ZBrush Can Build & Export Multiple Texture Surfaces

[Toysoldier Thor]

Thanks to some input from a helpful member on the Zbrush community forums that has used Zbrush for Mesh creations in SL, I was given some really basic  seed workflow information on how Zbrush can build a model and define texture surfaces on the model that can be successfully exported out (via Zsculpty tool) to SL.

I will say that I have only had some REALLY UGLY initial successful results last night in trying to follow the instructions that was given to me.  So this post is just to provide initial basic workflow.  I will post again when I nail the exact steps. 

The reason my first attempts was so ugly and incomplete is because of my limited understanding of some of the critical features of Zbrush needed to follow this member's instructions.  I need to learn more about them.

So this was the actual quote from "Iridescence" on that forum...

I create each polygroup/texture zone as it's own subtool, create the UV, create the textures for it etc 
all in it's own personal subtool with a single polygroup.  Then before I export it, I use the 
subtool master plugin to merge the subtools, preserving the tools as separate polygroups within 
the one model for final export.  Then you can merge up to 8 subtools for a final mesh that exports 
with 8 texture faces.  Alternatively, do your UV unwrap and material assignment in another program 
like Blender.

 

EDITED THIS OP POSTING ....

I have removed the instructions I initially provide in this OP posting as there is a much more simple approach.  You can see these new high detailed instructions in the thread posting from me.

These steps are far from step-by-step since I have not perfected this by far (dont understand some parts).  Also, what came into SL was only 2 of the 6 sides because I did a few things wrong on how i set up the polygroups and/or used SubTool Master, BUT..... IT WORKED!!!

I will report more details later but if there are any other Zbrush smart ppl in the forum that could provide more details and insight on these steps.... please feel free.

The good news is - contrary to an assuption that since no one in this forum had any answers to how to do this then it can be assumed Zbrush could not do this - Zbrush can do this.

[Toysoldier Thor]

OK so a major update and improvement on the instructions I provided in the OP posting on how to get ZBRUSH to create multiple textured surfaces on an SL Mesh object....

ITS MUCH MORE SIMPLE AND EASY.... ALMOST ZBRUSH BRAINLESS  - now that I understand zbrush more.  I am going to edit my OP posting so that no one uses those initial instructions.

High Level logic to the workflow....   The way Zbrush defines SL Texture Sufaces for SL is by defining PolyGroups on your Zbrush model then telling the UVMaster to create a UV Map & creating a separate UV Island on the map for each polygroup it sees on the model.

Here are the detailed basic step-by-step instructions on how to apply multiple texture faces on a single object Zbrush "Tool" (i.e. Zbrush's terminology for a model) that can be collada exported to SL to allow independent editing of these surfaces.  Steps preceeded with the word "Normal:" means that the step is part of the normal workflow of creating a zbrush model for export to SL:

 

1. Normal:  Create a new model (i.e. "Tool" in zbrush) and go into Edit mode and "make polymesh3D"
2. Normal:  Do all the basic shaping of the model you want at the lowest polycount (best you get your model to the lowest polygon count at this time before going to further steps)
3. Normal:  If you want to fine-tune your model shape now and/or you want to start the PolyPaint process of your model now, you can with no penalties to the workflow. 
   -   Increase model's polycount to very high res (over 1 million polys for a 1024x1024 SL texture resolution)
   -  This is done in the TOOL->Geometry-Divide  (press it 5 times for 5 divisions of the model's poly count)
4. Normal:  You can continue with both high-res shaping and/or polypainting the entire model
   -  Remeber that real subtle shaping changes at this res will barely if at all detected at the lowest LOD destined for collada export to SL.
   
   **  Ready to identify the individual texture surfaces for manipulation in SL **
   **  This is done by setting PolyGroups on the model for each of the max of 8 texture surfaces **
5. Reduce your model back down to the lowest Geometry (ie. lowest LOD)  - done in TOOL->Geometry-SDiv1
6. Enable your PolyF ("Draw Ployframe" grid) button so that you can select each of your polygroups that will match each of your Texture Zones / Faces you want available in SL. 
   -  A poly mesh grid will appear on your model and the color of the model will change to a single color weird color.
   -  As you create new polygroups, these new polygroups will be represented as a new color on this grid
7. Draw "select" the polygons that are included in one of these polygroups (i.e. using the Crtl-Shift keys and drawing a lasso around all the polygons). 
   -  All the polys you green lasso'ed will remain visible on the screen and all the other will hide from the screen.
8. Press the TOOLS->PolyGroups->"Group Visible" button.  This will set all the visible polys as a new defined polygroup (and it will be assigned a new color on the polygroup grid)
   -   To see the hidden polys, just CRTL-Shift and Click the hidden part of the model.  This should hide the polygroup you just created and make the hidden part of the model visible.  To see all the entire model press the Ctrl-Shift and click anywhere off the model
9. Repeat Steps 7 & 8 until you have defined all the polygroups you need that will = all the texture surfaces you want to be texture surface editable on the mesh in SL
   
   **  You have now defined all the SL texture surfaces on the model as POLYGROUPS  **
   **  Now you can either continue PolyPainting each polygroup or the entire model until you are happy **
   **  When you are completely happy and want to take the completed model to SL...  **
10. Goto ZPlugin->UVMaster Menu and click the "WORK ON CLONE" button
    -   This creates a lowest polycount copy of your entire model where UVs will be applied to it and later on transferred back to your main model
    -  protects your main model from mistakes and gets around UVMaster limits on working with models with multiple LODs and/or subtools
11. In UVMaster menu, click the "PolyGroups" button
    -   this tells UVMaster to make a UV set where each polygroup must be an island on the UV set
    -   each UV island when exported to SL will become your independent SL Texture surface
12. In UVMaster menu, click the "UNWRAP All" button
    -   this unwraps your model for each polygroup and creates the new UV set for the model
    -   you can see the actual UV set with all its islands if you click on the "Flatten" button.  Click "Unflatten" to return
    -   you can see the seams of all the islands on the model if you press the "CheckSeams" button
    
    **  Now to place the UV set back onto your main model from the clone  **
13. In the UVMaster menu. click the "Copy UV's" button
14. In the main TOOL menu, select your main model again to make it the active model on the Zbrush screen
    -   does not matter if your main model is in high or low polycount LOD
15. In the UVMaster menu, click the "Paste UVs" button
    -   this applies the UVs from the clone to your main model
    
    ***  You have now create a Zbrush model with multiple surface zone that SL will recognize  ***
    **  Now to get your model ready for exporting to SL  **
16. Normal:  Make sure all your PolyGroups are visible  (Shift-Crtl and click somewhere off your model)
17. Normal:  Make sure your TOOL->PolyPaint Colorize is enabled so you can see your painted model
18. Normal:  Make sure your model is at the highest resolution so your painted model is at the highest resolution
19. Normal:  Goto the TOOL->UV MAP submenu and click the 1024 buttom
    -   you are doing this to tell the texture mapping to create a map of 1024x1024 resolution that matchs SL's max resolution during mesh import or to create your own independent texture map for SL import after some photoshopping of the texture map
20. Normal:  Goto the TOOL->TextureMap submenu and click "New Form PolyPaint"
    -  this transfers the polypainted data on the model onto an industry standard Texture Map that conforms to the UV Map of the model at the 1024x1024 resolution
21. Normal:  Optionally if you want a workable external copy of the texture map the click the "Clone Txtr" button, then under Texture menu, you can export this cloned texture to a file on your hard drive.
    
    **  You are now ready to export your model to SL  **
22. Reduce your model to the lowest geometry / LOD from the TOOL->Geometry-> SDiv1
    -   you need to do this so that the Collada export tool will export the lowest LOD to SL
23. In the Zplugin->Zsculpty utility, click the "Export to SL MESH" button and follow the simple instructions
24. Save your Zbrush Tool (if you have already a few times during this process
25. Exit Zbrush
26. Enter SL
27. Mesh Import your new Mesh and if you want you can include the texture as part of the import
28. Res your new SL mesh

YOU ARE DONE!!!!

You can Select Texture any of the polygroups from the model and change the imported texture for that surface, or change any texture dynamics that SL Edit allows.

 

(I still want to thank iridescence for the initial instructions - even it they were overly complicated - because it triggered me to experiment in the critical processes and tools suggested.  But as I was trying to write up detailed step-by-step instructions for this thread  I realized major portions of the initial instructions were redundant and not even needed.  I now learned more about 2 new features of Zbrush and the inter-play between functions / tools)

[Vegro Solari]

TT, thank you very much for your ZB workflow posts and sharing. I feel like it's helping the artist community immensely even if they don't always write back. Cheers!

 

Btw, do you know how to adapt this workflow to export/use multiple texture maps from ZBrush? I.e. so the polygroups are each their own 1024x1024 map, not all island crowded onto one?

[Toysoldier Thor]

Thank you very much.  I am glad it is helping someone.  It helps me personally as well.  By forcing myself to document each minor step, it forces me to really strongly understand the process and find glitches in the workflow.  Also, since I am getting old and forgetful and I am into so many different things - I now have detailed steps that I can use in the future in case I get rusty as well.

As for your question, I am starting to appreciate this difference more and more.... but there are two ways in Zbrush to deal with multiple objects in a model.  I want to point out right now that I am FAR FROM A ZBRUSH EXPERT so this so far how I understand things in Zbrush....

 

1. POLYGROUPING - the model's subcomponents are very tightly coupled and pretty much work together as a single model.  The polygroups you define are basically defined PARTS of the whole.  As such, when you UV map, you will end up with a single map with several islands.  You can still texture each polygroup BUT when you create a corresponding texture map you are basically changing part of the ONE texture. 
   
   Also, with polygroups its not easy and near impossible to do advanced editing of one polygroup in the model.
   _
2. SUBTOOLS - This is when each object in the model is pretty much completely independent.  In the utterly poor terminology of Zbrush it is called SUBTOOLS (sub models) with a TOOL (model).  And to spin your head even more with Zbrush's stupid terminology .... the zbrush utility sub-menu is called the SUBTOOL menu with the TOOL menu.  In this menu is where you can add, select, and delete subtools from the tool.
   
    A subtool that is selected can be edited and worked on as if it was its own TOOL.  This includes that when you do a UV map for a Tool with many SUBTOOLs, you get a UV map for each one.  The problem is that - so far for me - its hard to make these subtools work together as one. 

In both methods you can ultimately get the TOOl (model) exported to collada and off to SL.  so as far as I understand it - which you use depends what you are creating for SL.  For the most part I understand that POLYGROUPS is more intuitive to work with to texturing and working the model as one - but its a pain to edit each polygroup physics and positioning.

Again... if there are Zbrush experts, they might be able to provide more insight.

[NealCrz]

In the Zplugin->Zsculpty utility, click the "Export to SL MESH" button and follow the simple instructions

Just downloaded ZBrush today and trying to get there.  I can't find this option you meion under ZPlugin?

 

Thank you

[Toysoldier Thor]

Sorry I missed this posted question in this thread.

ZSCULPTY is a 3rd Party plugin that is not native to ZBRUSH.  You can get the ZSCULPTY installation download from the ZBrush Central forums and then simply follow the instruction to integrate it as a new plugin into Zbrush.  Once you do that, it will appear as a Zplugin.