Mesh extract in Zbrush

[Pendraia]

So I was watching a tutorial on using Mesh extract in Zbrush and thought I would have a play.

Unfortunately wouldn't be able to share stuff created with this even though it's since been remeshed and looks nothing like Dawn's mesh as it would be against copyright. Just very basic as I haven't done more than have a quick play and quickly rigged them using transfer utility.

I was wondering has anyone else had a play and what they've done with it?

 

[xmasrose]

Hello!

New to the HW forums and to ZBrush. I got it only 2 weeks ago so I am just playing and LEARNING.

I think mesh extract is great to create simple cloth (like for animals) for a specific image.

I'd love to know how to refine the mesh obtained and you seem to be very knowledgeable about ZBrush!

Here is my second trial at a "cloth" with mesh extract rendered in Daz Studio.
The camo cat :

 

[Miss B]

Welcome to the HiveWire forums xmasrose, and your camo cat is cute.

 

[Pendraia]

Welcome to the Hive Xmasrose...I was playing with Mesh extract on the weekend but for Diva.

 

[xmasrose]

Thank you Miss B and Pendraia.

 

[Pendraia]

I also did this which is still very much just playing around...I was thinking of mermaid tops but discovered that once I had remeshed it it wasn't possible to do another star on top without adding a lot more polys. It works best with higher poly items otherwise the edges aren't as clean. Hope that makes sense...

And then last night I tried this bathing suit for Luna...it's still really rough around the edges. In some ways I find it easier to start from a cube...it took a couple of hours to get this far but I'm finding Zbrush UVMaster is very easy to use to map with...

 

[xmasrose]

Looks good Pendraia!
I have no clue how to UV map yet so I am glad if Zbrush UVMaster is easy to use.

 

[Pendraia]

So far I've just gone into uv master and hit unwrap. To see it just hit flatten and then to get back to the 3D version hit unflatten.

 

[xmasrose]

Simple enough!
Thanks.

 

[Pendraia]

It can do more than that...I just haven't done more as I use UV Layout for mapping normally. I just wanted a quick way to throw a texture on some things in DS.

 

[Karth]

I just started and tried to do a NormalMap.
I have a Low mesh with Uv and the highmesh without uv.
But i get always the window that i shall lower my subdivision.
Get it also when i Import any other mesh.

So..you see im studying and going crazy *g*

Mesh Extract works good so far , but i guess you need the zmodeller too, so that you will get
a mesh for other applications too..
we will see.

 

[Ken1171]

I used mesh extraction to create the starter mesh for my superhero suit. Next step is to lower the mesh density and retopologize the whole thing so it bends well in Poser/DS. UV mapping in ZB is really poor, so I prefer to do it in 3DSMAX. There is usually a lot of mesh clean up to do when starting this way, nut it's quick and practical. Creating meshes with MD is also fun, but in general the quad mesh quality is still terrible and requires loads of cleanup, or even a complete retopo in some cases. I hope one day they can get this better.

 

[Pendraia]

Karth, it is important to remember though that it creates a derivative mesh. So if you are using Dawn or another model you may need to check how the model's author views mesh extraction. Even though you are remeshing it is a derivative. I've been having a conversation with Chris about this as I wanted to check for my own use.

I'm planning on mainly using it for things like belts, pockets etc from my own clothing. I've also found that you need to up the mesh sometimes to get really clear outlines and I've also noticed that it might not always be the best method if you want surface detail with intricate things but it can be a useful tool. I was thinking for more detail it might be best to start with an alpha of the detail and use colour then mask by intensity and group. Hide the background and delete it to get intricate items. That would also limit the high poly sections....hope that makes sense I'm still waking up!

 

[Pendraia]

Ken, I agree with the process you outlined. I also do my mine uv maps in a different program. I use uv layout which I love but for a quick map to check how textures are going to work it is great.

 

[Miss B]

Creating meshes with MD is also fun, but in general the quad mesh quality is still terrible and requires loads of cleanup, or even a complete retopo in some cases. I hope one day they can get this better.

That's the one thing I hated when I was play in MD3. Back then they were still producing triangular meshes exclusively. Sorry to hear they finally got to quadrangular and didn't get it right.

 

[Ken1171]

Between MD 4 and 6, there quad mesh quality is still pretty bad. For example, it can include things like edges with duplicated verts. faces with doubled edges, and the mesh still has random triangles. It also tends to "twist" the edges between patterns, which can lead to posing issues. Sometimes it's just easier to retopo the whole thing than to try to fix the mess. In most cases MD quad meshes are not usable as they come, even in their latest version. I guess they have other priorities.

 

[Miss B]

That's too bad, but as long as there are alternatives to getting it in good order, then that's what we have to do. I don't know too many folks, except maybe n00bs, who don't have at least 3 or 4 (or more) 3D apps they can work with to get the job done right.

 

[Ken1171]

It's also a pity we cannot use MDs awesome cloth sim with our own meshes.

 

[RAMWolff]

IIRC I think a good many outfits for Dawn and Dusk are direct derivatives of the base mesh. I think as long as you don't have the meshes exact poly flow it's OK. I mean it is for the base your making the clothing for. I've always created from scratch in ZBrush but I do know a few published artists that make meshes from the bases they are meant to be worn by.

 

[Ken1171]

The ironic side is that the closest your mesh topology is to the original, the better the conforming and posing with be. ;p