3d modeling painting help Thread

Right firstly I normally make textures in photoshop for stuff like walls, buildings but I was wondering whats the best way to create texture for creature/human forms? I was thinking of zbrush or mudbrush but I'm not really sure if I can create textures from zbrush to be imported to stuff like 3ds max/zbrush so was wondering if anyone has got any idea's.

Look at 8:30 I'm not really sure which program there using, I have a tablet pen so was thinking of giving it a go.

Looks like they are using Mudbox in the video. U can use the strencil and stamp tool and some randomization to paint right on your mesh. The textures will be exported as PSD format, so there is no problem displaying them in Photoshop or 3DS-max. The only thing you might have to do is give your model a tangent, so the normal maps will display in 3DS Max. I'm not sure if that is the same though, but I have to do it in XSI.

For texture painting it's a lot easier and you can still use Photoshop to improve details of the texture. If you want something like the Halo Master Chief, you will need to learn baking/cooking maps. You need a normal map, diffuse and specular to get that look. You need a highpoly and a lowpoly mesh. If you want to learn working with normal maps try something simpler than a human first.

SinKing wrote: Looks like they are using Mudbox in the video. U can use the strencil and stamp tool and some randomization to paint right on your mesh. The textures will be exported as PSD format, so there is no problem displaying them in Photoshop or 3DS-max. The only thing you might have to do is give your model a tangent, so the normal maps will display in 3DS Max. I'm not sure if that is the same though, but I have to do it in XSI.

For texture painting it's a lot easier and you can still use Photoshop to improve details of the texture. If you want something like the Halo Master Chief, you will need to learn baking/cooking maps. You need a normal map, diffuse and specular to get that look. You need a highpoly and a lowpoly mesh. If you want to learn working with normal maps try something simpler than a human first.

Thanks for the information. I sort of already know about normal maps, etc..., even know have problems understand why some bump textures don't work right.
But my main concern is getting a low poly to look like a high poly while being able to keep the sizes to be correct. Been wanting to give this a go but was concerned if got too far into a zbrush model then might be too hard to to import it into 3ds max so I can later put the weights down, create UVW maps. The problem with zbrush is the importing method since might end up looking a mess in 3ds max without proper uvw mapping.

been wanting to give this a go but was concerned if got too far into a zbrush model then might be too hard to to import it into 3ds max so I can later put the weights down, create UVW maps. The problem with zbrush is the importing method since might end up looking a mess in 3ds max without proper uvw mapping.

With zbrush specifically, your first/main concern should just be getting the sculpt to look how you want it. It's painting tools focus more on vertex color painting, so the result is completely independent of UVs. Once you have it modeled and painted, then you can start to focus on the final topology and UVs, and use a program like xnormal to bake the maps.

I don't use max, but in Blender there is an option to bake normals from a high poly mesh to a low poly mesh thus making the low poly mesh appear more detailed. This requires two different versions of the mesh of course, but I've found it useful on a few different occasions. I would imagine that max has a similar option. In Blender the UV map of the high poly mesh does not need to match the UV map of the low poly mesh, it calculates based on the faces of the high poly in relation to the next closest face on the low poly mesh.

As for the actual texturing process, I usually just use texture paint stencils in combination with procedural and static textures.

133.7 wrote: I don't use max, but in Blender there is an option to bake normals from a high poly mesh to a low poly mesh thus making the low poly mesh appear more detailed.

IN Max this can be achieved using "Rendering -> Render To Texture" the low poly mesh needs a Projection modifier - just google it or read the help document - its pretty easy. I usually use a combination of baked textures as a base and hand paint all the details and additions afterwards. For me that work the best and built up my own style.

Best thing is just don't stop doing more and more and more ... and so on.

You should always keep in mind that every Program costs tons of money ... one pretty effort-able sculpting application i used for quite a while is 3D coat. I don't know if the new Z-brush is better but i preferred the retopo-tool in 3D coat... best thing is to test whatever you can get as a free demo