Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Tool idea correcting scale when exporting ZBrush blendshape to Maya (II)

Hi,

So i tried the method i suggested earlier and it seems to be working.  I just need to code it up, i'll probably do it in python.

Here are the general steps i came up with:

feed zbrush default into maya default giving result
"meshCombine" (that is zbrush default at weight 1)

feed all zbrush blendshape into default maya mesh, then add "meshCombine" as well
--put -1 on meshCombine mesh and put 1 weight on just the zbrush blendshape need--- duplicate out resulting maya friendly blendshape(s).

future tool idea:  i'm thinking of writing something or reworking an older script i wrote to help create combination blendshapes.  so i could sculpt on activated blendshapes  and have the added detail working when the shape is active.

cheers,
Nate

a couple blendshape making tips:
--use ZBrush to help sculpt really exaggerated shapes (the mask tools are amazing, goz and blendshape layers are very helpful)
--use Maya's paint blendweight tools, scale, smooth, replace to help separate out a combination shape into individual ones
--maybe double up the same blendshape to get a starting point of a more appealing shape
--also making a hotkey or shelf tab for blendweight painting was helpful
--study appealing deformations

Inspired by
Michael Navarro (mikeanavarro dot com)