What kind of detail can I expect out of zbrush export?

#1

I’ve been trying to get some of the fine detail out of zbrush and into max. Each time I try I fail miserably, so starting to wonder if it’s because i’m expecting too much.

So here’s a sculpt I made:

And here’s the export and subsequent re-import into 3ds max/vray:

On the left is the low res mesh by itself, on its right is the low res mesh + normal map. The finish is far superior in the zbrush render and the 3ds max render just has that rounded, stretched pixels kind of feel about it.

Is this kind of comparison standard or should I expect better results?

The normal map was 2048px. There seems almost no point in using displace as it just slightly bloats the mesh at render time.

Thanks.

#2

Honestly I have found that exporting your renders faithfully into Max from Zbrush really takes a toll on the polish and work you have put into that final sculpt. It seems to me, and I use both of the programs quite a bit, that max just doesn’t pick up the details as well as Zbrush does. Also this could have something to do with the maps you are using, maybe you just need a higher resolution to pick up those smaller details, or maybe you could even try making the base mesh a little higher resolution before adding the maps to them. Give the polygons a little more room to work. Anyway. I have come to find that rendering and doing some work with the BPR Filters in Zbrush is a very effective way to render out your sculptures. It really takes no time at all to learn the basics of it, especially on Pixologics website, also there is a lot you can do with the sculpture itself and the background without having to even do any post processing work in Photoshop. Those are just my thoughts. I saw noone else had commented and I wanted to help a fellow artist out. Anyways. Good luck man!

#3

Really appreciate your advice. Was just what I needed to hear (although didn’t necessarily want to hear it!)

Well, what I’ve decided is that I’ll just have to paint over my models after the render.

Here’s an update. For a start, I doubled the res of the normal maps and also, spent a lot more time on the texture map to enhance the form - these two were key. Then photoshop does the rest!..

#4

I am glad to hear that I could help you man! I actually have done a lot of paintovers in Photoshop, which is great. But the polypainting tools in Zbrush themselves are very very powerful. You an mix and match painting RGB with different materials to get more variety on your models. You should give it a shot. BTW that render is looking pretty great man!

#5

Cheers dude :slight_smile:

Yeah, just trying to learn the painting tools at the moment. But I’m really talking about matte painting. I’ve always found that, for ultimate realism, it’s the only way to go. Unless you’re like a lab-coat-wearing pixar technician!

#6

Of course! Matte painting is an extremely useful tool. I hope to get better at it. There are just so many avenues to take when it comes to digital art, and I still haven’t even found my particular style yet. I was just throwing out some ideas for you. Either way. We all aspire to be lab coat wearing Pixar technicians in some form or another, am I wrong? Good luck in your pursuits. I’ll see you around the forums!

#7

i dont use the app your talking about but in zbrush dont apply displacement threw the apply button
and check setting in zbrush or your other app so you dont have smooth normals/ UV
this may be in your other app import option or render options
http://www.zbrushcentral.com/showthread.php?20310-Rendering-ZBrush-Displacement-Maps-In-External-Renderers-%28May-9th-2nd-file-added%29

#8

This thread has been automatically closed as it remained inactive for 12 months. If you wish to continue the discussion, please create a new thread in the appropriate forum.