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How do I texture clothing? Batman, Superman, Spiderman etc?

ZBrush Usage Questions
#1

Hi people. I have a pretty basic question that I am trying to figure out. I’m sculpting Batman and want to sculpt some other super heroes also and I’m curious on how to apply the textured material to the costumes? You know like you see in the movies the costumes have all that detailed weave patterns etc. How can I do this in zbrush on my model so the pattern doesnt get stretched at the seams etc? I need to figure out how to get that pattern uniform.

Is the only way to do this to make UV’s for all the costume parts?

Could someone explain the basic process please?

If you have any tips on the texturing process that would also be great!

Thanks for any help.

#2

Hi @Darkonian!

The first thing to understand is that there is no “basic process”–different situations may require different approaches–and “how do I texture” is not a simple question.

UV mapping and texturing is a broad subject and an artform in itself–too broad to address here in detail. There are many approaches, many concerns, and the only way to start making sense of it is to research the subject in general, then research the specifics in Zbrush, then research the specifics in any other program you might be using to display those textures, then start doing it, over and over. Every program is different–working between two programs is a highly specific process that can require you to understand many things about each one. There may be a number of different things you need to do in each program to get the best results. Time + repetition = skill.

There are many available tutorials for various texturing workflows in Zbrush floating around. I can help you with some of the fundamentals in Zbrush though. To save your eyes, I have collapsed a lengthy list of links and bullet points below.

**Click Here For List**
  1. The classic texturing workflow involves “unwrapping” a model to get a flattened UV layout. This flattened layout can be imported into an image editor, providing a roadmap of sorts for a texture to be overpainted, and then applied to the model. It is still the best way to approach some things.

  • In Zbrush you will need to be familiar with UV Master for the unwrapping of models, and some of the quick UV solutions may be sufficient for some tasks.

  • UV layout and manipulation is an art. There will always be seam issues, which is why it’s important to control where those seams appear.

  1. Zbrush and many other tools now allow you to paint directly onto a mesh, and convert that to a texture.
  1. Creating and exporting textures in Zbrush is designed around the idea of a mesh with a low poly base–or low enough to perform comfortably in your target program–and multiple subdivision levels. Color and Sculpting detail from the highest resolution are mapped onto the model at the lowest resolution for export into other programs that can’t easily display the mesh at its highest subdivision levels.

  • UV unwrapping works best with lower poly meshes, and must be performed at the lowest level of subdivision. The more polygons the mesh has, the slower the process will be, and the more difficult it will be to adjust the UVs for best texture display.

  • If your project requires you to create and display textures in another program, at some point you will want to convert your tool into this form for best results if it doesn’t start out that way (for example, a high poly mesh with no SubD levels).

  • A multi resolution mesh with a low poly base can be created for a high poly mesh with a combination of ZRemesher and Detail projection.

As you learn more about the topic, try to condense your questions into more specific issues, and we’ll try to help.

Good Luck!