Maya workflow pipeline

[Anonymous]

Hello all, i have a question about maya workflow pipeline, if someone would take time to explain and help me i would appritiate a lot!

First of all I wanna make 3d model then i wanna sculpt it and then properly paint it.
Hope you can point me in right direction.

As far as i understood it it's like this:  3d model in maya > Zbrush > Substance Painter

When i do baking process? Sculpting in Zbrush make it extremly HiPoly
Is it possible to paint it in SP and then when all finished return it to Maya to put in scene and render it?
What and where does UV play it's part? 

Thanks friends!

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

Hi,

I'll try and explain as much as I can.

"As far as i understood it it's like this:  3d model in maya > Zbrush > Substance Painter" - It depends, you can build your high poly in Zbrush, jump to Maya to create the low poly, then bring both into substance painter and paint and bake out your maps. There's a few ways to go about it but they all get the same final result. 

Question 1

"Is it possible to paint it in SP and then when all finished return it to Maya to put in scene and render it?"

Yes. There are many videos online that explain this. Here is where you can learn a lot https://academy.substance3d.com/search?software=substance%20painter

This video explains integration with Maya and substance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOZ-Sbnr7qU&list=PLB0wXHrWAmCzn3kcuShqtf-FQrOM93Qtx&index=3

The main thing is plugging your materials into the correct slots and material. Which render engine do you intend to use?

Question 2

"What and where does UV play it's part?"

Before you send your model to substance Painter you should have good UV's. Without decent UV's you will not get a good results in substance painter. If you just want some average UV's you can always do your UV's in Zbrush very quickly. However, you should probably do some manual work on the UV's if you want very nice results.

If you have more questions ask away.

[Anonymous]

First of all, thank you so much for infos and links, rly appritiate it.

I am planing to use Arnold since i really like it, it gives me pretty awesome results and im very used to it.

I kinda do like UVs, it's like a puzzle to me so it's not a problem UV everything in Maya since im most comfortable there, i enjoy it.

You didn't answer me one question about baking from Hi to Low poly models. 

Is it necessary to make 2 models one low and one high or there is a faster solution like make a Hi straigh away and then somehow reduce and extract Low one so they kinda be identical in scaling and such..?
Sometimes if im making 2nd model i kinda offscale it in some parts...

I have seen baking process in ZBrush where i have 2 models in OBJ and then when i done sculpting just transfer information to Low one and off to SP.
Is baking myb better in Maya or Zbrush is better for that?

Thank you for helping me understand. 🙂💪

[Anonymous]

Will check it, might learn something!! 😊😉

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

Hi again,

So in terms of baking from High to Low, there are certain things you can do to make your life easier.

Quickest way....

You can create your high res model in zbrush and then use ZBrush's Zremesher tool settings to create a low res version. Then, using the project button you can try and match it up as close as possible. Quick and easy.

Issues with the process above

1. Not a good approach if you have hard surface models. (Unless you're clever and divide into polygroups in zbrush and maintain edges when using the Zremesher)

You mentioned scaling your 2nd model. Please make sure your high res and low res are as close in scale and position as possible. When baking, the baking software projects your high res onto your low res using rays. If there are big differences between your high res and low res then you will get unwanted results.

[Anonymous]

Thanks got it. 

Can option "Reduce" in Maya be of any help regarding polygon count? 

Is it to some extend reliable?

Can Maya support imported HiPoly sculpted object from ZBrush or it will die in process and crash?

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

It can be but I would trust Zremesher first. It's quick and can be tweaked to suit your settings.

[Anonymous]

Hi!

I check your yt channel and one thing got my eye.
It's about this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OkWRY55m_s

When u import your racoon to Maya when u crossing over topology over Zbrush model making low poly one, how is that thing called in modeling language? I wanna search and explore as much as i can. Thanks!! 😊

[Anonymous]

Thanks mate!