Regarding grouping different objects of mesh

[FaF Asim]

Hello there,

I just finished sculpting a model in Zbrush which i intend to use in my showreel for game modeling and texture.

I just got 3d coat for the purpose of retopo and any other useful thing i can do with it.

I watched the tutorials for retopo on your site (the head, spider ,etc, etc) and I found them really helpful

and I started liking 3d coat alot after seeing that but yea I havent tried it yet because of this query of mine.

My query is: My model has different parts, I lowered the sub-D levels in zbrush and merged all subtools and exported to OBJ.

I can very well start to retopo it by importing as reference mesh, but it has different parts like armour, gloves,sword,etc so i wish to split them

and then retopo each part, I feel Voxel tree could be my solution but i need a kickstart for it, like basics like how do i split model in different

parts and so on, I hope you are getting me.

Any help would be much appreciated as I am just stuck here.

Thanks in Advance.

P.S. I have attached an image of my model for you guys to see. Its my first zbrush model

[TimmyZDesign]

Don't keep all of the parts separate for a game model. I would just put all of the parts into one OBJ and then import to 3D-Coat (keep everything at highest subdivision levels). When importing to 3D-Coat choose voxelize option. Then entire mesh (and all parts) will be combined into one voxel object. Make sure to scale appropriately when importing to capture all of your detail. Bigger scale = higher res. Then go to Retopo room and retopo the whole thing. Make UVs. Apply UVs. That will give you a game-ready model (not high-poly). Then send it to the paint room by choosing "merge with normal map". It will give you a normal map which has all of your high-frequency detail. Then paint it. Export finished texture maps with your low poly OBJ. Of course I am leaving out a lot of the detailed steps, but that is the general workflow.

If this isn't going to be a game model then when you import choose "merge without voxelizing". It will import everything into surface mode (separated into its parts). Then if you want to use the voxel sculpting tools on these pieces, then click on the the little "S" icon in the VoxTree panel. That will convert that part into a voxel mesh. You will have to choose a resolution when you do that. Choose a higher resolution to get more detail. Then you can retopo all of these parts in the retopo room as you wish, then add UVs to each piece, and then merge them all at once into the paint room when you are done. Merge with normal maps to get your detail. When you are done, export the OBJ.

If you want you can bring all of this back into Zbrush and keep working on it, then go back to 3D-Coat and so on. Personally I do that a lot. Using both 3d-Coat and Zbrush is awesome, and superior to just using one of them by itself.

Nice model by the way! Looks cool except maybe the cloth on the tops of the arms looks a little strange to me (not very natural). Also, a really nice paint job on this model (instead of just solid colors everywhere) will make it even better!

[FaF Asim]

Don't keep all of the parts separate for a game model. I would just put all of the parts into one OBJ and then import to 3D-Coat (keep everything at highest subdivision levels). When importing to 3D-Coat choose voxelize option. Then entire mesh (and all parts) will be combined into one voxel object. Make sure to scale appropriately when importing to capture all of your detail. Bigger scale = higher res. Then go to Retopo room and retopo the whole thing. Make UVs. Apply UVs. That will give you a game-ready model (not high-poly). Then send it to the paint room by choosing "merge with normal map". It will give you a normal map which has all of your high-frequency detail. Then paint it. Export finished texture maps with your low poly OBJ. Of course I am leaving out a lot of the detailed steps, but that is the general workflow.

Hmm i understand most of the workflow or will on the go, actually i havent imported every part separately, its just different sub-tools which i want like in different layers in 3d coat. I searched abit after posting this topic and found that there is a popup window for subtools, it has loads of groups. The problem here is i could just rename each group by seeing the object that belongs to it but some groups have 2 objects. I was wondering if I could just select a part in mesh and isolate it, just that and it would be all good for me since thats whats being a hurdle in starting to retopo since some parts are too close and at times i end up putting points on other part since they are next to the one i am retopoing.

I didnt import it with highest Sub-d levels as the poly count then was 18 mil + poly and it was creating problem while importing so i reduced the sub-d levels so it has only that much detail which needs to be added to retopo mesh.Its around 84k poly after reducing the sub-D levels on all subtools and feels much better

If this isn't going to be a game model then when you import choose "merge without voxelizing". It will import everything into surface mode (separated into its parts). Then if you want to use the voxel sculpting tools on these pieces, then click on the the little "S" icon in the VoxTree panel. That will convert that part into a voxel mesh. You will have to choose a resolution when you do that. Choose a higher resolution to get more detail. Then you can retopo all of these parts in the retopo room as you wish, then add UVs to each piece, and then merge them all at once into the paint room when you are done. Merge with normal maps to get your detail. When you are done, export the OBJ.

If you want you can bring all of this back into Zbrush and keep working on it, then go back to 3D-Coat and so on. Personally I do that a lot. Using both 3d-Coat and Zbrush is awesome, and superior to just using one of them by itself.

Nice model by the way! Looks cool except maybe the cloth on the tops of the arms looks a little strange to me (not very natural). Also, a really nice paint job on this model (instead of just solid colors everywhere) will make it even better!

Well I intend to make this model game ready and I am complete with sculpting on this so i will try the voxel sculpting part maybe later, thanks for the info regarding this though

And thanks for the compliments, the cloth on shoulders is inspired from prince of persia prodigy, i tried my best to make it look similar yet different.

you can check it here:

http://www.gamekyo.c...45001_0_big.jpg

and those solid colours are temporary, something better looking than all grey or red waxy model .I'll be applying textures and maps to the model later to make it look much better and complete as a game model.

Thanks for the reply.

[TimmyZDesign]

Sounds like it would probably be best then for you to click on "merge without voxelizing" when you import your OBJ from Zbrush. Then your Zbrush subtools will come in as separate layers in the VoxTree in 3D-Coat. Then you can just click on the little eye icon for each layer to make it visible or not. If you want to isolate one layer then ALT-click on that layer, and it will then be the only layer that is visible. Then you can go in and retopo it more easily.

I hope that is a more exact answer to fit your needs.

[FaF Asim]

Okay thanks for that. Can you please tell me where the "merge without voxelizing" lies? which option do I choose in File--->Import---> ?

[ajz3d]

You will find this option in the Merge tool in voxel room.

[FaF Asim]

Okay I dont know what happened to it, I imported as Reference mesh and went in voxel room and could see those merge options and also in layers there were only 2 layer i suppose 1.Root 2.Volume

But I dont remember what I did, now my model doesnt appear in Voxel room(it doesn in retopo room) and also that window which has that merge option is missing.

Can anyone give me some basic newbie tutorial which has exporting mesh with various subtools from zbrush and importing in 3dcoat for retopo.

Thanks

[TimmyZDesign]

As of this date I believe Version 4 BETA 6E is the latest version of 3D-Coat.

When you first open 3D-Coat you will get this dialog box. Choose "Voxel sculpting" option:

Then browse for your OBJ file. (You should have combined all of your Zbrush subtools into one OBJ file):

Click on "Merge without voxelizing" and "Apply":

My Demon model OBJ from Zbrush opened up in 3D-Coat with these layers. They were my Zbrush subtools. You will find them in the VoxTree panel:

You can sculpt on these layers with Surface Mode sculpting tools, or you can use Voxel Mode sculpting tools.

To switch between the two sculpting modes you can click on the "S" or "V" icons on your layers.

Surface mode is like Zbrush or Mudbox. Voxel mode is unique to 3D-Coat.

Voxel mode allows for sculpting without topology constraints (this is somewhat similar to Dynamesh in Zbrush).

Inside of Surface Mode there are also Live Clay sculpting tools. This is dynamic tesselation mode (like Sculptris).

Good Luck!

[FaF Asim]

Thanks for the illustration. I have version 3.7 of 3d coat so i dont get a startup screen like that, I imported using Import mesh for voxelizing.

I dont have different layers but only one layer, I guess thats because I merged all subtools before exporting to OBJ.

I'll try it without merging the subtools and I hope it works

Thanks Again, I'll let you know if all works fine

[FaF Asim]

I see i cannot edit my last post so had to double post.

Coming to the point: this time i didnt merge the tools and exported OBJ, on importing it just displays the subtool which was selected while exporting to OBJ.

I feel i am missing something here from zbrush. How do I export all the subtools together to OBJ from zbrush without merging them into one subtool so that they all appear as different layers and not one

[Carlosan]

http://forums.cgsociety.org/archive/index.php/t-751821.html

[FaF Asim]

http://forums.cgsoci...p/t-751821.html

I wonder if you read my earlier post well, since the link you posted shows how to merge subtools and export them as OBJ, whereas I am asking something totally different.

I'll type it here again to make it more clear and short.

What I want is to import OBJ into 3d-Coat from Zbrush in such a way that the subtools in zbrush are shown as layers

in 3d-Coat. I appreciated TimmyZdesigns method which he showed me and i am willing to follow it but I seem to be missing some step somewhere I guess.

When I merge all subtools into one in zbrush and then export OBJ then in 3d Coat in voxeltree it displays only Root and Volume layer.

I also tried exporting without merging, but yea that exports only subtool which is selected and hence i see only that on import in 3d Coat.

[AbnRanger]

I wonder if you read my earlier post well, since the link you posted shows how to merge subtools and export them as OBJ, whereas I am asking something totally different.

I'll type it here again to make it more clear and short.

What I want is to import OBJ into 3d-Coat from Zbrush in such a way that the subtools in zbrush are shown as layers

in 3d-Coat. I appreciated TimmyZdesigns method which he showed me and i am willing to follow it but I seem to be missing some step somewhere I guess.

When I merge all subtools into one in zbrush and then export OBJ then in 3d Coat in voxeltree it displays only Root and Volume layer.

I also tried exporting without merging, but yea that exports only subtool which is selected and hence i see only that on import in 3d Coat.

Try checking "MERGE TO SEPERATE VOLUMES."

[TimmyZDesign]

In Zbrush you need to push the Merge Visible button on the Subtool palette.

This will combine all of your subtools into one tool:

Then select the newly merged tool from the Tool palette:

You will see that all Subtools are gone, and only the merged one remains:

After making sure that the merged tool is selected, then click on Export. Export as OBJ.

Then import into 3D Coat by following my steps in post #8 above.

This will give you all of your subtools as layers in 3D-Coat.

By the way, I recommend that you download the Version 4 Beta. You can use it for free by using your current Version 3 license. Once Version 4 is no longer in Beta you will have to pay for the upgrade.

[FaF Asim]

Sir thats exactly what i have done with Zbrush.

Here I have attached an Image of 3d coat after importing the OBJ through Import--->import mesh for voxelizing.

As you can see, I dont have different layers in VoxTree like you. I have also checked the "Merge without voxelizing" as you advised ( both before and after importing).

I dont know what step I am missing, I followed you well except that we have different versions and hence different startup screens.

The only difference I see is you are importing with "Voxel Sculpting" through that startup screen and I am importing using Import--->import mesh for voxelizing.

Really appreciating your help here.

[AbnRanger]

Sir thats exactly what i have done with Zbrush.

Here I have attached an Image of 3d coat after importing the OBJ through Import--->import mesh for voxelizing.

As you can see, I dont have different layers in VoxTree like you. I have also checked the "Merge without voxelizing" as you advised ( both before and after importing).

I dont know what step I am missing, I followed you well except that we have different versions and hence different startup screens.

The only difference I see is you are importing with "Voxel Sculpting" through that startup screen and I am importing using Import--->import mesh for voxelizing.

Really appreciating your help here.

As I mentioned above, you need to check MERGE TO SEPARATE VOLUMES (layers), and it will work.

[FaF Asim]

As I mentioned above, you need to check MERGE TO SEPARATE VOLUMES (layers), and it will work.

ummm you asked me earlier to to tick merge without voxelizing.

I also tried merge to separate volumes but it did not work either...i just have single layer named volume under root...same as in my last image

[ajz3d]

Sorry for asking this, but by looking at your screenshot I can clearly see that you don't have your mesh merged with the scene yet. Only loaded in the Merge Tool. Have you actually pressed either the Enter key or Apply button afterwards?

[AbnRanger]

ummm you asked me earlier to to tick merge without voxelizing.

I also tried merge to separate volumes but it did not work either...i just have single layer named volume under root...same as in my last image

I think Andrew should change the wording. It should be MERGE TO SEPARATE LAYERS...to avoid confusion. Anytime I export a model with multiple sub components, out of 3ds Max, I have no problem merging them in with their own layers....with this checked. And yes, as ajz3d just mentioned, you can tell APPLY has not been clicked (or ENTER key) because in the lower portion of the UI, it shows there are no triangles/polys. That indicates an empty layer.

[FaF Asim]

you can tell APPLY has not been clicked (or ENTER key) because in the lower portion of the UI, it shows there are no triangles/polys. That indicates an empty layer.

what do you actually mean by that... press apply or enter where?

[ajz3d]

See that window you have in the background of your screenshot? This is the window containing Merge Tool options. In the very top of it you have the Apply button. Pressing it will import the model into the scene and, if Merge to Separate Volumes is selected, will create a layer for each of the poly objects you have in your obj.

The shortcut for Apply is the Enter key.

[FaF Asim]

Thank you very much ajz3d, I guess thats the step we were missing, now it displays different volumes. I have another problem now, which is that instead of displaying all the subtools separate and with the name that I assigned to them in zbrush, it displays the names as groups and some of the subtools are grouped together.

I wonder if its possible that their names from zbrush are also copied to 3d coat, I see in an illustration by TimmyZdesign that his subtools in 3dcoat were properly named. Is the rename and split process done manually?

I have attached an image for you to see.

P.S. also whats with the mesh looking weird after clicking on Apply

[ajz3d]

It's possible. I don't have any problems with layer names when importing OBJs from Silo, so it's probably something with ZBrush export settings.

This weird mesh are two meshes on top of each other: the mesh you have imported into the scene and the mesh you still have loaded into your Merge Tool. If you change the tool to something else, you won't see the white mesh anymore.

Merge Tool always keeps the last mesh you loaded in it, in case you want to merge it again or whatever.

[AbnRanger]

what do you actually mean by that... press apply or enter where?

When you merge a model into the Voxel sculpting room, you'll have merge options in the Tool Options panel. At the top of that panel is the APPLY button. Until you click that or hit the ENTER key, what you see is just a temporary proxy. 3D Coat will either fill it with voxels or create a copy, in Surface mode, and APPLY it to the layer you have selected. The reason you need to hit apply is that there are several options to consider, and 3D Coat is simply asking you to commit to those changes before it adds it to the layer. Hope that makes sense.

You can see a little explanation of it at the 3:30 mark, here.

[AbnRanger]

Watch this video. You can copy the folder that contains your ZBrush objects, into the Models directory (My Documents > 3D Coat > Vox Stamps > Objects). Now when you are in the Voxel Room, you can click the merge tool, and the Models Pallet will pop up. Now go to the little drop menu in the upper right hand corner of the models pallet and choose the folder that has your ZBrush model. 3D Coat should create a thumbnail for each object. You can click on them to bring them in one at a time. This is very similar to Subtools in ZBrush.

[TimmyZDesign]

Click on "Merge without voxelizing" and "Apply":

I guess I should have drawn an arrow to the "Apply" button as well...

As I mentioned above, you need to check MERGE TO SEPARATE VOLUMES (layers), and it will work.

In my experience that button ("merge to separate volumes") is not necessary to click. When I choose "merge without voxelizing" it automatically separates all the subtools into layers without the "merge to separate volumes" box being checked. That is why I didn't bother to mention it earlier. Has anybody else noticed that this is the case? Perhaps it is actually a bug in the software...

As far as renaming goes, I forgot that I had also been using GoZ for that Demon project I was showing in post #8.

In other words, my model had been in Zbrush, then Maya, and finally 3D-Coat. The Maya OBJ format seems to be a little better than Zbrush, so 3D-Coat will recognize the names for each layer.

If you go directly from Zbrush to 3D-Coat, the subtool names will not be preserved. My guess is that Zbrush does not write those names to the OBJ file.

[FaF Asim]

As far as renaming goes, I forgot that I had also been using GoZ for that Demon project I was showing in post #8.

In other words, my model had been in Zbrush, then Maya, and finally 3D-Coat. The Maya OBJ format seems to be a little better than Zbrush, so 3D-Coat will recognize the names for each layer.

If you go directly from Zbrush to 3D-Coat, the subtool names will not be preserved. My guess is that Zbrush does not write those names to the OBJ file.

okay so you basically had put all subtools in different layers in Maya or something like that and renamed the layers there and then exported obj n imported in 3d coat and it has all the names right?

Anyways thank you very much everyone for being so helpful each and every reply has been appreciated. I'll bug you guys again if I get stuck into something. I guess now i can start to retopo my model and if i encounter some complication, I'll post that on forums.

Thanks again

[ajz3d]

Using layers in Maya is not neccesary for this task. Properly renaming poly nodes should be enough I think.

[FaF Asim]

Using layers in Maya is not neccesary for this task. Properly renaming poly nodes should be enough I think.

and could you please tell me how do you rename poly nodes?

I dont know why these steps regarding the sub tools seem abit complicated than the retopo process itself.

or is there any other way around too?

[ajz3d]

In Maya? You can do it in many ways. The easiest one being to do it in the Outliner.

Just import the OBJ, separate geometry if needed, unparent everything, open the Outliner and start renaming your model parts.

Export to OBJ afterwards.