How to swap a head

[maxt]

hello,

 

I'm learning 3D Coat (v4.5), and here is a problem I hope to get some help about, because reading the docs and watching many tutorials was not sufficient for this. All I need is directions on the best workflow, I will try to work out the details myself.

 

I've got two scanned meshes of two different people. Both have their own UV maps and texture file. What I need to do is transplant the head of guy #2 on the body of guy #1 and keep the proper texture (texture 2 for head and texture 1 for body). Best if the textures can be combined in a single jpg file, but not really a must.

 

I got very close to do this in sculpt room:

 

- open model 1

- cut off it's head

- import head of model 2

- resize head and align it to the body

 

but then the original UV maps are gone and even merging the two model parts fails the boolean operation because of self intersections.

 

What is the reccommended workflow to achieve this ?

 

Thank you in advance

Massimo

[Tony Nemo]

Self intersections can be avoided by using Voxel rather than Surface mode. Plus you don't need to actually join the head to the body thereby reusing the original UVs and textures. This is done in the Retopo room by importing your original maps and in the paint room by importing your original textures.

[maxt]

Thanks a lot indeed ! extremely useful, I made quite a progress and started to see the light in grasping 3DCoat philosophy 

 

Paint room:

- opened guy1 in paint room and saved UV map and color albedo map

- same actions with the head.

 

Sculpt room:

Opened guy 1 as voxels and chopped his head

imported the head for voxelisation

positioned the head wih the Gizmo (very slick tool, once you get the logic)

merged all visible layers

 

so far perfect and easy

 

now, in retopo room, how do I import the two UV maps again and apply them to the new frankenstein guy ?

 

the texture part in paint room should be OK, I can do it, I think.

 

Anyway I'll take these pointers to go through the manual again, diving deeper in the relevant parts

[Gary Dave]

I'm not sure how 3dc would handle something like this, but if using a traditional modelling application here's the sort of pipeline I would use:

2 models - one with the head removed, the other as just the head.

Attach the head onto the body, making it all one whole model.

(Both models at this stage are still using their own texture sheets)

 

Create a 2nd/additional map channel on this new Frankenstein model.

Layout the new UV's for the body and head on this channel.

(since you're not altering the original map channel, the UV's/Texture for both models will not change)

 

Do a texture bake onto the 2nd map channel, this will transfer all texture information from Channel 1 to the new UV's on Channel 2.

 

Delete map channel 1, and assign map channel 2 as the new map channel 1 (make sense!?)

 

Now your new texture, has the head of body#1, and the body of body#2, can be applied on your new frankenstein mesh as channel 1.

 

As I say though, I don't know how to do this in 3dc.

 

Edit

I'm not sure why someone has marked this thread as answered, and is using your "answer" to do it, where you're quite clearly still asking for help. 

Edited March 16, 2016 by Gary Dave

[maxt]

thanks a lot. don't know either why they "answered" the thread