How to move a re topo mesh to the UV workspace?

[RobNash]

I have created a very simple retopo mesh and auto unwrapped it in the retopo workspace but I wish to send it to the uv workspace but cant figure it out. Help!

[Javis]

Hi Rob! Welcome to the forum.

 

A couple of things to note -

• The Retopo Room has all of the UV tools available in it
• The Retopo Object is a sort of virtual object. Retopo Objects show up only in the Retopo Room. Which leads us to;
• Paint Objects only show up in the Paint Room, UV Room and Tweak Room

That all said, you should be able to do all your unwrapping in the Retopo Room before you bake the object. Once baked, it will create a Paint Object, and it will then show up in the Paint Room. Once there, you can then use the UV Room to tweak the UVs if you still need to. Also if you decide to tweak after baking and/or painting on the Paint Object, 3DC will re-bake all of your textures to the new UV layout automatically for you, once you hit Apply UV Set (it will also ask you if you want to re-bake if you try to leave the UV Room if you've made any tweaks).

 

Hope that helps.

[RobNash]

Thanks for the help. That is VERY counter intuitive. Logic assumes that you do your UV's BEFORE you bake...This is so obvious I am assuming you have heard this a million times already so I thank you once again for your straightforward reply.

[Javis]

Hey Rob!

 

Is is definitely counter intuitive. Once you know that, it's generally no big deal. Just in case I wasn't exactly clear though, you still do need to do your UVs before you bake. They are just done in the Retopo Room. The Retopo Objects have their own UV tools (which are identical to all the UV tools in the UV Room). Confusing for sure. Luckily, it's the only thing like that in 3DC.

I've pushed for years to have a more clear way of doing this, like an outliner/item list and any object can be whatever you need it to be. It would make more sense. Maybe it will happen in the future. We'll see.

[RobNash]

Hey, Yes sorry I get you, using the re-topo rooms uv tools. Every 3d software has some weird quirks that quickly get forgotten. I'm at the beginning of my journey with 3d coat and have 23 years of pre conceptions of how things should be done to get over:)

[ajz3d]

Hi Rob.

• If you like to create your lowpoly mesh in retopo room, then UV tools are there for your convenience. Be aware that importing the mesh to retopo room will set all of your vertex normals to 180 degrees (bakes are also made on a smoothed vertex normals).
• UV room is at your disposal if you want to import lowpoly mesh for unwrapping and perhaps for painting later on (as the mesh is automatically made available in the paint room). At this stace geometry changes are allowed only in the Tweak room. If you select Lock Normals when importing, you'll preserve vertex normals of the imported mesh. UV room can also "rebake", or rather accommodate, your textures to new UVs if you change them, though I have never tried it.
• You can always import the mesh from UV/Paint room to Retopo room if you wish so.
• Only retopo room provides you with baking tools. Except of Bake Texture tool, which can be accessed from both: retopo and paint rooms, but I've never used this tool.

[cgiink]

This thread basically answered some of my questions too. 

Just to confirm one thing, so if I import an obj bust into Retopo, I can't move the newly retopo with new UVs into Sculpt Tab? If no, then what is the workflow?

Export the mesh and re-import the new retopo uved mesh into Sculpt Tab?

Just want to have this confusion cleared please.

Thank you RobNash for this thread.

[Tony Nemo]

In the Sculpt room, select "Retopo mesh -> Sculpt mesh" from the Geometry menu.

[Javis]

21 hours ago, RobNash said:

Hey, Yes sorry I get you, using the re-topo rooms uv tools. Every 3d software has some weird quirks that quickly get forgotten. I'm at the beginning of my journey with 3d coat and have 23 years of pre conceptions of how things should be done to get over:)

 

Completely hear you!