Thats the old versions to create displacement map I think.
Not 100 sure, but it might be less assurate than the create displacement map plugin.
I dont know if the morph thing has any effect, but if you mesh change, it might accentuate a bit the volum depth…
I dont know how you generated and rendered your normalmap VS the disp, but theres no reason why you would get such a big difference…
if you use Zmapper, with the same texture size, you should get accurate and fine normalmaps…
the reason having 16-bit displacement is because we can have value like that. with accurate intensity.
it might look shallow grey in photoshop, but with some correct setting in mental ray render, it should stand out without losing the quality.
try to play and save your zbrush 16 bit displacement, and put very high contrast on it, you will get same result without losing the quality ( because its a 16 bit). and you can use that for good base diffuse color map. 
I like to combine both normal and displacement ,
because in low freq details, displacement can actually deform the geo,
but for high freq detail like pores, displacement will consume the render time,
so i set my subdiv level not so high in mental ray displacement setting just to get the model silhouette correct, and the rest of detail is pretty much normal map.
Actually guys, I have been testing out this Gray “Special” map all day, seeing what I can do with it. I’ve been using it to actually generate a very beautiful normal map, using nvidia’s filter.
The reason I like this map so much is because of all the things you can do with it, being a grayscale map…and for some reason, it retains all of my details, down to the tiniest pore even…
Using the nvidia filter, I converted it to some really fantastic normals, after tweaking a while.
Yeah you might be saying “Why not just make a normal map based on your high poly in Zbrush?” Well, I’m not sure why, but it just doesn’t retain the details for me like it does in this disp / special map. I actually end up combining the normal map and this disp map and my stuff is looking phenomenal…with every tiny scratch included, without any geometry actually having to be displaced!
The thing with me, though, is that I work only within game engines…I dont use this stuff for rendering through Maya / Mental Ray / Vray etc.
When I discoverd this method (by accident), I had some conversation with the ZB-Support if this type of map was known before.
They said it wasn’t and they couldn’t also explain how it comes to this and why it works so good. 
My ‘Special map’ is generated with the algorhythms that normally produces Disp-maps.
But obviously, this isn’t a disp-map that comes out when you follow my steps.
I described it to give all the chance to have their own experiences with this type of map.
I don’t recommend it in any way as a complete replacement for normal or dispmaps.
I mainly use it along with usual dipmaps on lowpoly-models or alone with a decimated model.
You can have nice results with the special map.
Try it.
hello, i tried your method but i don’t have the same result. i’am not sure to really understand the differents steps that you explained in the previous posts. When you say “switch to first level then back to the high” did you push the " switch " button in morph target area or just switch the level of subD ? you say also to delete morph target “again” but when did you delete the first time the morph target…? well any help will be greatly appreciated and sorry for my language. thanks.
tristamus:
any way you could post a tutorial video for Kaixo
or a quick but accurate explain…
Sure thing man…I can understand why its hard to understand the process, it’s kind of goofy.
Here is a recording of the process in ZBrush, starting from the point of already having a finished and fully sculpted tool, to making and exporting the Special Map and modifying it in Photoshop to work in Maya etc etc.
In this video, I make the mistake of saying “Bring your sub-d level to 7.” What I mean, is bring it to the highest level your tool currently has, sub-d wise. Also, sorry about the video quality, youtube killed it. Just listen to what I say, though, cause I say what I’m doing the entire time.
Hope you guys find this useful…
Link to youtube video…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARzsHcEjQrE
Kompai!
-Tristamus
many thanks for the video, im sure it will help many people
thanks a lot!! very useful video !
No problem guys glad I can help
another example
(exported normal,special,displacement maps and applied as bump in max, not sure if i did it right)
[
](javascript:zb_insimg(‘203214’,‘test.JPG’,1,0))
Edit:
hi which version of zbrush did you use for those bump map settings?
can same result be done in version 3.5r3?
hi which version of zbrush did you use for those bump map settings?
can same result be done in version 3.5r3?
Can this method of making bump maps be applied in zbrush 4.0?
And if so, what kind of displacement generation settings do you guys suggest one should use?
I’m also curious about this in ZB4.
Amazing !!!
well done Rastaman…
Thanks to shear your helpfully trick…
but Is it possible work in creating Normal Map?
I’ve try follow your step and try make normal map in same way, but I’m not find any change for Normal Map and Texture map, only for displacement map its work…
is it possible to create special Normal and Texture Map, as your way to make Displacement map that really work ???
That’s a greyscale texture map–from polypaint, e.g., or at least it looks like it. Oddly enough I usually just double up the TM as Bump whenever I can. You got good results, too,… definitely. Awesome , man … thumbs up… I always feel like I’m jerrry rigging when I get it into maya, especially when it’s all pro-ish as far as maps and such… Hell, I’ve really never even known for sure if a bump is a cavity map or some other thing. Could look it up i guess. But, I’m a 3d noob–3 months and going–trying to make a shoestring feature film look huge, with a schizo bum giving an inaugural speech to the world–even though no one but the cameras and chairs show up at capitol hill… Gotta lotta work… Tricks like this make stuff easier…
Cheers.
is this morphing required, can;t we just go to lowest subdiv level ?