Jump to content
3DCoat Forums

Retopology to UV and export with displacement map?


Balaenanun
 Share

Recommended Posts

  • Member

Hello,

I have made a sample model in Voxels. Then I went to retopology room and did a manual retopology. Now how do I edit the UVs for this model?

I have tried adding seams in the retopo room. The UV preview window whows correct mapping. But in the UV room, the uv group isn't listed, and I can't edit it any further.

The global workflow that I'm trying to have is voxel -> manual retopo -> manual uv-> mid or low poly model with displacement.

I also failed to export a model with displacement maps from retopo room. I don't want normal maps because the model will be used in Daz Studio and Poser. The only method that works is merge to scene with Ptex, but then I get texture conversion problems. What would be the correct method?

Thank you very much,

Bala

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Reputable Contributor

Hello,

I have made a sample model in Voxels. Then I went to retopology room and did a manual retopology. Now how do I edit the UVs for this model?

I have tried adding seams in the retopo room. The UV preview window whows correct mapping. But in the UV room, the uv group isn't listed, and I can't edit it any further.

The global workflow that I'm trying to have is voxel -> manual retopo -> manual uv-> mid or low poly model with displacement.

I also failed to export a model with displacement maps from retopo room. I don't want normal maps because the model will be used in Daz Studio and Poser. The only method that works is merge to scene with Ptex, but then I get texture conversion problems. What would be the correct method?

Thank you very much,

Bala

You do your UV's in the Retopo Room for your new (retopologized) mesh. It won't appear in the UV room until you have merged the mesh into the Paint Room (using either of the modes...PPP/MV/Ptex). Once you have created your seams in the Retopo room, you click the "Unwrap" button. From that point, you can go ahead and merge (from the Retopo menu) into PPP or MV. At that point, you can go to the UV room to make some further tweaks if you need to. Much of the time, you won't need to. Most of the UV editing toolset is present in the Retopo Room.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Reputable Contributor

Ah, ok, thank you! It's more clear now that I know that I can't edit it in uvroom until it's merged :)

However I only have 2 UV options in retopo room : mark seams, and loop (I'm using french version of 3dc). Where are the others? Is there an options panel or popup somewhere I'm not seeing?

When the "Mark Seams" button is active, you should see context sensitive additions. "Unwrap" should be one of them.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member

You're right, everything is there now. I had used mark seams but didn't notice the change in the menu.

Now I get quite good results. I was able to unwrap it correctly. When I merged the retopo I added 1 subdivision, so the normal map isn't really necessary (poly count is high enough).

But if I wanted to approximately convert a normal map to a displacement map, would it be possible?

Thanks again, you've been really helpful :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When you paint with depth in the Paint Room using micro-vertex painting, both a normal map and a displacement map are generated, (as well as real mesh displacement), automatically. So, after texturing your model and choosing "Export model" from the "File" menu, a dialog will appear that asks you which maps you want to export along with your mesh. Select "Displacement" and any other maps you would like exported.

If you have already textured your model with some other paint mode, like per-pixel, you can still export a displacement map based on "perceived" depth - represented as a height map with varying levels of gray.

The purpose of micro-vertex painting is both to add texture and real mesh displacement. The other painting modes are really best used in conjunction with normal map production, although they also can be exported with associated displacement maps.

Greg Smith

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member

Thank you. Good to know that micro-vertex would be good for displacement and all painting modes will work as well. ^^

When I sculpt detail directly in voxels, and merge the model for per pixel painting, it seems that the model is created with a normal map only. Is there a way to get the depth as well?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Advanced Member

What you're asking Balaenanun is 'the dark part of 3DC' LOL. Nobody explained it so far, in a clear way. There're two or three methods to get displacements from 3DC*, still we haven't see a tutorial.

Psmith, what you say is a bit confused. The man asked to bake displacements from voxels, not to paint.

As I'm a zbrush user too, I always bake displacements there. I managed to export all the information (low and hi detailed mesh) I can combine them, but still didn't manage to export good quality of displacements directly from 3dc.

*I managed to export bad quality disp_maps only. I also need some help here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Reputable Contributor

balaenanun, you can bake your voxel details to the uv mapped mesh without leaving the retopo room.

Go to the retopo menu in the retopo room, choose bake texture from the menu list. It will bring up your options on baking your displacement or normal map textures. Have tool tips turn on so you get the correct settings for baking the displacment map. I wil try and post a quick tut on it later today.

Important item here if you try this out before I make the tutorial.

export your retopoed uv mapped model from the retopo room.

next in your texture baker settings choose the retopoed uv mapped model you just exported. do not bake to the temp one...

post-518-12909704473332_thumb.jpeg

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Advanced Member

Hey Balaenanun, I'm not a nazgul either :rofl: Sorry, How should I know.

Well, digman.

Of course I know about the baking tool. Here, a fast test. These two are displacement maps. Different UVs but it doesn't maters. What I want to show here is that a decent disp map doesn't look like AO baking map. And this is what I get from baking tool. A bump map. Whatever method I choose for exporting. 16 or 32 bits, normalized or not.

One for sure, 3dc disp maps can't work in blender. ZB maps can.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Advanced Member

And results in blender as expected. This isn't a displacement map and doesn't contain details.

I think a dense millions mesh should be the source. Not the retopo mesh.

export your retopoed uv mapped model from the retopo room.

next in your texture baker settings choose the retopoed uv mapped model you just exported. do not bake to the temp one...

IMO this is a bug. Where is the source mesh? Is it the voxel? where are details then?

BTW there wasn't any mesh in sculpt or paint room. I know this issue.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member

The map I get makes the model look a lot like the voxels (except for the seams problem). I don't know if I could expect a more precise reproduction. What do you think? Is it ok?

Pictures attached : render 4 is voxel, render 5 is a Poser render (with the seams... by the way seams are also visible in Daz studio so I don't think it's a Poser problem... this time :) ).

At first, I tried to bake the texture with the model in the voxel room and in the painting room (=I had already exported it). Didn't work. I don't know what it baked but it was weird. Worked only when I deleted everything besides the retopo and voxels.

post-1203-12909777542875_thumb.jpg

post-1203-12909777667845_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Reputable Contributor

michalis, I know you know about baking tool. B) I'm a problem solving type of person, so I always start out with basic questions as a starting reference. My displacement maps from 3DCoat look just like Zbrush displacement maps shown here. So lets figure this out together to solve your problem. You can pm me any information you care to give. I can tell that your map is just a image of the model, how and why it's being created it, we "will find out" and get this problem solved.

No fun doing all those very skilled artistic sculptures of yours and not being able to use 3Dcoats displacement maps for them. This is my way of saying thanks for your inspiring workmanship...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Advanced Member

And the same test in blender using the same 3dc sculpture but exported from microvertex as hi model in zbrush, rebuilded subs (at 3k as I had quads only), then baked displacement map.

In blender I had just to assign the texture, grey was 0 by default and here's the 3d view. You can see the disp map on the right and how 3dc map should look like. Disp parameters at default (0.5 for grey, 1 for max). The mesh here is at 4x subserf-subdivisions.

Just perfect.

Update: Posting same time, OK, for months I'm trying to export a disp map from 3dc. Never worked. Is this working on mac builds? Ever worked? I really don't know.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Reputable Contributor

Here is my displacement map from 3DCoat. It's kinda funny in the way I unwrapped it for the uvs but at that time I was not concern about it. You can see though it is a real displacement map. zero level is black-- not normalized (best one for cararra)

Used the bake texture feature in the retopo room.

Model appox 3900 polygons

subdivision at 4, amplitude 8.00

Carrara render

on left imported obj model from 3DCoat, no subdivision in scene room

displacement map

Rendered... The few errors on the model are my fault not the displacement map, I just grabbed an old file of mine to show...

3DCoat version Unbuntu linux 64 bit non-cuda 3.5.5

post-518-12909830257553_thumb.jpeg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member

Ahem,

There has been a tutorial on exporting displacement maps: I did one for Maya, but the process for any software simply involves figuring out which works for your software. The tutorial may be found at:

I cover going from voxels to retopo mesh to exporting all types of maps from 3D-Coat. Hope it helps!

Excelsior!

Eric Kunzendorf

Jacksonville University

users.ju.edu/ekunzen

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member

Hi!

Ok I'm editing my message because I thought the seams were gone, but they're still there >.< I'll have to experiment a bit more. Here's what I've tried :

-I did the UVs again from retopo room

-I unchecked Vue/linear texture filter

-I subdivided the topology once

-I baked the texture with "prefer outer details" checked

The map is 2k x 2k, the model has 4,5k quads.

Thanks for the tutorial I'll look at it as well.

Bala

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Advanced Member

@ekunzendorf

Yes, I know this tutorial.

Its on a Mac. As I can see on this video, these aren't displacements, these are some wrong bumps as expected from the mac build.

Its very kind of you to write these tutorials but please try to be more careful.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Member

Okayyy this time I think there are no seams. Look at the parameters I've used (yeah I now sorry it's in french). Maybe it worked because I didn't export a normal map along with it. Or maybe it's the higher size of the texture, or the scan depth parameter.

The process is this (you never leave the voxel room and the retopo room, you never export the model to paint room) :

-sculpt voxels

-retopo

-unwrap UV in retopo room

-subdivide retopo if necessary

-menu->retopology->export (to export an .obj)

-go to voxel room (not sure if necessary)

-menu->textures->bake texture

-enter the parameters like I did (select your .obj to project texture onto it and enter a path and a name for the displacement map)

->OK

->load object and map and test render (in Poser for me)

My object doesn't look very good because the voxel sculpt is rough, not because of the map itself.

post-1203-12910431053675_thumb.jpg

post-1203-12910432862583_thumb.jpg

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...
  • Advanced Member

Have here problem to, I did made my UV 'Islands' in the retopo room (low poly from my Voxeltest) - after this I could paint in the paintroom and so on, but I couldnt take my UVs "Islands" from the retopo room too the UV-room. I did click on "UNWRAP" but nothing was done ...

need tutorial for that

ps. I also dont understand why I have 2 different UV sets :( UV set for retopo and UV set for UV room - and I can not find the name from UV set in the UV room from Retopo and I not understand why Retopo makes a *.mesh file and in in the UV Room I should opening a *.uv File :( I'm confused.

EDIT - I did in my explorer rename the test.mesh file into test.uv

and I could see my UVs in the UV room!!!!!!!!!

and also a problem now, I see on my testing object (only a sphere) vertices in the painting/renderings :(

Zwischenablage01.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...