Can I bake my voxel mesh textrures from my painted retopo mesh?

[Grimmy]

Somehow my voxel mesh lost all it's textures (I think maybe because at some point I accidentally painted on layer 0?!?), however, I have my retopo mesh still and it's all painted up nicely. However I now want to make some changes on the voxel mesh and ideally, I want to be able to get my textures back onto it. Can I bake back from Retopo mesh>Voxel mesh?

If not, could someone maybe confirm why my textures disappeared from the voxel mesh so I don't make the same mistake again.

Cheers

[digman]

First a question, did you by mistake, change your model from surface mode to voxel mode. If so switch back to surface mode and your vertex painting will be reapplied. It should fix the problem but if you painted on Layer "0" then it might not work...

Another possible solution:

If you use the same uv set and do not add any new polygons to the retopo mesh thus changing the vertex order then just re-merge the adjusted voxel mesh to the paintroom.

Of course you will get a new normal map and AO map which you need anway to reflect changes you made to your surface mode object.

Important! Before re-merging delete the model from the paint room and all layers except layer "0"

Next import your existing color texture maps or maps under the textures menu in the paintroom and touch up the areas that need it because of your changes.

[Tony Nemo]

Having touched on the Layer 0 issue, is there some reason why it is editable(screwupable)? Couldn't it be hidden from any chance of deleting/changing it?

[digman]

I do not think you can delete layer zero but I just say it for safely sake... Layer "0" is reserved for 3DCoat's use.

Test this:

In surface mode switch to the paintroom

Paint on Layer "0"

Use the eraser tool.

You will erase your surface mode object as well...

You just right now have to remember to always create one layer above layer "0" as layer zero is not lockable at the present time.

I think I will put in a feature request to either lock layer zero by default or automatically create a default layer above it and make that one active when using vertex painting...

[Carlosan]

so...

If exported the surface mode model with the vertex paint as an obj or Ply model from the voxel room, with the vertex colors written directly into the obj or ply file.

can I delete the vertex color imported in the obj... erasing the layer0 ?

ty

[digman]

Opps, I was tired and made a mistake...

Merge for vertex painting will take a model that has uv color texture maps and convert those to vertex painting, sorry my error...

I thought you could import an obj or ply model that has vertex color written to the obj or ply file (non uv set model) and the color would applied. I must have confused the two processes in my brain. As we can export vertex color for obj, ply and some of the other file formats as well. It had been awhile since using this process, so I got it mixed up...

I edited and corrected my other post.

@ carlosan, The vertex painted color is placed on layer "0" so there is no way to erase the color without erasing the surface mode model as well. I got a few feature request going in this week at Mantis.

[digman]

LOL, Ok, I rechecked version Linux 3.7.18F and you can import a ply model (Non uv set) that has vertex color and it will be applied to the surface mode model. I did therefore remember correctly but for now, Linux version 4 must have a bug in it...

I will just let the other post stand because it just too confusing to keep editing stuff...

Edit: I just tested version 4 again and now it works, go figure so it might be a sometimes bug...

Edit2: I found the what causes the bug, will post at mantis later.

Sorry for messing up your post Grimmy with all my postings on this problem..

[Grimmy]

Phew, it all got a bit complicated there. Yes I did accidentally switch to voxel mode and back again and it is quite likely that was the point I lost my colours.

BTW, I am all for hiding layer 0 from the user. If it should only be used by 3D Coat, then there is no need for us to be able to see/touch it, especially as it can clearly cause issues. What's more, layer 0 is the default layer when you enter the paint room. Nuts!

[AbnRanger]

What I would do, is try to subdivide your Low poly mesh pretty high (on export) so it's as close to the Voxel object as possible, along with the texture work you did on it. Now, maybe start a new scene in Voxel Room. Merge that heavily subdivided model in, and you'll giggle a little bit to see that 3D Coat actually baked all that texture onto the merged mesh (as long as the texture files are in the same directory as the OBJ file you merge in, 3D Coat will try to bake the color info from the textures onto the vertices of the model).

The reason you want a high subD level is more verts for 3D Coat to store the color info onto. The lower the poly count of the model you are merging, the lower the quality of the baked result during this process.

[digman]

Again, things got crowded on the thread, once I found a bug...

Forgot all that and again look at this workflow or choose AbnRanger's. workflow

Since you still have the 3DC file that has the retopo mesh and the uv set, the the one below is not very complicated. I assume you still have the file.

If you use the same uv set and do not add any new polygons to the retopo mesh thus changing the vertex order then just re-merge the adjusted voxel mesh to the paintroom.

Of course you will get a new normal map and AO map which you need anway to reflect changes you made to your surface mode object.

Important! Before re-merging delete the model from the paint room and all layers except layer "0"

To delete the model look under the object tab lower right hand side of the screen.

Next import your existing color texture maps or maps under the textures menu in the paintroom and touch up the areas that need it because of your changes.