Hi,
is there a way to creat bumpmaps on ZB? can I project the sculpted details to be an image bump?!
thanks …
I do that already but not sure if it is the best way…
thanks again…
The simplest way to create a bump map is to generate a displacement map from the second or third highest subdivision level - that will produce a grayscale map with all the high frequency detail.
thanks for the help on this one 
really help me a lot!! love the result…
thank you brother…
Wait a second, I thought we were supposed to be going to the lowest subdivision level to make displacement and normal/bump maps…what am I missing here?
When you create a normal or displacement map you are capturing the detail of all the higher subdivision levels so that the low poly model (the lowest subdivision level) will look as good as possible when rendered. Displacement maps actually displace the geometry at render time so that the outline is close to the original high poly sculpt; normal maps react to changes in lighting but the outline remains the same. Bump maps have fixed lighting so they are best used for the very highest frequency detail - such as pores and so on. In order to capture only this high detail the bump map is created at the second or third level from the top.
All right, thank you sir. 
Hi There,
Having created a displacement map and exported it for use as a bump map in maya. Have you ever encounted this problem (see attached Jpeg)?
It looks fine in photoshop yet gives a strange stepping effect when sed as a bumo.
Thanks for your time!
Attachments
It looks like Photoshop probably resampled it to an 8-bit image. Unfortunately, when Photoshop does this it results in the stair-step effect.
Try using Displacement Exporter to export the map as an 8-bit image. Or simply take your 16-bit map straight into your renderer. (Assuming that it can use 16-bit images in the bump channel. If it can’t, then you’ll have to use DE to export as 8-bits.)
yes!! that right… I have had this same problem on LW, just re do the same thing on ZB, unless your PSD supports 16 bit you will always get the same problem…
good luck
you can also create a grey 128 128 128 texture, and paint on it with scales of grey using the bump viewer material
Trying to follow along here…
Is this a temp situation (because zmapper is still being worked on?)
or is this the new workflow in zb3.1 to make normal maps + bump?
Q: what’s the point of sculpting to level 8 detail if you can ony get a normal map at level 6 or 7?
thanks for explaining.
sadicus,
ZMapper is included in the ZBrush 3.1 download. If you want to create a normal map you can use that. Whether you want to use a normal map or a bump map or a displacement map will depend on your particular requirements. Each is useful in different situations, although normal maps and bump maps are best for high frequency detail and displacement maps for more general deformations. Often the best option is to use both a normal map and a displacement map - which will get closest to the original ZBrush sculpt.
You ask:
Q: what’s the point of sculpting to level 8 detail if you can only get a normal map at level 6 or 7?
The point is that the normal or displacement map is always created at a lower level. That’s because it represents the difference between that level and the highest level of detail.
hi Marcus, didn’t quite get what you meant when you wrote “normal maps react to changes in lighting but the outline remains the same. Bump maps have fixed lighting”
if the light source were to move, will the shadow cast by a bump, lets say a vein, remain fixed?
also i am not clear whether displacement maps should be made at a higher sub div level or a lower sub div level. I am guessing that they should be made at a higher level such that all changes in the geometry get passed to a low poly model. is that correct?
Thank you marcus_Civis for the info
I understand the differences / uses for the DispMap and Normal map.
What i’m still not doing correctly is getting the Normal + Bump together in one map.
In ZB2 for example you would put the hires detail map in the alpha channel, THEN generate the normal map to get all the detail goodies.
But ZB3.1 not yet allows for this. So there is a different way…?
Im’ looking for the 3.1 
step1) push this button “Idiots Guide to…”
cause the way i’m makin 'em is not working!
moonlitmaverick,
What I said was misleading; bump maps do respond to lighting direction. Bump maps and normal maps are broadly similar, but the effect produced by normal maps is more realistic. Neither affect the actual geometry - they are simply ‘effects’.
On displacement maps: you must make the displacement map at the lower level - the same level of geometry that will be used in your render app. Usually this is level 1. ZBrush then calculates the difference between that level and your highest layer to produce the displacement map.
sadicus,
Apologies, I misunderstood what you were trying to do. I’m afraid you’re right and it is not possible to combine the two at the moment. This is a known issue. You will have to use Photoshop or some other means of combining them.
is error~~
according to your tutorial .i get a gray map,but the may is shadow at left side and brightat right side .
it is not a bump map, it must be the high is bright and the low is dark.
hey marcus,
so I tried out the method that you mentioned, to try and extract a high frequency height map through the displacement tab, my mesh is sitting at level 3/4 when I tested it, all I’m getting is a really really washed out map with pretty much 0 detail on there. I tried using the adaptive button and the subpixel thing, didn’t help at all, also tried sliding the value of the alpha depth factor in the alpha tab, but still ended up with the same result. Any ideas?
Any help would be greatly appreciated! I put the effort into sculpting all the pores, really want to translate that detail into maya …
thnx!
dkreset,
Have you tried applying the map in your render app? You won’t necessarily see the detail by looking at the map because (a) it will be 16 bit; and (b) as the displacement is shallow the grayscale variations will be small.
thanks for the super fast response!
I just tried throwing it into maya, it came out completely smooth : /
is there something I have to do to render 16 bit maps properly? I’m using this as a bump map btw, I hope that’s the right thing to do?
Whether it’s the right thing to do will depend on what you are doing! 
I can’t give you in depth info on the Maya set up but you might look at this:
http://www.pixologic.com/docs/index.php/ZBrush_To_Maya_Displacement_Guide
It’s a little out of date but it should help you a bit.
HTH,