The ingenuity of ZBrush and its ability to create UV maps, textures, and normals.
When I first started with ZBrush, it was intimidating. I downloaded its hotkey cheat sheet and watched many of the ZBrush training videos provided by LinkedIn Learning via the university. I tore through sections like episodes of a soap opera to settle my trepidations of interacting with such an ‘alien’ program. Because I still can’t memorize most things that ZBrush can do and I still spend far too long manipulating a 3D modeling tool, I’d like to simply talk about the basics of UV mapping a model in the program.
Firstly, your model must be at the lowest subdivision level when you begin mapping your model. UV mapping in ZBrush, like Maya, allows us to add color, bumps, and textures to our model. The tool section or side bar will have a menu that allows you to create your UV map size for your model. In the UV Map sidebar there will be two input sliders; one which allows you to alter the size (preferably in multiples and dividends of 1024), and another which allows you to increase the UV map borders. The sub-menu under “Create” has various types of UV maps that you or your texture artist may prefer to use, such as UVPlanner, UV box, and Tiles. There is also a secondary portion of this menu under Z-Plugin’s menu that is called UV Master. This will analyze your model and create a UV once you select the Unwrap option. It is important to control how you want the mask to fold, so you first need to clone your model and then create your UV master unwrap. In that same plugin among UV Master’s options, there is an option to enable control painting. Once you select that option you can paint sections of your model.
You can also import and upload your texture map onto your model from a program like Photoshop or Substance. Travel down the tool menu options on the side bar and find the Texture Map option. In the Texture Map square you can upload the map into the system. UV Mapping must have already been created. Z brush also has a built-in section that allows you to fix the seam in the texture map tool box. Oftentimes I use the ability to change materials or colors of my subtools so that I can be aware that they are different “layers” on top of each other. and do not confuse me when I am creating on top of them. Having my materials pre-colored also helps me identify what sort of material and texture they need to be.
A normal map is created in a similar process as the UV, although it is preferable to make subdivision levels and then choose the lowest one. That way when you create your UV Map and go to the normal map tool on the side bar, the normal map you generate or create will have detailed subdivisions somewhere between 1 and 5 of, let’s say for example, your 5 subdivision levels. Then all you would need to do is export the normal map.
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