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Import from Maya, rotation is different, affecting symmetry?

ZBrush Usage Questions
#1

Hello,

I’ve just exported a mesh from Maya as an OBJ, imported it into ZBrush and I note that its rotated 90 degrees (I think) on one of the axis, so instead of facing forwards, its facing to the side. I didn’t think too much about it initially, but I’m trying to use symmetry now and that’s just not playing ball at all, so I’m guessing its related.

As a bit of a newbie, I suspect there’s something I’ve overlooked, either on the export from Maya, or the import into ZBrush.

Could anyone help me out with this?

Thanks in advance :slight_smile:

#2

Hello @Rob_Meade

If it’s rotated 90 degrees on the Y axis then just select the Z axis in Symmetry settings in ZBrush to use symmetry. I don’t have Maya so I can’t attest to what you might have done wrong there. ZBrush only has options to flip the mesh on import and export and not rotate it 90 degrees.

#3

Hi @zber2,

Thanks for taking the time to reply, appreciated.

I think I did try the other axis options on the symmetry but none of them seemed to work.

Thanks for the info about the import options for ZBrush, I can only assume then that the axis settings in Maya and ZBrush differ in some way, maybe the left/right handed axis thing?

I ended up going back into Maya, duplicating it, then rotating it and freezing the transforms, cleared the history and exported again, on import it was now ok. Not sure what it would now be like going back the other way of course.

In Maya I have Y up, and modelled the mesh with it facing the X axis (I typically assume X = forward) and the Z axis was, well kind facing the screen/me etc. Most likely some kind of newbie error on my part.

One quick question if I may regarding the symmetry as you are familiar with it :slight_smile: I’m sculping the high poly in ZBrush, its a celtic headstone, ornate edges etc… whilst I can use the symmetry tool to get a mirror effect on the opposite side, I have found I need a few other things and I’m not sure how to achieve them.

For example, I wanted symmetry on so that I could effect the right edge of the mesh whilst sculpting the left, but want the same stroke, not a mirrored effect, and even turning off the Mirror option in symmetry didn’t seem to change that. As an example, if I chiselled out a groove on the left hand size of the mesh that went from top left to bottom right, creating a diagonal, I’d ideally have that on the other side too, but on the same angle, not inverted.

The other thing I wanted to do was apply the same sculpting to the “back” of the mash, this is really to save me time, when doing these ornate edges…

Example below.

Capture.PNG

See how the carvings do the same way on both sides etc, and of course this would be on the back of this also… is there a “clever” way to achieve that with the symmetry settings, I did have a fiddle around but couldn’t seem to get it to do either of the things I wanted.

Thanks again and for any further advice you can offer :slight_smile:

#4

Well, first of all, sometimes there are just no shortcuts to achieving what is needed. You just simply have to put in the work. However there are options other than symmetry to speed up the process. To model the Celtic cross that you are showing, I would consider using the Mirror and Weld function (see video) when you want the back the same as the front, and possibly using an IMM brush and the Frame Mesh function (see video) for the rope effect around the edges. Maybe somebody else that uses ZBrush a lot more than I do might have some other ideas also.