Zbrush. Does anyone but me use it for creating skyrim mods?

[Nalim]

I'd love to have someone else that is using the same tool to discuss with.

Workflow of editing/creating models, plugins, how to best utilize the polypaint and the high resolution maps and so on.

[FallenJudgement]

First you have duplicate thread, just heads up.

 

 

 

Well I use Zbrush 4R2 in my work flow of creating models/Texture.

 

---Prototyping---

-I like use Dynamesh(in zbrush r2) for quickly sculpting out new shape and forms that might later become pieces of armor or something.

-I import the body i'm using and use the masking tool/ extract tool. To block in tight fighting area. Then go back in blender and retopologize.

 

---Texturing-----

-I don't really use polypaint because I prefer the old Photoshop method. Soo i can't tell you much about that. But i think you can bake those out using xnormal (free baking program) In to a texture map using your low poly model.

 

-Normal Mapping: Usually use my sculpture inside Zbrush to bake detail to the low poly model.

[Nalim]

Thanks for the heads up

 

I use zbrush 4 so no dynamesh, I tend to use either a few zspheres or just a high resolution 3d sphere to start with then create the draft from that. Then I retopology to get a decent low poly mesh.

 

I've been using the UV master plugin so I dont need to bother all that much about unwrapping that way I can just use polypaint->texture and then export the texture map. The textures are alright but in general needs some work in photoshop to get levels/brightness and such to work ingame.

 

Do you use the Displacement map from zbrush? It seems to me that it should be possible to use that one as the specular map if you modify the brightnes and contrast (meaning you imitate ridges and dips trough increasing reflectivity on higher areas.)

 

 

Hmm why do you retopologize in blender? Seems a lot faster/easier in zbrush with the zsphere topology->edit topology.

[FallenJudgement]

-Well I retopo inside blender because I find it 200% easier for me. its a lot easier and I have more control whats going on.

 

Also setting UVs by hand allows you pack them nice and neater. I can create seams exactly where I want without a program guesstimating where there should be. Same with placing, rotating, and scaling the islands. Although I'm not hacking on zbrushes tools, for a game model pipeline, it just doesn't get the job done for me.

 

Your method of using UV master and polypaint I think is slightly restricted. To get good sculptures you want nice even quad flow. When your making a game model everything is going to break down into triangles so you might as well optimize your mesh before putting inside game (Using triangles when necessary).

 

Personal reason why i don't use polypaint is first the shaders in zbrush sometimes make it look different than it would in normal 3d applications. Second there is high chance you will do some photoshop work time anyways. So I like to texture in just photoshop and have Marmoset Toolbag(3D model viewer with textures) up and preview my textures as I work in photoshop.

 

As for specularity map I really don't use displacement maps for it. I prefer to make my specular map side by side with my diffused. I wouldn't take a plain displacement and the levels in call it a specular map. Some Materials are shiny and some are dull. Specularity has to do more than just shape.

 

Zbrush is good for sclupting (what its designed for). For me its Blocking out forms and creating intricate details. Other than that I can take rest of work else wear.

 

Also I learned blender years before I touched Zbrush. I know I'm going to slightly bias to external applications. So I learned everything the manually way and stick to it really. I use pipeline that I know people who do this for living work. Also I'm no 3D guru or artist but I try to keep the most optimized and versatile workflow).

 

If you go take look at people at:

dominance war-Link: http://www.dominancewar.com/2010/main/dwvbest.php

and if you look at the 3d commnuies that are listed there (the teams),You see how they incorporate Zbrush into there workflows.

[Nalim]

Well polypaint works rather well for me. I use spotlight to lay down textures and I can paint details with zadd/zsub on to get both darkening of textures and dips at the same point(so that the dark dip shows up on the normal map too).

 

I ralize that the displacement map isnt the same as a specular, however one could use it in combination with some handpainted materials to get a rather nice effect. Only tried it a few times but I'm getting some nice models trought this.

 

About unwrapping: Yeah I know unwrapping manually generally gives much better result and I do that whenever uvmaster fails to give a clean and smooth unwrap. However most simple meshes it can easily unwrap with seams in good locations.

 

I tried remeshing in both blender and 3d studio but zbrush was both easier and gave better results. I think that mostly hangs on what tool whoever is at the keyboard is most used to.

[nanaki422]

For really good and fast UVs I use http://www.uvlayout.com/ really great program for it, for simpler models you can do the UVs in 5 - 10 min with minimum stretching. Also handles complex models really well, though some might require some extra work to get them perfect.

[Caliente]

I use Zbrush.

Layers are amazingly useful for maintaining Sizing options.

The polypaint is rather basic as far as tools go, but completely functional depending on how you like to paint. painting with symmetry is a lifesaver sometimes, and the scatter stroke with alphas can make quick work of numerous texture effects I have a hard time achieving with photoshop.

Spotlight is quite awesome too. paint any image onto your model super quickly. A trick I like to use with it is to use grabdoc, add the grabbed texture to spotlight, adjust a little and clone away. This can be used to bake lighting into the texture or copy the texture itself as long as you're in flat shade mode.

 

UV Master is good for a quick job -- but it's not very game ready... there's no good way to adjust the results manually.

But, speaking of UVs, the way zbrush handles textures and polypaint together means you can transfer textures between UVsets on a mesh with little to no loss of quality!

For actual UV work, I usually use blender, though that has it's own sucky points (eg, the industry's worst mirroring functionality. I mean awful. hate.)

 

For retopo -- if it's simple, Zbrush is good enough. I find it unweildy for major jobs though (I've done it on full bodies before and it took forever, and crashed alot). Worst aspect of it: When you split an edge, the split isn't projected onto the surface, so you end up with vertices inside and/or outside your model's surface. bleh.

For real retopology, I turn to Topogun.

 

Anyway, I love Zbrush.

 

[MikeT138]

i'm just now getting started on editing models in skyrim. I'm working on a new beast race face mesh, using nifscope to export the .obj and import into zbrush. However i notice whatever i export from zbrush, then import into Nifscope, ultimately look alright, but there seems to be an issue with the left side of the neck conflicting with texture models. I was simply wondering if there's a tutorial for properly importing and exporting the .obj files. i have blender too, and tried the.nif export then export that as a .obj into zbrush, but that worked out terribly. 

[Khiropter]

I am learning how to mod and also how to use zbrush and 3ds max 

 

Also as it seems some of you guys use it anyone have some nice tutorials to learn it? i find it very interesting to use for mods for skyrim or for 3d sculpting in general