning them into materials with a different colour on each one? Nothing stops multiple materials being the same colour in Blender, so worth checking to be sure the materials aren't there but all the same colour.

[Imagin Illyar]

18 hours ago, Polenth Yue said:

When you say it used to show as different colours, what was Blender doing exactly? Turning them into materials with a different colour on each one? Nothing stops multiple materials being the same colour in Blender, so worth checking to be sure the materials aren't there but all the same colour.

Yes, when I made mesh in ZBrush the past if I set up polygroups those would carry over into Blender and show as separate materials.  Then when uploaded to SL they would be selectable as separate faces.  The new Blender 2.8 doesn't seem to be doing that.  I'll find a work around I'm sure.

 

[Kyrah Abattoir]

On 5/28/2020 at 12:04 AM, Imagin Illyar said:

Thanks for the sermon.  If anyone has the answer to my question it would be most appreciated.  Please don't let this devolve into a debate over ZBrush.

There is no "wrong" tool out there, just wrong workflows.

Once you are done sculpting in Z brush, you still have to rebuild your model as a proper low-poly asset, suitable for SL (or any game really).

[Imagin Illyar]

On 5/27/2020 at 10:00 PM, Polenth Yue said:

When you say it used to show as different colours, what was Blender doing exactly? Turning them into materials with a different colour on each one? Nothing stops multiple materials being the same colour in Blender, so worth checking to be sure the materials aren't there but all the same colour.

Blender isn't creating any colours and just 1 default material.  I will just create the materials on the polys in Blender.  I don't know why this is changed though.  It was very handy to do it in ZBrush. 

[OptimoMaximo]

11 hours ago, Kyrah Abattoir said:

There is no "wrong" tool out there, just wrong workflows.

Once you are done sculpting in Z brush, you still have to rebuild your model as a proper low-poly asset, suitable for SL (or any game really).

Useless to waste time and efforts on this one, mine was a sermon and yours is going ignored. Let them boil in their own broth I say. 

[Imagin Illyar]

11 hours ago, Kyrah Abattoir said:

There is no "wrong" tool out there, just wrong workflows.

Once you are done sculpting in Z brush, you still have to rebuild your model as a proper low-poly asset, suitable for SL (or any game really).

Exactly what I'm doing.  I just start in ZBrush because I'm doing something organic and I can get a base mesh way faster.  I'm not uploading ZBrush mesh. 

[OptimoMaximo]

9 hours ago, Imagin Illyar said:

I can get a base mesh way faster

 

On 5/27/2020 at 11:36 PM, OptimoMaximo said:

First, the geometry coming from ZBrush is trash but for sculpting, it's not really meant for game assets, even the zmodeler tool set can create crappy topology. 

'nuff said.