ZBrushCentral

creating tileable alphas/textures

ZBrush Usage Questions
#1

Can anyone help me out as to how I can create a tileable alpha for chainmail or point me to a good free one? I’m using 3.5r3. I found some tutorials on how to do it using the snapshot tool but I don’t see this in my version of zbrush. Also, once you have a tileable texture, what is the best way to apply it to your model? Do you typically using the drag rectangle or is there another way to apply it so that when you use a stroke that the alpha/texture is applied without any weird overlapping? I would think it would be difficult to apply it and get everything lining up properly with the drag rectangle brush.

Any help is appreciated!

#2

there are quite a few ways to do this.
one is the drag rectangle
another is a stencil with warp/wrap on.

another is to create the tileable texture, remove all UV’s from your object.
create Face mapping
then apply the alpha as a mask
then perform some deformations on the object to achieve the look you want.

I would take the faceMapping version myself (if I had to work in Z)

Most likely I would actually create a chainmail shirt in another app. create a lowpoly version of a shirt for deformations and cloth simulations. I would then run a cloth sim on the character using the lowpoly while telling the LP to warp the HP. Export that out into Z.
retopo my model for games.

my 2 cents.

#3

Thanks for the response goast666. However can you explain what you mean by face mapping?

#4

face mapping is an option in the UV map types. Similar to planar or cylindrical mapping. Face mapping will take each quad and make it fill completely the UV space from 0-1.

It’s called UV Tile in Zbrush.

Make sure you’re using a mesh that will tile in all directions or you’ll have to take your mesh into another App that will allow you more control over your UVs and you’ll have to rotate the UV’s so they fit correctly for the type of tile you’re attempting.

#5

Thanks again for the reply. Do you happen to know of any good tutorials on how to do the low poly/high poly cloth simulation you mentioned? I think that would be a cool option to have the actual chainmail shirt rather than the chainmail being sculpted using an alpha, however that would greatly increase the poly count.

#6

I’m not sure of any tutorials off hand
I know SlipGateCentral has a tutorial using it…but not how to use it.
I also think it can only be done in Maya and XSI (Softimage)…but other packages may be able to do this as well.