how to export displacement map in 32 bit with ZB3

[visionmaster2]

......... me 2 !!!

[mocaw]

Here is to hopen' that by June 1st this will not be a problem. So right now, even if your not a religiouse person, pray to what ever zb idol you see fit...cause as far as I can tell it aint happenn'.

[polygun]

can you export 16 bit displacement maps out of the box? are those even useful? i dont have much experience with displacement maps, and zb3 looks so amazing...i dont want to spend hours on a sculpt if i cant export a usable displacement map to max though.

Im getting mixed information from zbrush central.

1. are 16 bit displacement maps useful?
2. if so, can they be exported right now?

[tharrell]

Can't get 32 bit displacements out. 16 bit displacements *sometimes* work, although there are certain situations on multi-uv models that it will fail silently. Trial and error is the key here. Sometimes splitting the model into subtools is the only way to get multi-maps out, sometimes shift-control clicking a group at a time is the only way that will work. I think it depends entirely on the moon phase, to be honest.

Z3 seems to mangle surface normals on .OBJ export (usually all inverted, but ocassionally it'll pick random UV groups to invert while leaving the others alone), and I have a feeling that exporting, modifying a mesh and reimporting at level 1 is to blame for my mapping issues at the moment.

I haven't been able to get the normal mapper to work at all since release day.

There's a rumor going around that MD3 is going to be included in some June 1 update, but I haven't seen any official communication from pixologic on the matter, or any matter at all actually (except MD3/Applink3: sometime in the coming months), since Z3 was released.

Trying not to be down on a fundamentally awesome product, but I'd be lying if I didn't admit that it's damned flakey and of limited use at the moment if your work is destined for another package via displacements or normals.

edit: 16 bit maps are much softer than 32 bit maps, lack finer detail and require you to jump through a few extra hoops in recording the alpha depth factor on each map when they're created so that you can manually dial in gamma compensation in your rendering package.

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