Rendering ZBrush Displacement Maps in Maya

[tek23ken]

So i think i may have had a break though with the displacement maps issue. In the tutorial by scott spencer, He says that ALL displacement maps that are create in zbrush will work if you enter 2.2 in the alpha gain and -1.1 in the alpha offset in ur displacement node in maya. But i found this is not true with my project. It was causing my object to be far over displaced and blown out. You just need to find out the range you need for your object ....

[tek23ken]

@continued...... In my case it was .006 in the alpha gain and -.003 in the alpha offset. I have worked on afew more objects and it seems that the alpha offset is all ways half the amount of the alpha gain , then u just need to stick a negative sign in front of the alpha offset. Also if you create a displacement map and set it in your displacement palette in zbrush then send it to maya using Goz, it will have everything set up for you in maya including ur nodes.....

[tek23ken]

@continued..... If you check the settings you will also find what i said about the alpha offset is all ways half the amount of the alpha gain , then u just needing to stick a negative sign in front of it, to be true. I find that you still have to set up the approximation editor in mental ray on ur own. I am finally able to get some great results. Let me know if i have given any false info. Cause i am still learning. Also is there a difference between 32bit and 32float??

[eindoppelganger]

@tek23ken This video is from ZBrush 2 - use GoZ to render displacements now - it sets everything up for you automatically.

[eleszar1]

to have a perfect model lets say my model is 25k polygons how many maps i need to make it look cooL? difuse map, normal map, and what else? and i got a problem if i get my model lower than 20k polygons its detail start to look bad evenwith normal map on any suggestion?

[Williero88]

Does it work with Maya Software Render

[eindoppelganger]

@Williero88 no, you want to use Mental Ray. Also note this video is out of date now - the easiest approach is to use GoZ in ZBrush. Generate a displacement in ZBrush then press GoZ - it will open Maya with everything set up for you

[tower26films]

@eindoppelganger

I've been using GoZ in between ZBrush 3.2 and Maya 2009 and I don't get the high frequency details that I have in ZBrush. I have tried several methods of adjusting the subdivision approximation to varying success but it never gets to the level of detail I have in ZBrush. I seem to be stuck in the middle of the old way using zmapper (which 3.2 doesn't have) and the new way that doesn't give me what I want. Are there any other ways to set it up manually without zmapper?

[eindoppelganger]

@tower26films are you using Normal or displacement maps? ZMapper was for normal mapping so that confuses me. If you lack the details its almost always the subdivision approx is too low. Also be aware that ZBrush has a curve on the diffuse channel of the shader so detaisl showup clearer there than they do in mayas defauls shaders. Make sure you use some specular shine and a raking light to spot the details - also consider using a bump node to punch up the details and maybe a diffuse map

[tower26films]

@eindoppelganger I wouldn't know what zmapper does, I never had it. I am trying to use normal and displacement. As I said, I am adjusting the subdivision approximation levels up to the point where there is no difference in appearance but a huge jump in rendering time and back again. There is always more smoothing in Maya than in zbrush.

[eindoppelganger]

@tower26films well, normal map detail will not be affected at all by subdivision levels.

[tower26films]

@eindoppelganger I have tried to create a diffuse map (is that the same as a cavity map?) same thing all of the help i find to make a cavity map uses the zmapper. I end up with lighting details and shadows in my cavity map which doesn't work. This is going into a live action scene so I can't adjust the lighting any way I want.

[terryvasquez]

thankyou :]

[eindoppelganger]

@terryvasquez just create a 16bit map in ZBrush then use GoZ to open Maya and your model will be set up to render automatically :) Benefits of the new ZBrush version

[Rupamforever]

THNXXXXXXXXXXX a LOTTTTTTTTTTTTT>......will try,,,,,,,,

[salsa101]

what kind of computer do you use to work on your current projects? could you please list all the computer specs such as model, processor, graphics card, and everything inbetween? thanks

[ResidentAk]

whats the expresion you are typing in? can see x)

[goodvibrato]

@ResidentAk = -(fileName.alphaGain / 2)

ex: = -(file35.alphaGain / 2)

[eindoppelganger]

this process is for the older version of ZBrush. Now all you need to do is export a maya ascii of your model from ZBrush and open it in Maya - your displacement network will already be set up .

S

[mtranger]

Oh wow that just blew my mind. thank you very much for that information. you just saved me a bunch of time pulling my hair out figuring it out.

[rulix36]

@eindoppelganger thank for the info,so fucking thank you

[sheebshag]

That's pretty amazing. Just seems weird that it doesn't work with 32 bit displacements? Otherwise that feature would've been perfect for Maya users.

[mtranger]

Yea i tried to follow this tutorial but it was a little "advanced" i guess and I've yet to find a helpful way of rendering displacements. if anyone knows an easier way of doing it please let me know. Thanks in advance.

[firebark]

this is way too complex

[thepryest]

yeah goto xnormals website and check out their tutorials... ...its also free and gives you good results. also theres videos on youtube that will help you out aswell.

[thepryest]

have you tried out xnormal and broken your low poly mesh down into little bits?

[thepryest]

in a way your really right, but the computing power required to produce realtime playback of your models is just tooo slow. i wait for the day that realtime highpoly models are presented on my playstation 5 LOL! till then its time to learn dis/norm/bump maps

[chidede]

I feel you on that. There's just so may steps and it's all trial and error. I think that developers of Maya and Zbrush will make the displacement maps easier to transfer in newer versions.

[marvincontendo]

im totally with you man.

But softs are going toward artist oriented direction direction and zbrush is a proof of this. Few years ago people would have to model everything in maya. However, although everyone loves to repeat how fast technology and cgi is moving, I still think we are in apes age.

[marvincontendo]

Those softwares are not even a bit intuitive or user friendly... specially Maya. In the years to come 3D design will be as popular as graphic design and software competition will make the programs easier for everyone to use, and as usual.... the talented ones will be the ones who will make a difference.

[granton85]

Sure real artists want to create, i personally find this stuff annoying but it is also good to know how it works. In the end i still prefer to understand how this works rather than let something auto pilot it for me.

[soulrunner66]

Nobody really "wants" to do all the technical stuff with displacement and normal maps, but unfortunately that's the only way to achieve realistic details without taxing our computers with millions of polys. You only have to do a normal and displace when you take it into another 3D app - like Maya, 3DS max or XSI.  But Zbrush is pretty much a whole package - you can render and texure in it now. : )

[V10H4Z4RD]

man displacements are harder. shet.

[studio463]

do i need zbrush if i use maya?

[articarts]

ofcourse u dont have to, but zbrush is good to use if u want to create details.

[chickioI86]

hi ppl! i need an answer. Why not c4d? why everybody use maya or 3d studio max? if i learn c4d i go wrong or what? srry for english. i really appreciate your answers.

i gave you a five.

[steamisM50]

reason why is that Maya and 3ds max are the standard along with XSI in the field, however, C4D is still pretty powerful, just as powerful. It also is the fact that 3ds max and Maya came before C4D, so more people are adapt with it. If you have C4D, it isn't a bad thing, people will still look for people that have C4D, but not as many places.

[kamihakai]

Hi, i got a question. I have a 2 million model in zbrush 3.1 and I used the extract button to make some cool details on its body, but the resolution of the extracted mesh is very high, how can I export this to maya to be able to render everything with my model with disp map and so...?

[morde11]

I can't turn off color management, anyone know why not.

I'm using cs2.

[chostroman]

I did everything as the video and got no results :( The only thing that happened was that the head was smoothed out but no displacement :(

[dmnxCGi]

i got the same thing, it's smoothed out but the detail not showing, have you got a solution for this if you don't mind sharing? probably the geometry need to be scaled up again?

[silSly]

Nice. A perfect solution! Much appreciated!

[f1br30p7ix]

Fantastic

[Caban0002]

Superb! It worked on my model, I was having trouble with getting Meats Meyer's method to work, not sure why.. Thanks alot!

[shellsing3]

If I've gotten it right, you import you're lowpoly model created in maya into Zbrush where you subdivide it + sculpt details. After that you export you're Zbrush model to Maya where you use you're new detailed model as a displacement map for you're original lowpoly model.

[inad316]

thx u so much. big ups

[MOHAMMEDNUR2000]

great job

[eindoppelganger]

not for 32 bit floating poit maps, for ZBrush 2 16 bit maps you do

[YUPchannel]

So zbrush 3 doesn't explain how to do displacement maps

or how to highlight the features to Maya nor 3Ds Max app? Are you planning to relaunch a new tutorial one on YT soon?

[eindoppelganger]

its in the works : )

[YUPchannel]

thank for the update info on that,.. Liveiwre- :p

[evildonkey]

Somewhere around $9k/£5k Though you can get student licenses for a fraction of the cost.

[dilibau]

nice and useful vid, congratz ma buoy

[forsakeny]

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!