Frozenbyte Wiki - User contributions [en]

3D Asset Workflow

2025-06-16T13:54:30Z

Mio Mäkijärvi: /* Trine Art Team Terminology */

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::: '''◇ Main Steps'''
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* [[3D Asset Workflow: Concepting]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Sculpting]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Retopology]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: UV Mapping]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Baking]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Texturing]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Asset Assembling]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Naming the Asset]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: LODs]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Exporting to Editor]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Completed asset checklist]]
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::: '''◇ Additional Steps'''
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* [[3D Asset Workflow: Alternative Textures]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Billboards]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Blocksets]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Collisions]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Sikailu]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Sway]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Tile Textures and Trimsheets]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Tintmask]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Vegetation]]
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::: '''◇ General Tips and Troubleshooting'''
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* [[3D Asset Workflow: General Tips]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Troubleshooting]]
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= Summary =
* This is a series of wiki pages related to the '''3D asset creating process in the Trine Art Team at Frozenbyte'''
** With these guidelines, you should be able to create a '''game asset from an idea to a textured game model''' or, at the very least, get the needed information on what you should research and practice in order to achieve that
** The information on these sites is created and collected by our AD and the 3D artists, and these methods are used daily here in the Trine Art Team at Frozenbyte

== Trine Art Team Terminology ==
* Here in the Trine Art Team, we have some non-industry standard terminology we use to describe certain workflow stages
** They are listed here for future reference (in Finnish, with rough translations):
<br>
# '''Vessanpönttöily / lisätä vessanpönttöä''' = "toilet(-ing)" / "adding some toilet". Used to describe the stage in which the 3D artist adds some wonkiness and uneven-ness to the lowpoly model after it's otherwise completed. Especially completely symmetric assets usually need some vessanpönttöily done to them, to fit the Trine style better
# '''Juhlamokka / lisätä juhlamokkaa''' = "finetune (with passion and talent)". Juhla Mokka is a Finnish coffee brand, which had very specific marketing videos in the past, where they showcased professionals from different professions talking about their crafts, very intricately. Thus, when a 3D artist needs to finetune their model a bit (with passion and talent), it's called juhlamokka. A bit similar to vessanpönttöily, tho, in all reality
# '''[[3D Asset Workflow: Sikailu|Sikailu / sikailla]]''' = "to behave like a pig", a noun and a verb. Sometimes a 3D artist/level artist needs to take an already existing 3D model, and make something completely new out of it, using the parts of the old one. This happens when the old models do not 100% fit the desired design. Rather than making a new model out of scratch, sikailing it is way faster
# '''[[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Retopo_and_UVs#.22Triangelihuttu.22:_A_decimated_triangle_mesh_made_in_Zbrush_.26_cleaned_up_in_Modo|Triangelihuttu]]''' = "triangle porridge". A model that has generated triangle retopo instead of e.g. being retopoed by hand
# '''Sinappi / Mustard''' = When lighting/color palette in a scene is bad in a musty, smudgy way, giving a dirty look with bad color combinations. Often when sunsets turn into muddy paste of orange/yellow tones, hence the naming. The colors themselves aren't banned but they should never yield a sinappi look.

= 3D Asset Workflow =
* In the Trine Art Team, the '''3D artists will take care of all of these steps when creating 3D assets'''
** [[3D Asset Workflow: Completed asset checklist]]
* The 3D artist gets to design the asset from the concept to the final asset
** The 3D artist is also responsible for '''making sure their asset works as it should in the Editor'''
[[File:3D Asset Workflow flowchart 30.5.2023.jpg|1500px|thumb|center]]

== 3D Workflow Steps ==
# '''Receiving a task'''
#* The 3D artist is responsible for making sure the task they received will be '''completed in a timely manner''', with the '''required specs in mind'''
#** Likewise, they're responsible for '''keeping the AD informed of their progress'''
#* In most cases, the 3D artist will have a couple of tasks at any given time
#** This is to ensure that they have things to do even if they need to e.g. wait for feedback for the other task
# '''The Idea '''
#* The 3D artist needs to make sure they understand the actual idea behind the asset; how it related to the story and it's surroundings, and what kind of reference images to use or search for
#* This part might require communicating with different team members, e.g. the AD, the designers, the script writer, and/or other artists
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Concepting|'''The Concept''']]
#* Once the idea is clear, some kind of concept is made
#** It can be e.g. '''rough drawing, a 3D blockout, or a photo bash''' - the point isn't to make anything polished, but to '''visualize the basic idea'''
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Sculpting|'''Highpoly Mesh, a Sculpt''']]
#* The detailed and performance heavy version of the mesh
#* Like in all the work phases, it's good to first sculpt a rough version of each piece, and get a confirmation from the AD that everything seems to be going as desired
# '''"Trash Version" of the lowpoly mesh, if the mesh is going to be animated'''
#* When making characters, it's good to give the animators a very crude lowpoly version of the mesh - this way the animators can point out possible problems early on, and fixes are easy to make
#** This can be done when all the proportions of the mesh are somewhat finished, but there is not detailing yet
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Retopo_and_UVs|'''Lowpoly mesh''']]
#* A less dense and engine-friendly approximation of the highpoly model
#* It's important to have the optimal amount of geometry (polygons) - not too little so that the mesh is too angular, but not too much so that the mesh is needlessly performance heavy
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Retopo_and_UVs#UV_mapping|'''UV mapping''']]
#* Creating the texture coordinates for the lowpoly mesh
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Baking|'''Baking''']]
#* Transferring details from the highpoly model to create a surface material for the lowpoly model
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Texturing|'''Texturing''']]
#* Adding all the materials and colors on the model
# [[3D Asset Workflow: Asset Assembling|'''Asset Assembling''']]
#* Assembling the assets to a coherent set, making use of duplicated and mirrored mesh parts
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Naming_the_Asset|'''Naming the Asset''']]
#* Please follow the project's naming instructions to the T!
# [[3D Asset Workflow: LODs|'''LODs''']]
#* Using a ready-made script to create even lower polycount versions of the lowpoly models, which can be switched on in the Editor when the model is further away
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Exporting_to_Editor|'''Export & Import to Editor''']]
#* Importing the textured lowpoly model and it's textures them to Editor with correct naming
# '''Adjusting in Editor'''
#* Further configuration in the Editor, e.g. backlight, self illumination
# '''Adding Work Files to the Workspace SVN '''
#* Once everything is done, add the work files (.fbx, .lxo, .spp, final texture maps .tga) to the workspace SVN so that anyone can find them, if someone else will need to edit your asset
# '''Adding a Screenshot of Your Model to the Wiki'''
#* Make a screenshot which showcases the model or the models made for the set. Add it to the correct project's 3D asset wiki page, with the name with which it can be found

= Having trouble? =
* If you have odd issues, try [[3D Asset Workflow: Troubleshooting]]
* If you didn't find what you were looking for anywhere else, try [[3D Asset Workflow: General Tips]]

= External Art Fundamental Tips =
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Some general art fundamentals tips that are useful for any game artist:
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/art_lessons.htm Neil Blevis: Various art tips, check especially 9. Composition]
** [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/areas_of_visual_rest/areas_of_visual_rest.htm Areas Of Visual Detail, Areas Of Visual Rest]
** [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/clumping/clumping.htm Clumping and Grouping]
** [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/compositional_weight/compositional_weight.htm Compositional Weight]
** [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/composition_contrasts/composition_contrasts.htm Contrasts In Composition]
** [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/foreground_midground_background/foreground_midground_background.htm Foreground, Midground, Background]
** [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/layers_of_light_and_dark/layers_of_light_and_dark.htm Layers Of Light And Dark]
** [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/primary_secondary_and_tertiary_shapes/primary_secondary_and_tertiary_shapes.htm Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Shapes]
** [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/details_make_big/details_make_big.htm Using Details To Make Something Look Big]
** [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/tangents/tangents.htm What is a Tangent? And How To Solve Them]
* [http://emptyeasel.com/2008/11/18/avoiding-tangents-9-visual-blunders-every-artist-should-watch-out-for/ Avoiding Tangents: 9 Visual Blunders Every Artist Should Watch Out For]
* [http://www.itchy-animation.co.uk/tutorials/light01.htm Lighting Fundamentals for Artists]
* [http://drawabox.com/ Draw a Box: An exercise based approach to learning the fundamentals of drawing]
* [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbdyjrrJAjDIACjCsjAGFAA Feng Zhu design school videos. All kinds of stuff about painting/design/color etc.]
* [https://www.youtube.com/user/McBacon1337/videos Game Maker's Toolkit. Interesting and well-made videos about game mechanics in different games by Mike Brown.]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iemcI0t096I Sam Nielson's lecture about environment design]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=griCsvvRTQM Sam Nielson's lecture about atmosphere]
* [https://youtu.be/FeUL-5wfj0U?t=3m29s The Art of Environment Storytelling for Video Games GNOMON]
</div>
</div>

3D Asset Workflow: Completed asset checklist

2023-09-04T06:21:21Z

Mio Mäkijärvi:

3D Asset Workflow: Naming the Asset

2023-09-04T06:21:01Z

Mio Mäkijärvi:

3D Asset Workflow: Asset Assembling

2023-09-04T06:20:46Z

Mio Mäkijärvi:

3D Asset Workflow: Asset Assembling

2023-09-04T06:19:42Z

Mio Mäkijärvi:

3D Asset Workflow: Texturing

2023-09-04T06:19:25Z

Mio Mäkijärvi:

<div style="border-bottom:2px solid #99aac7; background:#d0def5; padding:0.4em 0.5em; font-size:130%; margin-bottom: 25px; text-align: center; float:top;">
⬑ [[3D Asset Workflow]]</div>
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Next step: [[3D Asset Workflow: Asset Assembling]] →</div>
<div style="border-bottom:2px solid #99aac7; background:#d0def5; padding:0.4em 0.5em; font-size:130%; float:left; margin-bottom: 25px;">
← Previous step: [[3D Asset Workflow: Baking]]</div>

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{{#lst:3D Asset Workflow}} 
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= Summary =
* We have our own Frozenbyte shelf where all the '''custom materials''' are added
** '''It is recommended to use these materials when possible to keep a coherent look for all of the assets'''

<br>
* Texturing means '''using the baked 2D maps to create a textured lowpoly model'''
** That is achieved by using many '''materials, masks, and generators''' etc, to achieve the final look that is wanted
* In most cases, the final asset will have the following maps:
** Albedo Map (with an alpha channel or not)
** Normal Map
** A combined Roughness + Metalness Map
* The Trine texturing style isn't photorealistic, but leans to a more simplified and "playdough-y" art direction instead
** Super noisy and deep fried areas should be avoided, to create a coherent and unified texture that fits and blends in with the other existing assets
* The Frozenbyte Editor supports PBR (Physically Based Rendering), meaning that what you see in Substance Painter is a good indication of what you will get in the game!

== Texturing Steps ==
# Import the baked maps you created in the [[3D Asset Workflow: Baking|previous step]] to the Substance Painter
# Use materials, masks, and generators to achieve the final look
#* Paint the masks to reveal the material/color underneath
# Once the textures are ready, '''export them into targa files'''
#* [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Naming_the_Asset#Naming_Conventions_for_Textures|Use the correct naming]]
#* You may need to open the files once and save them again in Photoshop to '''compress them''' - this reduces their file size considerably
# Each separate map is saved to the project's binary SVN
#* The location should be the same your model will be in
# Link the '''albedo''' map to the lowpoly model
#* Note that the '''linked map should be in the binary, not on your computer locally'''
# Move onto [[3D Asset Workflow: Asset Assembling|assembling your model]]
'''Texturing can be changed and updated easily later as well''', when the asset is already in the game, especially if UV maps will stay untouched

'''TIP:''' Always compress your TGA files before committing them to the SVN!

= Texturing in Substance Painter =
* In the Substance Painter, there are '''Fill Layers''' and '''Layers''':
** '''Fill layers''' are used for solid colors as well as adding maps/materials
*** Most of your work is done with Fill Layers and masks
** '''Layers''' are used for painting
* By default, each layer has '''color''', '''metal''', '''rough''', '''normal''', and '''height''' channels, which can be turned on and off
* With "C" you can scroll between different channels in the preview window
* With "M" you can see all the channels together
* In the top of the Layers panel, you can change the mode to '''Base Color''', '''Metallic''', '''Roughness''', '''Normal''', or '''Height'''

'''TIP:''' To disable baked AO showing up on your model, go to ''Viewer Settings'' -tab on the bottom of TextureSet Settings panel, and adjust '''AO Intensity''' in ''Shader parameters -> Common parameters''

== Setting up Channels ==
* When creating a project, remember to set 'Normal Map Format' to '''DirectX'''
** You can change this later on by going to '''Edit -> Project configuration'''
** This flips the green channel of the Normal Map, so it will work correctly in our Editor
*** The Normal Map's green channel can be flipped later in Photoshop as well, if needed
* To '''add channels''', click on the small '+' icon in the TextureSet Settings window
* To '''remove channels''', click on the small '-' icon in the TextureSet Settings window
* Channels that are usually needed:
** '''Base color''' - albedo
** '''Roughness'''
** '''Normal'''
** '''Metallic'''
** '''Emissive''' - if your model has parts that are self-illuminated)
** '''Height''' - Substance Painter bakes the height map into the normals, so this should be enabled to get most out of the materials even though our Engine doesn't support heightmaps/displacement
** ('''Displacement''', If you want to preview height/displacement on your mesh, you'll need to add this channel and enable parallax occlusion mapping in Viewer settings. Height doesn't directly convert to displacement, so you'll have to find a workaround)
* '''Most of the time you will need only 3-4 maps: Base color, Normal, (Metallic), Roughness'''
* '''NOTE''' If you use a larger document size while editing, remember to check the correct size every once in a while
** You might lose a lot of detail when you export your final texture size, if you only work on the higher resolutions
** The switch between resolutions is lossless, so there's no harm in doing it
[[File:normalformat.JPG|alt=Correct normal format|Set this to DirectX|center]]

== Setting the Base Materials ==

=== Folders and Layers ===

* The layer structure works similarly to Photoshop, and you can apply a mask to the folder
* Separate each material area of the asset with a Fill Layer that is put inside a folder, and create a mask for that folder
** Use the mask to define the area where that material is used
* You can select the areas from the UVs to mask, but the easiest way is to bake a color ID map (based on the high poly model's colors in Zbrush)
** After baking the color ID map, you can use it in Painter to mask each area - the colors can be crazy and loud, to better use them for masking
* '''How to add the base colors'''
** ''Add a Fill Layer'' by clicking the button on top of the Layers window
** ''Add a Folder'' by clicking the button on top of the Layers window
** Drag and drop the Fill Layer into the folder
** Name the folder and layer, e.g. Folder: ''skin/hair/metal/etc'', and Layer: ''base color''
** In the ''Fill'' window, adjust the ''Base color'' you want to use
** You can also adjust the overall ''Metallic'' and ''Roughness'' from the ''Properties - Fill'' window
[[File:Substance painter folders guide.jpg|1000px|center]]

=== Masking ===
# With the Fill Layer selected, click the ''Configure Mask'' button on top of the same Layers window
# You can either select UV islands/polygons/models to make the mask, or use a baked color ID map:
#* Choose the ''Add mask with color selection'' - this let's you use the ''color ID map'' you have assigned in the ''TextureSet Settings'' window
#** In the ''Properties - Color Selection'', decide what area of the model you want to pick for this layer by clicking the ''Pick color'' and use the eye dropper to pick the color from the model or the UV texture map
#** Raising the tolerance value gets rid of gaps on the mask edges, but too high values makes the mask bleed to other colors
#* The end result is a mask based on the color in the color ID map
#* In this example, the rest of the mesh is grey, and the area inside the mask is red as the mask prevents the red color filling the whole mesh with red
#** Now you can change the red into any color you want and add layers and generators and smart materials etc, to get the material done
* Once you have your folders set up and masked, you can add materials and paint as you like
[[File:Substance color mask.jpg|1000px|alt=Color masking in Substance|Applying a color mask from ID map in Substance Painter|center]]

=== Smart Materials ===

* You can download user made Smart Materials, masks, etc from Substance share website, or make your own
** '''Smart Materials are basically layer stacks contained in folders''', so it's easy to make your own
** Once you have created a material by layering base materials, effects etc, group them up in a folder (select all and Ctrl + G)
* Name the folder, right click it and select 'Create Smart Material'
** You'll have a new Smart Material with the name of the folder you just made, with all the layers and settings intact and saved, which you can use freely in other projects
* Experiment with adding more filters to the mask stack in addition to the color selector
* You can do a lot of the same stuff as with regular layers (blending modes, texture fills, etc), and achieve some complex results

=== Normals ===
* If the Normal Map isn't showing (you can press C until you see the normal map to see if it works):
** You'll need to add a Fill Layer and drag and drop the normal map from the Shelf -> Textures to the Properties - Fill Normal channel
** Turn all the other channels off for this layer from the same panel
** In the TextureSet Settings use the setting Normal mixing: Replace
* If you want to paint on the normal map, create a new layer and go to the Normals mode in the Layers panel, select Normal layer style to paint over. The default "NMdt" layer style means that it mixes the layers' contents but the "Normal" layer style goes on top of everything
* Make sure in your brush settings only the normal channel is active, if you forgot to do this and the brush strokes appear on all the channels, you can just adjust the opacity of the layer to 0% in the "Base color" mode and other modes if needed
* Having the normal fix layer in a folder doesn't seem to work

=== Tintmask ===
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Tintmask]]

== Texture Details ==
* In the Trine Style, the texture details shouldn't be too noisy and sharp - i.e., not super realistic, but more stylized
* The aim is to have clear readable forms and the textures should also support this
* As with everything, also with the texture details the variation is key to appealing looking assets
* Make sure to use varied sized details in textures too
** Big, Medium, Small
[[File:Mountains moss silhouette variation.png|800px|center]]

== Adding a Custom Shelf in Substance Painter ==
* We have our own Frozenbyte shelf where all the '''custom materials''' are added
** Most of these custom materials are done by our former employees, Juha Kinnunen Antti Heikkinen
** '''It is recommended to use these materials when possible to keep a coherent look for everybody's assets'''
* How to add a custom Shelf
** Edit -> Settings -> Shelf
** Add Name & Path and click the plus button & OK
** Now you should be able to find the materials in that folder every time you use Substance Painter and if new materials are added there, they should appear automatically
* '''NOTE''': Don't mark the Frozenbyte self as the "Default" then you might accidentally save changes to it
** "Default" means that's the self you'll be able to make modifications like add, edit and delete stuff so it's better to have your local shelf as the default unless you want to make changes to the Frozenbyte shelf

[[File:Import shelf sp.jpg|alt=Correct normal format|Adding a custom shelf in substance painter|center]]

= Exporting =
* Once you have finished texturing, go to File > Export textures, or '''Ctrl+Shift+E''', or right click on the scene and choose Export Textures
* In the export dialogue, change the '''texture size''' to the size you want the final texture maps to be
* Point the '''file path''' to the right folder location
* '''File format:''' Up to you which one to use, either one is easy to convert to the other
** Targa (''You'll get all the maps as separate textures, ready to use')
*** TGA is used for game texture files, can also be used for storing textures to workspace SVN
** PSD (''Will export all the maps into one psd-file as layers'')
*** PSD can be used to store workfiles in the workspace SVN
** If you're exporting alpha textures as PSD, use the custom export config 'T4_asset_export_alphatest/-blend (PSD)'
*** Painter doesn't export alphas made with our workflow into PSD, so these make it into a separate layer
* When the final resolution is small (1024 or under), it is better to have the working resolution larger than the export resolution
** This results in smoother textures, since the materials are generated at a high resolution and thendown scaled to the export resolution
** Doing this at high resolutions is a bad idea, since 2k and above working resolutions require a lot of computing power and the downscale advantage will be close to nonexistent

== T4 Asset Export Config ==
* The T4 Asset Export Configs should appear automatically to your Substance Painter export settings if you have the Frozenbyte shelf set up
** [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Baking_and_Texturing#Adding_a_custom_shelf_in_Substance_Painter|Instructions for adding a custom shelf]]
# Use the export config T4_asset_export(_alphatest/-blend) in Substance Painter
#* ''Optional:'' Use the custom layer export script to save layers from the psd-file
#* The Substance painter export config '''T4_asset_export''' names your maps automatically for use with the Frozenbyte Editor
# Make sure your texture set name is set to whatever you want your textures to be called (e.g. sample_asset_mossy_mat)
#* To change texture set names, right click on a texture set, and select ''Edit name''
# The export config then automatically [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Exporting_to_Editor#Channel_packing | packs the channels]], and adds proper suffixes
# After texturing your asset, press Ctrl+Shift+E to export your materials (see image below)
#* '''Config:''' T4_asset_export(_alphatest/-blend)
* '''Note:''' To get the sub surface scattering (sss) map exported with this config, you'll need to export the textures in tga format, it doesn't work for the psd format

[[File:Painter_export_settings.png|alt=Correct normal format|Painter export settings|center]]

=== Channel Packing ===

* Channel Packing = taking one or more gray scale imagesm and pasting them into a single image file's color channels
** A shader then looks up the color channels and decides which one to use
* This saves texture memory and reduces clutter in the folders
* The Frozenbyte Editor has support for a combined metallic + roughness map
** Use the '''red channel for metallic''' and '''green channel for roughness'''
* Channel packing will happen automatically when using the export config '''T4_asset_export''', so in most cases you shouldn't have to do it by hand
[[File:rm_map_example.jpg|400px|alt=Channel packing example|A metallic/roughness map will look something like this. It could be all green as well in case there are no metal parts|center]]

=== PSD Layers to Files ===
* Install this script into your Photoshop scripts folder (''\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CC 2018\Presets\Scripts'').
* '''Export layers, no prefix: \\workspace\workspace\art\art_resources\layer_export_script'''
* The script is a slightly modified version of Photoshop's own ''export layers to files'' -script
** It's the same as the original, but it will not create any unwanted prefixes
* Open your exported PSD file in Photoshop, and go to '''File -> Export -> Layers to files No Prefix...'''
* In the window that opens, set your destination folder, make sure '''File name prefix''' is empty, and set file type to '''Targa 24bit'''
* Now you have your textures ready to import into the Editor
* '''NOTE:''' Alphatest and alphablend albedo textures will need to be saved separately as '''32bit Targa''' to preserve their alpha channel
* '''NOTE:''' Always compress your targa files to reduce their file size!

==Channel packing by hand in Photoshop==

# Open both metallic and roughness maps in Photoshop
# Copy either of them
# Go to the other map's channel list. It's the tab next to 'Layers' on the layer stack.
#* If there is only one channel that says "Index", go to '''Image -> Mode -> RGB Color'''
# Select the correct color channel and paste the copied map there
#* '''R=Metallic, G=Roughness, B=black'''
# Select the blue channel and fill it with black
# Done!

= Naming Conventions =
[[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Naming_the_Asset#Naming_Conventions_for_Textures 3D Asset Workflow|3D Asset Workflow: Naming the Asset#Naming Conventions for Textures]]
* Using [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Texturing#T4_Asset_Export_Config|T4 Asset Export Config]] should take care of the suffixes for you, but make sure the base name is done correctly

3D Asset Workflow: Baking

2023-09-04T06:19:10Z

Mio Mäkijärvi:

<div style="border-bottom:2px solid #99aac7; background:#d0def5; padding:0.4em 0.5em; font-size:130%; margin-bottom: 25px; text-align: center; float:top;">
⬑ [[3D Asset Workflow]]</div>
<div style="border-bottom:2px solid #99aac7; background:#d0def5; padding:0.4em 0.5em; font-size:130%; float:right; margin-bottom: 25px;">
Next step: [[3D Asset Workflow: Texturing]] →</div>
<div style="border-bottom:2px solid #99aac7; background:#d0def5; padding:0.4em 0.5em; font-size:130%; float:left; margin-bottom: 25px;">
← Previous step: [[3D Asset Workflow: UV Mapping]]</div>

<div style="padding-right: 10px; padding-left: 1000px; padding-top: 60px; padding-bottom: 80px;">
{{#lst:3D Asset Workflow}} 
</div>

= Summary =
* Baking means '''transfering the high poly mesh's information to a 2D texture map'''
** This way you get '''the details of the dense highpoly mesh in a much more optimized form''', that can be used in real time in the game
* '''Baked maps are used when texturing the model'''
** We use Substance Painter for texturing
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #e6f2ff; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Good sites for more Substance Painter info:
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* [https://www.youtube.com/user/Allegorithmic Substance Designer/Painter company page]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pC9MdCg1k1A Substance Painter 2 tutorial: Texturing & rendering a blade]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ywhVkZBtq8 Face Texturing in Substance Painter with Magdalena Dadela]
</div>
</div>

== Baked Texture Maps Terminology ==
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #e6f2ff; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Baked Texture Maps Terminology
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* '''Normal Map'''
** Normal map has all the sculpted detail information in it
** Tips for normal maps: [https://www.artstation.com/artwork/nNXyK No more wrong Normal Maps ]
* '''World space normals'''
** Is used by many masking generators
* '''Color ID Map'''
** The Color ID map will be baked based on the vertex colors of the high poly mesh
** The Color ID map is super useful in masking different material areas - '''use it whenever your object has more than one material'''
* '''AO Map'''
** Ambient Occlusion creates occlusion shadows that bring out the depth and shape of the model better
* '''Curvature Map'''
** You can use curvature map with many generator masking techniques in Painter
** Curvature map has cavity and convexity
** '''Make sure to always bake the World space normals map at the same time you bake the curvature map, as it'll use the World space normals to create the curvature map!'''
* '''Position Map'''
** You can use the position map for example for making an axis based gradient on the model
* '''Thickness Map'''
** Thickness map can be used to create [[3D Asset Workflow: Subsurface Scattering|subsurface scattering]] on for example skin and plants
</div>
</div>

== Baking Steps ==
# Prepare your highpoly and lowpoly models for baking by making sure they're named correctly, and that their scales and positions match
# Bake your model
#* If needed, make a [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Baking#Cage|cage]]
# Use the baked maps to [[3D Asset Workflow: Texturing|texture]] your model in Substance Painter

= Exporting the UV mapped Lowpoly Model from Modo =
* '''At this point, you should have a finished highpoly mesh, and a finished (but untextured) lowpoly mesh with UVs'''
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Troubleshooting#Checkerboard_pattern_when_baking_mirrored_objects|Make sure the mirrored UV islands are not on top of each other]]
# '''Apply a material to your mesh'''
#* With the mesh selected, press 'M' and type in a name
#** [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Naming_the_Asset#Naming_Conventions_for_Textures|Use the correct texture naming conventions]]
#* Substance Painter's export config will '''name the files based on the texture set name'''
# In case you have multiple UV sets, you need to add a separate material for each of them
# Delete all the other materials from the Shaders tab, if there are any
# If needed, triangulate the meshes for better baking results, but '''keep the nontriangulated mesh saved'''
#* It's easier to edit the non-triangulated mesh, and as a general rule, '''animated meshes should never be triangulated when they're sent to the animators'''
# Remember to tick '''Save Materials''' when exporting

== FBX Export Settings ==
* Select everything
* Export the layers using the same settings when exporting to Zbrush, '''except''' remember to additionally select the following:
** Save smoothing groups
** Save tangent basis
** Save materials
[[File:Baking in painter 01.jpg|800px|center]]

* Go to the Modo's Game Tools tab, and select the following settings & export the FBX:
[[File:Base mesh export.jpg|800px|center]]

= Starting a New Project on Substance Painter =
# Open Substance Painter and create a new project (File > New)
#* Click Select and find your lowpoly mesh, then select a document resolution and click OK
#** '''The resolution can be changed later without quality loss''' - bigger is more exact, but can get slow in complex scenes
# '''If you have baked texture maps externally''', select and add all the texture maps - if not, you can bake them in Substance Painter
#** Normal, AO, and color ID maps
# Adjust the document resolution to the right size
#* Select '''DirectX''' as the normal map format (see image)
#** Normal map format can be changed later by going to '''Edit -> Project settings'''

[[File:Baking in painter 05.jpg|Painter import|center]]
[[File:normalformat.JPG|alt=Correct normal format|Set this to DirectX|center]]

= Baking =
Related: [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_General_Tips#Lowpoly.2FUVs.2FBaking|General tips: Lowpoly/UVs/Baking]]
* You can use xNormal, Substance Painter, Substance Designer, or Marmoset Toolbag for baking the texture maps for the 3D asset

== Baking in Substance Painter ==
=== Baking Order ===
* It's good to first test baking just the normal map, and see if everything works on lower settings
** This way you don't have to wait for very long while a lot of stuff is baking, only to see that there are e.g. artifacts
* You can bake all the maps at once '''except''' the Color ID, Thickness, and the Ambient Occlusion, as they have different common settings
* Baking order:
# '''Normal''' first on lower resolution to check that everything works
# '''Normal''' (if it still needs re-baking), '''World space normal''', '''Curvature''', '''Position'''
# '''Color ID''' and '''Thickness''' if needed
# '''Ambient Occlusion'''

=== Baking Settings ===
* Even if you have the basic maps baked outside the Substance Painter, you might need to bake some extra maps that the Substance Painter uses for the mask generators etc
* Most of the settings with explanations can be found at the [https://support.allegorithmic.com/documentation/display/SPDOC/Baking Substance Painter Documentation], but here are some recommendations:
** In Texture Set Settings, select 'Bake textures'
*** Click on the document icon next to 'Highpoly meshes' and select your highpoly
*** Output size should be relative to your final texture size
** You can bake additional maps (based on the Normal Map) in Painter to help with texturing, just remember to adjust the resolution
** Dilation weight is the same as padding, e.g. 4

'''Common parameters'''
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Common parameters
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* '''Diffusion:''' On (Except for the Color ID and AO Maps)
* '''Ignore backface:''' On
* '''Match:''' By Mesh Name
* '''Anti-aliasing:''' Subsampling 8x8 (consider lowering for AO, Color ID, and Thickness, e.g. 4x4)
* '''High/Low poly mesh suffix:''' Whatever you used when naming the meshes
* ''' Dilation:''' 16 (2-4 for the Color ID Map)
* First bake only the Normal Map and test that everything works - if there are any issues, check the [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Baking_and_Texturing#Troubleshooting|Troubleshooting]]

[[File:Baking in painter 03.jpg|800px|center]]
</div>
</div>

'''Color ID Map'''
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Color ID Map parameters
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* '''Color Source:''' Vertex Color (if you used polypaint to mask mesh parts)
* '''Common Parameters''':
** '''Diffusion''': Off
** '''Anti-aliasing''': Sub-sampling lower than usually, for example 4x4
** '''Dilation''': 2-4
</div>
</div>

'''Ambient Occlusion Map'''
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Ambient Occlusion Map parameters
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* '''Self Occlusion:''' By Mesh Name
* '''Ignore Backface:''' On
* '''Common Parameters''':
** '''Diffusion''': Off
** '''Anti-aliasing''': Sub-sampling lower than usually, for example 4x4
[[File:Baking in painter 04.jpg|800px|Painter baking AO without separate pieces affecting to each other|center]]
</div>
</div>

'''Thickness Map'''
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Thickness Map parameters
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* '''Self Occlusion:''' By Mesh Name
* It's a good idea to bake <span style="color:blue">AO</span> and Thickness separate from the other maps and with a lower AA setting, since they take a lot of time to bake
* '''Common Parameters''':
** '''Diffusion''': Off
** '''Anti-aliasing''': Sub-sampling lower than usually, for example 4x4
</div>
</div>

'''Position Map'''
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Position Map parameters
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* If you want to add a gradient on Y axis (from top to bottom) to the whole mesh:
** Mode: One axis
** Axis: Y
** Normalization: BBox
[[File:Painter guidelines 03.jpg|center]]
</div>
</div>

=== Baking Opacity Maps in Substance Painter ===
* Once you have sculpted something you'll need a transparent background for, add a plane behind it in ZBrush/Modo
* Duplicate the plane, fill it with a vertex color, resize it a little bigger and place it between the lowpoly plane and the highpoly sculpt
** It doesn't matter what this vertex color plane's size is, as long as it is bigger than the lowpoly plane
** If it's any smaller than the lowpoly plane itself, the uncovered portions of the lowpoly will not be transparent in the baked Opacity Map

[[File:alphamap_tuto_transparency_zbrush_planes.jpg|1000px|center]]

* Merge the vertex color plane with your highpoly sculpt, so that they will be exported in the same highpoly FBX file
* Once the highpoly object and the vertex color plane are used for the baking in Substance Painter, it's possible to assign a transparent background for the object
* A problem with this method is that you won't get a proper edge padding around the leaf, but it will be created around the plane
** This can be solved by texturing the whole plane using the same Substance Painter layer, meaning that you have all of it's vertex colors/Color ID Map colors assigned with Color Selection
** You can also handpaint some of the areas surrounding the object, if needed
** In the image below, you can see what the diffuse around the leaf looks like - it will serve it's purpose as a padding

[[File:alphamap_tuto_sp_diffuse.jpg|500px|center]]

* If you are not getting the Opacity Map exported the way intended in Substance Painter, you might need to create a white Fill Layer, with only the Opacity Channel activated and create a Black Mask with Color Selection

[[File:alphamap_tuto_sp_opacity&diffuse.jpg|500px|center]]

=== Troubleshooting ===
* '''If your maps show as black or as a weird mess''' you might have your scale wrong
** Check that the naming is correct, note that capitalization matters
** Import your high and lowpoly meshes into the same scene and compare them, to see if their scales match
** [https://www.marmoset.co/ Marmoset Toolbag] is great for this, since it can load the highpoly mesh quicker than Modo
* '''If your map has artifacts, holes, or other problems'''
** Make sure the mirrored UV islands are not on top of each other [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Retopo_and_UVs#Mirrored_UVs_in_Substance_Paiter|Mirrored UVs in Substance Painter]]
* '''In case you'll bakes have some weird shading''' in them, try triangulating those parts, or the whole mesh
** Have the lowpoly mesh triangulated in Modo (shift+T) before baking, '''but save a non triangulated version too in case the mesh needs to be edited'''
** In case you use a triangulated mesh for baking, the same mesh should be also the one that is used in the game (excluding animated models)
** Remember to update vertex normals after triangulating
** In any case, have a non-triangulated version in the Modo file when committing the workfile to the workspace SVN
*** You can keep the triangulated version in the same file on a separate layer
* '''Blurry Color ID map? Substance Painter not detecting the highpoly mesh?'''
** Solution: [https://forum.allegorithmic.com/index.php?topic=12872.0 Color Map From Mesh Produces Blurry (Unusable) Results ]
** Have the lowpoly mesh triangulated before baking
** Don't use Apply Diffusion in SP baking common parameters panel
** Don't use big Dilation (padding), it should be 2-4
* If the Substance Painter crashes during exporting, [https://support.allegorithmic.com/documentation/display/SPDOC/GPU+drivers+crash+with+long+computations this] might help
* '''Curvature Map not showing all the detail that should be there?''' Make sure to always bake the World Space Normals Map at the same time you bake the Curvature Map, as it'll use the World Space Normals to create the Curvature Map

==== Cage ====
* '''If the bake comes out with problems like transparent holes or weird looking artifacts/other bake errors''':
* You can first try to fix the problem without a cage in Substance Painter
** In some cases without cage you can get transparent areas to the ID bake (easiest to notice) and other bakes
** It might help to slightly change the max frontal & rear distance, for example from 0.01 -> 0.03 but if this is too much there will be artifacts
** If adjusting the max frontal & rear distance doesn't help, you'll need to use cage
* Often if the model has small gaps etc a cage is needed for a clean bake
* '''The cage is an inflated version of the model that covers the actual model, and lets the baking program know where the mesh starts and ends'''
* The cage should be done after the mesh is finished and has the UVs and everything, the cage should have the exact same UVs as the actual model
* You can use Modo's deformation tool Push for making the cage of the mesh:
** Duplicate the model on new layer (all layers need to be merged so there's only one layer) & use push to inflate it so that the high poly mesh is mostly covered with the cage mesh
** Make sure not to inflate too much, try to keep the cage as small as possible so that it neatly covers the high poly and doesn't go inside itself in any tough spot
** If the cage goes inside itself or doesn't cover enough, you can edit it by moving the vertices around by hand. This is pretty much always the case when a cage is needed for a clean bake.
** A good starting point is to cover most of the mesh using push but then adjust the rest by hand
* ATTENTION! If your model has several texture sets, each set should have a separate cage and the maps need to be baked in Painter one at a time for each texture set
[[File:How to create a cage model for baking.jpg|1600px]]

== Baking in xNormal ==
https://xnormal.net
* XNormal is good for baking transparency/alpha, because it has many different baking options for it
** The software looks old and funky, but is still used in the industry by many artists due to its reliability
* When baking a normal map use setting '''-Y''', because the inverted way is used in our Editor
* When baking a color id map you might want to use Antialiasing x1 to create crisp edges for masking in Substance Painter
* '''It is highly recommended to triangulate your lowpoly and cage mesh for XNormal'''
** Otherwise you might get errors in the bake
* Remember to change the file name after a successful bake
** Otherwise it will overwrite the file if you bake another map with xNormal

=== Baking Opacity Maps in xNormal ===
* Images below show how to bake opacity maps with XNormal: <br/>
<gallery widths=400px heights=400px mode="nolines">
File:xnornmal_for_opacity_01.jpg
File:xnornmal_for_opacity_02.jpg
File:xnornmal_for_opacity_03.jpg
File:xnornmal_for_opacity_04.jpg
</gallery>

* When baking opacity, set the texture resolution one step higher than what it should be for the asset you are making
** After baking, reduce the size of the baked opacity to the correct size
** This gives you smoother edges to the alpha map, because Photoshop does a good job of smoothing when sizing down pixels
* '''Remember to also have no padding in your opacity bake'''!
* After the bake you will have to also delete the alpha channel from the texture for it to work properly in Substance Painter
** Delete the alpha channel from the baked highpoly base texture map, too
* Picture below shows how to do that
* In Photoshop it's also handy to now make an inverted alpha map for Modo
** Below pictures show steps for that, too
<gallery widths=300px heights=300px mode="nolines">
File:vegetation_delete_alpha_channel.jpg|Delete alpha channel
File:baked_hp_maps.jpg|Two maps baked with Xnormal from HP
File:inverted_map_for_modo_opacity.jpg|Inverted opacity map for Modo
File:Modo_opacity_for_vege.jpg|How to view opacity in Modo
</gallery>

=== Baking Vertex Colors in xNormal ===
* Related: [[3D Asset Workflow: Vegetation]]
* If you are not using textures from the highpoly model, but want to bake vertex colors, XNormal can do that too
** You can also do it in Substance Painter - in it the vertex colors will be baked to the ID Map slot
* '''Make sure you have padding on'''
** Without padding, wrong colors will bleed to the edges of the transparency map, when e.g. the vegetation switches to LOD
* Pictures below show how to bake vertex color with XNormal:
<gallery widths=400px heights=400px mode="nolines">
File:xnormal_vc_baking.jpg
File:xnormal_vc_baking_02.jpg
</gallery>

=== Adding an Externally Baked Opacity Map to a Substance Painter Project ===
# Add opacity channel from the small plus icon at the Texture Settings panel
# Select the shader "pbr-metal-rough-with-alpha-test" at the Viewer Settings panel
# Select the right texture set in which you want to add the opacity from the Texture Set List panel
# Import the Opacity Map by dragging it in the Texture Shelf
# Opacity Map is a black and white map, in which the white will be visible, and the black will be transparent
# Add a Fill Layer from the Layers Panel
# Leave only the "op" Opacity Channel active from the Properties - Fill Material panel
# Drag and drop the alpha map from the Texture Shelf to the Base color button at the Properties - Fill Material Panel
# Notice that the Opacity will not be working if you check the different channels using "C" - it's only visible in the material mode "M", where you can see all the channels combined

<gallery widths=400px heights=400px mode="nolines">
File:substance_opacity_00.jpg
File:substance_opacity_01.jpg
File:substance_opacity_02.jpg
</gallery>

3D Asset Workflow: UV Mapping

2023-09-04T06:18:49Z

Mio Mäkijärvi:

3D Asset Workflow: Retopology

2023-09-04T06:18:32Z

Mio Mäkijärvi:

3D Asset Workflow: Sculpting

2023-09-04T06:18:16Z

Mio Mäkijärvi:

<div style="border-bottom:2px solid #99aac7; background:#d0def5; padding:0.4em 0.5em; font-size:130%; margin-bottom: 25px; text-align: center; float:top;">
⬑ [[3D Asset Workflow]]</div>
<div style="border-bottom:2px solid #99aac7; background:#d0def5; padding:0.4em 0.5em; font-size:130%; float:right; margin-bottom: 25px;">
Next step: [[3D Asset Workflow: Retopology]] →</div>
<div style="border-bottom:2px solid #99aac7; background:#d0def5; padding:0.4em 0.5em; font-size:130%; float:left; margin-bottom: 25px;">
← Previous step: [[3D Asset Workflow: Concepting]]</div>

<div style="padding-right: 10px; padding-left: 1000px; padding-top: 60px; padding-bottom: 80px;">
{{#lst:3D Asset Workflow}} 
</div>
= Summary =
* Sculpting means creating a highpoly mesh in e.g. ZBrush, which can then be used as a reference model for the lowpoly mesh
** '''The highpoly mesh is never used in the game as is''', but its information will be baked onto the game-friendly lowpoly mesh
* [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Troubleshooting#Sculpting|Troubleshooting]]

== Sculpting Workflow Steps ==
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Sculpting#Using_a_base_mesh:|Prepare a base mesh in Modo]] OR start with a primitive shape in ZBrush
#* You can also recycle models you have done before to speed up the process
# Make sure you have everything in the '''correct scale''' from the very beginning - it helps to have a character model from the game you are working on as a subtool in your scene
#* ''For reference, the characters in the Trineverse games are 2m tall''
# '''Keep the resolution of the mesh as low as possible at first''', until the '''general shape''' is established
#* Show this version to the AD '''before''' adding more subdivisions and details, as it's '''easier to make possibly required changes at this point rather than later'''
# '''Keep the big picture in mind at all times!'''
#* If your model (or set of models) consists of several pieces, make all of them as a '''rough low res version''' first, NOT one piece at a time from start to finish
# '''Keep checking the asset from the distance in which it's probably seen in the game''', to make sure the '''detail level is not too dense''' and '''the silhouette is readable'''
#* If some of the detail work is smaller than one pixel on the screen, it's be unreadable and might flicker
# Once the asset is otherwise finished, it is usually a good idea to add a layer of '''damage and scratches''' etc
#* Leep in mind the possible mirroring and tiling of the UVs
#** Big dents and other details will repeat if you are not careful!
# Trine style assets should be crooked and not exactly symmetrical, but '''keep the sculpt version symmetrical if possible, so that the retopo is easy to do'''
#* It'll be much easier to have a clean symmetrical sculpt to retopo and bake, and modify the final textured lowpoly mesh to be bent, crooked and unsymmetrical
# Once you are happy with the sculpt, use Decimation Master to make the mesh lower resolution while keeping the details
#* You can '''decimate''' to the point just before it starts to show too much (keep the game camera distance in mind here too)
#** You can use this decimated mesh for both '''retopo in Modo''' and '''baking in the Substance Painter'''
# '''Name all your subtools'''
#* They should have a suffix, e.g. _hp or _high, to separate them from their lowpoly counterparts when [[3D Asset Workflow: Baking|baking]]
# '''[[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Sculpting#Exporting_from_Zbrush|FBX Export]]''' the subtools to one FBX, which contains all your highpoly meshes
#* If the model's scale is off, check [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Troubleshooting#The_model.27s_scale_is_off_when_exporting_from_ZBrush_to_a_different_program|troubleshooting]]
# '''Import to Modo for retopoing'''

= Sculpting Tips & Tricks =
* ZBrush can feel a bit intimidating for a beginner, but there are tons and tons of free learning material online
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Good sites for more ZBrush info
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
** [http://pixologic.com/zclassroom/ ZClassroom]
** [https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=zbrush+tutorial YouTube]
*** For example:
*** [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkzopwqcFevYqrk_0MKIaUwrWYILzYsp6 Intro to ZBrush]
*** [https://www.youtube.com/user/Pavlovich2005/feed Michael Pavlovich zbrush tricks and hardsurface stuff]
</div>
</div>
* Everybody has their own way of working in ZBrush
** You can use any techniques you want and it's fine, as long as the resulting model looks good!

== How to Start Sculpting in ZBrush ==
* This guide image is meant for people '''who aren't familiar with the program''', so this can make the very first steps much easier
* Here you can also see one way of customizing your ZBrush layout and the brushes this artist uses most often
** Customizing your layout is really important for quick and smooth working, so don't be afraid to do it!
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
'''How to customize your ZBrush's layout for better workflow'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* Editing the positions of the different interface buttons etc can be done in the customization mode: Preferences -> Config -> Enable Customize
** Now with holding CTRL+ALT, you can drag and drop different features from the menus to your custom setup on the sides of the viewport, and rearrange their positions too
* When you are done, remember to turn the Enable Customize mode off and Config -> Store Config and Save UI
</div>
</div>
[[File:How to start sculpting in zbrush.jpg|1000px|center]]

== Using a Base Mesh ==
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
'''Guides for using a base mesh'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* You can use a base mesh you make in Modo before starting the sculpting
** You can also skip this part and start in ZBrush from a basic primitive shape of your choosing
* Base meshes can be useful especially in hard surface modeling
* You can also use some of your old sculpts or models as starting points
** If you often make similar models, like humanoid characters, you might want to start a library of base meshes to make your workflow faster

'''Exporting the base mesh from Modo'''
* Separate mesh layers exported from Modo convert automatically to subtools when using FBX, and the scale stays consistent when you use the same format
* Once you have modeled the base mesh, export as FBX from Modo
* In Modo, go to Game Tools tab and use the following settings:
** '''Export file:''' FBX 2014
** '''Export type:''' Export selected
** '''Check only:''' Save Geometry (other settings don't matter at this point)
** '''Units:''' Millimeters (might depend on what is set as default units in Modo)
** '''Scale multiplier:''' 1.0
* Select the mesh layers you want to export and Export As
* '''These settings make sure that the mesh scale stays the same in both Modo and ZBrush'''
[[File:Base_mesh_export.jpg|800px|alt=Export settings|FBX export settings for Zbrush and Substance|center]]

'''Importing the base mesh to Zbrush'''
# Go to ZPlugin > FBX ExportImport > Import
# Drag the model to the canvas
# Select '''Edit Mode''' from the top left menu
</div>
</div>

== Sculpting Techniques ==
=== Zbrush Tutorial: Panel Loops Ornament Technique ===
* Great technique for creating surface models and ornaments
** Features are used in this video:
*** Panel Loops
*** Masking
*** Symmetry
*** Morph target (kind of a layer that can be "erased")

[[File:Zbrush tutorial panel loops ornament technique 01.mp4|1000px|center]]

== Morph Brush ==
{{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_wKwXwjcZs&t=}}

== Sculpting Tip Gallery ==
<gallery widths=400px heights=400px mode="packed">
File:Overpaint_canon_ornaments.jpg|General direction should be simple and all the forms should support that same flow for a clear and readable, flowing design
File:Straight vs crooked.jpg|Shape language: straight v. crooked
File:Trine Flourish Curve Style Guide.jpg|<i>PHOTO:Multiple [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Sculpting#Sources|Sources]]</i></small>
File:Trine 3D bolts tips 01.jpg|90 degree angled bolt can look very flat when viewed from top directly, while beveled version looks good and three dimensional from all the angles
File:Trine style details sculpt tips.jpg|Details should have depth and not just look like they are drawn on
File:Tree trunk shapes tips.jpg|An example image of adding variation to a tree trunk
File:Tree fow sculpt 3D flow overpaint 2.png|Tree flow example
File:Tree fow sculpt 3D flow overpaint 1.png|Tree flow example
</gallery>

== Sculpting a Set ==

* Try to always think about the '''most optimal way of creating the set'''
** Don't create unnecessary unique pieces - '''recycle whenever you can!'''
** You can also '''save texture space''' by having [[3D Asset Workflow: Tile Textures and Trimsheets|tile texture or trimsheets]] for the whole set, or just some parts
** You can make a set of only few pieces, and use that to build various assets
*** For example, if you make a chair, you can just make one chair leg
**** After retopoing and UV mapping it, copy & paste the chair leg so that you have four legged chair
* '''Optimizing & recycling is the key!'''
[[File:Modular set recycling.jpg|800px|center]]

=== How Many Variations? ===
* Often with environmental 3D assets, the task is to '''sculpt a set of assets that can be used in many ways by the level artists'''
** It can be e.g. a set of trees or a set of modular pieces like fences, that can be '''combined together in several ways to create different arrangements out of the same pieces'''
* With organic stuff like trees, plants, rocks etc., a good amount is usually '''three (3) different variations''' of the same thing
** '''Having too many variations is bad, because more time is used to make them, but not much more value is added to the set'''
** '''Don't make extra variations just in case they are needed''', make the optimal amount and once it's used in the game, we'll know if more variations are needed - only make them if there is a real need
** '''The amount of the asset variations should be optimized as well as the geometry of the model'''
** Level artists can work wonders even with one good rock asset by rotating and scaling it
* To create an optimal set, '''discuss with the level artists and ask what their preferences are'''
** '''It's important to keep general assets quite general looking, as they are used a lot around the levels'''
** If you make three variations of a tree/rock/etc. '''make sure that they are different shape/size with each other''' to get the maximal variation out of them
** '''Make the different sides of one asset look different''', that way you have lots of variation even inside the one asset
*** It can be copied and rotated to make look like a different asset

* One asset viewed from four directions = looks like there are four different assets:
[[File:Wrecking ball renders.jpg | 900px|center]]

* These three variations of the same type of tree are enough to build a forest
** Notice how they all have different shape but are still quite general:
[[File:Flowertree combined.jpg| 900px|center]]

= Exporting from Zbrush =
* When your sculpt is finished and decimated, it needs to be exported from ZBrush
** After that, a lowpoly mesh can be created in Modo via retopoing on top of the highpoly mesh

== Decimate ==
* Once you are happy with the sculpt:
# Use Decimation Master to make the mesh lower resolution while keeping the details
#* Decimate your sculpt using Decimation Master in the ZPlugins tab
# You'll first need to pre-process each piece, and then decimate
# You can decimate to the point just before it starts to show too much (keep the game camera distance in mind here too)

== Color ID ==
* Apply solid colors to your sculpt using polypaint (Color > FillObject)
* This will later be used as an ID Map in Substance Painter, so '''use the same color when coloring parts that have the same material'''
* If you plan to have only one subtool/retopo mesh, you can also use polygroups instead of polypaint as IDs for faster results, but the same polypaint can be applied across subtools whereas polygroups cannot
# Clean up your subtools
#* Figure out which parts of your sculpt will be separated when baking, and group them up under the same subtools
# Name the subtools consistently
#* Each subtool should have a suffix such as e.g. _hp or _high - it doesn't matter as long as it's the same for all of them
#** This is to separate the highpoly models from their lowpoly counterparts when paking
* An example of subtool naming:
[[File:Subtools.PNG|alt=Subtools|An example of subtool naming|center]]
* A highpoly sculpt with different materials masked using polypaint/vertex color:
[[File:Polypaint.PNG|500px|alt=Vertex color masking|A highpoly sculpt with different materials masked using polypaint/vertex color|center]]

== Exporting ==
* You can use either FBX or OBJ for exporting meshes out of ZBrush
** FBX is usually the best option as it '''keeps the separate subtools as separate layers in Modo'''
** OBJ can be used if you '''only have one merged piece''', and you '''don't need to bake any parts separately'''

=== Exporting as FBX ===
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Exporting as FBX
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* Export your sculpt using ZPlugin > FBX ExportImport
* FBX should be used since it retains the polypaint/vertex colors and named subtools in one file
* Use the following settings:
** '''Visible'''
** '''FBX 2014'''
** '''bin'''
** '''MayaYUp'''
* Then the FBX can be imported to Modo for [[3D Asset Workflow: Retopology|retopo]]
** In Modo's FBX import dialogue, leave '''load mesh smoothness''' unchecked
*** Zbrush adds two subdivisions to the FBX export - unchecking smoothness removes this
** There might be some scale issues when exporting as FBX, check the [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Troubleshooting#The_model.27s_scale_is_off_when_exporting_from_ZBrush_to_a_different_program|troubleshooting page]] if this happens
</div>
</div>

=== Exporting as OBJ ===
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Exporting as OBJ
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* One subtool can be exported as an OBJ
* It's done from the Tools menu "Import", and by selecting the file format OBJ
* '''OBJ format doesn't have layers like the FBX format'''
* OBJ scales should work nicely as is when exporting from ZBrush and importing to Modo
* Then the OBJ can be imported to Modo for [[3D Asset Workflow: Retopology|retopo]] ("Import as static mesh" option recommended)
</div>
</div>

== About export scales ==
* [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Troubleshooting#The_model.27s_scale_is_off_when_exporting_from_ZBrush_to_a_different_program|Troubleshooting]]
* ZBrush uses Mystery Units™ and doesn't recognize the metric system
** '''What ZBrush calls "scale" is actually the size of the ZTool's bounding box in Mystery Units™'''
* In general, we use millimeters for everything, but other units should work as well - '''as long as they are always the same across all applications'''
** 1 unit -> scaled to 1000 units = 1000mm = 1m
** To fix this, once you are ready to export, go to Tool -> Export -> Scale
[[File:Zbrush fbx export scale.png|ZBrush FBX export scale for a program that uses millimeters as a default scale]]

= Updating ZBrush =
* There are two kinds of updates for ZBrush:
** Smaller updates that can be done with the ZUpgrader.exe found in the Program files (For example: C:\Program Files\Pixologic\ZBrush 2022)
** Bigger updates where the version number changes (For example from version 2021 to version 2022) and for these the ZBrush needs to be completely re-installed
* When updating ZBrush to a completely new version, you need to make some effort to get the settings from the old version to the new version

== The UI and Hotkeys settings ==
* In the old/current version of ZBrush, make sure all your settings are up to date and saved
** Preferences -> Config -> Save UI
** Preferences -> Hotkeys -> Save

* In the new version of ZBrush you can then load the UI and Hotkeys settings you saved from the old version
** Preferences -> Config -> Load Ui -> Load the file you just saved in the previous version -> Store Config (to save as the default in startup)
** Preferences -> Hotkeys -> Load -> Load the file you just saved in the previous version -> Store (to save as the default in startup)

== Plugins, Custom Brushes, Custom Materials, Custom Alphas ==
* Still missing from the latest version are the
** Plugins
** Custom Brushes
** Custom Materials
** Custom Alphas
# Go to the previous version's startup folder (for example C:\Program Files\Pixologic\ZBrush 2021\ZStartup)
# Copy the custom plugins from the startup folder (for example C:\Program Files\Pixologic\ZBrush 2021\ZStartup\ZPlugs64) and paste them to the new version's equivalent folder (for example C:\Program Files\Pixologic\ZBrush 2021\ZStartup\ZPlugs64)
# Do the same for the Alphas, BrushPresets and Materials and any other possible customized things that you might have in the old version
#* For the ZbBush default things it's best to keep the new things and '''not replace them with the older versions''' in case there might be some changes in the new version
#* For example don't replace the ZStartup -> ZPlugs64 new version folder (For example TransposeMasterData_2022) with the older version (For example TransposeMasterData_2021), those have the version year number in the end for a reason.
# If you start getting some weird pop ups about missing files when opening the new version of ZBrush, it might be that you have some old version folders accidentally copied to the new ZbBush folders

== Other settings ==
* Document:
** Adjust up the Width and Height -> Resize to cover the full viewport area
** Bg color: Range 0
** Save as Startup Doc (The settings will be saved as default)
* Material -> Save As Startup Material
** Select a material you want to always be the default when opening ZBrush

= Frozenbyte sculpt examples =
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Highpoly model gallery
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
<gallery widths=300px heights=300px mode="nolines">

File:Amadeus sculpt screenshots fullbody 01.png
File:Amadeus sculpt screenshots head 01.png

File:Beam set sculpt.jpg
File:General items sculpt.jpg
File:Pumpkings.jpg
File:Undergrowth plant 03.jpg
File:Lakka new 02.jpg
File:SpruceRender03.jpg
File:MoonlitForestVegetationSculpts01.jpg
File:BadgersHerbs 02.jpg
File:PineBranch01Render01.jpg
File:Tree sculpt3.jpg
File:Peacock4.jpg
File:BadgersKitchenItems sculpts01.jpg

File:Warlock wizard sculpt screenshots full body.png
File:Warlock wizard sculpt screenshots head.png
File:Healer sculpt1.png
File:Healer sculpt head1.png
File:Ice wizard sculpt screenshots full body.jpg
File:Ice wizard sculpt screenshots head.jpg

File:Enforcer sculpt ct.png
File:Tundrahumanoid hipo.jpg
File:Mistymountainsboss wip.jpg

File:Possessed boss sculpt wip 01.png
File:Kiltti kappa.png

</gallery>
</div></div>

=Sources=
<small>
[PHOTO: Trine Flourish Curve Style Guide.jpg] - Source list :<br>
*Img. 1. [Barcelona Steel Door] https://www.pinterest.de/pin/293367363199673143/ (accessed June 5, 2018)<br>
*Img. 2. [STD Privacy Gates - ALLIED GATE companyALLIED GATE company] http://www.alliedgate.com/irongates/iron-gate-photos/std-privacy-gates/ (accessed June 6, 2018)
*Img. 3. [Андрій Метельський - Різьба по дереву - різних майстрів. | OK] https://ok.ru/andry.metelsky/album/582642885456/582712663376 (accessed June 6, 2018)
</small>

3D Asset Workflow: Sculpting

2023-09-04T06:17:49Z

Mio Mäkijärvi:

<div style="border-bottom:2px solid #99aac7; background:#d0def5; padding:0.4em 0.5em; font-size:130%; margin-bottom: 25px; text-align: center; float:top;">
⬑ [[3D Asset Workflow]]</div>
<div style="border-bottom:2px solid #99aac7; background:#d0def5; padding:0.4em 0.5em; font-size:130%; float:right; margin-bottom: 25px;">
Next step: [[3D Asset Workflow: Retopo and UVs]] →</div>
<div style="border-bottom:2px solid #99aac7; background:#d0def5; padding:0.4em 0.5em; font-size:130%; float:left; margin-bottom: 25px;">
← Previous step: [[3D Asset Workflow: Concepting]]</div>

<div style="padding-right: 10px; padding-left: 1000px; padding-top: 60px; padding-bottom: 80px;">
{{#lst:3D Asset Workflow}} 
</div>
= Summary =
* Sculpting means creating a highpoly mesh in e.g. ZBrush, which can then be used as a reference model for the lowpoly mesh
** '''The highpoly mesh is never used in the game as is''', but its information will be baked onto the game-friendly lowpoly mesh
* [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Troubleshooting#Sculpting|Troubleshooting]]

== Sculpting Workflow Steps ==
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Sculpting#Using_a_base_mesh:|Prepare a base mesh in Modo]] OR start with a primitive shape in ZBrush
#* You can also recycle models you have done before to speed up the process
# Make sure you have everything in the '''correct scale''' from the very beginning - it helps to have a character model from the game you are working on as a subtool in your scene
#* ''For reference, the characters in the Trineverse games are 2m tall''
# '''Keep the resolution of the mesh as low as possible at first''', until the '''general shape''' is established
#* Show this version to the AD '''before''' adding more subdivisions and details, as it's '''easier to make possibly required changes at this point rather than later'''
# '''Keep the big picture in mind at all times!'''
#* If your model (or set of models) consists of several pieces, make all of them as a '''rough low res version''' first, NOT one piece at a time from start to finish
# '''Keep checking the asset from the distance in which it's probably seen in the game''', to make sure the '''detail level is not too dense''' and '''the silhouette is readable'''
#* If some of the detail work is smaller than one pixel on the screen, it's be unreadable and might flicker
# Once the asset is otherwise finished, it is usually a good idea to add a layer of '''damage and scratches''' etc
#* Leep in mind the possible mirroring and tiling of the UVs
#** Big dents and other details will repeat if you are not careful!
# Trine style assets should be crooked and not exactly symmetrical, but '''keep the sculpt version symmetrical if possible, so that the retopo is easy to do'''
#* It'll be much easier to have a clean symmetrical sculpt to retopo and bake, and modify the final textured lowpoly mesh to be bent, crooked and unsymmetrical
# Once you are happy with the sculpt, use Decimation Master to make the mesh lower resolution while keeping the details
#* You can '''decimate''' to the point just before it starts to show too much (keep the game camera distance in mind here too)
#** You can use this decimated mesh for both '''retopo in Modo''' and '''baking in the Substance Painter'''
# '''Name all your subtools'''
#* They should have a suffix, e.g. _hp or _high, to separate them from their lowpoly counterparts when [[3D Asset Workflow: Baking|baking]]
# '''[[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Sculpting#Exporting_from_Zbrush|FBX Export]]''' the subtools to one FBX, which contains all your highpoly meshes
#* If the model's scale is off, check [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Troubleshooting#The_model.27s_scale_is_off_when_exporting_from_ZBrush_to_a_different_program|troubleshooting]]
# '''Import to Modo for retopoing'''

= Sculpting Tips & Tricks =
* ZBrush can feel a bit intimidating for a beginner, but there are tons and tons of free learning material online
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Good sites for more ZBrush info
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
** [http://pixologic.com/zclassroom/ ZClassroom]
** [https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=zbrush+tutorial YouTube]
*** For example:
*** [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkzopwqcFevYqrk_0MKIaUwrWYILzYsp6 Intro to ZBrush]
*** [https://www.youtube.com/user/Pavlovich2005/feed Michael Pavlovich zbrush tricks and hardsurface stuff]
</div>
</div>
* Everybody has their own way of working in ZBrush
** You can use any techniques you want and it's fine, as long as the resulting model looks good!

== How to Start Sculpting in ZBrush ==
* This guide image is meant for people '''who aren't familiar with the program''', so this can make the very first steps much easier
* Here you can also see one way of customizing your ZBrush layout and the brushes this artist uses most often
** Customizing your layout is really important for quick and smooth working, so don't be afraid to do it!
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
'''How to customize your ZBrush's layout for better workflow'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* Editing the positions of the different interface buttons etc can be done in the customization mode: Preferences -> Config -> Enable Customize
** Now with holding CTRL+ALT, you can drag and drop different features from the menus to your custom setup on the sides of the viewport, and rearrange their positions too
* When you are done, remember to turn the Enable Customize mode off and Config -> Store Config and Save UI
</div>
</div>
[[File:How to start sculpting in zbrush.jpg|1000px|center]]

== Using a Base Mesh ==
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
'''Guides for using a base mesh'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* You can use a base mesh you make in Modo before starting the sculpting
** You can also skip this part and start in ZBrush from a basic primitive shape of your choosing
* Base meshes can be useful especially in hard surface modeling
* You can also use some of your old sculpts or models as starting points
** If you often make similar models, like humanoid characters, you might want to start a library of base meshes to make your workflow faster

'''Exporting the base mesh from Modo'''
* Separate mesh layers exported from Modo convert automatically to subtools when using FBX, and the scale stays consistent when you use the same format
* Once you have modeled the base mesh, export as FBX from Modo
* In Modo, go to Game Tools tab and use the following settings:
** '''Export file:''' FBX 2014
** '''Export type:''' Export selected
** '''Check only:''' Save Geometry (other settings don't matter at this point)
** '''Units:''' Millimeters (might depend on what is set as default units in Modo)
** '''Scale multiplier:''' 1.0
* Select the mesh layers you want to export and Export As
* '''These settings make sure that the mesh scale stays the same in both Modo and ZBrush'''
[[File:Base_mesh_export.jpg|800px|alt=Export settings|FBX export settings for Zbrush and Substance|center]]

'''Importing the base mesh to Zbrush'''
# Go to ZPlugin > FBX ExportImport > Import
# Drag the model to the canvas
# Select '''Edit Mode''' from the top left menu
</div>
</div>

== Sculpting Techniques ==
=== Zbrush Tutorial: Panel Loops Ornament Technique ===
* Great technique for creating surface models and ornaments
** Features are used in this video:
*** Panel Loops
*** Masking
*** Symmetry
*** Morph target (kind of a layer that can be "erased")

[[File:Zbrush tutorial panel loops ornament technique 01.mp4|1000px|center]]

== Morph Brush ==
{{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_wKwXwjcZs&t=}}

== Sculpting Tip Gallery ==
<gallery widths=400px heights=400px mode="packed">
File:Overpaint_canon_ornaments.jpg|General direction should be simple and all the forms should support that same flow for a clear and readable, flowing design
File:Straight vs crooked.jpg|Shape language: straight v. crooked
File:Trine Flourish Curve Style Guide.jpg|<i>PHOTO:Multiple [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Sculpting#Sources|Sources]]</i></small>
File:Trine 3D bolts tips 01.jpg|90 degree angled bolt can look very flat when viewed from top directly, while beveled version looks good and three dimensional from all the angles
File:Trine style details sculpt tips.jpg|Details should have depth and not just look like they are drawn on
File:Tree trunk shapes tips.jpg|An example image of adding variation to a tree trunk
File:Tree fow sculpt 3D flow overpaint 2.png|Tree flow example
File:Tree fow sculpt 3D flow overpaint 1.png|Tree flow example
</gallery>

== Sculpting a Set ==

* Try to always think about the '''most optimal way of creating the set'''
** Don't create unnecessary unique pieces - '''recycle whenever you can!'''
** You can also '''save texture space''' by having [[3D Asset Workflow: Tile Textures and Trimsheets|tile texture or trimsheets]] for the whole set, or just some parts
** You can make a set of only few pieces, and use that to build various assets
*** For example, if you make a chair, you can just make one chair leg
**** After retopoing and UV mapping it, copy & paste the chair leg so that you have four legged chair
* '''Optimizing & recycling is the key!'''
[[File:Modular set recycling.jpg|800px|center]]

=== How Many Variations? ===
* Often with environmental 3D assets, the task is to '''sculpt a set of assets that can be used in many ways by the level artists'''
** It can be e.g. a set of trees or a set of modular pieces like fences, that can be '''combined together in several ways to create different arrangements out of the same pieces'''
* With organic stuff like trees, plants, rocks etc., a good amount is usually '''three (3) different variations''' of the same thing
** '''Having too many variations is bad, because more time is used to make them, but not much more value is added to the set'''
** '''Don't make extra variations just in case they are needed''', make the optimal amount and once it's used in the game, we'll know if more variations are needed - only make them if there is a real need
** '''The amount of the asset variations should be optimized as well as the geometry of the model'''
** Level artists can work wonders even with one good rock asset by rotating and scaling it
* To create an optimal set, '''discuss with the level artists and ask what their preferences are'''
** '''It's important to keep general assets quite general looking, as they are used a lot around the levels'''
** If you make three variations of a tree/rock/etc. '''make sure that they are different shape/size with each other''' to get the maximal variation out of them
** '''Make the different sides of one asset look different''', that way you have lots of variation even inside the one asset
*** It can be copied and rotated to make look like a different asset

* One asset viewed from four directions = looks like there are four different assets:
[[File:Wrecking ball renders.jpg | 900px|center]]

* These three variations of the same type of tree are enough to build a forest
** Notice how they all have different shape but are still quite general:
[[File:Flowertree combined.jpg| 900px|center]]

= Exporting from Zbrush =
* When your sculpt is finished and decimated, it needs to be exported from ZBrush
** After that, a lowpoly mesh can be created in Modo via retopoing on top of the highpoly mesh

== Decimate ==
* Once you are happy with the sculpt:
# Use Decimation Master to make the mesh lower resolution while keeping the details
#* Decimate your sculpt using Decimation Master in the ZPlugins tab
# You'll first need to pre-process each piece, and then decimate
# You can decimate to the point just before it starts to show too much (keep the game camera distance in mind here too)

== Color ID ==
* Apply solid colors to your sculpt using polypaint (Color > FillObject)
* This will later be used as an ID Map in Substance Painter, so '''use the same color when coloring parts that have the same material'''
* If you plan to have only one subtool/retopo mesh, you can also use polygroups instead of polypaint as IDs for faster results, but the same polypaint can be applied across subtools whereas polygroups cannot
# Clean up your subtools
#* Figure out which parts of your sculpt will be separated when baking, and group them up under the same subtools
# Name the subtools consistently
#* Each subtool should have a suffix such as e.g. _hp or _high - it doesn't matter as long as it's the same for all of them
#** This is to separate the highpoly models from their lowpoly counterparts when paking
* An example of subtool naming:
[[File:Subtools.PNG|alt=Subtools|An example of subtool naming|center]]
* A highpoly sculpt with different materials masked using polypaint/vertex color:
[[File:Polypaint.PNG|500px|alt=Vertex color masking|A highpoly sculpt with different materials masked using polypaint/vertex color|center]]

== Exporting ==
* You can use either FBX or OBJ for exporting meshes out of ZBrush
** FBX is usually the best option as it '''keeps the separate subtools as separate layers in Modo'''
** OBJ can be used if you '''only have one merged piece''', and you '''don't need to bake any parts separately'''

=== Exporting as FBX ===
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Exporting as FBX
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* Export your sculpt using ZPlugin > FBX ExportImport
* FBX should be used since it retains the polypaint/vertex colors and named subtools in one file
* Use the following settings:
** '''Visible'''
** '''FBX 2014'''
** '''bin'''
** '''MayaYUp'''
* Then the FBX can be imported to Modo for [[3D Asset Workflow: Retopology|retopo]]
** In Modo's FBX import dialogue, leave '''load mesh smoothness''' unchecked
*** Zbrush adds two subdivisions to the FBX export - unchecking smoothness removes this
** There might be some scale issues when exporting as FBX, check the [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Troubleshooting#The_model.27s_scale_is_off_when_exporting_from_ZBrush_to_a_different_program|troubleshooting page]] if this happens
</div>
</div>

=== Exporting as OBJ ===
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Exporting as OBJ
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* One subtool can be exported as an OBJ
* It's done from the Tools menu "Import", and by selecting the file format OBJ
* '''OBJ format doesn't have layers like the FBX format'''
* OBJ scales should work nicely as is when exporting from ZBrush and importing to Modo
* Then the OBJ can be imported to Modo for [[3D Asset Workflow: Retopology|retopo]] ("Import as static mesh" option recommended)
</div>
</div>

== About export scales ==
* [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Troubleshooting#The_model.27s_scale_is_off_when_exporting_from_ZBrush_to_a_different_program|Troubleshooting]]
* ZBrush uses Mystery Units™ and doesn't recognize the metric system
** '''What ZBrush calls "scale" is actually the size of the ZTool's bounding box in Mystery Units™'''
* In general, we use millimeters for everything, but other units should work as well - '''as long as they are always the same across all applications'''
** 1 unit -> scaled to 1000 units = 1000mm = 1m
** To fix this, once you are ready to export, go to Tool -> Export -> Scale
[[File:Zbrush fbx export scale.png|ZBrush FBX export scale for a program that uses millimeters as a default scale]]

= Updating ZBrush =
* There are two kinds of updates for ZBrush:
** Smaller updates that can be done with the ZUpgrader.exe found in the Program files (For example: C:\Program Files\Pixologic\ZBrush 2022)
** Bigger updates where the version number changes (For example from version 2021 to version 2022) and for these the ZBrush needs to be completely re-installed
* When updating ZBrush to a completely new version, you need to make some effort to get the settings from the old version to the new version

== The UI and Hotkeys settings ==
* In the old/current version of ZBrush, make sure all your settings are up to date and saved
** Preferences -> Config -> Save UI
** Preferences -> Hotkeys -> Save

* In the new version of ZBrush you can then load the UI and Hotkeys settings you saved from the old version
** Preferences -> Config -> Load Ui -> Load the file you just saved in the previous version -> Store Config (to save as the default in startup)
** Preferences -> Hotkeys -> Load -> Load the file you just saved in the previous version -> Store (to save as the default in startup)

== Plugins, Custom Brushes, Custom Materials, Custom Alphas ==
* Still missing from the latest version are the
** Plugins
** Custom Brushes
** Custom Materials
** Custom Alphas
# Go to the previous version's startup folder (for example C:\Program Files\Pixologic\ZBrush 2021\ZStartup)
# Copy the custom plugins from the startup folder (for example C:\Program Files\Pixologic\ZBrush 2021\ZStartup\ZPlugs64) and paste them to the new version's equivalent folder (for example C:\Program Files\Pixologic\ZBrush 2021\ZStartup\ZPlugs64)
# Do the same for the Alphas, BrushPresets and Materials and any other possible customized things that you might have in the old version
#* For the ZbBush default things it's best to keep the new things and '''not replace them with the older versions''' in case there might be some changes in the new version
#* For example don't replace the ZStartup -> ZPlugs64 new version folder (For example TransposeMasterData_2022) with the older version (For example TransposeMasterData_2021), those have the version year number in the end for a reason.
# If you start getting some weird pop ups about missing files when opening the new version of ZBrush, it might be that you have some old version folders accidentally copied to the new ZbBush folders

== Other settings ==
* Document:
** Adjust up the Width and Height -> Resize to cover the full viewport area
** Bg color: Range 0
** Save as Startup Doc (The settings will be saved as default)
* Material -> Save As Startup Material
** Select a material you want to always be the default when opening ZBrush

= Frozenbyte sculpt examples =
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Highpoly model gallery
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
<gallery widths=300px heights=300px mode="nolines">

File:Amadeus sculpt screenshots fullbody 01.png
File:Amadeus sculpt screenshots head 01.png

File:Beam set sculpt.jpg
File:General items sculpt.jpg
File:Pumpkings.jpg
File:Undergrowth plant 03.jpg
File:Lakka new 02.jpg
File:SpruceRender03.jpg
File:MoonlitForestVegetationSculpts01.jpg
File:BadgersHerbs 02.jpg
File:PineBranch01Render01.jpg
File:Tree sculpt3.jpg
File:Peacock4.jpg
File:BadgersKitchenItems sculpts01.jpg

File:Warlock wizard sculpt screenshots full body.png
File:Warlock wizard sculpt screenshots head.png
File:Healer sculpt1.png
File:Healer sculpt head1.png
File:Ice wizard sculpt screenshots full body.jpg
File:Ice wizard sculpt screenshots head.jpg

File:Enforcer sculpt ct.png
File:Tundrahumanoid hipo.jpg
File:Mistymountainsboss wip.jpg

File:Possessed boss sculpt wip 01.png
File:Kiltti kappa.png

</gallery>
</div></div>

=Sources=
<small>
[PHOTO: Trine Flourish Curve Style Guide.jpg] - Source list :<br>
*Img. 1. [Barcelona Steel Door] https://www.pinterest.de/pin/293367363199673143/ (accessed June 5, 2018)<br>
*Img. 2. [STD Privacy Gates - ALLIED GATE companyALLIED GATE company] http://www.alliedgate.com/irongates/iron-gate-photos/std-privacy-gates/ (accessed June 6, 2018)
*Img. 3. [Андрій Метельський - Різьба по дереву - різних майстрів. | OK] https://ok.ru/andry.metelsky/album/582642885456/582712663376 (accessed June 6, 2018)
</small>

3D Asset Workflow: Concepting

2023-09-04T06:17:33Z

Mio Mäkijärvi:

3D Asset Workflow: Retopology

2023-09-04T06:17:15Z

Mio Mäkijärvi:

3D Asset Workflow: Exporting to Editor

2023-09-04T06:16:54Z

Mio Mäkijärvi:

3D Asset Workflow: LODs

2023-09-04T06:16:23Z

Mio Mäkijärvi:

MediaWiki:Sidebar

2023-08-01T10:42:35Z

Mio Mäkijärvi:

Main Page

2023-08-01T07:46:22Z

Mio Mäkijärvi: /* 3D Asset Workflow Teaching Materials */

<strong>Welcome to the Frozenbyte public wiki!</strong>

This wiki provides information and documentation about Frozenbyte and the tools we use to create games and levels. If you have any questions or want something to be added to the wiki, note that you can also [http://www.frozenbyte.com/contact/ contact] Frozenbyte directly.

==3D Asset Workflow Teaching Materials==

* [[3D Asset Workflow]]
::: '''◇ Main Steps'''
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Concepting]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Sculpting]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Retopology]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: UV Mapping]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Baking]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Texturing]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Asset Assembling]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Naming the Asset]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: LODs]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Exporting to Editor]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Completed asset checklist]]

::: '''◇ Additional Steps'''
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Alternative Textures]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Billboards]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Blocksets]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Collisions]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Sikailu]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Sway]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Tile Textures and Trimsheets]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Tintmask]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Vegetation]]

::: '''◇ General Tips and Troubleshooting'''
* [[3D Asset Workflow: General Tips]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Troubleshooting]]

==Level Art Teaching Materials==

* [[Level Art]]
** [[Level Art: Color and Lighting]]
** [[Level Art: Composition]]
** [[Level Art: Environmental Storytelling]]
** [[Level Art: Ideas for New Levels]]
** [[Level Art: Level Art Related Gameplay Issues]]
** [[Level Art: The Level Art Phases]]

==Editor Tutorials==

This wiki features editor tutorials that introduce you to Frozenbyte editor. This section is for useful links about that.

*[[Shadwen_Editor_Tutorial|Shadwen Editor Tutorial]]

3D Asset Workflow: Collisions

2023-08-01T07:41:52Z

Mio Mäkijärvi:

<div style="border-bottom:2px solid #99aac7; background:#d0def5; padding:0.4em 0.5em; font-size:130%; margin-bottom: 25px; text-align: center; float:top;">
⬑ [[3D Asset Workflow]]</div>

<div style="padding-right: 10px; padding-left: 1000px; padding-top: 60px; padding-bottom: 80px;">
{{#lst:3D Asset Workflow}} 
</div>

=Collisions=
* Collisions are very simple and very low poly meshes that tell the game engine where the collideable edges of the model are
* Collisions can be divided into two categories; [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Collisions_and_Breakable_objects#Static_Collisions|static]] and [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Collisions_and_Breakable_objects#Dynamic_Collisions|dynamic]]
** Static objects are stationary, dynamic objects are dynamic, and can be e.g. thrown or kicked around the level, or otherwise interacted with
* When making collisions, be wary of sharp edges or holes, in which the characters can get stuck

== Static Collisions ==
* Collisions for objects which can't be manipulated by the characters in the game
* For example just a static piece of environment in the game that doesn't move in any way
* Can be made in one layer with multiple objects colliding with each other
* The collision layer must be parented with the original object
'''Naming:''' xx_static_collision

'''Example of the hierarchy:'''
# box
## box_static_collision

==Dynamic Collisions==
* Collisions for objects which move and/or can be manipulated by the characters in the game, for example dropped or kicked
* The collision objects can't be concave, so in most cases the dynamic collision must be made with many objects
* These must be separated to different layers, and can't collide with each other
* All the dynamic collision layers must be parented with the original object
'''Naming:''' xx_collision_dynamic(_01)

'''Example of the hierarchy:'''
# box
## box_collision_dynamic_01
## box_collision_dynamic_02
## box_collision_dynamic_03

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Examples of Static and Dynamic Collisions via images
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
[[File:Static and dynamic collisions.jpg|1000px]]
</div>
</div>

== Adding Collisions in Editor ==
* Once the collisions for each object are done in Modo, and the models are exported to the Editor, you need to add Components to the type to make the collisions actually work
* Most of the time you can just copy and paste the needed components from some existing model, that is similar to your new model
* It's good to copy the Components from objects that have similar material or size, but the shape doesn't matter because your object will use the collision model you made for it in Modo

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Image Guide to Adding Collisions in Editor, with Explanatory Texts
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
[[File:Copy component.jpg|600px|collision tips]]

* Select the model in Type Tree and see its Properties
* There should already be these Model Components
** ModelComponent
** TransformComponent
* You need to either copy or search and add these components
** HittableComponent
** ContactEffectCreatorComponent
** PhysicsComponent
*** StaticMesh (for static collision)
*** ConvexCompound (for dynamic collision)
* Copy by selecting the object you want to copy from in Type Tree and right click "Copy Components", don't copy ModelComponent and TransformComponent, DO NOT COPY FROM DYNAMIC TO STATIC OBJECT OR FROM STATIC TO DYNAMIC!
* If there aren't similar objects with collision in the game, Add by selecting the object you want to add to in Type Tree and right click "Add Component Type", then search the needed components
** In this case, you can either '''Add''' or '''Add and Inherit'''. By just Adding, the Components stay shared with the type you copied it from, with Add and Inherit you create a separate copy of the Component
[[File:Ohjeita editoriin ErilaistenModeliTyyppienKomponentit collisionit.jpg|1200px|Teemu's collision tips]]
</div>
</div>

3D Asset Workflow

2023-08-01T07:40:04Z

Mio Mäkijärvi:

<onlyinclude>
<div style="float:right; width:400px; background: #f3e9f5; border: 1px solid #666666; border-radius: 15px; padding: 15px;">
<div style="border-bottom:2px solid #bc82c8; background:#bc82c8; padding-top:5px; color:white;">
::: '''◇ Main Steps'''
</div>
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Concepting]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Sculpting]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Retopology]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: UV Mapping]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Baking]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Texturing]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Asset Assembling]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Naming the Asset]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: LODs]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Exporting to Editor]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Completed asset checklist]]
<div style="border-bottom:2px solid #bc82c8; background:#bc82c8; padding-top:5px; color:white;">
::: '''◇ Additional Steps'''
</div>
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Alternative Textures]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Billboards]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Blocksets]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Collisions]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Sikailu]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Sway]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Tile Textures and Trimsheets]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Tintmask]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Vegetation]]
<div style="border-bottom:2px solid #bc82c8; background:#bc82c8; padding-top:5px; color:white;">
::: '''◇ General Tips and Troubleshooting'''
</div>
* [[3D Asset Workflow: General Tips]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Troubleshooting]]
</div>
</onlyinclude>

= Summary =
* This is a series of wiki pages related to the '''3D asset creating process in the Trine Art Team at Frozenbyte'''
** With these guidelines, you should be able to create a '''game asset from an idea to a textured game model''' or, at the very least, get the needed information on what you should research and practice in order to achieve that
** The information on these sites is created and collected by our AD and the 3D artists, and these methods are used daily here in the Trine Art Team at Frozenbyte

== Trine Art Team Terminology ==
* Here in the Trine Art Team, we have some non-industry standard terminology we use to describe certain workflow stages
** They are listed here for future reference (in Finnish, with rough translations):
<br>
# '''Vessanpönttöily / lisätä vessanpönttöä''' = "toilet(-ing)" / "adding some toilet". Used to describe the stage in which the 3D artist adds some wonkiness and uneven-ness to the lowpoly model after it's otherwise completed. Especially completely symmetric assets usually need some vessanpönttöily done to them, to fit the Trine style better
# '''Juhlamokka / lisätä juhlamokkaa''' = "finetune (with passion and talent)". Juhla Mokka is a Finnish coffee brand, which had very specific marketing videos in the past, where they showcased professionals from different professions talking about their crafts, very intricately. Thus, when a 3D artist needs to finetune their model a bit (with passion and talent), it's called juhlamokka. A bit similar to vessanpönttöily, tho, in all reality
# '''[[3D Asset Workflow: Sikailu|Sikailu / sikailla]]''' = "to behave like a pig", a noun and a verb. Sometimes a 3D artist/level artist needs to take an already existing 3D model, and make something completely new out of it, using the parts of the old one. This happens when the old models do not 100% fit the desired design. Rather than making a new model out of scratch, sikailing it is way faster
# '''[[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Retopo_and_UVs#.22Triangelihuttu.22:_A_decimated_triangle_mesh_made_in_Zbrush_.26_cleaned_up_in_Modo|Triangelihuttu]]''' = "triangle porridge". A model that has generated triangle retopo instead of e.g. being retopoed by hand

= 3D Asset Workflow =
* In the Trine Art Team, the '''3D artists will take care of all of these steps when creating 3D assets'''
** [[3D Asset Workflow: Completed asset checklist]]
* The 3D artist gets to design the asset from the concept to the final asset
** The 3D artist is also responsible for '''making sure their asset works as it should in the Editor'''
[[File:3D Asset Workflow flowchart 30.5.2023.jpg|1500px|thumb|center]]

== 3D Workflow Steps ==
# '''Receiving a task'''
#* The 3D artist is responsible for making sure the task they received will be '''completed in a timely manner''', with the '''required specs in mind'''
#** Likewise, they're responsible for '''keeping the AD informed of their progress'''
#* In most cases, the 3D artist will have a couple of tasks at any given time
#** This is to ensure that they have things to do even if they need to e.g. wait for feedback for the other task
# '''The Idea '''
#* The 3D artist needs to make sure they understand the actual idea behind the asset; how it related to the story and it's surroundings, and what kind of reference images to use or search for
#* This part might require communicating with different team members, e.g. the AD, the designers, the script writer, and/or other artists
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Concepting|'''The Concept''']]
#* Once the idea is clear, some kind of concept is made
#** It can be e.g. '''rough drawing, a 3D blockout, or a photo bash''' - the point isn't to make anything polished, but to '''visualize the basic idea'''
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Sculpting|'''Highpoly Mesh, a Sculpt''']]
#* The detailed and performance heavy version of the mesh
#* Like in all the work phases, it's good to first sculpt a rough version of each piece, and get a confirmation from the AD that everything seems to be going as desired
# '''"Trash Version" of the lowpoly mesh, if the mesh is going to be animated'''
#* When making characters, it's good to give the animators a very crude lowpoly version of the mesh - this way the animators can point out possible problems early on, and fixes are easy to make
#** This can be done when all the proportions of the mesh are somewhat finished, but there is not detailing yet
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Retopo_and_UVs|'''Lowpoly mesh''']]
#* A less dense and engine-friendly approximation of the highpoly model
#* It's important to have the optimal amount of geometry (polygons) - not too little so that the mesh is too angular, but not too much so that the mesh is needlessly performance heavy
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Retopo_and_UVs#UV_mapping|'''UV mapping''']]
#* Creating the texture coordinates for the lowpoly mesh
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Baking|'''Baking''']]
#* Transferring details from the highpoly model to create a surface material for the lowpoly model
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Texturing|'''Texturing''']]
#* Adding all the materials and colors on the model
# [[3D Asset Workflow: Asset Assembling|'''Asset Assembling''']]
#* Assembling the assets to a coherent set, making use of duplicated and mirrored mesh parts
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Naming_the_Asset|'''Naming the Asset''']]
#* Please follow the project's naming instructions to the T!
# [[3D Asset Workflow: LODs|'''LODs''']]
#* Using a ready-made script to create even lower polycount versions of the lowpoly models, which can be switched on in the Editor when the model is further away
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Exporting_to_Editor|'''Export & Import to Editor''']]
#* Importing the textured lowpoly model and it's textures them to Editor with correct naming
# '''Adjusting in Editor'''
#* Further configuration in the Editor, e.g. backlight, self illumination
# '''Adding Work Files to the Workspace SVN '''
#* Once everything is done, add the work files (.fbx, .lxo, .spp, final texture maps .tga) to the workspace SVN so that anyone can find them, if someone else will need to edit your asset
# '''Adding a Screenshot of Your Model to the Wiki'''
#* Make a screenshot which showcases the model or the models made for the set. Add it to the correct project's 3D asset wiki page, with the name with which it can be found

= Having trouble? =
* If you have odd issues, try [[3D Asset Workflow: Troubleshooting]]
* If you didn't find what you were looking for anywhere else, try [[3D Asset Workflow: General Tips]]

= External Art Fundamental Tips =
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Some general art fundamentals tips that are useful for any game artist:
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/art_lessons.htm Neil Blevis: Various art tips, check especially 9. Composition]
** [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/areas_of_visual_rest/areas_of_visual_rest.htm Areas Of Visual Detail, Areas Of Visual Rest]
** [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/clumping/clumping.htm Clumping and Grouping]
** [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/compositional_weight/compositional_weight.htm Compositional Weight]
** [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/composition_contrasts/composition_contrasts.htm Contrasts In Composition]
** [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/foreground_midground_background/foreground_midground_background.htm Foreground, Midground, Background]
** [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/layers_of_light_and_dark/layers_of_light_and_dark.htm Layers Of Light And Dark]
** [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/primary_secondary_and_tertiary_shapes/primary_secondary_and_tertiary_shapes.htm Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Shapes]
** [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/details_make_big/details_make_big.htm Using Details To Make Something Look Big]
** [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/tangents/tangents.htm What is a Tangent? And How To Solve Them]
* [http://emptyeasel.com/2008/11/18/avoiding-tangents-9-visual-blunders-every-artist-should-watch-out-for/ Avoiding Tangents: 9 Visual Blunders Every Artist Should Watch Out For]
* [http://www.itchy-animation.co.uk/tutorials/light01.htm Lighting Fundamentals for Artists]
* [http://drawabox.com/ Draw a Box: An exercise based approach to learning the fundamentals of drawing]
* [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbdyjrrJAjDIACjCsjAGFAA Feng Zhu design school videos. All kinds of stuff about painting/design/color etc.]
* [https://www.youtube.com/user/McBacon1337/videos Game Maker's Toolkit. Interesting and well-made videos about game mechanics in different games by Mike Brown.]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iemcI0t096I Sam Nielson's lecture about environment design]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=griCsvvRTQM Sam Nielson's lecture about atmosphere]
* [https://youtu.be/FeUL-5wfj0U?t=3m29s The Art of Environment Storytelling for Video Games GNOMON]
</div>
</div>

3D Asset Workflow: Collisions and Breakable objects

2023-08-01T07:39:49Z

Mio Mäkijärvi: Mio Mäkijärvi moved page 3D Asset Workflow: Collisions and Breakable objects to 3D Asset Workflow: Collisions

#REDIRECT [[3D Asset Workflow: Collisions]]

3D Asset Workflow: Collisions

2023-08-01T07:39:49Z

Mio Mäkijärvi: Mio Mäkijärvi moved page 3D Asset Workflow: Collisions and Breakable objects to 3D Asset Workflow: Collisions

3D Asset Workflow: Collisions

2023-08-01T07:39:30Z

Mio Mäkijärvi:

Main Page

2023-08-01T07:34:54Z

Mio Mäkijärvi: /* Editor Tutorials */

<strong>Welcome to the Frozenbyte public wiki!</strong>

This wiki provides information and documentation about Frozenbyte and the tools we use to create games and levels. If you have any questions or want something to be added to the wiki, note that you can also [http://www.frozenbyte.com/contact/ contact] Frozenbyte directly.

==3D Asset Workflow Teaching Materials==

* [[3D Asset Workflow]]
::: '''◇ Main Steps'''
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Concepting]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Sculpting]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Retopology]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: UV Mapping]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Baking]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Texturing]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Asset Assembling]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Naming the Asset]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: LODs]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Exporting to Editor]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Completed asset checklist]]

::: '''◇ Additional Steps'''
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Alternative Textures]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Billboards]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Blocksets]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Sikailu]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Sway]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Tile Textures and Trimsheets]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Tintmask]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Vegetation]]

::: '''◇ General Tips and Troubleshooting'''
* [[3D Asset Workflow: General Tips]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Troubleshooting]]

==Level Art Teaching Materials==

* [[Level Art]]
** [[Level Art: Color and Lighting]]
** [[Level Art: Composition]]
** [[Level Art: Environmental Storytelling]]
** [[Level Art: Ideas for New Levels]]
** [[Level Art: Level Art Related Gameplay Issues]]
** [[Level Art: The Level Art Phases]]

==Editor Tutorials==

This wiki features editor tutorials that introduce you to Frozenbyte editor. This section is for useful links about that.

*[[Shadwen_Editor_Tutorial|Shadwen Editor Tutorial]]

Main Page

2023-08-01T07:33:34Z

Mio Mäkijärvi:

<strong>Welcome to the Frozenbyte public wiki!</strong>

This wiki provides information and documentation about Frozenbyte and the tools we use to create games and levels. If you have any questions or want something to be added to the wiki, note that you can also [http://www.frozenbyte.com/contact/ contact] Frozenbyte directly.

==3D Asset Workflow Teaching Materials==

* [[3D Asset Workflow]]
::: '''◇ Main Steps'''
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Concepting]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Sculpting]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Retopology]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: UV Mapping]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Baking]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Texturing]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Asset Assembling]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Naming the Asset]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: LODs]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Exporting to Editor]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Completed asset checklist]]

::: '''◇ Additional Steps'''
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Alternative Textures]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Billboards]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Blocksets]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Sikailu]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Sway]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Tile Textures and Trimsheets]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Tintmask]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Vegetation]]

::: '''◇ General Tips and Troubleshooting'''
* [[3D Asset Workflow: General Tips]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Troubleshooting]]

==Level Art Teaching Materials==

* [[Level Art]]
** [[Level Art: Color and Lighting]]
** [[Level Art: Composition]]
** [[Level Art: Environmental Storytelling]]
** [[Level Art: Ideas for New Levels]]
** [[Level Art: Level Art Related Gameplay Issues]]
** [[Level Art: The Level Art Phases]]

==Editor Tutorials==

This wiki features multiple editor tutorials that introduce you to Frozenbyte editor. This section is for useful links about that.

*[[Shadwen_Editor_Tutorial|Shadwen Editor Tutorial]]
* More to come!

3D Asset Workflow

2023-08-01T07:33:02Z

Mio Mäkijärvi:

<onlyinclude>
<div style="float:right; width:400px; background: #f3e9f5; border: 1px solid #666666; border-radius: 15px; padding: 15px;">
<div style="border-bottom:2px solid #bc82c8; background:#bc82c8; padding-top:5px; color:white;">
::: '''◇ Main Steps'''
</div>
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Concepting]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Sculpting]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Retopology]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: UV Mapping]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Baking]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Texturing]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Asset Assembling]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Naming the Asset]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: LODs]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Exporting to Editor]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Completed asset checklist]]
<div style="border-bottom:2px solid #bc82c8; background:#bc82c8; padding-top:5px; color:white;">
::: '''◇ Additional Steps'''
</div>
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Alternative Textures]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Billboards]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Blocksets]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Sikailu]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Sway]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Tile Textures and Trimsheets]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Tintmask]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Vegetation]]
<div style="border-bottom:2px solid #bc82c8; background:#bc82c8; padding-top:5px; color:white;">
::: '''◇ General Tips and Troubleshooting'''
</div>
* [[3D Asset Workflow: General Tips]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Troubleshooting]]
</div>
</onlyinclude>

= Summary =
* This is a series of wiki pages related to the '''3D asset creating process in the Trine Art Team at Frozenbyte'''
** With these guidelines, you should be able to create a '''game asset from an idea to a textured game model''' or, at the very least, get the needed information on what you should research and practice in order to achieve that
** The information on these sites is created and collected by our AD and the 3D artists, and these methods are used daily here in the Trine Art Team at Frozenbyte

== Trine Art Team Terminology ==
* Here in the Trine Art Team, we have some non-industry standard terminology we use to describe certain workflow stages
** They are listed here for future reference (in Finnish, with rough translations):
<br>
# '''Vessanpönttöily / lisätä vessanpönttöä''' = "toilet(-ing)" / "adding some toilet". Used to describe the stage in which the 3D artist adds some wonkiness and uneven-ness to the lowpoly model after it's otherwise completed. Especially completely symmetric assets usually need some vessanpönttöily done to them, to fit the Trine style better
# '''Juhlamokka / lisätä juhlamokkaa''' = "finetune (with passion and talent)". Juhla Mokka is a Finnish coffee brand, which had very specific marketing videos in the past, where they showcased professionals from different professions talking about their crafts, very intricately. Thus, when a 3D artist needs to finetune their model a bit (with passion and talent), it's called juhlamokka. A bit similar to vessanpönttöily, tho, in all reality
# '''[[3D Asset Workflow: Sikailu|Sikailu / sikailla]]''' = "to behave like a pig", a noun and a verb. Sometimes a 3D artist/level artist needs to take an already existing 3D model, and make something completely new out of it, using the parts of the old one. This happens when the old models do not 100% fit the desired design. Rather than making a new model out of scratch, sikailing it is way faster
# '''[[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Retopo_and_UVs#.22Triangelihuttu.22:_A_decimated_triangle_mesh_made_in_Zbrush_.26_cleaned_up_in_Modo|Triangelihuttu]]''' = "triangle porridge". A model that has generated triangle retopo instead of e.g. being retopoed by hand

= 3D Asset Workflow =
* In the Trine Art Team, the '''3D artists will take care of all of these steps when creating 3D assets'''
** [[3D Asset Workflow: Completed asset checklist]]
* The 3D artist gets to design the asset from the concept to the final asset
** The 3D artist is also responsible for '''making sure their asset works as it should in the Editor'''
[[File:3D Asset Workflow flowchart 30.5.2023.jpg|1500px|thumb|center]]

== 3D Workflow Steps ==
# '''Receiving a task'''
#* The 3D artist is responsible for making sure the task they received will be '''completed in a timely manner''', with the '''required specs in mind'''
#** Likewise, they're responsible for '''keeping the AD informed of their progress'''
#* In most cases, the 3D artist will have a couple of tasks at any given time
#** This is to ensure that they have things to do even if they need to e.g. wait for feedback for the other task
# '''The Idea '''
#* The 3D artist needs to make sure they understand the actual idea behind the asset; how it related to the story and it's surroundings, and what kind of reference images to use or search for
#* This part might require communicating with different team members, e.g. the AD, the designers, the script writer, and/or other artists
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Concepting|'''The Concept''']]
#* Once the idea is clear, some kind of concept is made
#** It can be e.g. '''rough drawing, a 3D blockout, or a photo bash''' - the point isn't to make anything polished, but to '''visualize the basic idea'''
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Sculpting|'''Highpoly Mesh, a Sculpt''']]
#* The detailed and performance heavy version of the mesh
#* Like in all the work phases, it's good to first sculpt a rough version of each piece, and get a confirmation from the AD that everything seems to be going as desired
# '''"Trash Version" of the lowpoly mesh, if the mesh is going to be animated'''
#* When making characters, it's good to give the animators a very crude lowpoly version of the mesh - this way the animators can point out possible problems early on, and fixes are easy to make
#** This can be done when all the proportions of the mesh are somewhat finished, but there is not detailing yet
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Retopo_and_UVs|'''Lowpoly mesh''']]
#* A less dense and engine-friendly approximation of the highpoly model
#* It's important to have the optimal amount of geometry (polygons) - not too little so that the mesh is too angular, but not too much so that the mesh is needlessly performance heavy
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Retopo_and_UVs#UV_mapping|'''UV mapping''']]
#* Creating the texture coordinates for the lowpoly mesh
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Baking|'''Baking''']]
#* Transferring details from the highpoly model to create a surface material for the lowpoly model
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Texturing|'''Texturing''']]
#* Adding all the materials and colors on the model
# [[3D Asset Workflow: Asset Assembling|'''Asset Assembling''']]
#* Assembling the assets to a coherent set, making use of duplicated and mirrored mesh parts
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Naming_the_Asset|'''Naming the Asset''']]
#* Please follow the project's naming instructions to the T!
# [[3D Asset Workflow: LODs|'''LODs''']]
#* Using a ready-made script to create even lower polycount versions of the lowpoly models, which can be switched on in the Editor when the model is further away
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Exporting_to_Editor|'''Export & Import to Editor''']]
#* Importing the textured lowpoly model and it's textures them to Editor with correct naming
# '''Adjusting in Editor'''
#* Further configuration in the Editor, e.g. backlight, self illumination
# '''Adding Work Files to the Workspace SVN '''
#* Once everything is done, add the work files (.fbx, .lxo, .spp, final texture maps .tga) to the workspace SVN so that anyone can find them, if someone else will need to edit your asset
# '''Adding a Screenshot of Your Model to the Wiki'''
#* Make a screenshot which showcases the model or the models made for the set. Add it to the correct project's 3D asset wiki page, with the name with which it can be found

= Having trouble? =
* If you have odd issues, try [[3D Asset Workflow: Troubleshooting]]
* If you didn't find what you were looking for anywhere else, try [[3D Asset Workflow: General Tips]]

= External Art Fundamental Tips =
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Some general art fundamentals tips that are useful for any game artist:
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/art_lessons.htm Neil Blevis: Various art tips, check especially 9. Composition]
** [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/areas_of_visual_rest/areas_of_visual_rest.htm Areas Of Visual Detail, Areas Of Visual Rest]
** [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/clumping/clumping.htm Clumping and Grouping]
** [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/compositional_weight/compositional_weight.htm Compositional Weight]
** [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/composition_contrasts/composition_contrasts.htm Contrasts In Composition]
** [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/foreground_midground_background/foreground_midground_background.htm Foreground, Midground, Background]
** [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/layers_of_light_and_dark/layers_of_light_and_dark.htm Layers Of Light And Dark]
** [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/primary_secondary_and_tertiary_shapes/primary_secondary_and_tertiary_shapes.htm Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Shapes]
** [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/details_make_big/details_make_big.htm Using Details To Make Something Look Big]
** [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/tangents/tangents.htm What is a Tangent? And How To Solve Them]
* [http://emptyeasel.com/2008/11/18/avoiding-tangents-9-visual-blunders-every-artist-should-watch-out-for/ Avoiding Tangents: 9 Visual Blunders Every Artist Should Watch Out For]
* [http://www.itchy-animation.co.uk/tutorials/light01.htm Lighting Fundamentals for Artists]
* [http://drawabox.com/ Draw a Box: An exercise based approach to learning the fundamentals of drawing]
* [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbdyjrrJAjDIACjCsjAGFAA Feng Zhu design school videos. All kinds of stuff about painting/design/color etc.]
* [https://www.youtube.com/user/McBacon1337/videos Game Maker's Toolkit. Interesting and well-made videos about game mechanics in different games by Mike Brown.]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iemcI0t096I Sam Nielson's lecture about environment design]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=griCsvvRTQM Sam Nielson's lecture about atmosphere]
* [https://youtu.be/FeUL-5wfj0U?t=3m29s The Art of Environment Storytelling for Video Games GNOMON]
</div>
</div>

3D Asset Workflow

2023-08-01T07:32:03Z

Mio Mäkijärvi:

<onlyinclude>
<div style="float:right; width:400px; background: #f3e9f5; border: 1px solid #666666; border-radius: 15px; padding: 15px;">
<div style="border-bottom:2px solid #bc82c8; background:#bc82c8; padding-top:5px; color:white;">
::: '''◇ Main Steps'''
</div>
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Concepting]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Sculpting]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Retopology]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: UV Mapping]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Baking]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Texturing]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Asset Assembling]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Naming the Asset]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: LODs]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Exporting to Editor]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Completed asset checklist]]
<div style="border-bottom:2px solid #bc82c8; background:#bc82c8; padding-top:5px; color:white;">
::: '''◇ Additional Steps'''
</div>
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Alternative Textures]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Billboards]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Blocksets]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Sikailu]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Sway]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Tile Textures and Trimsheets]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Tintmask]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Vegetation]]
<div style="border-bottom:2px solid #bc82c8; background:#bc82c8; padding-top:5px; color:white;">
::: '''◇ Main Steps'''
</div>
* [[3D Asset Workflow: General Tips]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Troubleshooting]]
</div>
</onlyinclude>

= Summary =
* This is a series of wiki pages related to the '''3D asset creating process in the Trine Art Team at Frozenbyte'''
** With these guidelines, you should be able to create a '''game asset from an idea to a textured game model''' or, at the very least, get the needed information on what you should research and practice in order to achieve that
** The information on these sites is created and collected by our AD and the 3D artists, and these methods are used daily here in the Trine Art Team at Frozenbyte

== Trine Art Team Terminology ==
* Here in the Trine Art Team, we have some non-industry standard terminology we use to describe certain workflow stages
** They are listed here for future reference (in Finnish, with rough translations):
<br>
# '''Vessanpönttöily / lisätä vessanpönttöä''' = "toilet(-ing)" / "adding some toilet". Used to describe the stage in which the 3D artist adds some wonkiness and uneven-ness to the lowpoly model after it's otherwise completed. Especially completely symmetric assets usually need some vessanpönttöily done to them, to fit the Trine style better
# '''Juhlamokka / lisätä juhlamokkaa''' = "finetune (with passion and talent)". Juhla Mokka is a Finnish coffee brand, which had very specific marketing videos in the past, where they showcased professionals from different professions talking about their crafts, very intricately. Thus, when a 3D artist needs to finetune their model a bit (with passion and talent), it's called juhlamokka. A bit similar to vessanpönttöily, tho, in all reality
# '''[[3D Asset Workflow: Sikailu|Sikailu / sikailla]]''' = "to behave like a pig", a noun and a verb. Sometimes a 3D artist/level artist needs to take an already existing 3D model, and make something completely new out of it, using the parts of the old one. This happens when the old models do not 100% fit the desired design. Rather than making a new model out of scratch, sikailing it is way faster
# '''[[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Retopo_and_UVs#.22Triangelihuttu.22:_A_decimated_triangle_mesh_made_in_Zbrush_.26_cleaned_up_in_Modo|Triangelihuttu]]''' = "triangle porridge". A model that has generated triangle retopo instead of e.g. being retopoed by hand

= 3D Asset Workflow =
* In the Trine Art Team, the '''3D artists will take care of all of these steps when creating 3D assets'''
** [[3D Asset Workflow: Completed asset checklist]]
* The 3D artist gets to design the asset from the concept to the final asset
** The 3D artist is also responsible for '''making sure their asset works as it should in the Editor'''
[[File:3D Asset Workflow flowchart 30.5.2023.jpg|1500px|thumb|center]]

== 3D Workflow Steps ==
# '''Receiving a task'''
#* The 3D artist is responsible for making sure the task they received will be '''completed in a timely manner''', with the '''required specs in mind'''
#** Likewise, they're responsible for '''keeping the AD informed of their progress'''
#* In most cases, the 3D artist will have a couple of tasks at any given time
#** This is to ensure that they have things to do even if they need to e.g. wait for feedback for the other task
# '''The Idea '''
#* The 3D artist needs to make sure they understand the actual idea behind the asset; how it related to the story and it's surroundings, and what kind of reference images to use or search for
#* This part might require communicating with different team members, e.g. the AD, the designers, the script writer, and/or other artists
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Concepting|'''The Concept''']]
#* Once the idea is clear, some kind of concept is made
#** It can be e.g. '''rough drawing, a 3D blockout, or a photo bash''' - the point isn't to make anything polished, but to '''visualize the basic idea'''
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Sculpting|'''Highpoly Mesh, a Sculpt''']]
#* The detailed and performance heavy version of the mesh
#* Like in all the work phases, it's good to first sculpt a rough version of each piece, and get a confirmation from the AD that everything seems to be going as desired
# '''"Trash Version" of the lowpoly mesh, if the mesh is going to be animated'''
#* When making characters, it's good to give the animators a very crude lowpoly version of the mesh - this way the animators can point out possible problems early on, and fixes are easy to make
#** This can be done when all the proportions of the mesh are somewhat finished, but there is not detailing yet
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Retopo_and_UVs|'''Lowpoly mesh''']]
#* A less dense and engine-friendly approximation of the highpoly model
#* It's important to have the optimal amount of geometry (polygons) - not too little so that the mesh is too angular, but not too much so that the mesh is needlessly performance heavy
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Retopo_and_UVs#UV_mapping|'''UV mapping''']]
#* Creating the texture coordinates for the lowpoly mesh
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Baking|'''Baking''']]
#* Transferring details from the highpoly model to create a surface material for the lowpoly model
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Texturing|'''Texturing''']]
#* Adding all the materials and colors on the model
# [[3D Asset Workflow: Asset Assembling|'''Asset Assembling''']]
#* Assembling the assets to a coherent set, making use of duplicated and mirrored mesh parts
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Naming_the_Asset|'''Naming the Asset''']]
#* Please follow the project's naming instructions to the T!
# [[3D Asset Workflow: LODs|'''LODs''']]
#* Using a ready-made script to create even lower polycount versions of the lowpoly models, which can be switched on in the Editor when the model is further away
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Exporting_to_Editor|'''Export & Import to Editor''']]
#* Importing the textured lowpoly model and it's textures them to Editor with correct naming
# '''Adjusting in Editor'''
#* Further configuration in the Editor, e.g. backlight, self illumination
# '''Adding Work Files to the Workspace SVN '''
#* Once everything is done, add the work files (.fbx, .lxo, .spp, final texture maps .tga) to the workspace SVN so that anyone can find them, if someone else will need to edit your asset
# '''Adding a Screenshot of Your Model to the Wiki'''
#* Make a screenshot which showcases the model or the models made for the set. Add it to the correct project's 3D asset wiki page, with the name with which it can be found

= Having trouble? =
* If you have odd issues, try [[3D Asset Workflow: Troubleshooting]]
* If you didn't find what you were looking for anywhere else, try [[3D Asset Workflow: General Tips]]

= External Art Fundamental Tips =
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Some general art fundamentals tips that are useful for any game artist:
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/art_lessons.htm Neil Blevis: Various art tips, check especially 9. Composition]
** [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/areas_of_visual_rest/areas_of_visual_rest.htm Areas Of Visual Detail, Areas Of Visual Rest]
** [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/clumping/clumping.htm Clumping and Grouping]
** [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/compositional_weight/compositional_weight.htm Compositional Weight]
** [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/composition_contrasts/composition_contrasts.htm Contrasts In Composition]
** [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/foreground_midground_background/foreground_midground_background.htm Foreground, Midground, Background]
** [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/layers_of_light_and_dark/layers_of_light_and_dark.htm Layers Of Light And Dark]
** [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/primary_secondary_and_tertiary_shapes/primary_secondary_and_tertiary_shapes.htm Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Shapes]
** [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/details_make_big/details_make_big.htm Using Details To Make Something Look Big]
** [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/tangents/tangents.htm What is a Tangent? And How To Solve Them]
* [http://emptyeasel.com/2008/11/18/avoiding-tangents-9-visual-blunders-every-artist-should-watch-out-for/ Avoiding Tangents: 9 Visual Blunders Every Artist Should Watch Out For]
* [http://www.itchy-animation.co.uk/tutorials/light01.htm Lighting Fundamentals for Artists]
* [http://drawabox.com/ Draw a Box: An exercise based approach to learning the fundamentals of drawing]
* [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbdyjrrJAjDIACjCsjAGFAA Feng Zhu design school videos. All kinds of stuff about painting/design/color etc.]
* [https://www.youtube.com/user/McBacon1337/videos Game Maker's Toolkit. Interesting and well-made videos about game mechanics in different games by Mike Brown.]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iemcI0t096I Sam Nielson's lecture about environment design]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=griCsvvRTQM Sam Nielson's lecture about atmosphere]
* [https://youtu.be/FeUL-5wfj0U?t=3m29s The Art of Environment Storytelling for Video Games GNOMON]
</div>
</div>

3D Asset Workflow: Troubleshooting

2023-08-01T07:20:48Z

Mio Mäkijärvi: /* Checkerboard pattern when baking mirrored objects */

<div style="border-bottom:2px solid #99aac7; background:#d0def5; padding:0.4em 0.5em; font-size:130%; margin-bottom: 25px; text-align: center; float:top;">
⬑ [[3D Asset Workflow]]</div>

<div style="padding-right: 10px; padding-left: 1000px; padding-top: 60px; padding-bottom: 80px;">
{{#lst:3D Asset Workflow}} 
</div>

= Summary =
* Check also: [[3D Asset Workflow: General Tips]]

= Sculpting =
== Exporting highpoly mesh from ZBrush ==
=== The model's scale is off when exporting from ZBrush to a different program ===
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
'''The model's scale is off when exporting from ZBrush to a different program'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* This usually occurs when you export a mesh that's made completely in ZBrush, without a base mesh
** ZBrush uses Mystery Units™ and doesn't recognize the metric system
*** '''What ZBrush calls "scale" is actually the size of the ZTool's bounding box in Mystery Units™'''
*** This can make a mess when moving stuff between software with different default units
**** For example:
# Your mesh is two (2) ZBrush Mystery Units™ tall
# You import it to Modo, which has millimeters as the default units
# The FBX importer converts Mystery Units™ to millimeters in a 1:1 ratio
# Result: Your mesh is now 2mm tall
* To fix this, once you are ready to export, go to '''Tool -> Export -> Scale'''
** If you use millimeters as a default, and want the conversion to be exact, you need to change the scale in ZBrush to be in the thousands - meaning, four (4) digits before the decimal point
*** Usually this means that you need to multiply it by 1000 (move the decimal point three places to the right)
* In general, we use millimeters for everything, but other units should work as well - '''as long as they are always the same across all applications'''
** 1 unit -> scaled to 1000 units = 1000mm = 1m
[[File:Zbrush fbx export scale.png|ZBrush FBX export scale for a program that uses millimeters as a default scale]]
* If you use a base mesh you made in Modo and imported it to ZBrush, it should work fine
* If you export as .OBJ, it should work fine
* You can bypass this problem and still make your highpoly without a base mesh from start to finish in ZBrush by importing a 2x2x2m cube from Modo to Zbrush, and then appending your sculpts to the cube
** The cube can be ignored afterwards
*** The function of the cube is to initialize the ZBrush unit space to sync up with Modo
** After importing the cube, you can check the export scale, which should now show up in the thousands as it should
</div>
</div>

= Lowpoly/UVs/Baking =
== Checkerboard pattern when baking mirrored objects ==
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Mirrored UVs in Substance Painter
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* When baking mirrored UVs you can run into trouble with UV islands that are on top of each other
* Move the mirrored UVs so that they are not on top of each other
* If you have already textured the model in Painter and swap the model to a new version where the UVs have been updated this might ruin some hand painted areas so be aware of this
[[File:mirrored_UV_substance_painter_glitch_3D_asset_workflow_guide.png|800px]]
</div>
</div>

= Editor =
== Importing Assets ==
=== My model is black/has no textures ===
* In case your model is black/has no textures, processing the meshmaterial usually fixes this
** Right-click model/type -> Locate type model resource -> find the corresponding meshmaterial -> right-click -> Process resource
** If that doesn't help, check that your FBX file doesn't have multiple Texture channels in Modo
* If your asset appears transparent and dark in the Editor, check that your normal maps DON'T have alpha channel in them
** Also re-assign the textures and materials in Modo, and re-export the FBX
* If the asset has a [[3D Asset Workflow: Tintmask|tintmask]], check it's model component settings to make sure it's configured properly

3D Asset Workflow: Troubleshooting

2023-08-01T07:20:41Z

Mio Mäkijärvi: /* Exporting highpoly mesh from ZBrush */

<div style="border-bottom:2px solid #99aac7; background:#d0def5; padding:0.4em 0.5em; font-size:130%; margin-bottom: 25px; text-align: center; float:top;">
⬑ [[3D Asset Workflow]]</div>

<div style="padding-right: 10px; padding-left: 1000px; padding-top: 60px; padding-bottom: 80px;">
{{#lst:3D Asset Workflow}} 
</div>

= Summary =
* Check also: [[3D Asset Workflow: General Tips]]

= Sculpting =
== Exporting highpoly mesh from ZBrush ==
=== The model's scale is off when exporting from ZBrush to a different program ===
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
'''The model's scale is off when exporting from ZBrush to a different program'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* This usually occurs when you export a mesh that's made completely in ZBrush, without a base mesh
** ZBrush uses Mystery Units™ and doesn't recognize the metric system
*** '''What ZBrush calls "scale" is actually the size of the ZTool's bounding box in Mystery Units™'''
*** This can make a mess when moving stuff between software with different default units
**** For example:
# Your mesh is two (2) ZBrush Mystery Units™ tall
# You import it to Modo, which has millimeters as the default units
# The FBX importer converts Mystery Units™ to millimeters in a 1:1 ratio
# Result: Your mesh is now 2mm tall
* To fix this, once you are ready to export, go to '''Tool -> Export -> Scale'''
** If you use millimeters as a default, and want the conversion to be exact, you need to change the scale in ZBrush to be in the thousands - meaning, four (4) digits before the decimal point
*** Usually this means that you need to multiply it by 1000 (move the decimal point three places to the right)
* In general, we use millimeters for everything, but other units should work as well - '''as long as they are always the same across all applications'''
** 1 unit -> scaled to 1000 units = 1000mm = 1m
[[File:Zbrush fbx export scale.png|ZBrush FBX export scale for a program that uses millimeters as a default scale]]
* If you use a base mesh you made in Modo and imported it to ZBrush, it should work fine
* If you export as .OBJ, it should work fine
* You can bypass this problem and still make your highpoly without a base mesh from start to finish in ZBrush by importing a 2x2x2m cube from Modo to Zbrush, and then appending your sculpts to the cube
** The cube can be ignored afterwards
*** The function of the cube is to initialize the ZBrush unit space to sync up with Modo
** After importing the cube, you can check the export scale, which should now show up in the thousands as it should
</div>
</div>

= Lowpoly/UVs/Baking =
== Checkerboard pattern when baking mirrored objects ==
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #e6f2ff; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Mirrored UVs in Substance Painter
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* When baking mirrored UVs you can run into trouble with UV islands that are on top of each other
* Move the mirrored UVs so that they are not on top of each other
* If you have already textured the model in Painter and swap the model to a new version where the UVs have been updated this might ruin some hand painted areas so be aware of this
[[File:mirrored_UV_substance_painter_glitch_3D_asset_workflow_guide.png|800px]]
</div>
</div>

= Editor =
== Importing Assets ==
=== My model is black/has no textures ===
* In case your model is black/has no textures, processing the meshmaterial usually fixes this
** Right-click model/type -> Locate type model resource -> find the corresponding meshmaterial -> right-click -> Process resource
** If that doesn't help, check that your FBX file doesn't have multiple Texture channels in Modo
* If your asset appears transparent and dark in the Editor, check that your normal maps DON'T have alpha channel in them
** Also re-assign the textures and materials in Modo, and re-export the FBX
* If the asset has a [[3D Asset Workflow: Tintmask|tintmask]], check it's model component settings to make sure it's configured properly

File:3d asset workflow alternative alt texture guide.jpg

2023-08-01T07:18:51Z

Mio Mäkijärvi:

3D Asset Workflow: Naming the Asset

2023-08-01T07:17:22Z

Mio Mäkijärvi: /* Naming Conventions for Textures */

<div style="border-bottom:2px solid #99aac7; background:#d0def5; padding:0.4em 0.5em; font-size:130%; margin-bottom: 25px; text-align: center; float:top;">
⬑ [[3D Asset Workflow]]</div>

<div style="padding-right: 10px; padding-left: 1000px; padding-top: 60px; padding-bottom: 80px;">
{{#lst:3D Asset Workflow}} 
</div>

= Summary =
* From this page, you can find instructions of:
# '''How to name your asset''' so it's naming stays consistent with the rest of the Trine 3D assets
#* [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Naming_the_Asset#Naming_Conventions_for_Textures|How to name your textures]]
# '''Where in the binary to put your asset and its' texture maps''', so they're easily found
#* And, thus, '''how to name the folder the asset should be in, if one doesn't exist yet'''
#** [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Naming_the_Asset#Can.27t_find_a_folder_for_your_asset.3F|Can't find a folder for your asset?]]

== Naming Instructions ==
# '''The asset's name is determined by it's intended location in the SVN folder hierarchy'''
#* As a general rule, '''start from the root of the hierarchy, and build your way towards top'''
#** Look at the '''folder names''' from the path the asset will be added to, and '''use those when naming the asset'''
#*** As an exception to the rule, note that the blockset type (building/natural) should be left out, to reduce bloating
#* The SVN folder hierarchy is created to support easier locating for all related 3D assets
# '''Every 3D asset should have at least a general name and a more clarifying name, in this order'''
#* In other words: "gameplay_barrel" or "prop_market_barrel", not just "barrel"
# '''No capital letters'''
# '''No spaces, use "_" instead'''
# '''Double check your spelling!'''
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Naming_the_Asset#Naming_Conventions_for_Textures|All texture maps should be named with the same name than the 3D asset]], '''plus a "_mat" suffix'''

== Building the hierarchical name ==
* There can be more clarifying names that listed here, as long as they go '''from more generic to more specified ones'''
* Note that the blockset type (building/natural) should be left out, to reduce bloating
<br>
# <span style="background:plum; padding-left:10px; padding-right:10px; padding-bottom:5px; padding-top:5px;">'''[Category]'''</span>
#* What is the category of the asset:
## blockset (building / natural / general - note that these subcategories are left out of the final naming!)
## prop
## gameplay asset
## vegetation
## atmosphere
# <span style="background:gold; padding-left:10px; padding-right:10px; padding-bottom:5px; padding-top:5px;">'''[General]'''</span>
#* Intended general use within the category:
#** What kind of a blockset - library, castle, observatory, mountain, a type of terrain (like field, soil, snow etc)?
#** What kind of a general blockset - beam, platform etc?
#** What kind of a prop - furniture, textile, light etc?
#*** Or where the prop is supposed to be used - library, observatory, farm etc?
#** What kind of vegetation - plant, flower, tree, mushroom etc?
#** What kind of a gameplay asset - ball, pressureplate, chest etc?
# <span style="background:LightGreen; padding-left:10px; padding-right:10px; padding-bottom:5px; padding-top:5px;">'''[Clarify]'''</span>
#* Clarify the use withing the general use:
#** What kind of a manmade blockset part - house, tower, wall, pillar, roof etc?
#** What kind of a mountain - snowy, jagged, smooth?
#** What kind of a specific e.g. tree - maple, spruce etc?
#** If this is a background/billboard version of an asset, add the "bg"/"billboard" clarification here
# <span style="background:PaleTurquoise; padding-left:10px; padding-right:10px; padding-bottom:5px; padding-top:5px;">'''[Clarify more]'''</span>
#* Clarify even more by e.g. size or shape - s/m/l (small/medium/large), 10m/5m/2m, straight/crooked etc
#* There can be additional clarifications, as long as they go '''from more generic to more specified ones'''
#* Add first letters only for sizes small/medium/large = s/m/l
# <span style="background:Pink; padding-left:10px; padding-right:10px; padding-bottom:5px; padding-top:5px;">'''[Number]'''</span>
#* If there are multiple versions of the same asset, use numbers at the end of the name to separate them from each other
#* '''Usually here shouldn't be need for more than three versions of the same asset'''
#* The number isn't necessary and can be left out if there's only one version
# <span style="background:LightCoral; padding-left:10px; padding-right:10px; padding-bottom:5px; padding-top:5px;">'''[Angle]'''</span>
#* If your asset has set angles, they should be added as a last suffix
#* Use number+d, e.g. 45d, 90d

* Final name examples:
** <span style="background:plum; padding:5px;">'''blockset'''</span>_<span style="background:gold; padding:5px;">'''observatory'''</span>_<span style="background:LightGreen; padding:5px;">'''pillar'''</span>_<span style="background:PaleTurquoise; padding:5px;">'''10m'''</span>_<span style="background:Pink; padding:5px;">'''1'''</span>
** <span style="background:plum; padding:5px;">'''blockset'''</span>_<span style="background:gold; padding:5px;">'''mountain'''</span>_<span style="background:LightGreen; padding:5px;">'''bg'''</span>_<span style="background:PaleTurquoise; padding:5px;">'''flattop'''</span>
** <span style="background:plum; padding:5px;">'''blockset'''</span>_<span style="background:gold; padding:5px;">'''beam'''</span>_<span style="background:LightGreen; padding:5px;">'''wooden'''</span>_<span style="background:PaleTurquoise; padding:5px;">'''2m'''</span>_<span style="background:Pink; padding:5px;">'''2'''</span>_<span style="background:LightCoral; padding:5px;">'''45d'''</span>
** <span style="background:plum; padding:5px;">'''vegetation'''</span>_<span style="background:gold; padding:5px;">'''tree'''</span>_<span style="background:LightGreen; padding:5px;">'''maple'''</span>_<span style="background:PaleTurquoise; padding:5px;">'''s'''</span>_<span style="background:Pink; padding:5px;">'''3'''</span>
** <span style="background:plum; padding:5px;">'''gameplay'''</span>_<span style="background:gold; padding:5px;">'''ball'''</span>_<span style="background:LightGreen; padding:5px;">'''cabbage'''</span>

== Can't find a folder for your asset? ==
* If there isn't an existing folder in the project's SVN that fits your 3D asset, you can make one yourself
* Make sure that:
# '''The folder is created to the correct place and depth in the hierarchy'''
#* If your asset is e.g. ballridable cabbage, it should go under ".../gameplay/ball/cabbage", because it's A) a gameplay asset, B) ball-shaped and acts like a ball in all manners that matter, and C) a cabbage
#* This is to ensure that no root folders will get bloated unnecessarily
# '''The naming of the folder matches the existing names'''

* <span style="background:salmon; padding-left:10px; padding-right:10px; padding-bottom:5px; padding-top:5px;">'''Note that it's not advised to move and/or rename assets once they're in the game!'''</span>
** Moving and/or renaming assets that are already in use will break them, because in the Editor, ''moving/renaming an asset means first deleting it, and then re-adding it''
*** In practice, this means that the Editor views it as a new asset entirely, and won't know how to relink the existing, delete asset to the new one

= Naming Conventions for Textures =
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Texturing]]
* '''Always remember to compress your textures when saving them as targa'''

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Map type
! Suffix
! Example
! Notes
|-
| '''Albedo'''
|
| sample_asset_mat.tga
| Basic color map
|-
|
| _at_
| sample_asset_mat<span style="background:lightgrey; padding:5px;">_at</span>.tga
| Alpha test- Binary black&white transparency map in alpha channel. Suffix goes after filename and before other suffixes. '''Needs to be a 32bit Targa'''
|-
|
| _ab_
| sample_asset_mat <span style="background:lightgrey; padding:5px;">_ab</span>.tga
| Alpha blend. Grayscale transparency map in alpha channel. Suffix goes after filename and before other suffixes. '''Needs to be a 32bit Targa'''
|-
| '''Normal'''
| _n
| sample_asset_mat<span style="background:lightgrey; padding:5px;">_n</span>.tga
| RGB vector map describing surface orientation per pixel
|-
| '''Metallic/Roughness'''
| _mr
| sample_asset_mat<span style="background:lightgrey; padding:5px;">_mr</span>.tga
| Channel packed map containing metallic in the red channel and roughness in the green channel
|-
| '''Illumination/emissive'''
| _e
| sample_asset_mat<span style="background:lightgrey; padding:5px;">_e</span>.tga
| Self illumination map
|-
| ''Wrap''
| _w
| sample_asset_mat<span style="background:lightgrey; padding:5px;">_w</span>.tga
| Thickness map to determine how much light passes through e.g. a leaf
|-
| ''Tint mask''
| _tintmask
| sample_asset_mat<span style="background:lightgrey; padding:5px;">_tintmask</span>.tga
| RGB mask for color tinting. More info on usage in [[3D Asset Workflow: Tintmask]]
|-
| ''Flowmap''
| _fm
| sample_asset_mat<span style="background:lightgrey; padding:5px;">_fm</span>.tga
|
|-
| ''Detail Albedo''
| _da
| [material]_[clarifying adjective]<span style="background:lightgrey; padding:5px;">_da</span>.tga
|
|-
| ''Detail Normal''
| _dn
| [material]_[clarifying adjective]<span style="background:lightgrey; padding:5px;">_dn</span>.tga
|
|-
|}

3D Asset Workflow: Asset Assembling

2023-08-01T07:17:02Z

Mio Mäkijärvi: /* Asset Assembly Example Gallery */

<div style="border-bottom:2px solid #99aac7; background:#d0def5; padding:0.4em 0.5em; font-size:130%; margin-bottom: 25px; text-align: center; float:top;">
⬑ [[3D Asset Workflow]]</div>

<div style="padding-right: 10px; padding-left: 1000px; padding-top: 60px; padding-bottom: 80px;">
{{#lst:3D Asset Workflow}} 
</div>

= Summary =
Check also [[3D Asset Workflow: Blocksets]] and [[3D Asset Workflow: Tile Textures and Trimsheets]]
* After the 3D asset set pieces are retopoed, UV mapped, and textured, it's time to '''assembly to set'''
* Asset assembling step is used for asset sets which consists of multiple parts, some of which duplicated and mirrored to save texture space
** E.g. when making a chair model, you can only make one chair leg, and duplicate + mirror it to create a chair with for legs - all of which use the the same UVs
*** This is the reason assembling needs to be done ''after'' UV mapping
** '''If your model only consists of one mesh with no mirrored/duplicated pieces, you can skip this step and move straight to''' [[3D Asset Workflow: Naming the Asset]]

[[File:Noble furniture 13.JPG|900px|center]]

== Asset Assembling Workflow Steps ==
# Make sure you have all the pieces needed to create all the assets that are required
# Make new mesh layers as required, and assembly the new meshes to the new layers
#* Use the pieces wisely - most of the time, they don't need to be actually attached to each other, if they just look like they are
#** However, don't leave any holes, and delete geometry that's left inside the model
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow#Trine_Art_Team_Terminology|"Vessanpönttöily" and "juhlamokkailu"]] are also parts of the asset assembly workstep
#* '''Make sure the assets have nice and natural unevenness and asymmetry''' in them, so that they fit the Trine style better
#** It's better to add the wonkiness at this step rather than when sculpting, as it's easier to retopo symmetrical assets
#** If your making blocksets, check [[3D Asset Workflow: Blocksets]] - they need to match to each other more mathematically at times, so asymmetry can't be too radical
# If needed, create new mesh layers for the same meshes different variations
#* Three is usually a good amount of variations for the same mesh
#* '''Note that the variations should look different enough from each other to make an actual difference'''
# Add separate parts (e.g. door frames, doors) to their own layers
#* Make sure the pivots are in a sensible place - e.g. on the hinges of doors
#** This makes them more usable to the level artists
# If needed, make [[3D Asset Workflow: Billboards|billboards]] and/or very lowpoly background versions of the assets at this point
# When done, move onto [[3D Asset Workflow: Naming the Asset]]

= Asset Assembly Example Gallery =
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Asset Assembly Example Gallery
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
<gallery widths=300px heights=300px mode="nolines">
File:Noble furniture 13.JPG|Also with an [[3D Asset Workflow: Alternative Textures|alternative texture]]
File:FurnitureFinal.png
File:General crate chest set.png
File:Carriage 29 9 2021.jpg|Also with a [[3D Asset Workflow: Tintmask|tintmask]]
File:Props decoration chain rope 16.8.2021 WIP4.JPG
File:Breakable lamp 15.2.22.png
File:Fence Texture Final.png
</gallery>
</div>
</div>

3D Asset Workflow: Texturing

2023-08-01T07:16:46Z

Mio Mäkijärvi: /* Subsurface Scattering */

<div style="border-bottom:2px solid #99aac7; background:#d0def5; padding:0.4em 0.5em; font-size:130%; margin-bottom: 25px; text-align: center; float:top;">
⬑ [[3D Asset Workflow]]</div>

<div style="padding-right: 10px; padding-left: 1000px; padding-top: 60px; padding-bottom: 80px;">
{{#lst:3D Asset Workflow}} 
</div>

= Summary =
* We have our own Frozenbyte shelf where all the '''custom materials''' are added
** '''It is recommended to use these materials when possible to keep a coherent look for all of the assets'''

<br>
* Texturing means '''using the baked 2D maps to create a textured lowpoly model'''
** That is achieved by using many '''materials, masks, and generators''' etc, to achieve the final look that is wanted
* In most cases, the final asset will have the following maps:
** Albedo Map (with an alpha channel or not)
** Normal Map
** A combined Roughness + Metalness Map
* The Trine texturing style isn't photorealistic, but leans to a more simplified and "playdough-y" art direction instead
** Super noisy and deep fried areas should be avoided, to create a coherent and unified texture that fits and blends in with the other existing assets
* The Frozenbyte Editor supports PBR (Physically Based Rendering), meaning that what you see in Substance Painter is a good indication of what you will get in the game!

== Texturing Steps ==
# Import the baked maps you created in the [[3D Asset Workflow: Baking|previous step]] to the Substance Painter
# Use materials, masks, and generators to achieve the final look
#* Paint the masks to reveal the material/color underneath
# Once the textures are ready, '''export them into targa files'''
#* [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Naming_the_Asset#Naming_Conventions_for_Textures|Use the correct naming]]
#* You may need to open the files once and save them again in Photoshop to '''compress them''' - this reduces their file size considerably
# Each separate map is saved to the project's binary SVN
#* The location should be the same your model will be in
# Link the '''albedo''' map to the lowpoly model
#* Note that the '''linked map should be in the binary, not on your computer locally'''
# Move onto [[3D Asset Workflow: Asset Assembling|assembling your model]]
'''Texturing can be changed and updated easily later as well''', when the asset is already in the game, especially if UV maps will stay untouched

'''TIP:''' Always compress your TGA files before committing them to the SVN!

= Texturing in Substance Painter =
* In the Substance Painter, there are '''Fill Layers''' and '''Layers''':
** '''Fill layers''' are used for solid colors as well as adding maps/materials
*** Most of your work is done with Fill Layers and masks
** '''Layers''' are used for painting
* By default, each layer has '''color''', '''metal''', '''rough''', '''normal''', and '''height''' channels, which can be turned on and off
* With "C" you can scroll between different channels in the preview window
* With "M" you can see all the channels together
* In the top of the Layers panel, you can change the mode to '''Base Color''', '''Metallic''', '''Roughness''', '''Normal''', or '''Height'''

'''TIP:''' To disable baked AO showing up on your model, go to ''Viewer Settings'' -tab on the bottom of TextureSet Settings panel, and adjust '''AO Intensity''' in ''Shader parameters -> Common parameters''

== Setting up Channels ==
* When creating a project, remember to set 'Normal Map Format' to '''DirectX'''
** You can change this later on by going to '''Edit -> Project configuration'''
** This flips the green channel of the Normal Map, so it will work correctly in our Editor
*** The Normal Map's green channel can be flipped later in Photoshop as well, if needed
* To '''add channels''', click on the small '+' icon in the TextureSet Settings window
* To '''remove channels''', click on the small '-' icon in the TextureSet Settings window
* Channels that are usually needed:
** '''Base color''' - albedo
** '''Roughness'''
** '''Normal'''
** '''Metallic'''
** '''Emissive''' - if your model has parts that are self-illuminated)
** '''Height''' - Substance Painter bakes the height map into the normals, so this should be enabled to get most out of the materials even though our Engine doesn't support heightmaps/displacement
** ('''Displacement''', If you want to preview height/displacement on your mesh, you'll need to add this channel and enable parallax occlusion mapping in Viewer settings. Height doesn't directly convert to displacement, so you'll have to find a workaround)
* '''Most of the time you will need only 3-4 maps: Base color, Normal, (Metallic), Roughness'''
* '''NOTE''' If you use a larger document size while editing, remember to check the correct size every once in a while
** You might lose a lot of detail when you export your final texture size, if you only work on the higher resolutions
** The switch between resolutions is lossless, so there's no harm in doing it
[[File:normalformat.JPG|alt=Correct normal format|Set this to DirectX|center]]

== Setting the Base Materials ==

=== Folders and Layers ===

* The layer structure works similarly to Photoshop, and you can apply a mask to the folder
* Separate each material area of the asset with a Fill Layer that is put inside a folder, and create a mask for that folder
** Use the mask to define the area where that material is used
* You can select the areas from the UVs to mask, but the easiest way is to bake a color ID map (based on the high poly model's colors in Zbrush)
** After baking the color ID map, you can use it in Painter to mask each area - the colors can be crazy and loud, to better use them for masking
* '''How to add the base colors'''
** ''Add a Fill Layer'' by clicking the button on top of the Layers window
** ''Add a Folder'' by clicking the button on top of the Layers window
** Drag and drop the Fill Layer into the folder
** Name the folder and layer, e.g. Folder: ''skin/hair/metal/etc'', and Layer: ''base color''
** In the ''Fill'' window, adjust the ''Base color'' you want to use
** You can also adjust the overall ''Metallic'' and ''Roughness'' from the ''Properties - Fill'' window
[[File:Substance painter folders guide.jpg|1000px|center]]

=== Masking ===
# With the Fill Layer selected, click the ''Configure Mask'' button on top of the same Layers window
# You can either select UV islands/polygons/models to make the mask, or use a baked color ID map:
#* Choose the ''Add mask with color selection'' - this let's you use the ''color ID map'' you have assigned in the ''TextureSet Settings'' window
#** In the ''Properties - Color Selection'', decide what area of the model you want to pick for this layer by clicking the ''Pick color'' and use the eye dropper to pick the color from the model or the UV texture map
#** Raising the tolerance value gets rid of gaps on the mask edges, but too high values makes the mask bleed to other colors
#* The end result is a mask based on the color in the color ID map
#* In this example, the rest of the mesh is grey, and the area inside the mask is red as the mask prevents the red color filling the whole mesh with red
#** Now you can change the red into any color you want and add layers and generators and smart materials etc, to get the material done
* Once you have your folders set up and masked, you can add materials and paint as you like
[[File:Substance color mask.jpg|1000px|alt=Color masking in Substance|Applying a color mask from ID map in Substance Painter|center]]

=== Smart Materials ===

* You can download user made Smart Materials, masks, etc from Substance share website, or make your own
** '''Smart Materials are basically layer stacks contained in folders''', so it's easy to make your own
** Once you have created a material by layering base materials, effects etc, group them up in a folder (select all and Ctrl + G)
* Name the folder, right click it and select 'Create Smart Material'
** You'll have a new Smart Material with the name of the folder you just made, with all the layers and settings intact and saved, which you can use freely in other projects
* Experiment with adding more filters to the mask stack in addition to the color selector
* You can do a lot of the same stuff as with regular layers (blending modes, texture fills, etc), and achieve some complex results

=== Normals ===
* If the Normal Map isn't showing (you can press C until you see the normal map to see if it works):
** You'll need to add a Fill Layer and drag and drop the normal map from the Shelf -> Textures to the Properties - Fill Normal channel
** Turn all the other channels off for this layer from the same panel
** In the TextureSet Settings use the setting Normal mixing: Replace
* If you want to paint on the normal map, create a new layer and go to the Normals mode in the Layers panel, select Normal layer style to paint over. The default "NMdt" layer style means that it mixes the layers' contents but the "Normal" layer style goes on top of everything
* Make sure in your brush settings only the normal channel is active, if you forgot to do this and the brush strokes appear on all the channels, you can just adjust the opacity of the layer to 0% in the "Base color" mode and other modes if needed
* Having the normal fix layer in a folder doesn't seem to work

=== Tintmask ===
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Tintmask]]

== Texture Details ==
* In the Trine Style, the texture details shouldn't be too noisy and sharp - i.e., not super realistic, but more stylized
* The aim is to have clear readable forms and the textures should also support this
* As with everything, also with the texture details the variation is key to appealing looking assets
* Make sure to use varied sized details in textures too
** Big, Medium, Small
[[File:Mountains moss silhouette variation.png|800px|center]]

== Adding a Custom Shelf in Substance Painter ==
* We have our own Frozenbyte shelf where all the '''custom materials''' are added
** Most of these custom materials are done by our former employees, Juha Kinnunen Antti Heikkinen
** '''It is recommended to use these materials when possible to keep a coherent look for everybody's assets'''
* How to add a custom Shelf
** Edit -> Settings -> Shelf
** Add Name & Path and click the plus button & OK
** Now you should be able to find the materials in that folder every time you use Substance Painter and if new materials are added there, they should appear automatically
* '''NOTE''': Don't mark the Frozenbyte self as the "Default" then you might accidentally save changes to it
** "Default" means that's the self you'll be able to make modifications like add, edit and delete stuff so it's better to have your local shelf as the default unless you want to make changes to the Frozenbyte shelf

[[File:Import shelf sp.jpg|alt=Correct normal format|Adding a custom shelf in substance painter|center]]

= Exporting =
* Once you have finished texturing, go to File > Export textures, or '''Ctrl+Shift+E''', or right click on the scene and choose Export Textures
* In the export dialogue, change the '''texture size''' to the size you want the final texture maps to be
* Point the '''file path''' to the right folder location
* '''File format:''' Up to you which one to use, either one is easy to convert to the other
** Targa (''You'll get all the maps as separate textures, ready to use')
*** TGA is used for game texture files, can also be used for storing textures to workspace SVN
** PSD (''Will export all the maps into one psd-file as layers'')
*** PSD can be used to store workfiles in the workspace SVN
** If you're exporting alpha textures as PSD, use the custom export config 'T4_asset_export_alphatest/-blend (PSD)'
*** Painter doesn't export alphas made with our workflow into PSD, so these make it into a separate layer
* When the final resolution is small (1024 or under), it is better to have the working resolution larger than the export resolution
** This results in smoother textures, since the materials are generated at a high resolution and thendown scaled to the export resolution
** Doing this at high resolutions is a bad idea, since 2k and above working resolutions require a lot of computing power and the downscale advantage will be close to nonexistent

== T4 Asset Export Config ==
* The T4 Asset Export Configs should appear automatically to your Substance Painter export settings if you have the Frozenbyte shelf set up
** [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Baking_and_Texturing#Adding_a_custom_shelf_in_Substance_Painter|Instructions for adding a custom shelf]]
# Use the export config T4_asset_export(_alphatest/-blend) in Substance Painter
#* ''Optional:'' Use the custom layer export script to save layers from the psd-file
#* The Substance painter export config '''T4_asset_export''' names your maps automatically for use with the Frozenbyte Editor
# Make sure your texture set name is set to whatever you want your textures to be called (e.g. sample_asset_mossy_mat)
#* To change texture set names, right click on a texture set, and select ''Edit name''
# The export config then automatically [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Exporting_to_Editor#Channel_packing | packs the channels]], and adds proper suffixes
# After texturing your asset, press Ctrl+Shift+E to export your materials (see image below)
#* '''Config:''' T4_asset_export(_alphatest/-blend)
* '''Note:''' To get the sub surface scattering (sss) map exported with this config, you'll need to export the textures in tga format, it doesn't work for the psd format

[[File:Painter_export_settings.png|alt=Correct normal format|Painter export settings|center]]

=== Channel Packing ===

* Channel Packing = taking one or more gray scale imagesm and pasting them into a single image file's color channels
** A shader then looks up the color channels and decides which one to use
* This saves texture memory and reduces clutter in the folders
* The Frozenbyte Editor has support for a combined metallic + roughness map
** Use the '''red channel for metallic''' and '''green channel for roughness'''
* Channel packing will happen automatically when using the export config '''T4_asset_export''', so in most cases you shouldn't have to do it by hand
[[File:rm_map_example.jpg|400px|alt=Channel packing example|A metallic/roughness map will look something like this. It could be all green as well in case there are no metal parts|center]]

=== PSD Layers to Files ===
* Install this script into your Photoshop scripts folder (''\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CC 2018\Presets\Scripts'').
* '''Export layers, no prefix: \\workspace\workspace\art\art_resources\layer_export_script'''
* The script is a slightly modified version of Photoshop's own ''export layers to files'' -script
** It's the same as the original, but it will not create any unwanted prefixes
* Open your exported PSD file in Photoshop, and go to '''File -> Export -> Layers to files No Prefix...'''
* In the window that opens, set your destination folder, make sure '''File name prefix''' is empty, and set file type to '''Targa 24bit'''
* Now you have your textures ready to import into the Editor
* '''NOTE:''' Alphatest and alphablend albedo textures will need to be saved separately as '''32bit Targa''' to preserve their alpha channel
* '''NOTE:''' Always compress your targa files to reduce their file size!

==Channel packing by hand in Photoshop==

# Open both metallic and roughness maps in Photoshop
# Copy either of them
# Go to the other map's channel list. It's the tab next to 'Layers' on the layer stack.
#* If there is only one channel that says "Index", go to '''Image -> Mode -> RGB Color'''
# Select the correct color channel and paste the copied map there
#* '''R=Metallic, G=Roughness, B=black'''
# Select the blue channel and fill it with black
# Done!

= Naming Conventions =
[[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Naming_the_Asset#Naming_Conventions_for_Textures 3D Asset Workflow|3D Asset Workflow: Naming the Asset#Naming Conventions for Textures]]
* Using [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Texturing#T4_Asset_Export_Config|T4 Asset Export Config]] should take care of the suffixes for you, but make sure the base name is done correctly

3D Asset Workflow: Baking

2023-08-01T07:16:31Z

Mio Mäkijärvi: /* Baking Settings */

<div style="border-bottom:2px solid #99aac7; background:#d0def5; padding:0.4em 0.5em; font-size:130%; margin-bottom: 25px; text-align: center; float:top;">
⬑ [[3D Asset Workflow]]</div>

<div style="padding-right: 10px; padding-left: 1000px; padding-top: 60px; padding-bottom: 80px;">
{{#lst:3D Asset Workflow}} 
</div>

= Summary =
* Baking means '''transfering the high poly mesh's information to a 2D texture map'''
** This way you get '''the details of the dense highpoly mesh in a much more optimized form''', that can be used in real time in the game
* '''Baked maps are used when texturing the model'''
** We use Substance Painter for texturing
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #e6f2ff; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Good sites for more Substance Painter info:
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* [https://www.youtube.com/user/Allegorithmic Substance Designer/Painter company page]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pC9MdCg1k1A Substance Painter 2 tutorial: Texturing & rendering a blade]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ywhVkZBtq8 Face Texturing in Substance Painter with Magdalena Dadela]
</div>
</div>

== Baked Texture Maps Terminology ==
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #e6f2ff; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Baked Texture Maps Terminology
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* '''Normal Map'''
** Normal map has all the sculpted detail information in it
** Tips for normal maps: [https://www.artstation.com/artwork/nNXyK No more wrong Normal Maps ]
* '''World space normals'''
** Is used by many masking generators
* '''Color ID Map'''
** The Color ID map will be baked based on the vertex colors of the high poly mesh
** The Color ID map is super useful in masking different material areas - '''use it whenever your object has more than one material'''
* '''AO Map'''
** Ambient Occlusion creates occlusion shadows that bring out the depth and shape of the model better
* '''Curvature Map'''
** You can use curvature map with many generator masking techniques in Painter
** Curvature map has cavity and convexity
** '''Make sure to always bake the World space normals map at the same time you bake the curvature map, as it'll use the World space normals to create the curvature map!'''
* '''Position Map'''
** You can use the position map for example for making an axis based gradient on the model
* '''Thickness Map'''
** Thickness map can be used to create [[3D Asset Workflow: Subsurface Scattering|subsurface scattering]] on for example skin and plants
</div>
</div>

== Baking Steps ==
# Prepare your highpoly and lowpoly models for baking by making sure they're named correctly, and that their scales and positions match
# Bake your model
#* If needed, make a [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Baking#Cage|cage]]
# Use the baked maps to [[3D Asset Workflow: Texturing|texture]] your model in Substance Painter

= Exporting the UV mapped Lowpoly Model from Modo =
* '''At this point, you should have a finished highpoly mesh, and a finished (but untextured) lowpoly mesh with UVs'''
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Troubleshooting#Checkerboard_pattern_when_baking_mirrored_objects|Make sure the mirrored UV islands are not on top of each other]]
# '''Apply a material to your mesh'''
#* With the mesh selected, press 'M' and type in a name
#** [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Naming_the_Asset#Naming_Conventions_for_Textures|Use the correct texture naming conventions]]
#* Substance Painter's export config will '''name the files based on the texture set name'''
# In case you have multiple UV sets, you need to add a separate material for each of them
# Delete all the other materials from the Shaders tab, if there are any
# If needed, triangulate the meshes for better baking results, but '''keep the nontriangulated mesh saved'''
#* It's easier to edit the non-triangulated mesh, and as a general rule, '''animated meshes should never be triangulated when they're sent to the animators'''
# Remember to tick '''Save Materials''' when exporting

== FBX Export Settings ==
* Select everything
* Export the layers using the same settings when exporting to Zbrush, '''except''' remember to additionally select the following:
** Save smoothing groups
** Save tangent basis
** Save materials
[[File:Baking in painter 01.jpg|800px|center]]

* Go to the Modo's Game Tools tab, and select the following settings & export the FBX:
[[File:Base mesh export.jpg|800px|center]]

= Starting a New Project on Substance Painter =
# Open Substance Painter and create a new project (File > New)
#* Click Select and find your lowpoly mesh, then select a document resolution and click OK
#** '''The resolution can be changed later without quality loss''' - bigger is more exact, but can get slow in complex scenes
# '''If you have baked texture maps externally''', select and add all the texture maps - if not, you can bake them in Substance Painter
#** Normal, AO, and color ID maps
# Adjust the document resolution to the right size
#* Select '''DirectX''' as the normal map format (see image)
#** Normal map format can be changed later by going to '''Edit -> Project settings'''

[[File:Baking in painter 05.jpg|Painter import|center]]
[[File:normalformat.JPG|alt=Correct normal format|Set this to DirectX|center]]

= Baking =
Related: [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_General_Tips#Lowpoly.2FUVs.2FBaking|General tips: Lowpoly/UVs/Baking]]
* You can use xNormal, Substance Painter, Substance Designer, or Marmoset Toolbag for baking the texture maps for the 3D asset

== Baking in Substance Painter ==
=== Baking Order ===
* It's good to first test baking just the normal map, and see if everything works on lower settings
** This way you don't have to wait for very long while a lot of stuff is baking, only to see that there are e.g. artifacts
* You can bake all the maps at once '''except''' the Color ID, Thickness, and the Ambient Occlusion, as they have different common settings
* Baking order:
# '''Normal''' first on lower resolution to check that everything works
# '''Normal''' (if it still needs re-baking), '''World space normal''', '''Curvature''', '''Position'''
# '''Color ID''' and '''Thickness''' if needed
# '''Ambient Occlusion'''

=== Baking Settings ===
* Even if you have the basic maps baked outside the Substance Painter, you might need to bake some extra maps that the Substance Painter uses for the mask generators etc
* Most of the settings with explanations can be found at the [https://support.allegorithmic.com/documentation/display/SPDOC/Baking Substance Painter Documentation], but here are some recommendations:
** In Texture Set Settings, select 'Bake textures'
*** Click on the document icon next to 'Highpoly meshes' and select your highpoly
*** Output size should be relative to your final texture size
** You can bake additional maps (based on the Normal Map) in Painter to help with texturing, just remember to adjust the resolution
** Dilation weight is the same as padding, e.g. 4

'''Common parameters'''
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Common parameters
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* '''Diffusion:''' On (Except for the Color ID and AO Maps)
* '''Ignore backface:''' On
* '''Match:''' By Mesh Name
* '''Anti-aliasing:''' Subsampling 8x8 (consider lowering for AO, Color ID, and Thickness, e.g. 4x4)
* '''High/Low poly mesh suffix:''' Whatever you used when naming the meshes
* ''' Dilation:''' 16 (2-4 for the Color ID Map)
* First bake only the Normal Map and test that everything works - if there are any issues, check the [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Baking_and_Texturing#Troubleshooting|Troubleshooting]]

[[File:Baking in painter 03.jpg|800px|center]]
</div>
</div>

'''Color ID Map'''
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Color ID Map parameters
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* '''Color Source:''' Vertex Color (if you used polypaint to mask mesh parts)
* '''Common Parameters''':
** '''Diffusion''': Off
** '''Anti-aliasing''': Sub-sampling lower than usually, for example 4x4
** '''Dilation''': 2-4
</div>
</div>

'''Ambient Occlusion Map'''
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Ambient Occlusion Map parameters
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* '''Self Occlusion:''' By Mesh Name
* '''Ignore Backface:''' On
* '''Common Parameters''':
** '''Diffusion''': Off
** '''Anti-aliasing''': Sub-sampling lower than usually, for example 4x4
[[File:Baking in painter 04.jpg|800px|Painter baking AO without separate pieces affecting to each other|center]]
</div>
</div>

'''Thickness Map'''
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Thickness Map parameters
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* '''Self Occlusion:''' By Mesh Name
* It's a good idea to bake <span style="color:blue">AO</span> and Thickness separate from the other maps and with a lower AA setting, since they take a lot of time to bake
* '''Common Parameters''':
** '''Diffusion''': Off
** '''Anti-aliasing''': Sub-sampling lower than usually, for example 4x4
</div>
</div>

'''Position Map'''
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Position Map parameters
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* If you want to add a gradient on Y axis (from top to bottom) to the whole mesh:
** Mode: One axis
** Axis: Y
** Normalization: BBox
[[File:Painter guidelines 03.jpg|center]]
</div>
</div>

=== Baking Opacity Maps in Substance Painter ===
* Once you have sculpted something you'll need a transparent background for, add a plane behind it in ZBrush/Modo
* Duplicate the plane, fill it with a vertex color, resize it a little bigger and place it between the lowpoly plane and the highpoly sculpt
** It doesn't matter what this vertex color plane's size is, as long as it is bigger than the lowpoly plane
** If it's any smaller than the lowpoly plane itself, the uncovered portions of the lowpoly will not be transparent in the baked Opacity Map

[[File:alphamap_tuto_transparency_zbrush_planes.jpg|1000px|center]]

* Merge the vertex color plane with your highpoly sculpt, so that they will be exported in the same highpoly FBX file
* Once the highpoly object and the vertex color plane are used for the baking in Substance Painter, it's possible to assign a transparent background for the object
* A problem with this method is that you won't get a proper edge padding around the leaf, but it will be created around the plane
** This can be solved by texturing the whole plane using the same Substance Painter layer, meaning that you have all of it's vertex colors/Color ID Map colors assigned with Color Selection
** You can also handpaint some of the areas surrounding the object, if needed
** In the image below, you can see what the diffuse around the leaf looks like - it will serve it's purpose as a padding

[[File:alphamap_tuto_sp_diffuse.jpg|500px|center]]

* If you are not getting the Opacity Map exported the way intended in Substance Painter, you might need to create a white Fill Layer, with only the Opacity Channel activated and create a Black Mask with Color Selection

[[File:alphamap_tuto_sp_opacity&diffuse.jpg|500px|center]]

=== Troubleshooting ===
* '''If your maps show as black or as a weird mess''' you might have your scale wrong
** Check that the naming is correct, note that capitalization matters
** Import your high and lowpoly meshes into the same scene and compare them, to see if their scales match
** [https://www.marmoset.co/ Marmoset Toolbag] is great for this, since it can load the highpoly mesh quicker than Modo
* '''If your map has artifacts, holes, or other problems'''
** Make sure the mirrored UV islands are not on top of each other [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Retopo_and_UVs#Mirrored_UVs_in_Substance_Paiter|Mirrored UVs in Substance Painter]]
* '''In case you'll bakes have some weird shading''' in them, try triangulating those parts, or the whole mesh
** Have the lowpoly mesh triangulated in Modo (shift+T) before baking, '''but save a non triangulated version too in case the mesh needs to be edited'''
** In case you use a triangulated mesh for baking, the same mesh should be also the one that is used in the game (excluding animated models)
** Remember to update vertex normals after triangulating
** In any case, have a non-triangulated version in the Modo file when committing the workfile to the workspace SVN
*** You can keep the triangulated version in the same file on a separate layer
* '''Blurry Color ID map? Substance Painter not detecting the highpoly mesh?'''
** Solution: [https://forum.allegorithmic.com/index.php?topic=12872.0 Color Map From Mesh Produces Blurry (Unusable) Results ]
** Have the lowpoly mesh triangulated before baking
** Don't use Apply Diffusion in SP baking common parameters panel
** Don't use big Dilation (padding), it should be 2-4
* If the Substance Painter crashes during exporting, [https://support.allegorithmic.com/documentation/display/SPDOC/GPU+drivers+crash+with+long+computations this] might help
* '''Curvature Map not showing all the detail that should be there?''' Make sure to always bake the World Space Normals Map at the same time you bake the Curvature Map, as it'll use the World Space Normals to create the Curvature Map

==== Cage ====
* '''If the bake comes out with problems like transparent holes or weird looking artifacts/other bake errors''':
* You can first try to fix the problem without a cage in Substance Painter
** In some cases without cage you can get transparent areas to the ID bake (easiest to notice) and other bakes
** It might help to slightly change the max frontal & rear distance, for example from 0.01 -> 0.03 but if this is too much there will be artifacts
** If adjusting the max frontal & rear distance doesn't help, you'll need to use cage
* Often if the model has small gaps etc a cage is needed for a clean bake
* '''The cage is an inflated version of the model that covers the actual model, and lets the baking program know where the mesh starts and ends'''
* The cage should be done after the mesh is finished and has the UVs and everything, the cage should have the exact same UVs as the actual model
* You can use Modo's deformation tool Push for making the cage of the mesh:
** Duplicate the model on new layer (all layers need to be merged so there's only one layer) & use push to inflate it so that the high poly mesh is mostly covered with the cage mesh
** Make sure not to inflate too much, try to keep the cage as small as possible so that it neatly covers the high poly and doesn't go inside itself in any tough spot
** If the cage goes inside itself or doesn't cover enough, you can edit it by moving the vertices around by hand. This is pretty much always the case when a cage is needed for a clean bake.
** A good starting point is to cover most of the mesh using push but then adjust the rest by hand
* ATTENTION! If your model has several texture sets, each set should have a separate cage and the maps need to be baked in Painter one at a time for each texture set
[[File:How to create a cage model for baking.jpg|1600px]]

== Baking in xNormal ==
https://xnormal.net
* XNormal is good for baking transparency/alpha, because it has many different baking options for it
** The software looks old and funky, but is still used in the industry by many artists due to its reliability
* When baking a normal map use setting '''-Y''', because the inverted way is used in our Editor
* When baking a color id map you might want to use Antialiasing x1 to create crisp edges for masking in Substance Painter
* '''It is highly recommended to triangulate your lowpoly and cage mesh for XNormal'''
** Otherwise you might get errors in the bake
* Remember to change the file name after a successful bake
** Otherwise it will overwrite the file if you bake another map with xNormal

=== Baking Opacity Maps in xNormal ===
* Images below show how to bake opacity maps with XNormal: <br/>
<gallery widths=400px heights=400px mode="nolines">
File:xnornmal_for_opacity_01.jpg
File:xnornmal_for_opacity_02.jpg
File:xnornmal_for_opacity_03.jpg
File:xnornmal_for_opacity_04.jpg
</gallery>

* When baking opacity, set the texture resolution one step higher than what it should be for the asset you are making
** After baking, reduce the size of the baked opacity to the correct size
** This gives you smoother edges to the alpha map, because Photoshop does a good job of smoothing when sizing down pixels
* '''Remember to also have no padding in your opacity bake'''!
* After the bake you will have to also delete the alpha channel from the texture for it to work properly in Substance Painter
** Delete the alpha channel from the baked highpoly base texture map, too
* Picture below shows how to do that
* In Photoshop it's also handy to now make an inverted alpha map for Modo
** Below pictures show steps for that, too
<gallery widths=300px heights=300px mode="nolines">
File:vegetation_delete_alpha_channel.jpg|Delete alpha channel
File:baked_hp_maps.jpg|Two maps baked with Xnormal from HP
File:inverted_map_for_modo_opacity.jpg|Inverted opacity map for Modo
File:Modo_opacity_for_vege.jpg|How to view opacity in Modo
</gallery>

=== Baking Vertex Colors in xNormal ===
* Related: [[3D Asset Workflow: Vegetation]]
* If you are not using textures from the highpoly model, but want to bake vertex colors, XNormal can do that too
** You can also do it in Substance Painter - in it the vertex colors will be baked to the ID Map slot
* '''Make sure you have padding on'''
** Without padding, wrong colors will bleed to the edges of the transparency map, when e.g. the vegetation switches to LOD
* Pictures below show how to bake vertex color with XNormal:
<gallery widths=400px heights=400px mode="nolines">
File:xnormal_vc_baking.jpg
File:xnormal_vc_baking_02.jpg
</gallery>

=== Adding an Externally Baked Opacity Map to a Substance Painter Project ===
# Add opacity channel from the small plus icon at the Texture Settings panel
# Select the shader "pbr-metal-rough-with-alpha-test" at the Viewer Settings panel
# Select the right texture set in which you want to add the opacity from the Texture Set List panel
# Import the Opacity Map by dragging it in the Texture Shelf
# Opacity Map is a black and white map, in which the white will be visible, and the black will be transparent
# Add a Fill Layer from the Layers Panel
# Leave only the "op" Opacity Channel active from the Properties - Fill Material panel
# Drag and drop the alpha map from the Texture Shelf to the Base color button at the Properties - Fill Material Panel
# Notice that the Opacity will not be working if you check the different channels using "C" - it's only visible in the material mode "M", where you can see all the channels combined

<gallery widths=400px heights=400px mode="nolines">
File:substance_opacity_00.jpg
File:substance_opacity_01.jpg
File:substance_opacity_02.jpg
</gallery>

3D Asset Workflow: Retopology

2023-08-01T07:15:57Z

Mio Mäkijärvi: /* Frozenbyte Lowpoly Model examples */

<div style="border-bottom:2px solid #99aac7; background:#d0def5; padding:0.4em 0.5em; font-size:130%; margin-bottom: 25px; text-align: center; float:top;">
⬑ [[3D Asset Workflow]]</div>

<div style="padding-right: 10px; padding-left: 1000px; padding-top: 60px; padding-bottom: 80px;">
{{#lst:3D Asset Workflow}} 
</div>

= Summary =
We use [[Modo]] for this work phase, so all of the notes and screenshots here are mostly Modo specific

* Retopology means '''creating a low density mesh based on the high-poly sculpt'''
** What's considered "low-density" has greatly to do with the platform the game will be played on: we're making PC/console games, so we can afford more polygons than e.g. mobile games
*** The assets still need to be optimized, so '''don't add unnecessary geometry where it's not needed''' (e.g., where it doesn't affect silhouette at the gameplay camera distance, in most cases)
* '''Keep all the models of one 3D asset set in one Modo file'''
** For example, if you have a big set of furniture, keep them all in one Modo file, on separate layers (and export them to the game as one FBX)
<br>
== While retopoing, keep the following things in mind ==
# '''The scale of the object in the game world in general'''
#* If the object is huge and covers a lot of area in the camera view, it's justified to use more polygons in it
#* Small details can be retopoed flat, as the baked normal map will add the necessary amount of information there, but forms that will be seen in the silhouette need to be retopoed
#** [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_General_Tips#Lowpoly.2FUVs.2FBaking|Floaters]] can also be used to create detached geometry that looks like it's attached, even if it's not
# '''The distance in which it'll most likely be viewed at'''
#* If the object is huge but will be used far in the background only (e.g. mountains), less polygons are needed for it to look good
# '''Can some parts of the asset be mirrored?'''
#* Mirroring symmetric parts of the assets will save retopology time, as well as UV space
<br>

= Retopology Steps=
# Once your sculpt is [[3D Asset Workflow: Sculpting#Exporting from Zbrush|exported from Zbrush]], it's time to retopo the model
#* If you have the base mesh done before sculpting already, then you can use that as the low-poly model - just make sure that the meshes still line up and match correctly
# '''Retopo''' the sculpt using [[Modo#Topology_Tools|topology tools]] and basic modeling tools, or start with a decimated triangle mesh ([[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Retopo_and_UVs#.22Triangelihuttu.22:_A_decimated_triangle_mesh_made_in_Zbrush_.26_cleaned_up_in_Modo|triangelihuttu]]) and optimize/clean it up
#* You can also use both methods partially in one mesh
#* Symmetrical parts of the model can be '''mirrored''' - this way, you don't have to do the same retopology work twice
# '''Add hard edges''' using the [[Modo#Vertex_Normal_Toolkit|Vertex Normal Toolkit]] - usually hard edges need to be added for any angle 90 degrees or more (on both outwards or inwards turning angles)
#* Especially important for hard surface models - most natural environment assets don't need these, as they don't have steep angles
# In the end, it's good to check that there are '''no holes or n-gons''' (polygon with more than 3 or 4 vertices) in the mesh, and perform the [[Modo#Mesh_Cleanup|Mesh Cleanup]] command
#* Our Editor won't render ngons, so they will look like holes in the mesh
#* Note: the Mesh Cleanup merges the vertices that are in the same position, so if you have duplicated alpha planes (in e.g. tree foliage), they'll be merged
#* [[Modo#Fixing_Geometry|More info on fixing geometry]]
# Once the model is ready and has hard edges assigned, it's time to [[3D Asset Workflow: UV Mapping|'''make the UVs''']]

==Good topology for animation==

=== General rules ===
* Static objects need less polygons where they won't be clearly visible, but with the animated models, the 3D artist needs to think what those parts look like when deformed (e.g. armpits, knees, corners of the mouth)
* The edge flows of the deforming areas should be clean - if the loops are messy and the area needs to bend a lot, it'll create even messier a silhouette when deformed
** Also, when the edge flow is clean, it's easier to select loops and weight paint - it saves a lot of rigger's time!
* If the model is '''animated but only swaying slightly or is shown very far''', then these points becomes less important
* For characters this is important - especially if they will be shown close-up in e.g. cutscenes!
* '''Model characters' eyelids thick enough''' - in a game rig there's only one (1) bone for each lid
** Some of the vertices has to be partially weighted, which means that when the controller is rotated, the vertices move slightly inwards
** If the lid surface is too close to the eyeball, the lid will clip - this is easily fixed by making the lid thicker
* Same applies to all layered geometry, like clothing

=== Retopoing a characters' face ===
# Continue the loop inside the mouth, don't stop it at the corner
#* When the character opens the mouth wide open, there needs to be enough geometry to smoothly deform the mesh
# Don't use triangles in places that break the flow of the surrounding loops
#* Fillers like these are fine when the polygons would stretch too much otherwise and it supports the flow
# Don’t over optimize by stopping the loops in middle of the surface when it’s not absolutely needed - end the loop in less deforming area instead
[[File:face_topo_reference_2_19.11.2019.jpg|1000px|center]]

* '''Interior of mouth should be modeled so that teeth + tongue fit in neatly'''
** When the character opens the mouth normally, the teeth shouldn't clip - the rigger can't fix clipping with weight painting, if the clipping is already there in the model
** Make sure there are enough polygons between the lips and the teeth, so that precise weight painting is possible
*** Clean edge flow helps here as well!
[[File:Modeling_guides_teeth_clipping_20.11.2019.jpg|640px|center]]

==Retopo in Modo==
* Check [[Modo]] for more detailed info on Modo's configuration, modeling tools and hotkeys
* Check especially the [[Modo#Topology_Tools|Topology Tools]] section
<br>
# [[Modo#Importing_and_Exporting_with_Modo|Import]] the highpoly model to Modo
# Create a new mesh layer and name it as <nowiki>[partname]_[suffix]</nowiki>, where
## <nowiki>[partname]</nowiki> matches with the name you gave to the subtool in Zbrush, and
## <nowiki>[suffix]</nowiki> separates this from the highpoly model, e.g. _lp or _low
##* For example, if you want to retopo a mesh which was named as 'hobbitfoot_hp' in Zbrush, you should name your mesh layer as 'hobbitfoot_lp'
##** This is because when baking, the software (Substance Painter) needs to be able to match the parts together and know which is which
##** Note that the naming is ''case sensitive''!
[[File:Lowpoly naming.PNG|center|alt=Lowpoly naming|An example of low poly naming]]

=== Two ways to retopo ===
Note that if you have made a [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Concepting#How_to_make_a_concept_for_a_3D_asset|3D base mesh before sculpting]], that mesh can be used as the lowpoly model either as is, or tweaked, depending on the case
* More detailed info at [[Modo#Topology_Tools|Topology Tools]]
* The two ways, which can be used intertwined in the same asset as well:
# '''[[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Retopo_and_UVs#Retopoing_by_hand|Retopoing by hand]]'''
#* Pros: Nice and clean mesh that is easy to UV and add hard edges to, and that deforms nicely in animation
#* Cons: Takes more time and effort
# '''ZBrush generated triangle mesh aka "[[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Retopo_and_UVs#.22Triangelihuttu.22:_A_decimated_triangle_mesh_made_in_Zbrush_.26_cleaned_up_in_Modo|triangelihuttu]]"''':
#* Pros: A quick method for assets that don't need to have nice quad geometry, e.g. natural rock assets, terrain
#* Cons: A bit more difficult to UV map neatly at times, harder to add hard edges where they need to be, doesn't work well with animation
<br>
* Here you can see the both retopo results in one character asset
** Most of the Owl is retopoed by hand
** Wing feathers are triangulated
[[File:Owl lowpoly.jpg|1000px|center]]

==== Retopoing by hand ====
If you have '''an animated character''', a symmetrical, and/or some quite basic geometrical shape model, you'll probably want to use this method
* Summary:
** Results in a mesh made from quads (and triangles in the areas where needed)
** Usually takes more time than the triangle method, but can also be surprisingly faster in some cases
** Easy to edit & optimize
** Easy to see if the topology of the mesh is optimal in all the areas
** Easy to make UVs as the edge loops are easy to select
** Deforms nicely when rigged & animated
*** Sway usually works O.K., if it's not too drastic
* Switch to Topology tab and start retopoing. Here are a couple of useful videos explaining how the retopoing tools work:
** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om9YnlnR30w Modo 701 Retopology]
** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCFKbOV9MVw Zbrush to Modo 801 Retopology Workflow]

==== "Triangelihuttu": A decimated triangle mesh made in Zbrush & cleaned up in Modo ====
If you have an organic, non symmetrical, not clearly any basic geometric shape model that is '''not going to be animated nor deformed too much''', you can use this method. Sometimes this is even better method than the hand retopo one. For example, you might lose time needlessly by making a clean retopo by hand for a rock model. If it's not really necessary to have clean edge loops, use this method!
* Summary:
** Results in a mesh made from triangles
** Can be much faster than retopoing by hand
** Needs to be cleaned up and optimized in Modo
*** E.g. by welding geometry and using the Reduction Tool for the whole mesh or selected parts, and getting rid of triangles that are stretched too thin
** Harder to edit & optimize
** Harder to see if the topology of the mesh is optimal in all the areas
** Harder to make UVs as the edge loops are harder to select
** Deforms badly if rigged & animated
* More about the [[Modo#Decimated_triangle_mesh_made_in_Zbrush_.26_cleaned_up_in_Modo|Triangle mesh workflow]]

[[File:Triangelihuttu method.png|1200px|center]]

== Density of the Lowpoly Mesh ==
# What's considered "low density" has greatly to do with the platform the game will be played on: we're making PC/console games, so we can afford more polygons than e.g. mobile games
#* The assets still need to be optimized, so '''don't add unnecessary geometry where it's not needed'''
#* However, '''do add simple backfaces''', e.g. don't leave holes to the model even if it's most likely always e.g. sitting on the ground
#** This makes the asset more usable for the level artists
# '''Keep the scale of the object in mind'''
#* If the object is huge and covers a lot of area in the camera view, it's justified to use more polygons in it
#* Small details can be retopoed flat, as the baked normal map will add the necessary amount of information there, but forms that will be seen in the silhouette need to be retopoed
#** [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_General_Tips#Lowpoly.2FUVs.2FBaking|Floaters]] can also be used to create detached geometry that looks like it's attached, even if it's not
# In general, we want round areas to look round in the silhouette
#* Always check how the silhouette looks '''at the distance the object will be most likely looked at'''
#** In most cases, the distance is the '''camera distance''', which can be checked by e.g. exporting a temp version of your model to the game and testing it that way
# '''If the geometry will not affect the silhouette, delete it'''
#* If the asset is not a character that will be deforming in animation, you'll only need to worry about the silhouette
#* Delete all unnecessary, overlapping geometry, which can sometimes be left inside the actual model by accident

= Frozenbyte Lowpoly Model examples =
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Lowpoly model gallery
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
<gallery widths=300px heights=300px mode="nolines">

File:Amadeus renders head 01.png
File:Amadeus renders body 02.png
File:Amadeus renders body 01.png
File:Amadeus lowpoly wireframe 01.png | Amadeus wire frame, about 13500 polygons (25000 triangels in the game engine)
File:Amadeus lowpoly wireframe 02.png

File:Undergrowth textured wip02.jpg
File:Vegetables textured part02.jpg
File:WisteriaSmall.jpg | Pieces used to build bigger arrangements
File:WisteriaTextured.jpg | Arrangements built from smaller pieces
File:WireFrameExampleVegetation01.jpg| Model wire frames
File:WireFrameExampleVegetation02.jpg| Flat piece wire frames
File:BadgersHerbBundles.jpg

File:Fountain pegasus1.jpg
File:Nightmare wolf mt rends.jpg
File:Nightmare spider ice.jpg

File:General assets.jpg
File:Beam set wireframe.jpg
File:Pavilion pieces wireframe.jpg

File:Castle furniture.png
File:Book chomber.png
File:Npc goat.JPG

File:Blocky rock alternative textures 01.jpg

File:Wizard box screenshot.png

File:Redwood deer 02.png

File:Healer wizard color variations.png

File:MushroomsInEditorWip02.jpg

File:Long case clock.png

File:Platform and lever.jpg
File:Lion lift.png
</gallery>
</div>
</div>

3D Asset Workflow: Retopology

2023-08-01T07:15:13Z

Mio Mäkijärvi: /* Frozenbyte Lowpoly Model examples */

<div style="border-bottom:2px solid #99aac7; background:#d0def5; padding:0.4em 0.5em; font-size:130%; margin-bottom: 25px; text-align: center; float:top;">
⬑ [[3D Asset Workflow]]</div>

<div style="padding-right: 10px; padding-left: 1000px; padding-top: 60px; padding-bottom: 80px;">
{{#lst:3D Asset Workflow}} 
</div>

= Summary =
We use [[Modo]] for this work phase, so all of the notes and screenshots here are mostly Modo specific

* Retopology means '''creating a low density mesh based on the high-poly sculpt'''
** What's considered "low-density" has greatly to do with the platform the game will be played on: we're making PC/console games, so we can afford more polygons than e.g. mobile games
*** The assets still need to be optimized, so '''don't add unnecessary geometry where it's not needed''' (e.g., where it doesn't affect silhouette at the gameplay camera distance, in most cases)
* '''Keep all the models of one 3D asset set in one Modo file'''
** For example, if you have a big set of furniture, keep them all in one Modo file, on separate layers (and export them to the game as one FBX)
<br>
== While retopoing, keep the following things in mind ==
# '''The scale of the object in the game world in general'''
#* If the object is huge and covers a lot of area in the camera view, it's justified to use more polygons in it
#* Small details can be retopoed flat, as the baked normal map will add the necessary amount of information there, but forms that will be seen in the silhouette need to be retopoed
#** [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_General_Tips#Lowpoly.2FUVs.2FBaking|Floaters]] can also be used to create detached geometry that looks like it's attached, even if it's not
# '''The distance in which it'll most likely be viewed at'''
#* If the object is huge but will be used far in the background only (e.g. mountains), less polygons are needed for it to look good
# '''Can some parts of the asset be mirrored?'''
#* Mirroring symmetric parts of the assets will save retopology time, as well as UV space
<br>

= Retopology Steps=
# Once your sculpt is [[3D Asset Workflow: Sculpting#Exporting from Zbrush|exported from Zbrush]], it's time to retopo the model
#* If you have the base mesh done before sculpting already, then you can use that as the low-poly model - just make sure that the meshes still line up and match correctly
# '''Retopo''' the sculpt using [[Modo#Topology_Tools|topology tools]] and basic modeling tools, or start with a decimated triangle mesh ([[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Retopo_and_UVs#.22Triangelihuttu.22:_A_decimated_triangle_mesh_made_in_Zbrush_.26_cleaned_up_in_Modo|triangelihuttu]]) and optimize/clean it up
#* You can also use both methods partially in one mesh
#* Symmetrical parts of the model can be '''mirrored''' - this way, you don't have to do the same retopology work twice
# '''Add hard edges''' using the [[Modo#Vertex_Normal_Toolkit|Vertex Normal Toolkit]] - usually hard edges need to be added for any angle 90 degrees or more (on both outwards or inwards turning angles)
#* Especially important for hard surface models - most natural environment assets don't need these, as they don't have steep angles
# In the end, it's good to check that there are '''no holes or n-gons''' (polygon with more than 3 or 4 vertices) in the mesh, and perform the [[Modo#Mesh_Cleanup|Mesh Cleanup]] command
#* Our Editor won't render ngons, so they will look like holes in the mesh
#* Note: the Mesh Cleanup merges the vertices that are in the same position, so if you have duplicated alpha planes (in e.g. tree foliage), they'll be merged
#* [[Modo#Fixing_Geometry|More info on fixing geometry]]
# Once the model is ready and has hard edges assigned, it's time to [[3D Asset Workflow: UV Mapping|'''make the UVs''']]

==Good topology for animation==

=== General rules ===
* Static objects need less polygons where they won't be clearly visible, but with the animated models, the 3D artist needs to think what those parts look like when deformed (e.g. armpits, knees, corners of the mouth)
* The edge flows of the deforming areas should be clean - if the loops are messy and the area needs to bend a lot, it'll create even messier a silhouette when deformed
** Also, when the edge flow is clean, it's easier to select loops and weight paint - it saves a lot of rigger's time!
* If the model is '''animated but only swaying slightly or is shown very far''', then these points becomes less important
* For characters this is important - especially if they will be shown close-up in e.g. cutscenes!
* '''Model characters' eyelids thick enough''' - in a game rig there's only one (1) bone for each lid
** Some of the vertices has to be partially weighted, which means that when the controller is rotated, the vertices move slightly inwards
** If the lid surface is too close to the eyeball, the lid will clip - this is easily fixed by making the lid thicker
* Same applies to all layered geometry, like clothing

=== Retopoing a characters' face ===
# Continue the loop inside the mouth, don't stop it at the corner
#* When the character opens the mouth wide open, there needs to be enough geometry to smoothly deform the mesh
# Don't use triangles in places that break the flow of the surrounding loops
#* Fillers like these are fine when the polygons would stretch too much otherwise and it supports the flow
# Don’t over optimize by stopping the loops in middle of the surface when it’s not absolutely needed - end the loop in less deforming area instead
[[File:face_topo_reference_2_19.11.2019.jpg|1000px|center]]

* '''Interior of mouth should be modeled so that teeth + tongue fit in neatly'''
** When the character opens the mouth normally, the teeth shouldn't clip - the rigger can't fix clipping with weight painting, if the clipping is already there in the model
** Make sure there are enough polygons between the lips and the teeth, so that precise weight painting is possible
*** Clean edge flow helps here as well!
[[File:Modeling_guides_teeth_clipping_20.11.2019.jpg|640px|center]]

==Retopo in Modo==
* Check [[Modo]] for more detailed info on Modo's configuration, modeling tools and hotkeys
* Check especially the [[Modo#Topology_Tools|Topology Tools]] section
<br>
# [[Modo#Importing_and_Exporting_with_Modo|Import]] the highpoly model to Modo
# Create a new mesh layer and name it as <nowiki>[partname]_[suffix]</nowiki>, where
## <nowiki>[partname]</nowiki> matches with the name you gave to the subtool in Zbrush, and
## <nowiki>[suffix]</nowiki> separates this from the highpoly model, e.g. _lp or _low
##* For example, if you want to retopo a mesh which was named as 'hobbitfoot_hp' in Zbrush, you should name your mesh layer as 'hobbitfoot_lp'
##** This is because when baking, the software (Substance Painter) needs to be able to match the parts together and know which is which
##** Note that the naming is ''case sensitive''!
[[File:Lowpoly naming.PNG|center|alt=Lowpoly naming|An example of low poly naming]]

=== Two ways to retopo ===
Note that if you have made a [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Concepting#How_to_make_a_concept_for_a_3D_asset|3D base mesh before sculpting]], that mesh can be used as the lowpoly model either as is, or tweaked, depending on the case
* More detailed info at [[Modo#Topology_Tools|Topology Tools]]
* The two ways, which can be used intertwined in the same asset as well:
# '''[[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Retopo_and_UVs#Retopoing_by_hand|Retopoing by hand]]'''
#* Pros: Nice and clean mesh that is easy to UV and add hard edges to, and that deforms nicely in animation
#* Cons: Takes more time and effort
# '''ZBrush generated triangle mesh aka "[[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Retopo_and_UVs#.22Triangelihuttu.22:_A_decimated_triangle_mesh_made_in_Zbrush_.26_cleaned_up_in_Modo|triangelihuttu]]"''':
#* Pros: A quick method for assets that don't need to have nice quad geometry, e.g. natural rock assets, terrain
#* Cons: A bit more difficult to UV map neatly at times, harder to add hard edges where they need to be, doesn't work well with animation
<br>
* Here you can see the both retopo results in one character asset
** Most of the Owl is retopoed by hand
** Wing feathers are triangulated
[[File:Owl lowpoly.jpg|1000px|center]]

==== Retopoing by hand ====
If you have '''an animated character''', a symmetrical, and/or some quite basic geometrical shape model, you'll probably want to use this method
* Summary:
** Results in a mesh made from quads (and triangles in the areas where needed)
** Usually takes more time than the triangle method, but can also be surprisingly faster in some cases
** Easy to edit & optimize
** Easy to see if the topology of the mesh is optimal in all the areas
** Easy to make UVs as the edge loops are easy to select
** Deforms nicely when rigged & animated
*** Sway usually works O.K., if it's not too drastic
* Switch to Topology tab and start retopoing. Here are a couple of useful videos explaining how the retopoing tools work:
** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om9YnlnR30w Modo 701 Retopology]
** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCFKbOV9MVw Zbrush to Modo 801 Retopology Workflow]

==== "Triangelihuttu": A decimated triangle mesh made in Zbrush & cleaned up in Modo ====
If you have an organic, non symmetrical, not clearly any basic geometric shape model that is '''not going to be animated nor deformed too much''', you can use this method. Sometimes this is even better method than the hand retopo one. For example, you might lose time needlessly by making a clean retopo by hand for a rock model. If it's not really necessary to have clean edge loops, use this method!
* Summary:
** Results in a mesh made from triangles
** Can be much faster than retopoing by hand
** Needs to be cleaned up and optimized in Modo
*** E.g. by welding geometry and using the Reduction Tool for the whole mesh or selected parts, and getting rid of triangles that are stretched too thin
** Harder to edit & optimize
** Harder to see if the topology of the mesh is optimal in all the areas
** Harder to make UVs as the edge loops are harder to select
** Deforms badly if rigged & animated
* More about the [[Modo#Decimated_triangle_mesh_made_in_Zbrush_.26_cleaned_up_in_Modo|Triangle mesh workflow]]

[[File:Triangelihuttu method.png|1200px|center]]

== Density of the Lowpoly Mesh ==
# What's considered "low density" has greatly to do with the platform the game will be played on: we're making PC/console games, so we can afford more polygons than e.g. mobile games
#* The assets still need to be optimized, so '''don't add unnecessary geometry where it's not needed'''
#* However, '''do add simple backfaces''', e.g. don't leave holes to the model even if it's most likely always e.g. sitting on the ground
#** This makes the asset more usable for the level artists
# '''Keep the scale of the object in mind'''
#* If the object is huge and covers a lot of area in the camera view, it's justified to use more polygons in it
#* Small details can be retopoed flat, as the baked normal map will add the necessary amount of information there, but forms that will be seen in the silhouette need to be retopoed
#** [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_General_Tips#Lowpoly.2FUVs.2FBaking|Floaters]] can also be used to create detached geometry that looks like it's attached, even if it's not
# In general, we want round areas to look round in the silhouette
#* Always check how the silhouette looks '''at the distance the object will be most likely looked at'''
#** In most cases, the distance is the '''camera distance''', which can be checked by e.g. exporting a temp version of your model to the game and testing it that way
# '''If the geometry will not affect the silhouette, delete it'''
#* If the asset is not a character that will be deforming in animation, you'll only need to worry about the silhouette
#* Delete all unnecessary, overlapping geometry, which can sometimes be left inside the actual model by accident

= Frozenbyte Lowpoly Model examples =
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Lowpoly model gallery
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
<gallery widths=300px heights=300px mode="nolines">

File:Amadeus renders head 01.png
File:Amadeus renders body 02.png
File:Amadeus renders body 01.png
File:Amadeus lowpoly wireframe 01.png | Amadeus wire frame, about 13500 polygons (25000 triangels in the game engine)
File:Amadeus lowpoly wireframe 02.png

File:Undergrowth textured wip02.jpg
File:Vegetables textured part02.jpg
File:WisteriaSmall.jpg | Pieces used to build bigger arrangements
File:WisteriaTextured.jpg | Arrangements built from smaller pieces
File:WireFrameExampleVegetation01.jpg| Model wire frames
File:WireFrameExampleVegetation02.jpg| Flat piece wire frames
File:BadgersHerbBundles.jpg

File:Fountain pegasus1.jpg
File:Nightmare wolf mt rends.jpg
File:Nightmare spider ice.jpg

File:General assets.jpg
File:Beam set wireframe.jpg
File:Pavilion pieces wireframe.jpg

File:Castle furniture.png
File:Book chomber.png
File:Npc goat.JPG
File:Friday meeting 2015 02 20 image2 enforcer rends.jpg

File:Blocky rock alternative textures 01.jpg

File:Wizard box screenshot.png

File:Redwood deer 02.png

File:Healer wizard color variations.png

File:MushroomsInEditorWip02.jpg

File:Long case clock.png

File:Platform and lever.jpg
File:Lion lift.png
</gallery>
</div>
</div>

3D Asset Workflow: Sculpting

2023-08-01T07:14:56Z

Mio Mäkijärvi: /* Frozenbyte sculpt examples */

<div style="border-bottom:2px solid #99aac7; background:#d0def5; padding:0.4em 0.5em; font-size:130%; margin-bottom: 25px; text-align: center; float:top;">
⬑ [[3D Asset Workflow]]</div>

<div style="padding-right: 10px; padding-left: 1000px; padding-top: 60px; padding-bottom: 80px;">
{{#lst:3D Asset Workflow}} 
</div>

= Summary =
* Sculpting means creating a highpoly mesh in e.g. ZBrush, which can then be used as a reference model for the lowpoly mesh
** '''The highpoly mesh is never used in the game as is''', but its information will be baked onto the game-friendly lowpoly mesh
* [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Troubleshooting#Sculpting|Troubleshooting]]

== Sculpting Workflow Steps ==
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Sculpting#Using_a_base_mesh:|Prepare a base mesh in Modo]] OR start with a primitive shape in ZBrush
#* You can also recycle models you have done before to speed up the process
# Make sure you have everything in the '''correct scale''' from the very beginning - it helps to have a character model from the game you are working on as a subtool in your scene
#* ''For reference, the characters in the Trineverse games are 2m tall''
# '''Keep the resolution of the mesh as low as possible at first''', until the '''general shape''' is established
#* Show this version to the AD '''before''' adding more subdivisions and details, as it's '''easier to make possibly required changes at this point rather than later'''
# '''Keep the big picture in mind at all times!'''
#* If your model (or set of models) consists of several pieces, make all of them as a '''rough low res version''' first, NOT one piece at a time from start to finish
# '''Keep checking the asset from the distance in which it's probably seen in the game''', to make sure the '''detail level is not too dense''' and '''the silhouette is readable'''
#* If some of the detail work is smaller than one pixel on the screen, it's be unreadable and might flicker
# Once the asset is otherwise finished, it is usually a good idea to add a layer of '''damage and scratches''' etc
#* Leep in mind the possible mirroring and tiling of the UVs
#** Big dents and other details will repeat if you are not careful!
# Trine style assets should be crooked and not exactly symmetrical, but '''keep the sculpt version symmetrical if possible, so that the retopo is easy to do'''
#* It'll be much easier to have a clean symmetrical sculpt to retopo and bake, and modify the final textured lowpoly mesh to be bent, crooked and unsymmetrical
# Once you are happy with the sculpt, use Decimation Master to make the mesh lower resolution while keeping the details
#* You can '''decimate''' to the point just before it starts to show too much (keep the game camera distance in mind here too)
#** You can use this decimated mesh for both '''retopo in Modo''' and '''baking in the Substance Painter'''
# '''Name all your subtools'''
#* They should have a suffix, e.g. _hp or _high, to separate them from their lowpoly counterparts when [[3D Asset Workflow: Baking|baking]]
# '''[[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Sculpting#Exporting_from_Zbrush|FBX Export]]''' the subtools to one FBX, which contains all your highpoly meshes
#* If the model's scale is off, check [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Troubleshooting#The_model.27s_scale_is_off_when_exporting_from_ZBrush_to_a_different_program|troubleshooting]]
# '''Import to Modo for retopoing'''

= Sculpting Tips & Tricks =
* ZBrush can feel a bit intimidating for a beginner, but there are tons and tons of free learning material online
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Good sites for more ZBrush info
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
** [http://pixologic.com/zclassroom/ ZClassroom]
** [https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=zbrush+tutorial YouTube]
*** For example:
*** [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkzopwqcFevYqrk_0MKIaUwrWYILzYsp6 Intro to ZBrush]
*** [https://www.youtube.com/user/Pavlovich2005/feed Michael Pavlovich zbrush tricks and hardsurface stuff]
</div>
</div>
* Everybody has their own way of working in ZBrush
** You can use any techniques you want and it's fine, as long as the resulting model looks good!

== How to Start Sculpting in ZBrush ==
* This guide image is meant for people '''who aren't familiar with the program''', so this can make the very first steps much easier
* Here you can also see one way of customizing your ZBrush layout and the brushes this artist uses most often
** Customizing your layout is really important for quick and smooth working, so don't be afraid to do it!
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
'''How to customize your ZBrush's layout for better workflow'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* Editing the positions of the different interface buttons etc can be done in the customization mode: Preferences -> Config -> Enable Customize
** Now with holding CTRL+ALT, you can drag and drop different features from the menus to your custom setup on the sides of the viewport, and rearrange their positions too
* When you are done, remember to turn the Enable Customize mode off and Config -> Store Config and Save UI
</div>
</div>
[[File:How to start sculpting in zbrush.jpg|1000px|center]]

== Using a Base Mesh ==
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
'''Guides for using a base mesh'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* You can use a base mesh you make in Modo before starting the sculpting
** You can also skip this part and start in ZBrush from a basic primitive shape of your choosing
* Base meshes can be useful especially in hard surface modeling
* You can also use some of your old sculpts or models as starting points
** If you often make similar models, like humanoid characters, you might want to start a library of base meshes to make your workflow faster

'''Exporting the base mesh from Modo'''
* Separate mesh layers exported from Modo convert automatically to subtools when using FBX, and the scale stays consistent when you use the same format
* Once you have modeled the base mesh, export as FBX from Modo
* In Modo, go to Game Tools tab and use the following settings:
** '''Export file:''' FBX 2014
** '''Export type:''' Export selected
** '''Check only:''' Save Geometry (other settings don't matter at this point)
** '''Units:''' Millimeters (might depend on what is set as default units in Modo)
** '''Scale multiplier:''' 1.0
* Select the mesh layers you want to export and Export As
* '''These settings make sure that the mesh scale stays the same in both Modo and ZBrush'''
[[File:Base_mesh_export.jpg|800px|alt=Export settings|FBX export settings for Zbrush and Substance|center]]

'''Importing the base mesh to Zbrush'''
# Go to ZPlugin > FBX ExportImport > Import
# Drag the model to the canvas
# Select '''Edit Mode''' from the top left menu
</div>
</div>

== Sculpting Techniques ==
=== Zbrush Tutorial: Panel Loops Ornament Technique ===
* Great technique for creating surface models and ornaments
** Features are used in this video:
*** Panel Loops
*** Masking
*** Symmetry
*** Morph target (kind of a layer that can be "erased")

[[File:Zbrush tutorial panel loops ornament technique 01.mp4|1000px|center]]

== Morph Brush ==
{{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_wKwXwjcZs&t=}}

== Sculpting Tip Gallery ==
<gallery widths=400px heights=400px mode="packed">
File:Overpaint_canon_ornaments.jpg|General direction should be simple and all the forms should support that same flow for a clear and readable, flowing design
File:Straight vs crooked.jpg|Shape language: straight v. crooked
File:Trine Flourish Curve Style Guide.jpg|<i>PHOTO:Multiple [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Sculpting#Sources|Sources]]</i></small>
File:Trine 3D bolts tips 01.jpg|90 degree angled bolt can look very flat when viewed from top directly, while beveled version looks good and three dimensional from all the angles
File:Trine style details sculpt tips.jpg|Details should have depth and not just look like they are drawn on
File:Tree trunk shapes tips.jpg|An example image of adding variation to a tree trunk
File:Tree fow sculpt 3D flow overpaint 2.png|Tree flow example
File:Tree fow sculpt 3D flow overpaint 1.png|Tree flow example
</gallery>

== Sculpting a Set ==

* Try to always think about the '''most optimal way of creating the set'''
** Don't create unnecessary unique pieces - '''recycle whenever you can!'''
** You can also '''save texture space''' by having [[3D Asset Workflow: Tile Textures and Trimsheets|tile texture or trimsheets]] for the whole set, or just some parts
** You can make a set of only few pieces, and use that to build various assets
*** For example, if you make a chair, you can just make one chair leg
**** After retopoing and UV mapping it, copy & paste the chair leg so that you have four legged chair
* '''Optimizing & recycling is the key!'''
[[File:Modular set recycling.jpg|800px|center]]

=== How Many Variations? ===
* Often with environmental 3D assets, the task is to '''sculpt a set of assets that can be used in many ways by the level artists'''
** It can be e.g. a set of trees or a set of modular pieces like fences, that can be '''combined together in several ways to create different arrangements out of the same pieces'''
* With organic stuff like trees, plants, rocks etc., a good amount is usually '''three (3) different variations''' of the same thing
** '''Having too many variations is bad, because more time is used to make them, but not much more value is added to the set'''
** '''Don't make extra variations just in case they are needed''', make the optimal amount and once it's used in the game, we'll know if more variations are needed - only make them if there is a real need
** '''The amount of the asset variations should be optimized as well as the geometry of the model'''
** Level artists can work wonders even with one good rock asset by rotating and scaling it
* To create an optimal set, '''discuss with the level artists and ask what their preferences are'''
** '''It's important to keep general assets quite general looking, as they are used a lot around the levels'''
** If you make three variations of a tree/rock/etc. '''make sure that they are different shape/size with each other''' to get the maximal variation out of them
** '''Make the different sides of one asset look different''', that way you have lots of variation even inside the one asset
*** It can be copied and rotated to make look like a different asset

* One asset viewed from four directions = looks like there are four different assets:
[[File:Wrecking ball renders.jpg | 900px|center]]

* These three variations of the same type of tree are enough to build a forest
** Notice how they all have different shape but are still quite general:
[[File:Flowertree combined.jpg| 900px|center]]

= Exporting from Zbrush =
* When your sculpt is finished and decimated, it needs to be exported from ZBrush
** After that, a lowpoly mesh can be created in Modo via retopoing on top of the highpoly mesh

== Decimate ==
* Once you are happy with the sculpt:
# Use Decimation Master to make the mesh lower resolution while keeping the details
#* Decimate your sculpt using Decimation Master in the ZPlugins tab
# You'll first need to pre-process each piece, and then decimate
# You can decimate to the point just before it starts to show too much (keep the game camera distance in mind here too)

== Color ID ==
* Apply solid colors to your sculpt using polypaint (Color > FillObject)
* This will later be used as an ID Map in Substance Painter, so '''use the same color when coloring parts that have the same material'''
* If you plan to have only one subtool/retopo mesh, you can also use polygroups instead of polypaint as IDs for faster results, but the same polypaint can be applied across subtools whereas polygroups cannot
# Clean up your subtools
#* Figure out which parts of your sculpt will be separated when baking, and group them up under the same subtools
# Name the subtools consistently
#* Each subtool should have a suffix such as e.g. _hp or _high - it doesn't matter as long as it's the same for all of them
#** This is to separate the highpoly models from their lowpoly counterparts when paking
* An example of subtool naming:
[[File:Subtools.PNG|alt=Subtools|An example of subtool naming|center]]
* A highpoly sculpt with different materials masked using polypaint/vertex color:
[[File:Polypaint.PNG|500px|alt=Vertex color masking|A highpoly sculpt with different materials masked using polypaint/vertex color|center]]

== Exporting ==
* You can use either FBX or OBJ for exporting meshes out of ZBrush
** FBX is usually the best option as it '''keeps the separate subtools as separate layers in Modo'''
** OBJ can be used if you '''only have one merged piece''', and you '''don't need to bake any parts separately'''

=== Exporting as FBX ===
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Exporting as FBX
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* Export your sculpt using ZPlugin > FBX ExportImport
* FBX should be used since it retains the polypaint/vertex colors and named subtools in one file
* Use the following settings:
** '''Visible'''
** '''FBX 2014'''
** '''bin'''
** '''MayaYUp'''
* Then the FBX can be imported to Modo for [[3D Asset Workflow: Retopology|retopo]]
** In Modo's FBX import dialogue, leave '''load mesh smoothness''' unchecked
*** Zbrush adds two subdivisions to the FBX export - unchecking smoothness removes this
** There might be some scale issues when exporting as FBX, check the [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Troubleshooting#The_model.27s_scale_is_off_when_exporting_from_ZBrush_to_a_different_program|troubleshooting page]] if this happens
</div>
</div>

=== Exporting as OBJ ===
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Exporting as OBJ
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* One subtool can be exported as an OBJ
* It's done from the Tools menu "Import", and by selecting the file format OBJ
* '''OBJ format doesn't have layers like the FBX format'''
* OBJ scales should work nicely as is when exporting from ZBrush and importing to Modo
* Then the OBJ can be imported to Modo for [[3D Asset Workflow: Retopology|retopo]] ("Import as static mesh" option recommended)
</div>
</div>

== About export scales ==
* [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Troubleshooting#The_model.27s_scale_is_off_when_exporting_from_ZBrush_to_a_different_program|Troubleshooting]]
* ZBrush uses Mystery Units™ and doesn't recognize the metric system
** '''What ZBrush calls "scale" is actually the size of the ZTool's bounding box in Mystery Units™'''
* In general, we use millimeters for everything, but other units should work as well - '''as long as they are always the same across all applications'''
** 1 unit -> scaled to 1000 units = 1000mm = 1m
** To fix this, once you are ready to export, go to Tool -> Export -> Scale
[[File:Zbrush fbx export scale.png|ZBrush FBX export scale for a program that uses millimeters as a default scale]]

= Updating ZBrush =
* There are two kinds of updates for ZBrush:
** Smaller updates that can be done with the ZUpgrader.exe found in the Program files (For example: C:\Program Files\Pixologic\ZBrush 2022)
** Bigger updates where the version number changes (For example from version 2021 to version 2022) and for these the ZBrush needs to be completely re-installed
* When updating ZBrush to a completely new version, you need to make some effort to get the settings from the old version to the new version

== The UI and Hotkeys settings ==
* In the old/current version of ZBrush, make sure all your settings are up to date and saved
** Preferences -> Config -> Save UI
** Preferences -> Hotkeys -> Save

* In the new version of ZBrush you can then load the UI and Hotkeys settings you saved from the old version
** Preferences -> Config -> Load Ui -> Load the file you just saved in the previous version -> Store Config (to save as the default in startup)
** Preferences -> Hotkeys -> Load -> Load the file you just saved in the previous version -> Store (to save as the default in startup)

== Plugins, Custom Brushes, Custom Materials, Custom Alphas ==
* Still missing from the latest version are the
** Plugins
** Custom Brushes
** Custom Materials
** Custom Alphas
# Go to the previous version's startup folder (for example C:\Program Files\Pixologic\ZBrush 2021\ZStartup)
# Copy the custom plugins from the startup folder (for example C:\Program Files\Pixologic\ZBrush 2021\ZStartup\ZPlugs64) and paste them to the new version's equivalent folder (for example C:\Program Files\Pixologic\ZBrush 2021\ZStartup\ZPlugs64)
# Do the same for the Alphas, BrushPresets and Materials and any other possible customized things that you might have in the old version
#* For the ZbBush default things it's best to keep the new things and '''not replace them with the older versions''' in case there might be some changes in the new version
#* For example don't replace the ZStartup -> ZPlugs64 new version folder (For example TransposeMasterData_2022) with the older version (For example TransposeMasterData_2021), those have the version year number in the end for a reason.
# If you start getting some weird pop ups about missing files when opening the new version of ZBrush, it might be that you have some old version folders accidentally copied to the new ZbBush folders

== Other settings ==
* Document:
** Adjust up the Width and Height -> Resize to cover the full viewport area
** Bg color: Range 0
** Save as Startup Doc (The settings will be saved as default)
* Material -> Save As Startup Material
** Select a material you want to always be the default when opening ZBrush

= Frozenbyte sculpt examples =
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Highpoly model gallery
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
<gallery widths=300px heights=300px mode="nolines">

File:Amadeus sculpt screenshots fullbody 01.png
File:Amadeus sculpt screenshots head 01.png

File:Beam set sculpt.jpg
File:General items sculpt.jpg
File:Pumpkings.jpg
File:Undergrowth plant 03.jpg
File:Lakka new 02.jpg
File:SpruceRender03.jpg
File:MoonlitForestVegetationSculpts01.jpg
File:BadgersHerbs 02.jpg
File:PineBranch01Render01.jpg
File:Tree sculpt3.jpg
File:Peacock4.jpg
File:BadgersKitchenItems sculpts01.jpg

File:Warlock wizard sculpt screenshots full body.png
File:Warlock wizard sculpt screenshots head.png
File:Healer sculpt1.png
File:Healer sculpt head1.png
File:Ice wizard sculpt screenshots full body.jpg
File:Ice wizard sculpt screenshots head.jpg

File:Enforcer sculpt ct.png
File:Tundrahumanoid hipo.jpg
File:Mistymountainsboss wip.jpg

File:Possessed boss sculpt wip 01.png
File:Kiltti kappa.png

</gallery>
</div></div>

=Sources=
<small>
[PHOTO: Trine Flourish Curve Style Guide.jpg] - Source list :<br>
*Img. 1. [Barcelona Steel Door] https://www.pinterest.de/pin/293367363199673143/ (accessed June 5, 2018)<br>
*Img. 2. [STD Privacy Gates - ALLIED GATE companyALLIED GATE company] http://www.alliedgate.com/irongates/iron-gate-photos/std-privacy-gates/ (accessed June 6, 2018)
*Img. 3. [Андрій Метельський - Різьба по дереву - різних майстрів. | OK] https://ok.ru/andry.metelsky/album/582642885456/582712663376 (accessed June 6, 2018)
</small>

3D Asset Workflow: Sculpting

2023-08-01T07:14:47Z

Mio Mäkijärvi: /* Exporting as OBJ */

<div style="border-bottom:2px solid #99aac7; background:#d0def5; padding:0.4em 0.5em; font-size:130%; margin-bottom: 25px; text-align: center; float:top;">
⬑ [[3D Asset Workflow]]</div>

<div style="padding-right: 10px; padding-left: 1000px; padding-top: 60px; padding-bottom: 80px;">
{{#lst:3D Asset Workflow}} 
</div>

= Summary =
* Sculpting means creating a highpoly mesh in e.g. ZBrush, which can then be used as a reference model for the lowpoly mesh
** '''The highpoly mesh is never used in the game as is''', but its information will be baked onto the game-friendly lowpoly mesh
* [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Troubleshooting#Sculpting|Troubleshooting]]

== Sculpting Workflow Steps ==
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Sculpting#Using_a_base_mesh:|Prepare a base mesh in Modo]] OR start with a primitive shape in ZBrush
#* You can also recycle models you have done before to speed up the process
# Make sure you have everything in the '''correct scale''' from the very beginning - it helps to have a character model from the game you are working on as a subtool in your scene
#* ''For reference, the characters in the Trineverse games are 2m tall''
# '''Keep the resolution of the mesh as low as possible at first''', until the '''general shape''' is established
#* Show this version to the AD '''before''' adding more subdivisions and details, as it's '''easier to make possibly required changes at this point rather than later'''
# '''Keep the big picture in mind at all times!'''
#* If your model (or set of models) consists of several pieces, make all of them as a '''rough low res version''' first, NOT one piece at a time from start to finish
# '''Keep checking the asset from the distance in which it's probably seen in the game''', to make sure the '''detail level is not too dense''' and '''the silhouette is readable'''
#* If some of the detail work is smaller than one pixel on the screen, it's be unreadable and might flicker
# Once the asset is otherwise finished, it is usually a good idea to add a layer of '''damage and scratches''' etc
#* Leep in mind the possible mirroring and tiling of the UVs
#** Big dents and other details will repeat if you are not careful!
# Trine style assets should be crooked and not exactly symmetrical, but '''keep the sculpt version symmetrical if possible, so that the retopo is easy to do'''
#* It'll be much easier to have a clean symmetrical sculpt to retopo and bake, and modify the final textured lowpoly mesh to be bent, crooked and unsymmetrical
# Once you are happy with the sculpt, use Decimation Master to make the mesh lower resolution while keeping the details
#* You can '''decimate''' to the point just before it starts to show too much (keep the game camera distance in mind here too)
#** You can use this decimated mesh for both '''retopo in Modo''' and '''baking in the Substance Painter'''
# '''Name all your subtools'''
#* They should have a suffix, e.g. _hp or _high, to separate them from their lowpoly counterparts when [[3D Asset Workflow: Baking|baking]]
# '''[[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Sculpting#Exporting_from_Zbrush|FBX Export]]''' the subtools to one FBX, which contains all your highpoly meshes
#* If the model's scale is off, check [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Troubleshooting#The_model.27s_scale_is_off_when_exporting_from_ZBrush_to_a_different_program|troubleshooting]]
# '''Import to Modo for retopoing'''

= Sculpting Tips & Tricks =
* ZBrush can feel a bit intimidating for a beginner, but there are tons and tons of free learning material online
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Good sites for more ZBrush info
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
** [http://pixologic.com/zclassroom/ ZClassroom]
** [https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=zbrush+tutorial YouTube]
*** For example:
*** [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkzopwqcFevYqrk_0MKIaUwrWYILzYsp6 Intro to ZBrush]
*** [https://www.youtube.com/user/Pavlovich2005/feed Michael Pavlovich zbrush tricks and hardsurface stuff]
</div>
</div>
* Everybody has their own way of working in ZBrush
** You can use any techniques you want and it's fine, as long as the resulting model looks good!

== How to Start Sculpting in ZBrush ==
* This guide image is meant for people '''who aren't familiar with the program''', so this can make the very first steps much easier
* Here you can also see one way of customizing your ZBrush layout and the brushes this artist uses most often
** Customizing your layout is really important for quick and smooth working, so don't be afraid to do it!
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
'''How to customize your ZBrush's layout for better workflow'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* Editing the positions of the different interface buttons etc can be done in the customization mode: Preferences -> Config -> Enable Customize
** Now with holding CTRL+ALT, you can drag and drop different features from the menus to your custom setup on the sides of the viewport, and rearrange their positions too
* When you are done, remember to turn the Enable Customize mode off and Config -> Store Config and Save UI
</div>
</div>
[[File:How to start sculpting in zbrush.jpg|1000px|center]]

== Using a Base Mesh ==
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
'''Guides for using a base mesh'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* You can use a base mesh you make in Modo before starting the sculpting
** You can also skip this part and start in ZBrush from a basic primitive shape of your choosing
* Base meshes can be useful especially in hard surface modeling
* You can also use some of your old sculpts or models as starting points
** If you often make similar models, like humanoid characters, you might want to start a library of base meshes to make your workflow faster

'''Exporting the base mesh from Modo'''
* Separate mesh layers exported from Modo convert automatically to subtools when using FBX, and the scale stays consistent when you use the same format
* Once you have modeled the base mesh, export as FBX from Modo
* In Modo, go to Game Tools tab and use the following settings:
** '''Export file:''' FBX 2014
** '''Export type:''' Export selected
** '''Check only:''' Save Geometry (other settings don't matter at this point)
** '''Units:''' Millimeters (might depend on what is set as default units in Modo)
** '''Scale multiplier:''' 1.0
* Select the mesh layers you want to export and Export As
* '''These settings make sure that the mesh scale stays the same in both Modo and ZBrush'''
[[File:Base_mesh_export.jpg|800px|alt=Export settings|FBX export settings for Zbrush and Substance|center]]

'''Importing the base mesh to Zbrush'''
# Go to ZPlugin > FBX ExportImport > Import
# Drag the model to the canvas
# Select '''Edit Mode''' from the top left menu
</div>
</div>

== Sculpting Techniques ==
=== Zbrush Tutorial: Panel Loops Ornament Technique ===
* Great technique for creating surface models and ornaments
** Features are used in this video:
*** Panel Loops
*** Masking
*** Symmetry
*** Morph target (kind of a layer that can be "erased")

[[File:Zbrush tutorial panel loops ornament technique 01.mp4|1000px|center]]

== Morph Brush ==
{{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_wKwXwjcZs&t=}}

== Sculpting Tip Gallery ==
<gallery widths=400px heights=400px mode="packed">
File:Overpaint_canon_ornaments.jpg|General direction should be simple and all the forms should support that same flow for a clear and readable, flowing design
File:Straight vs crooked.jpg|Shape language: straight v. crooked
File:Trine Flourish Curve Style Guide.jpg|<i>PHOTO:Multiple [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Sculpting#Sources|Sources]]</i></small>
File:Trine 3D bolts tips 01.jpg|90 degree angled bolt can look very flat when viewed from top directly, while beveled version looks good and three dimensional from all the angles
File:Trine style details sculpt tips.jpg|Details should have depth and not just look like they are drawn on
File:Tree trunk shapes tips.jpg|An example image of adding variation to a tree trunk
File:Tree fow sculpt 3D flow overpaint 2.png|Tree flow example
File:Tree fow sculpt 3D flow overpaint 1.png|Tree flow example
</gallery>

== Sculpting a Set ==

* Try to always think about the '''most optimal way of creating the set'''
** Don't create unnecessary unique pieces - '''recycle whenever you can!'''
** You can also '''save texture space''' by having [[3D Asset Workflow: Tile Textures and Trimsheets|tile texture or trimsheets]] for the whole set, or just some parts
** You can make a set of only few pieces, and use that to build various assets
*** For example, if you make a chair, you can just make one chair leg
**** After retopoing and UV mapping it, copy & paste the chair leg so that you have four legged chair
* '''Optimizing & recycling is the key!'''
[[File:Modular set recycling.jpg|800px|center]]

=== How Many Variations? ===
* Often with environmental 3D assets, the task is to '''sculpt a set of assets that can be used in many ways by the level artists'''
** It can be e.g. a set of trees or a set of modular pieces like fences, that can be '''combined together in several ways to create different arrangements out of the same pieces'''
* With organic stuff like trees, plants, rocks etc., a good amount is usually '''three (3) different variations''' of the same thing
** '''Having too many variations is bad, because more time is used to make them, but not much more value is added to the set'''
** '''Don't make extra variations just in case they are needed''', make the optimal amount and once it's used in the game, we'll know if more variations are needed - only make them if there is a real need
** '''The amount of the asset variations should be optimized as well as the geometry of the model'''
** Level artists can work wonders even with one good rock asset by rotating and scaling it
* To create an optimal set, '''discuss with the level artists and ask what their preferences are'''
** '''It's important to keep general assets quite general looking, as they are used a lot around the levels'''
** If you make three variations of a tree/rock/etc. '''make sure that they are different shape/size with each other''' to get the maximal variation out of them
** '''Make the different sides of one asset look different''', that way you have lots of variation even inside the one asset
*** It can be copied and rotated to make look like a different asset

* One asset viewed from four directions = looks like there are four different assets:
[[File:Wrecking ball renders.jpg | 900px|center]]

* These three variations of the same type of tree are enough to build a forest
** Notice how they all have different shape but are still quite general:
[[File:Flowertree combined.jpg| 900px|center]]

= Exporting from Zbrush =
* When your sculpt is finished and decimated, it needs to be exported from ZBrush
** After that, a lowpoly mesh can be created in Modo via retopoing on top of the highpoly mesh

== Decimate ==
* Once you are happy with the sculpt:
# Use Decimation Master to make the mesh lower resolution while keeping the details
#* Decimate your sculpt using Decimation Master in the ZPlugins tab
# You'll first need to pre-process each piece, and then decimate
# You can decimate to the point just before it starts to show too much (keep the game camera distance in mind here too)

== Color ID ==
* Apply solid colors to your sculpt using polypaint (Color > FillObject)
* This will later be used as an ID Map in Substance Painter, so '''use the same color when coloring parts that have the same material'''
* If you plan to have only one subtool/retopo mesh, you can also use polygroups instead of polypaint as IDs for faster results, but the same polypaint can be applied across subtools whereas polygroups cannot
# Clean up your subtools
#* Figure out which parts of your sculpt will be separated when baking, and group them up under the same subtools
# Name the subtools consistently
#* Each subtool should have a suffix such as e.g. _hp or _high - it doesn't matter as long as it's the same for all of them
#** This is to separate the highpoly models from their lowpoly counterparts when paking
* An example of subtool naming:
[[File:Subtools.PNG|alt=Subtools|An example of subtool naming|center]]
* A highpoly sculpt with different materials masked using polypaint/vertex color:
[[File:Polypaint.PNG|500px|alt=Vertex color masking|A highpoly sculpt with different materials masked using polypaint/vertex color|center]]

== Exporting ==
* You can use either FBX or OBJ for exporting meshes out of ZBrush
** FBX is usually the best option as it '''keeps the separate subtools as separate layers in Modo'''
** OBJ can be used if you '''only have one merged piece''', and you '''don't need to bake any parts separately'''

=== Exporting as FBX ===
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Exporting as FBX
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* Export your sculpt using ZPlugin > FBX ExportImport
* FBX should be used since it retains the polypaint/vertex colors and named subtools in one file
* Use the following settings:
** '''Visible'''
** '''FBX 2014'''
** '''bin'''
** '''MayaYUp'''
* Then the FBX can be imported to Modo for [[3D Asset Workflow: Retopology|retopo]]
** In Modo's FBX import dialogue, leave '''load mesh smoothness''' unchecked
*** Zbrush adds two subdivisions to the FBX export - unchecking smoothness removes this
** There might be some scale issues when exporting as FBX, check the [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Troubleshooting#The_model.27s_scale_is_off_when_exporting_from_ZBrush_to_a_different_program|troubleshooting page]] if this happens
</div>
</div>

=== Exporting as OBJ ===
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Exporting as OBJ
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* One subtool can be exported as an OBJ
* It's done from the Tools menu "Import", and by selecting the file format OBJ
* '''OBJ format doesn't have layers like the FBX format'''
* OBJ scales should work nicely as is when exporting from ZBrush and importing to Modo
* Then the OBJ can be imported to Modo for [[3D Asset Workflow: Retopology|retopo]] ("Import as static mesh" option recommended)
</div>
</div>

== About export scales ==
* [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Troubleshooting#The_model.27s_scale_is_off_when_exporting_from_ZBrush_to_a_different_program|Troubleshooting]]
* ZBrush uses Mystery Units™ and doesn't recognize the metric system
** '''What ZBrush calls "scale" is actually the size of the ZTool's bounding box in Mystery Units™'''
* In general, we use millimeters for everything, but other units should work as well - '''as long as they are always the same across all applications'''
** 1 unit -> scaled to 1000 units = 1000mm = 1m
** To fix this, once you are ready to export, go to Tool -> Export -> Scale
[[File:Zbrush fbx export scale.png|ZBrush FBX export scale for a program that uses millimeters as a default scale]]

= Updating ZBrush =
* There are two kinds of updates for ZBrush:
** Smaller updates that can be done with the ZUpgrader.exe found in the Program files (For example: C:\Program Files\Pixologic\ZBrush 2022)
** Bigger updates where the version number changes (For example from version 2021 to version 2022) and for these the ZBrush needs to be completely re-installed
* When updating ZBrush to a completely new version, you need to make some effort to get the settings from the old version to the new version

== The UI and Hotkeys settings ==
* In the old/current version of ZBrush, make sure all your settings are up to date and saved
** Preferences -> Config -> Save UI
** Preferences -> Hotkeys -> Save

* In the new version of ZBrush you can then load the UI and Hotkeys settings you saved from the old version
** Preferences -> Config -> Load Ui -> Load the file you just saved in the previous version -> Store Config (to save as the default in startup)
** Preferences -> Hotkeys -> Load -> Load the file you just saved in the previous version -> Store (to save as the default in startup)

== Plugins, Custom Brushes, Custom Materials, Custom Alphas ==
* Still missing from the latest version are the
** Plugins
** Custom Brushes
** Custom Materials
** Custom Alphas
# Go to the previous version's startup folder (for example C:\Program Files\Pixologic\ZBrush 2021\ZStartup)
# Copy the custom plugins from the startup folder (for example C:\Program Files\Pixologic\ZBrush 2021\ZStartup\ZPlugs64) and paste them to the new version's equivalent folder (for example C:\Program Files\Pixologic\ZBrush 2021\ZStartup\ZPlugs64)
# Do the same for the Alphas, BrushPresets and Materials and any other possible customized things that you might have in the old version
#* For the ZbBush default things it's best to keep the new things and '''not replace them with the older versions''' in case there might be some changes in the new version
#* For example don't replace the ZStartup -> ZPlugs64 new version folder (For example TransposeMasterData_2022) with the older version (For example TransposeMasterData_2021), those have the version year number in the end for a reason.
# If you start getting some weird pop ups about missing files when opening the new version of ZBrush, it might be that you have some old version folders accidentally copied to the new ZbBush folders

== Other settings ==
* Document:
** Adjust up the Width and Height -> Resize to cover the full viewport area
** Bg color: Range 0
** Save as Startup Doc (The settings will be saved as default)
* Material -> Save As Startup Material
** Select a material you want to always be the default when opening ZBrush

= Frozenbyte sculpt examples =
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #e6f2ff; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Highpoly model gallery
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
<gallery widths=300px heights=300px mode="nolines">

File:Amadeus sculpt screenshots fullbody 01.png
File:Amadeus sculpt screenshots head 01.png

File:Beam set sculpt.jpg
File:General items sculpt.jpg
File:Pumpkings.jpg
File:Undergrowth plant 03.jpg
File:Lakka new 02.jpg
File:SpruceRender03.jpg
File:MoonlitForestVegetationSculpts01.jpg
File:BadgersHerbs 02.jpg
File:PineBranch01Render01.jpg
File:Tree sculpt3.jpg
File:Peacock4.jpg
File:BadgersKitchenItems sculpts01.jpg

File:Warlock wizard sculpt screenshots full body.png
File:Warlock wizard sculpt screenshots head.png
File:Healer sculpt1.png
File:Healer sculpt head1.png
File:Ice wizard sculpt screenshots full body.jpg
File:Ice wizard sculpt screenshots head.jpg

File:Enforcer sculpt ct.png
File:Tundrahumanoid hipo.jpg
File:Mistymountainsboss wip.jpg

File:Possessed boss sculpt wip 01.png
File:Kiltti kappa.png

</gallery>
</div></div>

=Sources=
<small>
[PHOTO: Trine Flourish Curve Style Guide.jpg] - Source list :<br>
*Img. 1. [Barcelona Steel Door] https://www.pinterest.de/pin/293367363199673143/ (accessed June 5, 2018)<br>
*Img. 2. [STD Privacy Gates - ALLIED GATE companyALLIED GATE company] http://www.alliedgate.com/irongates/iron-gate-photos/std-privacy-gates/ (accessed June 6, 2018)
*Img. 3. [Андрій Метельський - Різьба по дереву - різних майстрів. | OK] https://ok.ru/andry.metelsky/album/582642885456/582712663376 (accessed June 6, 2018)
</small>

3D Asset Workflow: Sculpting

2023-08-01T07:14:41Z

Mio Mäkijärvi: /* Exporting as FBX */

<div style="border-bottom:2px solid #99aac7; background:#d0def5; padding:0.4em 0.5em; font-size:130%; margin-bottom: 25px; text-align: center; float:top;">
⬑ [[3D Asset Workflow]]</div>

<div style="padding-right: 10px; padding-left: 1000px; padding-top: 60px; padding-bottom: 80px;">
{{#lst:3D Asset Workflow}} 
</div>

= Summary =
* Sculpting means creating a highpoly mesh in e.g. ZBrush, which can then be used as a reference model for the lowpoly mesh
** '''The highpoly mesh is never used in the game as is''', but its information will be baked onto the game-friendly lowpoly mesh
* [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Troubleshooting#Sculpting|Troubleshooting]]

== Sculpting Workflow Steps ==
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Sculpting#Using_a_base_mesh:|Prepare a base mesh in Modo]] OR start with a primitive shape in ZBrush
#* You can also recycle models you have done before to speed up the process
# Make sure you have everything in the '''correct scale''' from the very beginning - it helps to have a character model from the game you are working on as a subtool in your scene
#* ''For reference, the characters in the Trineverse games are 2m tall''
# '''Keep the resolution of the mesh as low as possible at first''', until the '''general shape''' is established
#* Show this version to the AD '''before''' adding more subdivisions and details, as it's '''easier to make possibly required changes at this point rather than later'''
# '''Keep the big picture in mind at all times!'''
#* If your model (or set of models) consists of several pieces, make all of them as a '''rough low res version''' first, NOT one piece at a time from start to finish
# '''Keep checking the asset from the distance in which it's probably seen in the game''', to make sure the '''detail level is not too dense''' and '''the silhouette is readable'''
#* If some of the detail work is smaller than one pixel on the screen, it's be unreadable and might flicker
# Once the asset is otherwise finished, it is usually a good idea to add a layer of '''damage and scratches''' etc
#* Leep in mind the possible mirroring and tiling of the UVs
#** Big dents and other details will repeat if you are not careful!
# Trine style assets should be crooked and not exactly symmetrical, but '''keep the sculpt version symmetrical if possible, so that the retopo is easy to do'''
#* It'll be much easier to have a clean symmetrical sculpt to retopo and bake, and modify the final textured lowpoly mesh to be bent, crooked and unsymmetrical
# Once you are happy with the sculpt, use Decimation Master to make the mesh lower resolution while keeping the details
#* You can '''decimate''' to the point just before it starts to show too much (keep the game camera distance in mind here too)
#** You can use this decimated mesh for both '''retopo in Modo''' and '''baking in the Substance Painter'''
# '''Name all your subtools'''
#* They should have a suffix, e.g. _hp or _high, to separate them from their lowpoly counterparts when [[3D Asset Workflow: Baking|baking]]
# '''[[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Sculpting#Exporting_from_Zbrush|FBX Export]]''' the subtools to one FBX, which contains all your highpoly meshes
#* If the model's scale is off, check [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Troubleshooting#The_model.27s_scale_is_off_when_exporting_from_ZBrush_to_a_different_program|troubleshooting]]
# '''Import to Modo for retopoing'''

= Sculpting Tips & Tricks =
* ZBrush can feel a bit intimidating for a beginner, but there are tons and tons of free learning material online
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Good sites for more ZBrush info
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
** [http://pixologic.com/zclassroom/ ZClassroom]
** [https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=zbrush+tutorial YouTube]
*** For example:
*** [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkzopwqcFevYqrk_0MKIaUwrWYILzYsp6 Intro to ZBrush]
*** [https://www.youtube.com/user/Pavlovich2005/feed Michael Pavlovich zbrush tricks and hardsurface stuff]
</div>
</div>
* Everybody has their own way of working in ZBrush
** You can use any techniques you want and it's fine, as long as the resulting model looks good!

== How to Start Sculpting in ZBrush ==
* This guide image is meant for people '''who aren't familiar with the program''', so this can make the very first steps much easier
* Here you can also see one way of customizing your ZBrush layout and the brushes this artist uses most often
** Customizing your layout is really important for quick and smooth working, so don't be afraid to do it!
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
'''How to customize your ZBrush's layout for better workflow'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* Editing the positions of the different interface buttons etc can be done in the customization mode: Preferences -> Config -> Enable Customize
** Now with holding CTRL+ALT, you can drag and drop different features from the menus to your custom setup on the sides of the viewport, and rearrange their positions too
* When you are done, remember to turn the Enable Customize mode off and Config -> Store Config and Save UI
</div>
</div>
[[File:How to start sculpting in zbrush.jpg|1000px|center]]

== Using a Base Mesh ==
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
'''Guides for using a base mesh'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* You can use a base mesh you make in Modo before starting the sculpting
** You can also skip this part and start in ZBrush from a basic primitive shape of your choosing
* Base meshes can be useful especially in hard surface modeling
* You can also use some of your old sculpts or models as starting points
** If you often make similar models, like humanoid characters, you might want to start a library of base meshes to make your workflow faster

'''Exporting the base mesh from Modo'''
* Separate mesh layers exported from Modo convert automatically to subtools when using FBX, and the scale stays consistent when you use the same format
* Once you have modeled the base mesh, export as FBX from Modo
* In Modo, go to Game Tools tab and use the following settings:
** '''Export file:''' FBX 2014
** '''Export type:''' Export selected
** '''Check only:''' Save Geometry (other settings don't matter at this point)
** '''Units:''' Millimeters (might depend on what is set as default units in Modo)
** '''Scale multiplier:''' 1.0
* Select the mesh layers you want to export and Export As
* '''These settings make sure that the mesh scale stays the same in both Modo and ZBrush'''
[[File:Base_mesh_export.jpg|800px|alt=Export settings|FBX export settings for Zbrush and Substance|center]]

'''Importing the base mesh to Zbrush'''
# Go to ZPlugin > FBX ExportImport > Import
# Drag the model to the canvas
# Select '''Edit Mode''' from the top left menu
</div>
</div>

== Sculpting Techniques ==
=== Zbrush Tutorial: Panel Loops Ornament Technique ===
* Great technique for creating surface models and ornaments
** Features are used in this video:
*** Panel Loops
*** Masking
*** Symmetry
*** Morph target (kind of a layer that can be "erased")

[[File:Zbrush tutorial panel loops ornament technique 01.mp4|1000px|center]]

== Morph Brush ==
{{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_wKwXwjcZs&t=}}

== Sculpting Tip Gallery ==
<gallery widths=400px heights=400px mode="packed">
File:Overpaint_canon_ornaments.jpg|General direction should be simple and all the forms should support that same flow for a clear and readable, flowing design
File:Straight vs crooked.jpg|Shape language: straight v. crooked
File:Trine Flourish Curve Style Guide.jpg|<i>PHOTO:Multiple [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Sculpting#Sources|Sources]]</i></small>
File:Trine 3D bolts tips 01.jpg|90 degree angled bolt can look very flat when viewed from top directly, while beveled version looks good and three dimensional from all the angles
File:Trine style details sculpt tips.jpg|Details should have depth and not just look like they are drawn on
File:Tree trunk shapes tips.jpg|An example image of adding variation to a tree trunk
File:Tree fow sculpt 3D flow overpaint 2.png|Tree flow example
File:Tree fow sculpt 3D flow overpaint 1.png|Tree flow example
</gallery>

== Sculpting a Set ==

* Try to always think about the '''most optimal way of creating the set'''
** Don't create unnecessary unique pieces - '''recycle whenever you can!'''
** You can also '''save texture space''' by having [[3D Asset Workflow: Tile Textures and Trimsheets|tile texture or trimsheets]] for the whole set, or just some parts
** You can make a set of only few pieces, and use that to build various assets
*** For example, if you make a chair, you can just make one chair leg
**** After retopoing and UV mapping it, copy & paste the chair leg so that you have four legged chair
* '''Optimizing & recycling is the key!'''
[[File:Modular set recycling.jpg|800px|center]]

=== How Many Variations? ===
* Often with environmental 3D assets, the task is to '''sculpt a set of assets that can be used in many ways by the level artists'''
** It can be e.g. a set of trees or a set of modular pieces like fences, that can be '''combined together in several ways to create different arrangements out of the same pieces'''
* With organic stuff like trees, plants, rocks etc., a good amount is usually '''three (3) different variations''' of the same thing
** '''Having too many variations is bad, because more time is used to make them, but not much more value is added to the set'''
** '''Don't make extra variations just in case they are needed''', make the optimal amount and once it's used in the game, we'll know if more variations are needed - only make them if there is a real need
** '''The amount of the asset variations should be optimized as well as the geometry of the model'''
** Level artists can work wonders even with one good rock asset by rotating and scaling it
* To create an optimal set, '''discuss with the level artists and ask what their preferences are'''
** '''It's important to keep general assets quite general looking, as they are used a lot around the levels'''
** If you make three variations of a tree/rock/etc. '''make sure that they are different shape/size with each other''' to get the maximal variation out of them
** '''Make the different sides of one asset look different''', that way you have lots of variation even inside the one asset
*** It can be copied and rotated to make look like a different asset

* One asset viewed from four directions = looks like there are four different assets:
[[File:Wrecking ball renders.jpg | 900px|center]]

* These three variations of the same type of tree are enough to build a forest
** Notice how they all have different shape but are still quite general:
[[File:Flowertree combined.jpg| 900px|center]]

= Exporting from Zbrush =
* When your sculpt is finished and decimated, it needs to be exported from ZBrush
** After that, a lowpoly mesh can be created in Modo via retopoing on top of the highpoly mesh

== Decimate ==
* Once you are happy with the sculpt:
# Use Decimation Master to make the mesh lower resolution while keeping the details
#* Decimate your sculpt using Decimation Master in the ZPlugins tab
# You'll first need to pre-process each piece, and then decimate
# You can decimate to the point just before it starts to show too much (keep the game camera distance in mind here too)

== Color ID ==
* Apply solid colors to your sculpt using polypaint (Color > FillObject)
* This will later be used as an ID Map in Substance Painter, so '''use the same color when coloring parts that have the same material'''
* If you plan to have only one subtool/retopo mesh, you can also use polygroups instead of polypaint as IDs for faster results, but the same polypaint can be applied across subtools whereas polygroups cannot
# Clean up your subtools
#* Figure out which parts of your sculpt will be separated when baking, and group them up under the same subtools
# Name the subtools consistently
#* Each subtool should have a suffix such as e.g. _hp or _high - it doesn't matter as long as it's the same for all of them
#** This is to separate the highpoly models from their lowpoly counterparts when paking
* An example of subtool naming:
[[File:Subtools.PNG|alt=Subtools|An example of subtool naming|center]]
* A highpoly sculpt with different materials masked using polypaint/vertex color:
[[File:Polypaint.PNG|500px|alt=Vertex color masking|A highpoly sculpt with different materials masked using polypaint/vertex color|center]]

== Exporting ==
* You can use either FBX or OBJ for exporting meshes out of ZBrush
** FBX is usually the best option as it '''keeps the separate subtools as separate layers in Modo'''
** OBJ can be used if you '''only have one merged piece''', and you '''don't need to bake any parts separately'''

=== Exporting as FBX ===
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Exporting as FBX
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* Export your sculpt using ZPlugin > FBX ExportImport
* FBX should be used since it retains the polypaint/vertex colors and named subtools in one file
* Use the following settings:
** '''Visible'''
** '''FBX 2014'''
** '''bin'''
** '''MayaYUp'''
* Then the FBX can be imported to Modo for [[3D Asset Workflow: Retopology|retopo]]
** In Modo's FBX import dialogue, leave '''load mesh smoothness''' unchecked
*** Zbrush adds two subdivisions to the FBX export - unchecking smoothness removes this
** There might be some scale issues when exporting as FBX, check the [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Troubleshooting#The_model.27s_scale_is_off_when_exporting_from_ZBrush_to_a_different_program|troubleshooting page]] if this happens
</div>
</div>

=== Exporting as OBJ ===
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #e6f2ff; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Exporting as OBJ
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* One subtool can be exported as an OBJ
* It's done from the Tools menu "Import", and by selecting the file format OBJ
* '''OBJ format doesn't have layers like the FBX format'''
* OBJ scales should work nicely as is when exporting from ZBrush and importing to Modo
* Then the OBJ can be imported to Modo for [[3D Asset Workflow: Retopology|retopo]] ("Import as static mesh" option recommended)
</div>
</div>

== About export scales ==
* [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Troubleshooting#The_model.27s_scale_is_off_when_exporting_from_ZBrush_to_a_different_program|Troubleshooting]]
* ZBrush uses Mystery Units™ and doesn't recognize the metric system
** '''What ZBrush calls "scale" is actually the size of the ZTool's bounding box in Mystery Units™'''
* In general, we use millimeters for everything, but other units should work as well - '''as long as they are always the same across all applications'''
** 1 unit -> scaled to 1000 units = 1000mm = 1m
** To fix this, once you are ready to export, go to Tool -> Export -> Scale
[[File:Zbrush fbx export scale.png|ZBrush FBX export scale for a program that uses millimeters as a default scale]]

= Updating ZBrush =
* There are two kinds of updates for ZBrush:
** Smaller updates that can be done with the ZUpgrader.exe found in the Program files (For example: C:\Program Files\Pixologic\ZBrush 2022)
** Bigger updates where the version number changes (For example from version 2021 to version 2022) and for these the ZBrush needs to be completely re-installed
* When updating ZBrush to a completely new version, you need to make some effort to get the settings from the old version to the new version

== The UI and Hotkeys settings ==
* In the old/current version of ZBrush, make sure all your settings are up to date and saved
** Preferences -> Config -> Save UI
** Preferences -> Hotkeys -> Save

* In the new version of ZBrush you can then load the UI and Hotkeys settings you saved from the old version
** Preferences -> Config -> Load Ui -> Load the file you just saved in the previous version -> Store Config (to save as the default in startup)
** Preferences -> Hotkeys -> Load -> Load the file you just saved in the previous version -> Store (to save as the default in startup)

== Plugins, Custom Brushes, Custom Materials, Custom Alphas ==
* Still missing from the latest version are the
** Plugins
** Custom Brushes
** Custom Materials
** Custom Alphas
# Go to the previous version's startup folder (for example C:\Program Files\Pixologic\ZBrush 2021\ZStartup)
# Copy the custom plugins from the startup folder (for example C:\Program Files\Pixologic\ZBrush 2021\ZStartup\ZPlugs64) and paste them to the new version's equivalent folder (for example C:\Program Files\Pixologic\ZBrush 2021\ZStartup\ZPlugs64)
# Do the same for the Alphas, BrushPresets and Materials and any other possible customized things that you might have in the old version
#* For the ZbBush default things it's best to keep the new things and '''not replace them with the older versions''' in case there might be some changes in the new version
#* For example don't replace the ZStartup -> ZPlugs64 new version folder (For example TransposeMasterData_2022) with the older version (For example TransposeMasterData_2021), those have the version year number in the end for a reason.
# If you start getting some weird pop ups about missing files when opening the new version of ZBrush, it might be that you have some old version folders accidentally copied to the new ZbBush folders

== Other settings ==
* Document:
** Adjust up the Width and Height -> Resize to cover the full viewport area
** Bg color: Range 0
** Save as Startup Doc (The settings will be saved as default)
* Material -> Save As Startup Material
** Select a material you want to always be the default when opening ZBrush

= Frozenbyte sculpt examples =
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #e6f2ff; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Highpoly model gallery
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
<gallery widths=300px heights=300px mode="nolines">

File:Amadeus sculpt screenshots fullbody 01.png
File:Amadeus sculpt screenshots head 01.png

File:Beam set sculpt.jpg
File:General items sculpt.jpg
File:Pumpkings.jpg
File:Undergrowth plant 03.jpg
File:Lakka new 02.jpg
File:SpruceRender03.jpg
File:MoonlitForestVegetationSculpts01.jpg
File:BadgersHerbs 02.jpg
File:PineBranch01Render01.jpg
File:Tree sculpt3.jpg
File:Peacock4.jpg
File:BadgersKitchenItems sculpts01.jpg

File:Warlock wizard sculpt screenshots full body.png
File:Warlock wizard sculpt screenshots head.png
File:Healer sculpt1.png
File:Healer sculpt head1.png
File:Ice wizard sculpt screenshots full body.jpg
File:Ice wizard sculpt screenshots head.jpg

File:Enforcer sculpt ct.png
File:Tundrahumanoid hipo.jpg
File:Mistymountainsboss wip.jpg

File:Possessed boss sculpt wip 01.png
File:Kiltti kappa.png

</gallery>
</div></div>

=Sources=
<small>
[PHOTO: Trine Flourish Curve Style Guide.jpg] - Source list :<br>
*Img. 1. [Barcelona Steel Door] https://www.pinterest.de/pin/293367363199673143/ (accessed June 5, 2018)<br>
*Img. 2. [STD Privacy Gates - ALLIED GATE companyALLIED GATE company] http://www.alliedgate.com/irongates/iron-gate-photos/std-privacy-gates/ (accessed June 6, 2018)
*Img. 3. [Андрій Метельський - Різьба по дереву - різних майстрів. | OK] https://ok.ru/andry.metelsky/album/582642885456/582712663376 (accessed June 6, 2018)
</small>

3D Asset Workflow: Sculpting

2023-08-01T07:14:25Z

Mio Mäkijärvi: /* How to Start Sculpting in ZBrush */

<div style="border-bottom:2px solid #99aac7; background:#d0def5; padding:0.4em 0.5em; font-size:130%; margin-bottom: 25px; text-align: center; float:top;">
⬑ [[3D Asset Workflow]]</div>

<div style="padding-right: 10px; padding-left: 1000px; padding-top: 60px; padding-bottom: 80px;">
{{#lst:3D Asset Workflow}} 
</div>

= Summary =
* Sculpting means creating a highpoly mesh in e.g. ZBrush, which can then be used as a reference model for the lowpoly mesh
** '''The highpoly mesh is never used in the game as is''', but its information will be baked onto the game-friendly lowpoly mesh
* [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Troubleshooting#Sculpting|Troubleshooting]]

== Sculpting Workflow Steps ==
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Sculpting#Using_a_base_mesh:|Prepare a base mesh in Modo]] OR start with a primitive shape in ZBrush
#* You can also recycle models you have done before to speed up the process
# Make sure you have everything in the '''correct scale''' from the very beginning - it helps to have a character model from the game you are working on as a subtool in your scene
#* ''For reference, the characters in the Trineverse games are 2m tall''
# '''Keep the resolution of the mesh as low as possible at first''', until the '''general shape''' is established
#* Show this version to the AD '''before''' adding more subdivisions and details, as it's '''easier to make possibly required changes at this point rather than later'''
# '''Keep the big picture in mind at all times!'''
#* If your model (or set of models) consists of several pieces, make all of them as a '''rough low res version''' first, NOT one piece at a time from start to finish
# '''Keep checking the asset from the distance in which it's probably seen in the game''', to make sure the '''detail level is not too dense''' and '''the silhouette is readable'''
#* If some of the detail work is smaller than one pixel on the screen, it's be unreadable and might flicker
# Once the asset is otherwise finished, it is usually a good idea to add a layer of '''damage and scratches''' etc
#* Leep in mind the possible mirroring and tiling of the UVs
#** Big dents and other details will repeat if you are not careful!
# Trine style assets should be crooked and not exactly symmetrical, but '''keep the sculpt version symmetrical if possible, so that the retopo is easy to do'''
#* It'll be much easier to have a clean symmetrical sculpt to retopo and bake, and modify the final textured lowpoly mesh to be bent, crooked and unsymmetrical
# Once you are happy with the sculpt, use Decimation Master to make the mesh lower resolution while keeping the details
#* You can '''decimate''' to the point just before it starts to show too much (keep the game camera distance in mind here too)
#** You can use this decimated mesh for both '''retopo in Modo''' and '''baking in the Substance Painter'''
# '''Name all your subtools'''
#* They should have a suffix, e.g. _hp or _high, to separate them from their lowpoly counterparts when [[3D Asset Workflow: Baking|baking]]
# '''[[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Sculpting#Exporting_from_Zbrush|FBX Export]]''' the subtools to one FBX, which contains all your highpoly meshes
#* If the model's scale is off, check [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Troubleshooting#The_model.27s_scale_is_off_when_exporting_from_ZBrush_to_a_different_program|troubleshooting]]
# '''Import to Modo for retopoing'''

= Sculpting Tips & Tricks =
* ZBrush can feel a bit intimidating for a beginner, but there are tons and tons of free learning material online
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Good sites for more ZBrush info
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
** [http://pixologic.com/zclassroom/ ZClassroom]
** [https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=zbrush+tutorial YouTube]
*** For example:
*** [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkzopwqcFevYqrk_0MKIaUwrWYILzYsp6 Intro to ZBrush]
*** [https://www.youtube.com/user/Pavlovich2005/feed Michael Pavlovich zbrush tricks and hardsurface stuff]
</div>
</div>
* Everybody has their own way of working in ZBrush
** You can use any techniques you want and it's fine, as long as the resulting model looks good!

== How to Start Sculpting in ZBrush ==
* This guide image is meant for people '''who aren't familiar with the program''', so this can make the very first steps much easier
* Here you can also see one way of customizing your ZBrush layout and the brushes this artist uses most often
** Customizing your layout is really important for quick and smooth working, so don't be afraid to do it!
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
'''How to customize your ZBrush's layout for better workflow'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* Editing the positions of the different interface buttons etc can be done in the customization mode: Preferences -> Config -> Enable Customize
** Now with holding CTRL+ALT, you can drag and drop different features from the menus to your custom setup on the sides of the viewport, and rearrange their positions too
* When you are done, remember to turn the Enable Customize mode off and Config -> Store Config and Save UI
</div>
</div>
[[File:How to start sculpting in zbrush.jpg|1000px|center]]

== Using a Base Mesh ==
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
'''Guides for using a base mesh'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* You can use a base mesh you make in Modo before starting the sculpting
** You can also skip this part and start in ZBrush from a basic primitive shape of your choosing
* Base meshes can be useful especially in hard surface modeling
* You can also use some of your old sculpts or models as starting points
** If you often make similar models, like humanoid characters, you might want to start a library of base meshes to make your workflow faster

'''Exporting the base mesh from Modo'''
* Separate mesh layers exported from Modo convert automatically to subtools when using FBX, and the scale stays consistent when you use the same format
* Once you have modeled the base mesh, export as FBX from Modo
* In Modo, go to Game Tools tab and use the following settings:
** '''Export file:''' FBX 2014
** '''Export type:''' Export selected
** '''Check only:''' Save Geometry (other settings don't matter at this point)
** '''Units:''' Millimeters (might depend on what is set as default units in Modo)
** '''Scale multiplier:''' 1.0
* Select the mesh layers you want to export and Export As
* '''These settings make sure that the mesh scale stays the same in both Modo and ZBrush'''
[[File:Base_mesh_export.jpg|800px|alt=Export settings|FBX export settings for Zbrush and Substance|center]]

'''Importing the base mesh to Zbrush'''
# Go to ZPlugin > FBX ExportImport > Import
# Drag the model to the canvas
# Select '''Edit Mode''' from the top left menu
</div>
</div>

== Sculpting Techniques ==
=== Zbrush Tutorial: Panel Loops Ornament Technique ===
* Great technique for creating surface models and ornaments
** Features are used in this video:
*** Panel Loops
*** Masking
*** Symmetry
*** Morph target (kind of a layer that can be "erased")

[[File:Zbrush tutorial panel loops ornament technique 01.mp4|1000px|center]]

== Morph Brush ==
{{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_wKwXwjcZs&t=}}

== Sculpting Tip Gallery ==
<gallery widths=400px heights=400px mode="packed">
File:Overpaint_canon_ornaments.jpg|General direction should be simple and all the forms should support that same flow for a clear and readable, flowing design
File:Straight vs crooked.jpg|Shape language: straight v. crooked
File:Trine Flourish Curve Style Guide.jpg|<i>PHOTO:Multiple [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Sculpting#Sources|Sources]]</i></small>
File:Trine 3D bolts tips 01.jpg|90 degree angled bolt can look very flat when viewed from top directly, while beveled version looks good and three dimensional from all the angles
File:Trine style details sculpt tips.jpg|Details should have depth and not just look like they are drawn on
File:Tree trunk shapes tips.jpg|An example image of adding variation to a tree trunk
File:Tree fow sculpt 3D flow overpaint 2.png|Tree flow example
File:Tree fow sculpt 3D flow overpaint 1.png|Tree flow example
</gallery>

== Sculpting a Set ==

* Try to always think about the '''most optimal way of creating the set'''
** Don't create unnecessary unique pieces - '''recycle whenever you can!'''
** You can also '''save texture space''' by having [[3D Asset Workflow: Tile Textures and Trimsheets|tile texture or trimsheets]] for the whole set, or just some parts
** You can make a set of only few pieces, and use that to build various assets
*** For example, if you make a chair, you can just make one chair leg
**** After retopoing and UV mapping it, copy & paste the chair leg so that you have four legged chair
* '''Optimizing & recycling is the key!'''
[[File:Modular set recycling.jpg|800px|center]]

=== How Many Variations? ===
* Often with environmental 3D assets, the task is to '''sculpt a set of assets that can be used in many ways by the level artists'''
** It can be e.g. a set of trees or a set of modular pieces like fences, that can be '''combined together in several ways to create different arrangements out of the same pieces'''
* With organic stuff like trees, plants, rocks etc., a good amount is usually '''three (3) different variations''' of the same thing
** '''Having too many variations is bad, because more time is used to make them, but not much more value is added to the set'''
** '''Don't make extra variations just in case they are needed''', make the optimal amount and once it's used in the game, we'll know if more variations are needed - only make them if there is a real need
** '''The amount of the asset variations should be optimized as well as the geometry of the model'''
** Level artists can work wonders even with one good rock asset by rotating and scaling it
* To create an optimal set, '''discuss with the level artists and ask what their preferences are'''
** '''It's important to keep general assets quite general looking, as they are used a lot around the levels'''
** If you make three variations of a tree/rock/etc. '''make sure that they are different shape/size with each other''' to get the maximal variation out of them
** '''Make the different sides of one asset look different''', that way you have lots of variation even inside the one asset
*** It can be copied and rotated to make look like a different asset

* One asset viewed from four directions = looks like there are four different assets:
[[File:Wrecking ball renders.jpg | 900px|center]]

* These three variations of the same type of tree are enough to build a forest
** Notice how they all have different shape but are still quite general:
[[File:Flowertree combined.jpg| 900px|center]]

= Exporting from Zbrush =
* When your sculpt is finished and decimated, it needs to be exported from ZBrush
** After that, a lowpoly mesh can be created in Modo via retopoing on top of the highpoly mesh

== Decimate ==
* Once you are happy with the sculpt:
# Use Decimation Master to make the mesh lower resolution while keeping the details
#* Decimate your sculpt using Decimation Master in the ZPlugins tab
# You'll first need to pre-process each piece, and then decimate
# You can decimate to the point just before it starts to show too much (keep the game camera distance in mind here too)

== Color ID ==
* Apply solid colors to your sculpt using polypaint (Color > FillObject)
* This will later be used as an ID Map in Substance Painter, so '''use the same color when coloring parts that have the same material'''
* If you plan to have only one subtool/retopo mesh, you can also use polygroups instead of polypaint as IDs for faster results, but the same polypaint can be applied across subtools whereas polygroups cannot
# Clean up your subtools
#* Figure out which parts of your sculpt will be separated when baking, and group them up under the same subtools
# Name the subtools consistently
#* Each subtool should have a suffix such as e.g. _hp or _high - it doesn't matter as long as it's the same for all of them
#** This is to separate the highpoly models from their lowpoly counterparts when paking
* An example of subtool naming:
[[File:Subtools.PNG|alt=Subtools|An example of subtool naming|center]]
* A highpoly sculpt with different materials masked using polypaint/vertex color:
[[File:Polypaint.PNG|500px|alt=Vertex color masking|A highpoly sculpt with different materials masked using polypaint/vertex color|center]]

== Exporting ==
* You can use either FBX or OBJ for exporting meshes out of ZBrush
** FBX is usually the best option as it '''keeps the separate subtools as separate layers in Modo'''
** OBJ can be used if you '''only have one merged piece''', and you '''don't need to bake any parts separately'''

=== Exporting as FBX ===
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #e6f2ff; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Exporting as FBX
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* Export your sculpt using ZPlugin > FBX ExportImport
* FBX should be used since it retains the polypaint/vertex colors and named subtools in one file
* Use the following settings:
** '''Visible'''
** '''FBX 2014'''
** '''bin'''
** '''MayaYUp'''
* Then the FBX can be imported to Modo for [[3D Asset Workflow: Retopology|retopo]]
** In Modo's FBX import dialogue, leave '''load mesh smoothness''' unchecked
*** Zbrush adds two subdivisions to the FBX export - unchecking smoothness removes this
** There might be some scale issues when exporting as FBX, check the [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Troubleshooting#The_model.27s_scale_is_off_when_exporting_from_ZBrush_to_a_different_program|troubleshooting page]] if this happens
</div>
</div>

=== Exporting as OBJ ===
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #e6f2ff; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Exporting as OBJ
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* One subtool can be exported as an OBJ
* It's done from the Tools menu "Import", and by selecting the file format OBJ
* '''OBJ format doesn't have layers like the FBX format'''
* OBJ scales should work nicely as is when exporting from ZBrush and importing to Modo
* Then the OBJ can be imported to Modo for [[3D Asset Workflow: Retopology|retopo]] ("Import as static mesh" option recommended)
</div>
</div>

== About export scales ==
* [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Troubleshooting#The_model.27s_scale_is_off_when_exporting_from_ZBrush_to_a_different_program|Troubleshooting]]
* ZBrush uses Mystery Units™ and doesn't recognize the metric system
** '''What ZBrush calls "scale" is actually the size of the ZTool's bounding box in Mystery Units™'''
* In general, we use millimeters for everything, but other units should work as well - '''as long as they are always the same across all applications'''
** 1 unit -> scaled to 1000 units = 1000mm = 1m
** To fix this, once you are ready to export, go to Tool -> Export -> Scale
[[File:Zbrush fbx export scale.png|ZBrush FBX export scale for a program that uses millimeters as a default scale]]

= Updating ZBrush =
* There are two kinds of updates for ZBrush:
** Smaller updates that can be done with the ZUpgrader.exe found in the Program files (For example: C:\Program Files\Pixologic\ZBrush 2022)
** Bigger updates where the version number changes (For example from version 2021 to version 2022) and for these the ZBrush needs to be completely re-installed
* When updating ZBrush to a completely new version, you need to make some effort to get the settings from the old version to the new version

== The UI and Hotkeys settings ==
* In the old/current version of ZBrush, make sure all your settings are up to date and saved
** Preferences -> Config -> Save UI
** Preferences -> Hotkeys -> Save

* In the new version of ZBrush you can then load the UI and Hotkeys settings you saved from the old version
** Preferences -> Config -> Load Ui -> Load the file you just saved in the previous version -> Store Config (to save as the default in startup)
** Preferences -> Hotkeys -> Load -> Load the file you just saved in the previous version -> Store (to save as the default in startup)

== Plugins, Custom Brushes, Custom Materials, Custom Alphas ==
* Still missing from the latest version are the
** Plugins
** Custom Brushes
** Custom Materials
** Custom Alphas
# Go to the previous version's startup folder (for example C:\Program Files\Pixologic\ZBrush 2021\ZStartup)
# Copy the custom plugins from the startup folder (for example C:\Program Files\Pixologic\ZBrush 2021\ZStartup\ZPlugs64) and paste them to the new version's equivalent folder (for example C:\Program Files\Pixologic\ZBrush 2021\ZStartup\ZPlugs64)
# Do the same for the Alphas, BrushPresets and Materials and any other possible customized things that you might have in the old version
#* For the ZbBush default things it's best to keep the new things and '''not replace them with the older versions''' in case there might be some changes in the new version
#* For example don't replace the ZStartup -> ZPlugs64 new version folder (For example TransposeMasterData_2022) with the older version (For example TransposeMasterData_2021), those have the version year number in the end for a reason.
# If you start getting some weird pop ups about missing files when opening the new version of ZBrush, it might be that you have some old version folders accidentally copied to the new ZbBush folders

== Other settings ==
* Document:
** Adjust up the Width and Height -> Resize to cover the full viewport area
** Bg color: Range 0
** Save as Startup Doc (The settings will be saved as default)
* Material -> Save As Startup Material
** Select a material you want to always be the default when opening ZBrush

= Frozenbyte sculpt examples =
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #e6f2ff; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Highpoly model gallery
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
<gallery widths=300px heights=300px mode="nolines">

File:Amadeus sculpt screenshots fullbody 01.png
File:Amadeus sculpt screenshots head 01.png

File:Beam set sculpt.jpg
File:General items sculpt.jpg
File:Pumpkings.jpg
File:Undergrowth plant 03.jpg
File:Lakka new 02.jpg
File:SpruceRender03.jpg
File:MoonlitForestVegetationSculpts01.jpg
File:BadgersHerbs 02.jpg
File:PineBranch01Render01.jpg
File:Tree sculpt3.jpg
File:Peacock4.jpg
File:BadgersKitchenItems sculpts01.jpg

File:Warlock wizard sculpt screenshots full body.png
File:Warlock wizard sculpt screenshots head.png
File:Healer sculpt1.png
File:Healer sculpt head1.png
File:Ice wizard sculpt screenshots full body.jpg
File:Ice wizard sculpt screenshots head.jpg

File:Enforcer sculpt ct.png
File:Tundrahumanoid hipo.jpg
File:Mistymountainsboss wip.jpg

File:Possessed boss sculpt wip 01.png
File:Kiltti kappa.png

</gallery>
</div></div>

=Sources=
<small>
[PHOTO: Trine Flourish Curve Style Guide.jpg] - Source list :<br>
*Img. 1. [Barcelona Steel Door] https://www.pinterest.de/pin/293367363199673143/ (accessed June 5, 2018)<br>
*Img. 2. [STD Privacy Gates - ALLIED GATE companyALLIED GATE company] http://www.alliedgate.com/irongates/iron-gate-photos/std-privacy-gates/ (accessed June 6, 2018)
*Img. 3. [Андрій Метельський - Різьба по дереву - різних майстрів. | OK] https://ok.ru/andry.metelsky/album/582642885456/582712663376 (accessed June 6, 2018)
</small>

3D Asset Workflow: Sculpting

2023-08-01T07:14:18Z

Mio Mäkijärvi: /* Sculpting Tips & Tricks */

<div style="border-bottom:2px solid #99aac7; background:#d0def5; padding:0.4em 0.5em; font-size:130%; margin-bottom: 25px; text-align: center; float:top;">
⬑ [[3D Asset Workflow]]</div>

<div style="padding-right: 10px; padding-left: 1000px; padding-top: 60px; padding-bottom: 80px;">
{{#lst:3D Asset Workflow}} 
</div>

= Summary =
* Sculpting means creating a highpoly mesh in e.g. ZBrush, which can then be used as a reference model for the lowpoly mesh
** '''The highpoly mesh is never used in the game as is''', but its information will be baked onto the game-friendly lowpoly mesh
* [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Troubleshooting#Sculpting|Troubleshooting]]

== Sculpting Workflow Steps ==
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Sculpting#Using_a_base_mesh:|Prepare a base mesh in Modo]] OR start with a primitive shape in ZBrush
#* You can also recycle models you have done before to speed up the process
# Make sure you have everything in the '''correct scale''' from the very beginning - it helps to have a character model from the game you are working on as a subtool in your scene
#* ''For reference, the characters in the Trineverse games are 2m tall''
# '''Keep the resolution of the mesh as low as possible at first''', until the '''general shape''' is established
#* Show this version to the AD '''before''' adding more subdivisions and details, as it's '''easier to make possibly required changes at this point rather than later'''
# '''Keep the big picture in mind at all times!'''
#* If your model (or set of models) consists of several pieces, make all of them as a '''rough low res version''' first, NOT one piece at a time from start to finish
# '''Keep checking the asset from the distance in which it's probably seen in the game''', to make sure the '''detail level is not too dense''' and '''the silhouette is readable'''
#* If some of the detail work is smaller than one pixel on the screen, it's be unreadable and might flicker
# Once the asset is otherwise finished, it is usually a good idea to add a layer of '''damage and scratches''' etc
#* Leep in mind the possible mirroring and tiling of the UVs
#** Big dents and other details will repeat if you are not careful!
# Trine style assets should be crooked and not exactly symmetrical, but '''keep the sculpt version symmetrical if possible, so that the retopo is easy to do'''
#* It'll be much easier to have a clean symmetrical sculpt to retopo and bake, and modify the final textured lowpoly mesh to be bent, crooked and unsymmetrical
# Once you are happy with the sculpt, use Decimation Master to make the mesh lower resolution while keeping the details
#* You can '''decimate''' to the point just before it starts to show too much (keep the game camera distance in mind here too)
#** You can use this decimated mesh for both '''retopo in Modo''' and '''baking in the Substance Painter'''
# '''Name all your subtools'''
#* They should have a suffix, e.g. _hp or _high, to separate them from their lowpoly counterparts when [[3D Asset Workflow: Baking|baking]]
# '''[[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Sculpting#Exporting_from_Zbrush|FBX Export]]''' the subtools to one FBX, which contains all your highpoly meshes
#* If the model's scale is off, check [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Troubleshooting#The_model.27s_scale_is_off_when_exporting_from_ZBrush_to_a_different_program|troubleshooting]]
# '''Import to Modo for retopoing'''

= Sculpting Tips & Tricks =
* ZBrush can feel a bit intimidating for a beginner, but there are tons and tons of free learning material online
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Good sites for more ZBrush info
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
** [http://pixologic.com/zclassroom/ ZClassroom]
** [https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=zbrush+tutorial YouTube]
*** For example:
*** [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkzopwqcFevYqrk_0MKIaUwrWYILzYsp6 Intro to ZBrush]
*** [https://www.youtube.com/user/Pavlovich2005/feed Michael Pavlovich zbrush tricks and hardsurface stuff]
</div>
</div>
* Everybody has their own way of working in ZBrush
** You can use any techniques you want and it's fine, as long as the resulting model looks good!

== How to Start Sculpting in ZBrush ==
* This guide image is meant for people '''who aren't familiar with the program''', so this can make the very first steps much easier
* Here you can also see one way of customizing your ZBrush layout and the brushes this artist uses most often
** Customizing your layout is really important for quick and smooth working, so don't be afraid to do it!
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #e6f2ff; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
'''How to customize your ZBrush's layout for better workflow'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* Editing the positions of the different interface buttons etc can be done in the customization mode: Preferences -> Config -> Enable Customize
** Now with holding CTRL+ALT, you can drag and drop different features from the menus to your custom setup on the sides of the viewport, and rearrange their positions too
* When you are done, remember to turn the Enable Customize mode off and Config -> Store Config and Save UI
</div>
</div>
[[File:How to start sculpting in zbrush.jpg|1000px|center]]

== Using a Base Mesh ==
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
'''Guides for using a base mesh'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* You can use a base mesh you make in Modo before starting the sculpting
** You can also skip this part and start in ZBrush from a basic primitive shape of your choosing
* Base meshes can be useful especially in hard surface modeling
* You can also use some of your old sculpts or models as starting points
** If you often make similar models, like humanoid characters, you might want to start a library of base meshes to make your workflow faster

'''Exporting the base mesh from Modo'''
* Separate mesh layers exported from Modo convert automatically to subtools when using FBX, and the scale stays consistent when you use the same format
* Once you have modeled the base mesh, export as FBX from Modo
* In Modo, go to Game Tools tab and use the following settings:
** '''Export file:''' FBX 2014
** '''Export type:''' Export selected
** '''Check only:''' Save Geometry (other settings don't matter at this point)
** '''Units:''' Millimeters (might depend on what is set as default units in Modo)
** '''Scale multiplier:''' 1.0
* Select the mesh layers you want to export and Export As
* '''These settings make sure that the mesh scale stays the same in both Modo and ZBrush'''
[[File:Base_mesh_export.jpg|800px|alt=Export settings|FBX export settings for Zbrush and Substance|center]]

'''Importing the base mesh to Zbrush'''
# Go to ZPlugin > FBX ExportImport > Import
# Drag the model to the canvas
# Select '''Edit Mode''' from the top left menu
</div>
</div>

== Sculpting Techniques ==
=== Zbrush Tutorial: Panel Loops Ornament Technique ===
* Great technique for creating surface models and ornaments
** Features are used in this video:
*** Panel Loops
*** Masking
*** Symmetry
*** Morph target (kind of a layer that can be "erased")

[[File:Zbrush tutorial panel loops ornament technique 01.mp4|1000px|center]]

== Morph Brush ==
{{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_wKwXwjcZs&t=}}

== Sculpting Tip Gallery ==
<gallery widths=400px heights=400px mode="packed">
File:Overpaint_canon_ornaments.jpg|General direction should be simple and all the forms should support that same flow for a clear and readable, flowing design
File:Straight vs crooked.jpg|Shape language: straight v. crooked
File:Trine Flourish Curve Style Guide.jpg|<i>PHOTO:Multiple [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Sculpting#Sources|Sources]]</i></small>
File:Trine 3D bolts tips 01.jpg|90 degree angled bolt can look very flat when viewed from top directly, while beveled version looks good and three dimensional from all the angles
File:Trine style details sculpt tips.jpg|Details should have depth and not just look like they are drawn on
File:Tree trunk shapes tips.jpg|An example image of adding variation to a tree trunk
File:Tree fow sculpt 3D flow overpaint 2.png|Tree flow example
File:Tree fow sculpt 3D flow overpaint 1.png|Tree flow example
</gallery>

== Sculpting a Set ==

* Try to always think about the '''most optimal way of creating the set'''
** Don't create unnecessary unique pieces - '''recycle whenever you can!'''
** You can also '''save texture space''' by having [[3D Asset Workflow: Tile Textures and Trimsheets|tile texture or trimsheets]] for the whole set, or just some parts
** You can make a set of only few pieces, and use that to build various assets
*** For example, if you make a chair, you can just make one chair leg
**** After retopoing and UV mapping it, copy & paste the chair leg so that you have four legged chair
* '''Optimizing & recycling is the key!'''
[[File:Modular set recycling.jpg|800px|center]]

=== How Many Variations? ===
* Often with environmental 3D assets, the task is to '''sculpt a set of assets that can be used in many ways by the level artists'''
** It can be e.g. a set of trees or a set of modular pieces like fences, that can be '''combined together in several ways to create different arrangements out of the same pieces'''
* With organic stuff like trees, plants, rocks etc., a good amount is usually '''three (3) different variations''' of the same thing
** '''Having too many variations is bad, because more time is used to make them, but not much more value is added to the set'''
** '''Don't make extra variations just in case they are needed''', make the optimal amount and once it's used in the game, we'll know if more variations are needed - only make them if there is a real need
** '''The amount of the asset variations should be optimized as well as the geometry of the model'''
** Level artists can work wonders even with one good rock asset by rotating and scaling it
* To create an optimal set, '''discuss with the level artists and ask what their preferences are'''
** '''It's important to keep general assets quite general looking, as they are used a lot around the levels'''
** If you make three variations of a tree/rock/etc. '''make sure that they are different shape/size with each other''' to get the maximal variation out of them
** '''Make the different sides of one asset look different''', that way you have lots of variation even inside the one asset
*** It can be copied and rotated to make look like a different asset

* One asset viewed from four directions = looks like there are four different assets:
[[File:Wrecking ball renders.jpg | 900px|center]]

* These three variations of the same type of tree are enough to build a forest
** Notice how they all have different shape but are still quite general:
[[File:Flowertree combined.jpg| 900px|center]]

= Exporting from Zbrush =
* When your sculpt is finished and decimated, it needs to be exported from ZBrush
** After that, a lowpoly mesh can be created in Modo via retopoing on top of the highpoly mesh

== Decimate ==
* Once you are happy with the sculpt:
# Use Decimation Master to make the mesh lower resolution while keeping the details
#* Decimate your sculpt using Decimation Master in the ZPlugins tab
# You'll first need to pre-process each piece, and then decimate
# You can decimate to the point just before it starts to show too much (keep the game camera distance in mind here too)

== Color ID ==
* Apply solid colors to your sculpt using polypaint (Color > FillObject)
* This will later be used as an ID Map in Substance Painter, so '''use the same color when coloring parts that have the same material'''
* If you plan to have only one subtool/retopo mesh, you can also use polygroups instead of polypaint as IDs for faster results, but the same polypaint can be applied across subtools whereas polygroups cannot
# Clean up your subtools
#* Figure out which parts of your sculpt will be separated when baking, and group them up under the same subtools
# Name the subtools consistently
#* Each subtool should have a suffix such as e.g. _hp or _high - it doesn't matter as long as it's the same for all of them
#** This is to separate the highpoly models from their lowpoly counterparts when paking
* An example of subtool naming:
[[File:Subtools.PNG|alt=Subtools|An example of subtool naming|center]]
* A highpoly sculpt with different materials masked using polypaint/vertex color:
[[File:Polypaint.PNG|500px|alt=Vertex color masking|A highpoly sculpt with different materials masked using polypaint/vertex color|center]]

== Exporting ==
* You can use either FBX or OBJ for exporting meshes out of ZBrush
** FBX is usually the best option as it '''keeps the separate subtools as separate layers in Modo'''
** OBJ can be used if you '''only have one merged piece''', and you '''don't need to bake any parts separately'''

=== Exporting as FBX ===
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #e6f2ff; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Exporting as FBX
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* Export your sculpt using ZPlugin > FBX ExportImport
* FBX should be used since it retains the polypaint/vertex colors and named subtools in one file
* Use the following settings:
** '''Visible'''
** '''FBX 2014'''
** '''bin'''
** '''MayaYUp'''
* Then the FBX can be imported to Modo for [[3D Asset Workflow: Retopology|retopo]]
** In Modo's FBX import dialogue, leave '''load mesh smoothness''' unchecked
*** Zbrush adds two subdivisions to the FBX export - unchecking smoothness removes this
** There might be some scale issues when exporting as FBX, check the [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Troubleshooting#The_model.27s_scale_is_off_when_exporting_from_ZBrush_to_a_different_program|troubleshooting page]] if this happens
</div>
</div>

=== Exporting as OBJ ===
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #e6f2ff; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Exporting as OBJ
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* One subtool can be exported as an OBJ
* It's done from the Tools menu "Import", and by selecting the file format OBJ
* '''OBJ format doesn't have layers like the FBX format'''
* OBJ scales should work nicely as is when exporting from ZBrush and importing to Modo
* Then the OBJ can be imported to Modo for [[3D Asset Workflow: Retopology|retopo]] ("Import as static mesh" option recommended)
</div>
</div>

== About export scales ==
* [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Troubleshooting#The_model.27s_scale_is_off_when_exporting_from_ZBrush_to_a_different_program|Troubleshooting]]
* ZBrush uses Mystery Units™ and doesn't recognize the metric system
** '''What ZBrush calls "scale" is actually the size of the ZTool's bounding box in Mystery Units™'''
* In general, we use millimeters for everything, but other units should work as well - '''as long as they are always the same across all applications'''
** 1 unit -> scaled to 1000 units = 1000mm = 1m
** To fix this, once you are ready to export, go to Tool -> Export -> Scale
[[File:Zbrush fbx export scale.png|ZBrush FBX export scale for a program that uses millimeters as a default scale]]

= Updating ZBrush =
* There are two kinds of updates for ZBrush:
** Smaller updates that can be done with the ZUpgrader.exe found in the Program files (For example: C:\Program Files\Pixologic\ZBrush 2022)
** Bigger updates where the version number changes (For example from version 2021 to version 2022) and for these the ZBrush needs to be completely re-installed
* When updating ZBrush to a completely new version, you need to make some effort to get the settings from the old version to the new version

== The UI and Hotkeys settings ==
* In the old/current version of ZBrush, make sure all your settings are up to date and saved
** Preferences -> Config -> Save UI
** Preferences -> Hotkeys -> Save

* In the new version of ZBrush you can then load the UI and Hotkeys settings you saved from the old version
** Preferences -> Config -> Load Ui -> Load the file you just saved in the previous version -> Store Config (to save as the default in startup)
** Preferences -> Hotkeys -> Load -> Load the file you just saved in the previous version -> Store (to save as the default in startup)

== Plugins, Custom Brushes, Custom Materials, Custom Alphas ==
* Still missing from the latest version are the
** Plugins
** Custom Brushes
** Custom Materials
** Custom Alphas
# Go to the previous version's startup folder (for example C:\Program Files\Pixologic\ZBrush 2021\ZStartup)
# Copy the custom plugins from the startup folder (for example C:\Program Files\Pixologic\ZBrush 2021\ZStartup\ZPlugs64) and paste them to the new version's equivalent folder (for example C:\Program Files\Pixologic\ZBrush 2021\ZStartup\ZPlugs64)
# Do the same for the Alphas, BrushPresets and Materials and any other possible customized things that you might have in the old version
#* For the ZbBush default things it's best to keep the new things and '''not replace them with the older versions''' in case there might be some changes in the new version
#* For example don't replace the ZStartup -> ZPlugs64 new version folder (For example TransposeMasterData_2022) with the older version (For example TransposeMasterData_2021), those have the version year number in the end for a reason.
# If you start getting some weird pop ups about missing files when opening the new version of ZBrush, it might be that you have some old version folders accidentally copied to the new ZbBush folders

== Other settings ==
* Document:
** Adjust up the Width and Height -> Resize to cover the full viewport area
** Bg color: Range 0
** Save as Startup Doc (The settings will be saved as default)
* Material -> Save As Startup Material
** Select a material you want to always be the default when opening ZBrush

= Frozenbyte sculpt examples =
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #e6f2ff; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Highpoly model gallery
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
<gallery widths=300px heights=300px mode="nolines">

File:Amadeus sculpt screenshots fullbody 01.png
File:Amadeus sculpt screenshots head 01.png

File:Beam set sculpt.jpg
File:General items sculpt.jpg
File:Pumpkings.jpg
File:Undergrowth plant 03.jpg
File:Lakka new 02.jpg
File:SpruceRender03.jpg
File:MoonlitForestVegetationSculpts01.jpg
File:BadgersHerbs 02.jpg
File:PineBranch01Render01.jpg
File:Tree sculpt3.jpg
File:Peacock4.jpg
File:BadgersKitchenItems sculpts01.jpg

File:Warlock wizard sculpt screenshots full body.png
File:Warlock wizard sculpt screenshots head.png
File:Healer sculpt1.png
File:Healer sculpt head1.png
File:Ice wizard sculpt screenshots full body.jpg
File:Ice wizard sculpt screenshots head.jpg

File:Enforcer sculpt ct.png
File:Tundrahumanoid hipo.jpg
File:Mistymountainsboss wip.jpg

File:Possessed boss sculpt wip 01.png
File:Kiltti kappa.png

</gallery>
</div></div>

=Sources=
<small>
[PHOTO: Trine Flourish Curve Style Guide.jpg] - Source list :<br>
*Img. 1. [Barcelona Steel Door] https://www.pinterest.de/pin/293367363199673143/ (accessed June 5, 2018)<br>
*Img. 2. [STD Privacy Gates - ALLIED GATE companyALLIED GATE company] http://www.alliedgate.com/irongates/iron-gate-photos/std-privacy-gates/ (accessed June 6, 2018)
*Img. 3. [Андрій Метельський - Різьба по дереву - різних майстрів. | OK] https://ok.ru/andry.metelsky/album/582642885456/582712663376 (accessed June 6, 2018)
</small>

3D Asset Workflow: Concepting

2023-08-01T07:13:47Z

Mio Mäkijärvi: /* Frozenbyte concept art examples */

<div style="border-bottom:2px solid #99aac7; background:#d0def5; padding:0.4em 0.5em; font-size:130%; margin-bottom: 25px; text-align: center; float:top;">
⬑ [[3D Asset Workflow]]</div>

<div style="padding-right: 10px; padding-left: 1000px; padding-top: 60px; padding-bottom: 80px;">
{{#lst:3D Asset Workflow}} 
</div>

= Summary =
* '''Concepts aren't marketing art per se - it's enough to just communicate the idea'''
* The general goal of concepting a 3D asset first is to make sure that '''the assets are as usable and efficient to the level artists as possible'''
* '''Concepting a 3D asset is an umbrella term for:'''
# Sketching a concept in 2D
# Photobashing
# Making a '''base mesh''', i.e. blocking the asset roughly in 3D
#* '''Can also be done as a second step for either of the above''', to help the [[3D Asset Workflow: Sculpting|sculpting]] and [[3D Asset Workflow: Retopology|retopoing]] process later on

= Concepting Workflow Steps =
== First and Foremost ==
* If the asset is a blockset (consists of a larger set of pieces, that are used together to build big areas), make sure to follow the guidelines in [[3D Asset Workflow: Blocksets]]
* For bigger sets that use e.g. [[3D Asset Workflow: Tile Textures and Trimsheets|tile textures and trimsheets]], '''they should be planned at this stage already'''

== Research ==
# If there aren't any existing plans or concepts for the asset, '''discuss with the AD and the level artists about what is wanted'''
#* Research any materials related to the asset
#* If there are existing concepts, use them as a starting point
# Look through the level's wiki page to '''get a good idea of the context where the asset will be used'''
#* Pay attention to the '''the general shape language''' of the level
#** Are the forms curvy, straight, round, sharp, angular, thick, thin, horizontal, vertical?
#** How are the decorative details on different concepts, if there are any?
# If there is an actual level already created, or '''assets that are made for that same level''', check them
#* You can also try to see if there are already similar assets that you might have planned to make for your asset set, to make sure you're not making 1:1 duplicates of them
#** This can be done e.g. in the Editor by searching some general asset name from the TypeTree
# Think about the '''story of the asset'''
#* Is it old or young/new, what is the nature of it, the environment it will be used in etc?
#* What's the history of the asset, how does all this affect to the look of the asset?
# Search for '''reference images''' online
#* Analyze the reference images, '''combine ideas''', and come up with a general idea for the asset
#* Pick images that have any nice usable ideas that you like - they don’t have to be perfect and often aren't. That's where the concept art steps in!

[[File:How to use reference images in concepting.jpg|300px|center]]

== Make the concept ==
# Use the best ideas from the possible existing concepts, your reference images, and your imagination - '''never copy stuff 1:1''' from existing reference images
# '''3D asset concept art is not marketing art, so don't use time to polish it unnecessarily'''
#* It's just to share the idea of the asset with the AD, before using a lot of time to make the final asset
# Concentrate on the '''big forms, silhouette, proportions and the overall design'''
# Keep the detail level and distribution in balance - have '''small, medium, and large''' detail
#* The details can be further specified during the sculpting process (use reference images for this part of the process as well)
# Think about the colors of the asset - remember the '''importance of the values'''
#* If it's hard to read in [http://www.artofscholes.com/checkingvalues/ true black & white], it'll be hard to read in color as well
#* A good concept will make sculpting and texturing easier, and also lets the AD and the team know what you are up to
# You can ask for opinions and feedback at any point, but at the very latest '''before you start working on the final sculpt'''

<gallery widths=600px heights=800px mode="nolines">
File:trine_concept_tips_02.jpg|An example of how to take the idea of the concept further
File:trine_concept_tips_01.jpg|3D asset process from the concept to the final asset
</gallery>

== Concepting Examples ==
* Below in the collapsibles there are a few concepting examples for reference
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Concepting Example: Modular Fountain Set Concept Process
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
<gallery widths=600px heights=800px mode="nolines">
File:How to use reference images in concepting.jpg
File:Fountain pegasus1.jpg
File:Fountain goat1.jpg
</gallery>
<small><i>How to use reference images in concepting</i><br>
<i>PHOTO:Multiple [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Concepting#Sources|Sources]]</i></small>
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Concepting Example 2: Modular Tree Set Concept Process
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
'''Planning the separate Assets'''
* A good way to start planning an asset is to collect all the info you have first, and then start concepting. The more complicated and big the asset task is, the more preparations are needed in the planning phase
** First you can just concept different things you think would be useful
** Once you think you have everything down, you can check if some of the stuff could be recycled between your different models to save time
** There is no point in having different models for something that would work as well with just one model in every situation needed, so only make variations that are different enough
[[File:Modular tree trunk set plan.jpg|1200px]]<br>
'''Making Quick Rough Models for Testing Before Finalizing the Assets'''
* Sometimes it can be hard for the level artists to say if some assets will be useful or not, and how they could be improved based on only the 2D concept image
** For complicated sets it's a very effective method to first make the planned pieces very quickly and roughly and let the level artists test them
** Testing the assets before finalizing them can be a life saver, as some assets might end up being totally useless
* Here is an example of super rough models that were first made, but decided not to be used as level artists noticed it would be better to have whole tree trunk pieces instead of these smaller pieces
[[File:Modular tree trunk set trash models.jpg|600px]]<br>
* After level artists' feedback the pieces were scrapped and new ones created, not much time was lost as the pieces were done very quickly
[[File:Modular tree trunk set trash models2.jpg|600px]]<br>
* Once these were tested and confirmed working the finalized detailed assets could be made
** Also similar test models of the branches were added for the same purpose
** Here are the test pieces and how the level artist tested them
[[File:Modular tree trunk set trash models3.jpg|600px]]<br>
[[File:Trine4 modular tree set wip pieces level artist test.png|600px]]<br>
* These ended up being the final pieces needed for the set
[[File:Modular tree trunk set trash models sculpt 3.jpg|600px]]<br>
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Determining the Assets of a Set Based on Existing Concept Art
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
[[File:3d_workflow_determining_asset_set_pieces_based_on_concepts.png|1000px]]
</div></div>

= Frozenbyte concept art examples =
* These are all concepts made by the 3D artists who also created the final game model so it's up to each artist how far they feel like they want to design in the concept phase

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Concept art gallery
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
<gallery widths=300px heights=300px mode="nolines">
File:Amadeus concept.png | Here only the front of the character was designed during the concepting, the rest was figured out during the sculpting
File:Mistymountainsboss sketch.jpg | Here only the look of the character was decided in the concept art and the colors for the final model were designed during the texturing phase
File:Siamese warlock concept.png| Here only the front of the character was designed during the concepting, the rest was figured out during the sculpting
File:Healer wizard concept.jpg | Here only the front of the character was designed during the concepting, the rest was figured out during the sculpting
File:Ice wizard concept.png | Here both the front and back of the character are designed so the sculpting process was faster for that part
File:Hanging lantern concept 3.jpg | Often a simple concept gets the job done

File:Deer concept 01.png | Sometimes it's ok to take the concept further, then it can be used possibly in marketing too
File:Possessed boss concept.png | With a complicated asset it's useful to solve most of the design problems in the concept phase
File:Christmas sarek.jpg | In some cases the mood and feeling of the character can be brought out more than the actual details
File:Goody good concept.jpg | Different ideas for the character
File:Kappa concepts 2.png | Here are different ideas for the character, the one on the left was chosen to be made into the final game asset
File:Redwood logs shot.png | Here you can see the concept and the final asset set based on that
File:Orrery sketch.png | Scale is important, here the asset seems a little bit too small compared to the character but it can be fixed before sculpting phase and time is saved
File:Broomstick watering can bucket concepts.png | It's very much recommended to keep the scale of the assets in mind right from the beginning of the design process
File:Book lift concept.jpg |A concept for an environment asset can be just a crude scribble over a screenshot

</gallery>
</div></div>

=Sources=
<small>
[PHOTO: How to use reference images in concepting.jpg] - Source list :<br>
*Img. 1. [(311) Pinterest] https://fi.pinterest.com/pin/557883472571184162/ (accessed June 5, 2018)<br>
*Img. 2. [Garda Three Tier Pond Fountain] https://www.outdoorartpros.com/collections/tiered-outdoor-fountains/products/garda-three-tier-pond-fountain (accessed June 6, 2018)
*Img. 3. [Water Fountains, Front Yard and Backyard Designs] http://www.lushome.com/water-fountains-front-yard-backyard-designs/52334 (accessed June 6, 2018)
*Img. 4. [Bronze Fountain Statuary] http://www.specialtyfountains.com/bronze_fountains.html (accessed June 6, 2018)
*Img. 5. [FONTAINES POUR JARDIN ROMANA – FFBarbecues] https://www.ffbarbecues.com/produit/fontaines-pour-jardin-romana/ (accessed June 6, 2018)
*Img. 6. [Nyc Public Library Photo, Stock Photo of NYC Public Library, Phillip Colla Natural History Photography] http://www.oceanlight.com/spotlight.php?img=11155 (accessed June 5, 2018)
*Img. 7. [Robed angel looking down | Monceau | Flickr] https://www.flickr.com/photos/monceau/6291672868 (accessed June 6, 2018)
*Img. 8. [Giant lion sculpture] http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-05/08/content_868100.htm (accessed June 6, 2018)
*Img. 9. [(NO NAME)] no website (accessed June 5, 2018)
*Img. 10. [Palermo e dintorni ma anche...: maggio 2009] http://palermodintorni.blogspot.com/2009/05/ (accessed June 6, 2018)
</small>

3D Asset Workflow: Concepting

2023-08-01T07:13:37Z

Mio Mäkijärvi: /* Concepting Examples */

<div style="border-bottom:2px solid #99aac7; background:#d0def5; padding:0.4em 0.5em; font-size:130%; margin-bottom: 25px; text-align: center; float:top;">
⬑ [[3D Asset Workflow]]</div>

<div style="padding-right: 10px; padding-left: 1000px; padding-top: 60px; padding-bottom: 80px;">
{{#lst:3D Asset Workflow}} 
</div>

= Summary =
* '''Concepts aren't marketing art per se - it's enough to just communicate the idea'''
* The general goal of concepting a 3D asset first is to make sure that '''the assets are as usable and efficient to the level artists as possible'''
* '''Concepting a 3D asset is an umbrella term for:'''
# Sketching a concept in 2D
# Photobashing
# Making a '''base mesh''', i.e. blocking the asset roughly in 3D
#* '''Can also be done as a second step for either of the above''', to help the [[3D Asset Workflow: Sculpting|sculpting]] and [[3D Asset Workflow: Retopology|retopoing]] process later on

= Concepting Workflow Steps =
== First and Foremost ==
* If the asset is a blockset (consists of a larger set of pieces, that are used together to build big areas), make sure to follow the guidelines in [[3D Asset Workflow: Blocksets]]
* For bigger sets that use e.g. [[3D Asset Workflow: Tile Textures and Trimsheets|tile textures and trimsheets]], '''they should be planned at this stage already'''

== Research ==
# If there aren't any existing plans or concepts for the asset, '''discuss with the AD and the level artists about what is wanted'''
#* Research any materials related to the asset
#* If there are existing concepts, use them as a starting point
# Look through the level's wiki page to '''get a good idea of the context where the asset will be used'''
#* Pay attention to the '''the general shape language''' of the level
#** Are the forms curvy, straight, round, sharp, angular, thick, thin, horizontal, vertical?
#** How are the decorative details on different concepts, if there are any?
# If there is an actual level already created, or '''assets that are made for that same level''', check them
#* You can also try to see if there are already similar assets that you might have planned to make for your asset set, to make sure you're not making 1:1 duplicates of them
#** This can be done e.g. in the Editor by searching some general asset name from the TypeTree
# Think about the '''story of the asset'''
#* Is it old or young/new, what is the nature of it, the environment it will be used in etc?
#* What's the history of the asset, how does all this affect to the look of the asset?
# Search for '''reference images''' online
#* Analyze the reference images, '''combine ideas''', and come up with a general idea for the asset
#* Pick images that have any nice usable ideas that you like - they don’t have to be perfect and often aren't. That's where the concept art steps in!

[[File:How to use reference images in concepting.jpg|300px|center]]

== Make the concept ==
# Use the best ideas from the possible existing concepts, your reference images, and your imagination - '''never copy stuff 1:1''' from existing reference images
# '''3D asset concept art is not marketing art, so don't use time to polish it unnecessarily'''
#* It's just to share the idea of the asset with the AD, before using a lot of time to make the final asset
# Concentrate on the '''big forms, silhouette, proportions and the overall design'''
# Keep the detail level and distribution in balance - have '''small, medium, and large''' detail
#* The details can be further specified during the sculpting process (use reference images for this part of the process as well)
# Think about the colors of the asset - remember the '''importance of the values'''
#* If it's hard to read in [http://www.artofscholes.com/checkingvalues/ true black & white], it'll be hard to read in color as well
#* A good concept will make sculpting and texturing easier, and also lets the AD and the team know what you are up to
# You can ask for opinions and feedback at any point, but at the very latest '''before you start working on the final sculpt'''

<gallery widths=600px heights=800px mode="nolines">
File:trine_concept_tips_02.jpg|An example of how to take the idea of the concept further
File:trine_concept_tips_01.jpg|3D asset process from the concept to the final asset
</gallery>

== Concepting Examples ==
* Below in the collapsibles there are a few concepting examples for reference
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Concepting Example: Modular Fountain Set Concept Process
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
<gallery widths=600px heights=800px mode="nolines">
File:How to use reference images in concepting.jpg
File:Fountain pegasus1.jpg
File:Fountain goat1.jpg
</gallery>
<small><i>How to use reference images in concepting</i><br>
<i>PHOTO:Multiple [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Concepting#Sources|Sources]]</i></small>
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Concepting Example 2: Modular Tree Set Concept Process
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
'''Planning the separate Assets'''
* A good way to start planning an asset is to collect all the info you have first, and then start concepting. The more complicated and big the asset task is, the more preparations are needed in the planning phase
** First you can just concept different things you think would be useful
** Once you think you have everything down, you can check if some of the stuff could be recycled between your different models to save time
** There is no point in having different models for something that would work as well with just one model in every situation needed, so only make variations that are different enough
[[File:Modular tree trunk set plan.jpg|1200px]]<br>
'''Making Quick Rough Models for Testing Before Finalizing the Assets'''
* Sometimes it can be hard for the level artists to say if some assets will be useful or not, and how they could be improved based on only the 2D concept image
** For complicated sets it's a very effective method to first make the planned pieces very quickly and roughly and let the level artists test them
** Testing the assets before finalizing them can be a life saver, as some assets might end up being totally useless
* Here is an example of super rough models that were first made, but decided not to be used as level artists noticed it would be better to have whole tree trunk pieces instead of these smaller pieces
[[File:Modular tree trunk set trash models.jpg|600px]]<br>
* After level artists' feedback the pieces were scrapped and new ones created, not much time was lost as the pieces were done very quickly
[[File:Modular tree trunk set trash models2.jpg|600px]]<br>
* Once these were tested and confirmed working the finalized detailed assets could be made
** Also similar test models of the branches were added for the same purpose
** Here are the test pieces and how the level artist tested them
[[File:Modular tree trunk set trash models3.jpg|600px]]<br>
[[File:Trine4 modular tree set wip pieces level artist test.png|600px]]<br>
* These ended up being the final pieces needed for the set
[[File:Modular tree trunk set trash models sculpt 3.jpg|600px]]<br>
</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Determining the Assets of a Set Based on Existing Concept Art
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
[[File:3d_workflow_determining_asset_set_pieces_based_on_concepts.png|1000px]]
</div></div>

= Frozenbyte concept art examples =
* These are all concepts made by the 3D artists who also created the final game model so it's up to each artist how far they feel like they want to design in the concept phase

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #e6f2ff; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Concept art gallery
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
<gallery widths=300px heights=300px mode="nolines">
File:Amadeus concept.png | Here only the front of the character was designed during the concepting, the rest was figured out during the sculpting
File:Mistymountainsboss sketch.jpg | Here only the look of the character was decided in the concept art and the colors for the final model were designed during the texturing phase
File:Siamese warlock concept.png| Here only the front of the character was designed during the concepting, the rest was figured out during the sculpting
File:Healer wizard concept.jpg | Here only the front of the character was designed during the concepting, the rest was figured out during the sculpting
File:Ice wizard concept.png | Here both the front and back of the character are designed so the sculpting process was faster for that part
File:Hanging lantern concept 3.jpg | Often a simple concept gets the job done

File:Deer concept 01.png | Sometimes it's ok to take the concept further, then it can be used possibly in marketing too
File:Possessed boss concept.png | With a complicated asset it's useful to solve most of the design problems in the concept phase
File:Christmas sarek.jpg | In some cases the mood and feeling of the character can be brought out more than the actual details
File:Goody good concept.jpg | Different ideas for the character
File:Kappa concepts 2.png | Here are different ideas for the character, the one on the left was chosen to be made into the final game asset
File:Redwood logs shot.png | Here you can see the concept and the final asset set based on that
File:Orrery sketch.png | Scale is important, here the asset seems a little bit too small compared to the character but it can be fixed before sculpting phase and time is saved
File:Broomstick watering can bucket concepts.png | It's very much recommended to keep the scale of the assets in mind right from the beginning of the design process
File:Book lift concept.jpg |A concept for an environment asset can be just a crude scribble over a screenshot

</gallery>
</div></div>

=Sources=
<small>
[PHOTO: How to use reference images in concepting.jpg] - Source list :<br>
*Img. 1. [(311) Pinterest] https://fi.pinterest.com/pin/557883472571184162/ (accessed June 5, 2018)<br>
*Img. 2. [Garda Three Tier Pond Fountain] https://www.outdoorartpros.com/collections/tiered-outdoor-fountains/products/garda-three-tier-pond-fountain (accessed June 6, 2018)
*Img. 3. [Water Fountains, Front Yard and Backyard Designs] http://www.lushome.com/water-fountains-front-yard-backyard-designs/52334 (accessed June 6, 2018)
*Img. 4. [Bronze Fountain Statuary] http://www.specialtyfountains.com/bronze_fountains.html (accessed June 6, 2018)
*Img. 5. [FONTAINES POUR JARDIN ROMANA – FFBarbecues] https://www.ffbarbecues.com/produit/fontaines-pour-jardin-romana/ (accessed June 6, 2018)
*Img. 6. [Nyc Public Library Photo, Stock Photo of NYC Public Library, Phillip Colla Natural History Photography] http://www.oceanlight.com/spotlight.php?img=11155 (accessed June 5, 2018)
*Img. 7. [Robed angel looking down | Monceau | Flickr] https://www.flickr.com/photos/monceau/6291672868 (accessed June 6, 2018)
*Img. 8. [Giant lion sculpture] http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-05/08/content_868100.htm (accessed June 6, 2018)
*Img. 9. [(NO NAME)] no website (accessed June 5, 2018)
*Img. 10. [Palermo e dintorni ma anche...: maggio 2009] http://palermodintorni.blogspot.com/2009/05/ (accessed June 6, 2018)
</small>

3D Asset Workflow

2023-08-01T07:13:02Z

Mio Mäkijärvi: /* External Art Fundamental Tips */

<onlyinclude>
<div style="float:right; width:400px; background: #f3e9f5; border: 1px solid #666666; border-radius: 15px; padding: 15px;">
<div style="border-bottom:2px solid #bc82c8; background:#bc82c8; padding-top:5px; color:white;">
::: '''◇ Main Steps'''
</div>
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Concepting]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Sculpting]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Retopology]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: UV Mapping]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Baking]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Texturing]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Asset Assembling]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Naming the Asset]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: LODs]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Exporting to Editor]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Completed asset checklist]]
<div style="border-bottom:2px solid #bc82c8; background:#bc82c8; padding-top:5px; color:white;">
::: '''◇ Main Steps'''
</div>
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Alternative Textures]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Billboards]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Blocksets]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Sikailu]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Sway]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Tile Textures and Trimsheets]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Tintmask]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Vegetation]]
<div style="border-bottom:2px solid #bc82c8; background:#bc82c8; padding-top:5px; color:white;">
::: '''◇ Main Steps'''
</div>
* [[3D Asset Workflow: General Tips]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Troubleshooting]]
</div>
</onlyinclude>

= Summary =
* This is a series of wiki pages related to the '''3D asset creating process in the Trine Art Team at Frozenbyte'''
** With these guidelines, you should be able to create a '''game asset from an idea to a textured game model''' or, at the very least, get the needed information on what you should research and practice in order to achieve that
** The information on these sites is created and collected by our AD and the 3D artists, and these methods are used daily here in the Trine Art Team at Frozenbyte

== Trine Art Team Terminology ==
* Here in the Trine Art Team, we have some non-industry standard terminology we use to describe certain workflow stages
** They are listed here for future reference (in Finnish, with rough translations):
<br>
# '''Vessanpönttöily / lisätä vessanpönttöä''' = "toilet(-ing)" / "adding some toilet". Used to describe the stage in which the 3D artist adds some wonkiness and uneven-ness to the lowpoly model after it's otherwise completed. Especially completely symmetric assets usually need some vessanpönttöily done to them, to fit the Trine style better
# '''Juhlamokka / lisätä juhlamokkaa''' = "finetune (with passion and talent)". Juhla Mokka is a Finnish coffee brand, which had very specific marketing videos in the past, where they showcased professionals from different professions talking about their crafts, very intricately. Thus, when a 3D artist needs to finetune their model a bit (with passion and talent), it's called juhlamokka. A bit similar to vessanpönttöily, tho, in all reality
# '''[[3D Asset Workflow: Sikailu|Sikailu / sikailla]]''' = "to behave like a pig", a noun and a verb. Sometimes a 3D artist/level artist needs to take an already existing 3D model, and make something completely new out of it, using the parts of the old one. This happens when the old models do not 100% fit the desired design. Rather than making a new model out of scratch, sikailing it is way faster
# '''[[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Retopo_and_UVs#.22Triangelihuttu.22:_A_decimated_triangle_mesh_made_in_Zbrush_.26_cleaned_up_in_Modo|Triangelihuttu]]''' = "triangle porridge". A model that has generated triangle retopo instead of e.g. being retopoed by hand

= 3D Asset Workflow =
* In the Trine Art Team, the '''3D artists will take care of all of these steps when creating 3D assets'''
** [[3D Asset Workflow: Completed asset checklist]]
* The 3D artist gets to design the asset from the concept to the final asset
** The 3D artist is also responsible for '''making sure their asset works as it should in the Editor'''
[[File:3D Asset Workflow flowchart 30.5.2023.jpg|1500px|thumb|center]]

== 3D Workflow Steps ==
# '''Receiving a task'''
#* The 3D artist is responsible for making sure the task they received will be '''completed in a timely manner''', with the '''required specs in mind'''
#** Likewise, they're responsible for '''keeping the AD informed of their progress'''
#* In most cases, the 3D artist will have a couple of tasks at any given time
#** This is to ensure that they have things to do even if they need to e.g. wait for feedback for the other task
# '''The Idea '''
#* The 3D artist needs to make sure they understand the actual idea behind the asset; how it related to the story and it's surroundings, and what kind of reference images to use or search for
#* This part might require communicating with different team members, e.g. the AD, the designers, the script writer, and/or other artists
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Concepting|'''The Concept''']]
#* Once the idea is clear, some kind of concept is made
#** It can be e.g. '''rough drawing, a 3D blockout, or a photo bash''' - the point isn't to make anything polished, but to '''visualize the basic idea'''
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Sculpting|'''Highpoly Mesh, a Sculpt''']]
#* The detailed and performance heavy version of the mesh
#* Like in all the work phases, it's good to first sculpt a rough version of each piece, and get a confirmation from the AD that everything seems to be going as desired
# '''"Trash Version" of the lowpoly mesh, if the mesh is going to be animated'''
#* When making characters, it's good to give the animators a very crude lowpoly version of the mesh - this way the animators can point out possible problems early on, and fixes are easy to make
#** This can be done when all the proportions of the mesh are somewhat finished, but there is not detailing yet
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Retopo_and_UVs|'''Lowpoly mesh''']]
#* A less dense and engine-friendly approximation of the highpoly model
#* It's important to have the optimal amount of geometry (polygons) - not too little so that the mesh is too angular, but not too much so that the mesh is needlessly performance heavy
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Retopo_and_UVs#UV_mapping|'''UV mapping''']]
#* Creating the texture coordinates for the lowpoly mesh
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Baking|'''Baking''']]
#* Transferring details from the highpoly model to create a surface material for the lowpoly model
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Texturing|'''Texturing''']]
#* Adding all the materials and colors on the model
# [[3D Asset Workflow: Asset Assembling|'''Asset Assembling''']]
#* Assembling the assets to a coherent set, making use of duplicated and mirrored mesh parts
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Naming_the_Asset|'''Naming the Asset''']]
#* Please follow the project's naming instructions to the T!
# [[3D Asset Workflow: LODs|'''LODs''']]
#* Using a ready-made script to create even lower polycount versions of the lowpoly models, which can be switched on in the Editor when the model is further away
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Exporting_to_Editor|'''Export & Import to Editor''']]
#* Importing the textured lowpoly model and it's textures them to Editor with correct naming
# '''Adjusting in Editor'''
#* Further configuration in the Editor, e.g. backlight, self illumination
# '''Adding Work Files to the Workspace SVN '''
#* Once everything is done, add the work files (.fbx, .lxo, .spp, final texture maps .tga) to the workspace SVN so that anyone can find them, if someone else will need to edit your asset
# '''Adding a Screenshot of Your Model to the Wiki'''
#* Make a screenshot which showcases the model or the models made for the set. Add it to the correct project's 3D asset wiki page, with the name with which it can be found

= Having trouble? =
* If you have odd issues, try [[3D Asset Workflow: Troubleshooting]]
* If you didn't find what you were looking for anywhere else, try [[3D Asset Workflow: General Tips]]

= External Art Fundamental Tips =
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #f3e9f5; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Some general art fundamentals tips that are useful for any game artist:
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/art_lessons.htm Neil Blevis: Various art tips, check especially 9. Composition]
** [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/areas_of_visual_rest/areas_of_visual_rest.htm Areas Of Visual Detail, Areas Of Visual Rest]
** [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/clumping/clumping.htm Clumping and Grouping]
** [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/compositional_weight/compositional_weight.htm Compositional Weight]
** [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/composition_contrasts/composition_contrasts.htm Contrasts In Composition]
** [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/foreground_midground_background/foreground_midground_background.htm Foreground, Midground, Background]
** [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/layers_of_light_and_dark/layers_of_light_and_dark.htm Layers Of Light And Dark]
** [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/primary_secondary_and_tertiary_shapes/primary_secondary_and_tertiary_shapes.htm Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Shapes]
** [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/details_make_big/details_make_big.htm Using Details To Make Something Look Big]
** [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/tangents/tangents.htm What is a Tangent? And How To Solve Them]
* [http://emptyeasel.com/2008/11/18/avoiding-tangents-9-visual-blunders-every-artist-should-watch-out-for/ Avoiding Tangents: 9 Visual Blunders Every Artist Should Watch Out For]
* [http://www.itchy-animation.co.uk/tutorials/light01.htm Lighting Fundamentals for Artists]
* [http://drawabox.com/ Draw a Box: An exercise based approach to learning the fundamentals of drawing]
* [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbdyjrrJAjDIACjCsjAGFAA Feng Zhu design school videos. All kinds of stuff about painting/design/color etc.]
* [https://www.youtube.com/user/McBacon1337/videos Game Maker's Toolkit. Interesting and well-made videos about game mechanics in different games by Mike Brown.]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iemcI0t096I Sam Nielson's lecture about environment design]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=griCsvvRTQM Sam Nielson's lecture about atmosphere]
* [https://youtu.be/FeUL-5wfj0U?t=3m29s The Art of Environment Storytelling for Video Games GNOMON]
</div>
</div>

3D Asset Workflow

2023-08-01T07:12:48Z

Mio Mäkijärvi:

<onlyinclude>
<div style="float:right; width:400px; background: #f3e9f5; border: 1px solid #666666; border-radius: 15px; padding: 15px;">
<div style="border-bottom:2px solid #bc82c8; background:#bc82c8; padding-top:5px; color:white;">
::: '''◇ Main Steps'''
</div>
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Concepting]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Sculpting]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Retopology]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: UV Mapping]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Baking]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Texturing]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Asset Assembling]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Naming the Asset]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: LODs]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Exporting to Editor]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Completed asset checklist]]
<div style="border-bottom:2px solid #bc82c8; background:#bc82c8; padding-top:5px; color:white;">
::: '''◇ Main Steps'''
</div>
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Alternative Textures]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Billboards]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Blocksets]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Sikailu]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Sway]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Tile Textures and Trimsheets]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Tintmask]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Vegetation]]
<div style="border-bottom:2px solid #bc82c8; background:#bc82c8; padding-top:5px; color:white;">
::: '''◇ Main Steps'''
</div>
* [[3D Asset Workflow: General Tips]]
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Troubleshooting]]
</div>
</onlyinclude>

= Summary =
* This is a series of wiki pages related to the '''3D asset creating process in the Trine Art Team at Frozenbyte'''
** With these guidelines, you should be able to create a '''game asset from an idea to a textured game model''' or, at the very least, get the needed information on what you should research and practice in order to achieve that
** The information on these sites is created and collected by our AD and the 3D artists, and these methods are used daily here in the Trine Art Team at Frozenbyte

== Trine Art Team Terminology ==
* Here in the Trine Art Team, we have some non-industry standard terminology we use to describe certain workflow stages
** They are listed here for future reference (in Finnish, with rough translations):
<br>
# '''Vessanpönttöily / lisätä vessanpönttöä''' = "toilet(-ing)" / "adding some toilet". Used to describe the stage in which the 3D artist adds some wonkiness and uneven-ness to the lowpoly model after it's otherwise completed. Especially completely symmetric assets usually need some vessanpönttöily done to them, to fit the Trine style better
# '''Juhlamokka / lisätä juhlamokkaa''' = "finetune (with passion and talent)". Juhla Mokka is a Finnish coffee brand, which had very specific marketing videos in the past, where they showcased professionals from different professions talking about their crafts, very intricately. Thus, when a 3D artist needs to finetune their model a bit (with passion and talent), it's called juhlamokka. A bit similar to vessanpönttöily, tho, in all reality
# '''[[3D Asset Workflow: Sikailu|Sikailu / sikailla]]''' = "to behave like a pig", a noun and a verb. Sometimes a 3D artist/level artist needs to take an already existing 3D model, and make something completely new out of it, using the parts of the old one. This happens when the old models do not 100% fit the desired design. Rather than making a new model out of scratch, sikailing it is way faster
# '''[[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Retopo_and_UVs#.22Triangelihuttu.22:_A_decimated_triangle_mesh_made_in_Zbrush_.26_cleaned_up_in_Modo|Triangelihuttu]]''' = "triangle porridge". A model that has generated triangle retopo instead of e.g. being retopoed by hand

= 3D Asset Workflow =
* In the Trine Art Team, the '''3D artists will take care of all of these steps when creating 3D assets'''
** [[3D Asset Workflow: Completed asset checklist]]
* The 3D artist gets to design the asset from the concept to the final asset
** The 3D artist is also responsible for '''making sure their asset works as it should in the Editor'''
[[File:3D Asset Workflow flowchart 30.5.2023.jpg|1500px|thumb|center]]

== 3D Workflow Steps ==
# '''Receiving a task'''
#* The 3D artist is responsible for making sure the task they received will be '''completed in a timely manner''', with the '''required specs in mind'''
#** Likewise, they're responsible for '''keeping the AD informed of their progress'''
#* In most cases, the 3D artist will have a couple of tasks at any given time
#** This is to ensure that they have things to do even if they need to e.g. wait for feedback for the other task
# '''The Idea '''
#* The 3D artist needs to make sure they understand the actual idea behind the asset; how it related to the story and it's surroundings, and what kind of reference images to use or search for
#* This part might require communicating with different team members, e.g. the AD, the designers, the script writer, and/or other artists
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Concepting|'''The Concept''']]
#* Once the idea is clear, some kind of concept is made
#** It can be e.g. '''rough drawing, a 3D blockout, or a photo bash''' - the point isn't to make anything polished, but to '''visualize the basic idea'''
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Sculpting|'''Highpoly Mesh, a Sculpt''']]
#* The detailed and performance heavy version of the mesh
#* Like in all the work phases, it's good to first sculpt a rough version of each piece, and get a confirmation from the AD that everything seems to be going as desired
# '''"Trash Version" of the lowpoly mesh, if the mesh is going to be animated'''
#* When making characters, it's good to give the animators a very crude lowpoly version of the mesh - this way the animators can point out possible problems early on, and fixes are easy to make
#** This can be done when all the proportions of the mesh are somewhat finished, but there is not detailing yet
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Retopo_and_UVs|'''Lowpoly mesh''']]
#* A less dense and engine-friendly approximation of the highpoly model
#* It's important to have the optimal amount of geometry (polygons) - not too little so that the mesh is too angular, but not too much so that the mesh is needlessly performance heavy
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Retopo_and_UVs#UV_mapping|'''UV mapping''']]
#* Creating the texture coordinates for the lowpoly mesh
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Baking|'''Baking''']]
#* Transferring details from the highpoly model to create a surface material for the lowpoly model
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Texturing|'''Texturing''']]
#* Adding all the materials and colors on the model
# [[3D Asset Workflow: Asset Assembling|'''Asset Assembling''']]
#* Assembling the assets to a coherent set, making use of duplicated and mirrored mesh parts
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Naming_the_Asset|'''Naming the Asset''']]
#* Please follow the project's naming instructions to the T!
# [[3D Asset Workflow: LODs|'''LODs''']]
#* Using a ready-made script to create even lower polycount versions of the lowpoly models, which can be switched on in the Editor when the model is further away
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Exporting_to_Editor|'''Export & Import to Editor''']]
#* Importing the textured lowpoly model and it's textures them to Editor with correct naming
# '''Adjusting in Editor'''
#* Further configuration in the Editor, e.g. backlight, self illumination
# '''Adding Work Files to the Workspace SVN '''
#* Once everything is done, add the work files (.fbx, .lxo, .spp, final texture maps .tga) to the workspace SVN so that anyone can find them, if someone else will need to edit your asset
# '''Adding a Screenshot of Your Model to the Wiki'''
#* Make a screenshot which showcases the model or the models made for the set. Add it to the correct project's 3D asset wiki page, with the name with which it can be found

= Having trouble? =
* If you have odd issues, try [[3D Asset Workflow: Troubleshooting]]
* If you didn't find what you were looking for anywhere else, try [[3D Asset Workflow: General Tips]]

= External Art Fundamental Tips =
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: LightBlue; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Some general art fundamentals tips that are useful for any game artist:
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/art_lessons.htm Neil Blevis: Various art tips, check especially 9. Composition]
** [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/areas_of_visual_rest/areas_of_visual_rest.htm Areas Of Visual Detail, Areas Of Visual Rest]
** [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/clumping/clumping.htm Clumping and Grouping]
** [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/compositional_weight/compositional_weight.htm Compositional Weight]
** [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/composition_contrasts/composition_contrasts.htm Contrasts In Composition]
** [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/foreground_midground_background/foreground_midground_background.htm Foreground, Midground, Background]
** [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/layers_of_light_and_dark/layers_of_light_and_dark.htm Layers Of Light And Dark]
** [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/primary_secondary_and_tertiary_shapes/primary_secondary_and_tertiary_shapes.htm Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Shapes]
** [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/details_make_big/details_make_big.htm Using Details To Make Something Look Big]
** [http://www.neilblevins.com/art_lessons/tangents/tangents.htm What is a Tangent? And How To Solve Them]
* [http://emptyeasel.com/2008/11/18/avoiding-tangents-9-visual-blunders-every-artist-should-watch-out-for/ Avoiding Tangents: 9 Visual Blunders Every Artist Should Watch Out For]
* [http://www.itchy-animation.co.uk/tutorials/light01.htm Lighting Fundamentals for Artists]
* [http://drawabox.com/ Draw a Box: An exercise based approach to learning the fundamentals of drawing]
* [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbdyjrrJAjDIACjCsjAGFAA Feng Zhu design school videos. All kinds of stuff about painting/design/color etc.]
* [https://www.youtube.com/user/McBacon1337/videos Game Maker's Toolkit. Interesting and well-made videos about game mechanics in different games by Mike Brown.]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iemcI0t096I Sam Nielson's lecture about environment design]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=griCsvvRTQM Sam Nielson's lecture about atmosphere]
* [https://youtu.be/FeUL-5wfj0U?t=3m29s The Art of Environment Storytelling for Video Games GNOMON]
</div>
</div>

3D Asset Workflow: Troubleshooting

2023-07-28T13:42:49Z

Mio Mäkijärvi:

<div style="border-bottom:2px solid #99aac7; background:#d0def5; padding:0.4em 0.5em; font-size:130%; margin-bottom: 25px; text-align: center; float:top;">
⬑ [[3D Asset Workflow]]</div>

<div style="padding-right: 10px; padding-left: 1000px; padding-top: 60px; padding-bottom: 80px;">
{{#lst:3D Asset Workflow}} 
</div>

= Summary =
* Check also: [[3D Asset Workflow: General Tips]]

= Sculpting =
== Exporting highpoly mesh from ZBrush ==
=== The model's scale is off when exporting from ZBrush to a different program ===
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #e6f2ff; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
'''The model's scale is off when exporting from ZBrush to a different program'''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* This usually occurs when you export a mesh that's made completely in ZBrush, without a base mesh
** ZBrush uses Mystery Units™ and doesn't recognize the metric system
*** '''What ZBrush calls "scale" is actually the size of the ZTool's bounding box in Mystery Units™'''
*** This can make a mess when moving stuff between software with different default units
**** For example:
# Your mesh is two (2) ZBrush Mystery Units™ tall
# You import it to Modo, which has millimeters as the default units
# The FBX importer converts Mystery Units™ to millimeters in a 1:1 ratio
# Result: Your mesh is now 2mm tall
* To fix this, once you are ready to export, go to '''Tool -> Export -> Scale'''
** If you use millimeters as a default, and want the conversion to be exact, you need to change the scale in ZBrush to be in the thousands - meaning, four (4) digits before the decimal point
*** Usually this means that you need to multiply it by 1000 (move the decimal point three places to the right)
* In general, we use millimeters for everything, but other units should work as well - '''as long as they are always the same across all applications'''
** 1 unit -> scaled to 1000 units = 1000mm = 1m
[[File:Zbrush fbx export scale.png|ZBrush FBX export scale for a program that uses millimeters as a default scale]]
* If you use a base mesh you made in Modo and imported it to ZBrush, it should work fine
* If you export as .OBJ, it should work fine
* You can bypass this problem and still make your highpoly without a base mesh from start to finish in ZBrush by importing a 2x2x2m cube from Modo to Zbrush, and then appending your sculpts to the cube
** The cube can be ignored afterwards
*** The function of the cube is to initialize the ZBrush unit space to sync up with Modo
** After importing the cube, you can check the export scale, which should now show up in the thousands as it should
</div>
</div>

= Lowpoly/UVs/Baking =
== Checkerboard pattern when baking mirrored objects ==
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="background-color: #e6f2ff; border-width:2px; border-radius:10px; margin: 5px;">
Mirrored UVs in Substance Painter
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
* When baking mirrored UVs you can run into trouble with UV islands that are on top of each other
* Move the mirrored UVs so that they are not on top of each other
* If you have already textured the model in Painter and swap the model to a new version where the UVs have been updated this might ruin some hand painted areas so be aware of this
[[File:mirrored_UV_substance_painter_glitch_3D_asset_workflow_guide.png|800px]]
</div>
</div>

= Editor =
== Importing Assets ==
=== My model is black/has no textures ===
* In case your model is black/has no textures, processing the meshmaterial usually fixes this
** Right-click model/type -> Locate type model resource -> find the corresponding meshmaterial -> right-click -> Process resource
** If that doesn't help, check that your FBX file doesn't have multiple Texture channels in Modo
* If your asset appears transparent and dark in the Editor, check that your normal maps DON'T have alpha channel in them
** Also re-assign the textures and materials in Modo, and re-export the FBX
* If the asset has a [[3D Asset Workflow: Tintmask|tintmask]], check it's model component settings to make sure it's configured properly

3D Asset Workflow: General Tips

2023-07-28T13:42:42Z

Mio Mäkijärvi:

<div style="border-bottom:2px solid #99aac7; background:#d0def5; padding:0.4em 0.5em; font-size:130%; margin-bottom: 25px; text-align: center; float:top;">
⬑ [[3D Asset Workflow]]</div>

<div style="padding-right: 10px; padding-left: 1000px; padding-top: 60px; padding-bottom: 80px;">
{{#lst:3D Asset Workflow}} 
</div>

= Summary =
* Check also: [[3D Asset Workflow: Troubleshooting]]

= Lowpoly/UVs/Baking =
* Using bevels and avoiding 90 degree angles in models results in better bakes
[[File:Trine 3D bolts tips 01.jpg|400px|center]]

== Baking Non-welded Geometry ==
* It is not always necessary to weld all the lowpoly geo to get smooth transition between surfaces.
** Important: The angle between the floater geo and the base should be more than 90 degrees. Otherwise, there might be noticeable seams!
[[File:not_welded_baked_geo.jpg|400px|center]]

== Modo Tips ==
* Assign [[Modo#Vertex_Normal_Toolkit|Vertex Normal Toolkit]]'s buttons to hotkeys to make them quicker to use
** It's especially advised to assign a hotkey to updating the normals
* A plugin that enables you to pick color from the mesh
** ''\\WORKSPACE\workspace\art\art_resources\modo\modo_scripts\vmapColorPicker''

== Photoshop Tips ==
=== Adding Padding to Maps After Baking ===
* If you need to create padding for some texture afterwards, without being able to do it with Substance Painter, Solidify Photoshop plugin can do it for you
** Once installed it can be found in Photoshop under Filter -> Flaming Pear -> Solidify B
** You will need to have separate layer with transparent areas, that the tool will then fill

[[File:solidifyExample.jpg|400px|center]]

= Editor =
* If your selected object is blue in the Editor:
** Go to Tools > Options
*** Find "Selection Self Illumination Visualization" and turn it FALSE
* Sometimes, when the renderer processes the imported TGA textures, there can appear some strange pixelation - this can be remedied with a setting change in the RendererModule
** Disable the FastTextureCompression in Modules > RendererModule
** This will force the editor to process meshmaterials and textures more slowly but also with more precisio
*** It should fix any possible strange pixelation in the textures/masks

== Texel Density Visualization in Editor ==
* We have a visualisation tool in the editor that shows the texel density in game "UV visualisation"
* With this visualization you can see if an asset’s texture is too high or to low resolution.
* Generally all the environment assets should have the same texel density/texture resolution/same size checker map.
* Stuff meant to be from a far can have lower resolution and stuff fmeant to be seen in close ups should have bigger texture resolution
* In case there is an inconsistency it can be that the asset has the wrong texel density (set when the 3D model was made) or that it’s scaled up or down too much in the editor
* Smaller checker map = bigger resolution texture
* Bigger checker map = smaller resolution texture
* Might be a good idea to hide the effect layer with alpha fogs etc that can cover the view a lot

[[File:3d asset workflow level art texel density visualisation guide.png|800px|center]]

3D Asset Workflow: Tintmask

2023-07-28T13:42:30Z

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<div style="border-bottom:2px solid #99aac7; background:#d0def5; padding:0.4em 0.5em; font-size:130%; margin-bottom: 25px; text-align: center; float:top;">
⬑ [[3D Asset Workflow]]</div>

<div style="padding-right: 10px; padding-left: 1000px; padding-top: 60px; padding-bottom: 80px;">
{{#lst:3D Asset Workflow}} 
</div>

= Summary =
* A tintmask is a texture, in which different areas of the model are masked to separate color channels
** The albedo of the model can then be colored in the Editor using these channels
* Tintmasks are very useful for creating multiple differently colored variations of the same model, without having to make [[3D Asset Workflow: Alternative Textures|Alternative Textures]] for all of them
* When using tintmasks, '''it's important to always adjust the default colors to be nice and usable as is'''
** Otherwise the model will be black, and additional adjusting is needed
* Some general Editor tips for tintmasks can be found from [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_General_Tips#Editor|3D Asset Workflow: General Tips#Editor]]

[[File:tintmask_example_ledgegrabs.jpg|500px]]
[[File:Trine 4 wizard box tintmask.png|500px]]

== How Tintmasks Work ==
* Tintmasks are used to '''control an object's surface color using an RGB mask and color pickers in the Editor'''
* The mask has 3 layers - 1 in each color channel, and a base layer in the alpha channel
* The colors are blended together based on the masks' grayscale values, and the chosen layer order
* '''The alpha channel (Base layer) controls the tint's overall blending with the original texture''', meaning that an alpha channel with some amount of white is always needed
* The color channels correspond to certain layers by default, but they can be switched around in the meshmaterial
** The default layers are listed further below
* '''The tinting is applied through linear interpolation''', meaning the the tint is applied more like paint, covering the color on the previous layer, instead of showing anything through
** This makes the layer ordering important, since the result varies depending on the order in which the layers are applied

= Creating Tintmasks =
* Tintmasks can be created in Substance Painter
** '''The color channels must be made separately on custom texture channels'''
* The T4_asset_export configuration merges these automatically into a ready tintmask
* In order to get a correct tintmask out of Substance Painter, you must add the proper User channels
** The texture channels and their corresponding mask channels are listed below:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Texture channel
! Color channel
! Mask layer
! Use
|-
| '''User7'''
| Red
| Deco layer
| Small details, accents
|-
| '''User6'''
| Green
| Simple layer
|
|-
| '''User5'''
| Blue
| Areas layer
| Large areas
|-
| '''User4'''
| Alpha
| Base layer
| Overall blending. Affects every layer
|}

[[File:tintmask_components.jpg|400px]]

* The user channels are found in the same list as other special channels, like emission or scattering
* You can rename the channels in Painter to make them easier to work with, it won't affect the export config
* '''The alpha channel (Base layer) is the only mask that is absolutely required'''
* The Base layer controls the masks' overall blending, so without one, the mask does nothing
* Even when there is the alpha channel in the tintmask, the texture files don't need to have at or ab in their name, unless they really use alpha
* '''The layer names and uses are arbitrary''' when it comes to which layer affects what, but it is a good idea to keep things consistent for the sake of level artists
* User channels generally don't show up on the mesh when texturing in Painter, but you can view them by cycling the single channel views
** Hotkey '''C''' to switch to next texture channel, and '''shift + C''' to switch to the previous
** Hotkey '''M''' returns you to the material view
* '''Anchor points''' help immensely when creating masks based on texture elements
** Anchor points allow you to refer to an earlier layer in the stack, so any changes made there will transfer over the anchor point
*** In this case, by adding a fill effect to a layer, and to that fill assign the anchor point
** Here's a video explaining anchor points:

{{#ev:youtube
|https://youtu.be/w44yuMFtFyM
|
|
|<small><i>09 - Using Anchors</i><br>
<i>Video:[[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Tintmask#Sources|Sources]]</i></small>
|frame
}}

= Using the Tintmasks in the Editor =
* To tint an object, it needs a tintmask, which needs to be applied in the object's meshmaterial
* Name the tintmask texture as [texturename]_tintmask.tga
# To find the meshmaterial, right click on the object (or its type) and select '''locate type model resource'''
# Right-click the meshmaterial (under MeshMaterialResources) in the model resource's properties, and selecting '''Locate GUID'''
# Click on the three dots at the '''TintColorMaskTexture''' and navigate to the mask texture
# Then save resources or it might not appear
# In the meshmaterial, you can also set which color channels correspond to which tint layers

[[File:tintmask_meshmaterial_settings.PNG]]

* To enable tinting, select '''EnableTintColor''' in the ModelComponent properties
* Then you can adjust the tinting with the rest of the settings
* '''TintLayerOrder determines the order in which the layers are applied'''

[[File:tintmask_settings.PNG]]

== Creating a Tintmask for an Existing Asset ==
* If you add a tintmask for an existing asset that already has textures, you'll need to:
# Make the albedo map grey
# Re-adjust the colors for the default look you want for the asset in the Editor
#* '''The default look should be nice and not require adjusting each time'''

=Sources=

<small>
Video 01 : Substance. [accessed June 7, 2018] <i>09 - Using Anchors </i> Available at: https://youtu.be/w44yuMFtFyM<br>
</small>

3D Asset Workflow: Tile Textures and Trimsheets

2023-07-28T13:42:22Z

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<div style="border-bottom:2px solid #99aac7; background:#d0def5; padding:0.4em 0.5em; font-size:130%; margin-bottom: 25px; text-align: center; float:top;">
⬑ [[3D Asset Workflow]]</div>

<div style="padding-right: 10px; padding-left: 1000px; padding-top: 60px; padding-bottom: 80px;">
{{#lst:3D Asset Workflow}} 
</div>

= Summary =
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Blocksets]]
* If you have a big/long surface of something like wall/rope/floor/ground, it's probably best to make '''a tile texture''' or '''a trimsheet'''
** A tile texture is a texture that tiles seamlessly in either vertically/horizontally, or both
** A texture map that has multiple, separate tiling textures (all tiling to the same direction, e.g. vertically only), is called a trimsheet

== Limitations ==
* With tile textures, you can stretch UV islands to go outside of the UV space, but '''don't go overboard''' with it
** There are some technical limitations if the UV islands are stretched very far from the 0...1 UV coordinates
*** The engine supports max. 64k maps, and can display them at that size accurately when the UVs are within the 0...1 range - when the UVs go outside this range, the maximum supported resolution starts dropping
*** Generally this will not be a problem, but to make sure if your chosen tile texture size is supported, you can calculate the maximum supported resolution by dividing 64000 by the maximum area of the UVs
**** '''Example:'''
# You have a tiling rope texture that stretches from -7...5 in UV coordinates, making the area 12 UV tiles
# The maximum texture resolution for the rope is: 64 000 / 12 = 5333,333...
# In this case, the rope can have 4k textures and still be displayed accurately, but 8k textures will be too large (for many other reasons as well)

= Tile Textures =
* With a tiling material, the size of the mesh no longer matters when it comes to texture size
* Large and small models can both use the same texture map, since the UVs don't need to be limited to the 0...1 range
* When UV mapping, all you need to do is create the UVs so that the texture is properly aligned, and the UV islands are in correct proportions to each other
** Then it is a matter of just scaling them with the Texel Density Tool
* The size of the UVs can extend greatly beyond the 0...1 boundaries, or they can go smaller, as long as the Texel Density is correct
** [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Tile_Textures_and_Trimsheets#Limitations|Limitations]]

=== General Design Guidelines ===

; Be careful with directionality in the material
: In some cases, directionality can be used to make certain textures more interesting
:* For example, having hanging moss grow on a stone brick wall
:* However, directionality can limit the asset's usage depending on its shape
:**A formless wall blob could be used in any orientation by the level artists, but directional textures can severely limit this

; When tiled enough times, all textures will eventually show repetition - however, it can be minimized through scale and detail
: Managing detail
:* Avoid large distinctive shapes
:** Any singular detail that stands out from the rest of the texture will be immediately picked up by the viewer as repetitive, if the texture tiles more than once
:* All detail levels and elements should be evenly distributed across the texture
:** Doesn't necessarily mean completely uniform textures - just making sure that every detail has counterparts elsewhere in the texture to not focus attention on any single one

: Pay attention to scale
:* Scale determines how many times the texture will have to be tiled, so plan it accordingly in advance
:* Export resolution and scale are also interlinked, due to the [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_UV_Mapping#While_UV_Mapping.2C_keep_the_following_things_in_mind|Texel Density guidelines]]
:** The current texel density for environmental Trine assets is 200px/m
:** This means that a 1k texture will be 5m across in-game, and a 2k will be 10m across
:*** A larger texture can fit in more unique detail, while still retaining the same scale
:*** It will also have a negative effect on performance
:** Changing the resolution can be used for a rough scale change after the material is done, but it is not ideal - better to have the scale in mind before starting
:* When planning the scale, think about how much uninterrupted area will be covered by the texture
:** For example, a terrain texture can cover a large area without any meshes interrupting it, so a 2k material (10x10m plane) with denser detail would work well to minimize tiling
:** A wall texture on the other hand could work with a 1k size (5x5m plane) with larger details, since it can be broken up with additional architectural meshes to hide the tiling better

=== Using Substance Designer ===
* In general, every material made with Substance Designer is already tiling, so this is a short section
** However, the Transform2D node can break tiling if used carelessly
** If you need to scale, rotate or offset the texture, it is best to use the Safe Transform node, as that retains the tiling

=== Using Zbrush ===
{{#ev:youtube|https://youtu.be/Pdh0peG4oys}}

=== Complementing Tiling Textures with Geometry ===
* Completely flat surfaces can be easily noticed by players and aren't nice visually, especially if the texture has a lot of depth
* Cheap and easy way to combat this issue is to model out / extrude out shapes from the tiling texture

<gallery widths=300px heights=300px mode="nolines">
File:Modular_MountBladeMod_02.jpg|Breaking flat surfaces / fake displacement with mesh. Source: http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/ModularMountAndBlade
</gallery>

* In the case that you have a planar mesh and a tiling texture with a height map that needs depth, but too detailed to extrude by hand in a reasonable timeframe, a quick and dirty way is to take the plane to ZBrush and apply the height map as a displacement map
** Then you can decimate it until the polygon density seems appropriate, take the mesh back to Modo for cleanup, and apply planar UV projection with the dimensions of the original plane
** Checking projection rotation is also important!

= Trim Sheets =
* The term trim sheet applies to '''a resource that includes pieces, that can be easily extracted from the sheet, and tiled'''
* Usually a trim sheet works best with mostly planar geometry, or geometry that can be extruded from a plane
** Anything more complex is better done as a unique model
* In a trim sheet, there are multiple tiling textures on a single texture atlas, which are then '''mapped to a mesh in a way that makes it seem like it has multiple textures'''
** This saves memory and improves performance, since the engine has to load fewer textures, and thus needs fewer drawcalls
* '''In a way, making a trim sheet is the reverse workflow compared to normal: you create a texture first, and then make a mesh to fit it afterwards'''
* With a good trim sheet texture you can make almost anything for modular set
** Making new assets from it is easy too: it's just a matter of mapping UVs of a new mesh to the trim sheet map
*** Keeping the trim sheet textures as simple rectangular shapes helps mapping UVs to them
* If you will add some unique (meaning, not tiling) models to the modular blocksets which use trim sheets, it might be better to make a separate texture for them, and not try to fit them into the trim sheet texture atlas - even if they'd fit there
** That way, if those models are used on their own, or as a part of another set, they don't load a large, mostly unused texture with them

<gallery widths=300px heights=300px mode="nolines">
T4_dream_wall_kit_1_texture.jpg
File:T4_dream_wall_kit_1_sculpt.PNG
File:T4_dream_wall_kit_final_editor.png|Parts made from previous trim sheet material
</gallery>

=== Creating Trim Sheets ===

* Trim sheets are created mostly the same way as any tiling texture or model
** You can use e.g. Zbrush, Modo, Substance Designer, or all of them
* '''The main idea is that individual pieces tile in at least one direction - vertically or horizontally'''
* You can also include seams and corners, and even create tiling pseudo-decals using alpha test material
** Alpha blend is not recommended, since it changes the rendering mode for the whole trim sheet

* '''To start:'''
# Plan out your trim sheet in Modo by dividing a plane into a uniform square grid
#* The plane doesn't have to be a square either, but the '''aspect ratio needs to be the same as the texture will be''' (1:1, 1:2, 1:3, 2:1, etc.)
# Keep the segments divisible by 10, as it will make UV mapping easier down the line
# Separate or divide sections of the grid where different trims should go
# After that, you can model some trims in Modo, and/or export that as a base to ZBrush for more complicated ornaments
#* In ZBrush, 'Auto Groups' and 'Mask by Polygroups' will make it easier to work on the trims without affecting the ones next to them
# The finished sculpt/hipoly will be baked to a flat plane, so the sculpt depth doesn't really matter
#* Normal map won't pick up how far from the 0-level a surface extends
#* However, if you want to make a trim that blends with the underlying mesh, remember to keep its edges as flat as possible
# There should be at least a small part near the blending edge that points directly outwards (or is R128, G128, B255 on the normal map)

=== Using Trim Sheets ===

* With a finished trim sheet you can now create polygons and UV amp them to correct parts of the sheet
* If your base mesh was a grid that was divisible by 10, you can easily determine where a trim section starts and ends
** For example, 0.0-0.5 on U axis, 0.4-0.5 on V axis
* When UV mapping strips of quads, you can use the 'rectangle' function in Modo's UV tools to quickly straighten it
* After that, it is trivial to cut and stack the UV islands to overlap each other, and fit on to the allocated trim sheet section
* If your trim sheet is non-square, remember to scale the UVs down on the longer axis to match the texture's aspect ratio
** The UVs remain always as a 0...1 square, so for example with a 2048x1024px texture, you need to scale the UVs to 50% on U axis (or to 200% on V axis)

;Example of a trim sheet in use
# Trimsheet itself
# Mesh and UVs
# Mesh and UVs without the tiling material
[[File:blockset_trimsheet_example_1.png|300px]]

=== Example Trim Sheets ===
<gallery widths=300px heights=300px mode="nolines">
File:cliff-schonewill-woodtrims.jpg|source: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/XZ2L0
File:LionsArchStoneTrim TextureSheet.jpg|Sculpted trim sheet. source: http://nathanbaerwald.blogspot.com/2015/08/lions-arch.html
File:trimsheetExample.jpg|source: https://polycount.com/discussion/185468/the-hero-tomb/p2
</gallery>

3D Asset Workflow: Blocksets

2023-07-28T13:42:03Z

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<div style="border-bottom:2px solid #99aac7; background:#d0def5; padding:0.4em 0.5em; font-size:130%; margin-bottom: 25px; text-align: center; float:top;">
⬑ [[3D Asset Workflow]]</div>

<div style="padding-right: 10px; padding-left: 1000px; padding-top: 60px; padding-bottom: 80px;">
{{#lst:3D Asset Workflow}} 
</div>

= Summary =
* [[3D Asset Workflow: Asset Assembling]]
* '''Blocksets''' or '''modular sets''' are used for creating building exterior or interior environment assets (such as walls, pillars, doorways, windows, and balconies etc)
* Basic idea is to create '''big texture atlases''' and '''trim sheets''', that have differently tiling parts and then only '''few unique parts for decorations'''
* '''Special attention must also be paid to the blocksets' optimization''', since the sets will be used a lot in a level
* Modular building pieces are used to:
# Build large structures in 3D, with relatively small texture memory load
# Provide the level artists with the necessary, smaller building blocks to build the levels in the Editor

== Testing the Modular Blockset in the Editor is Important ==

* 3D artists are highly recommended to use and test their own set in the Editor as early as possible
** You should try using the pieces to build a complete looking result, and evaluate how easily they can be used to make environment as shown in the level concept art
** Set that has not been used to build anything or tested before the final commit is sure to lose a lot of potential!
* If some asset combination seems especially good and usable in various situations, it can also be combined into a separate asset
** This eases both the work of level artists, and helps optimizing the game

= Planning the Blockset =
* '''Planning is the most important part of making a modular blockset'''
* Steps:
# Figure out '''how many different tiling textures you might need'''
# Think of how to '''break the tiling''', with e.g. windows, doors, balconies, pillars, decorations et cetera

* Below is an image that shows you how you can start thinking about what you need from your texture maps, and how many you might need to create them for similar type of a building
** Usually you need:
# A few [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Tile_Textures_and_Trimsheets#Tile_Textures|tiling base materials]] (these base materials can also be in one texture atlas)
# [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Tile_Textures_and_Trimsheets#Trim_Sheets|A trim sheet material]]
# Possibly a material for more unique decorations

[[File:texture_map_planning_01.jpg|400px]]

== What to Take Into Consideration ==
=== Style & Consistency ===
* The modular blockset will be the basis of a notable portion of a level, and while it defines the look, it must also play nicely with the rest of the assets and other blocksets used
* It is important to thoroughly research the level art concepts and mood boards to internalize the style you're aiming for

=== Size vs Time ===
* '''Important things to take into account''':
* Most blocksets consists of a small (in comparison to the finished set) amount of unique models and materials, which are then mashed together in various ways to create larger and more varied assets
* '''The most obvious way to reduce time consumption is to figure out a balance between:'''
# The smallest possible amount of objects and materials you can create, and
# How varied/non-repetitive will the finished set look
* However, depending on the set, cutting down on the base asset creation might add time to the assembly phase
** It is better to use more time in the final assembly than with the base creation phase, as once the base assets are finished, you can commit the blockset in batches - allowing the level artists to utilize the already finished assets while you assemble the rest

=== Parts Needed ===


* '''Every blockset that is not restricted to just background-only or supportive usage generally has to have an answer to "how will this be used to block out the gameplay geometry?"'''
** E.g. how will an interior architecture set block out a 8x5x?m rectangle collider connected to the floor, that the player can climb and walk on top of. And how well the set handles deviating from these dimensions.

* '''Architectural sets should include enough generic "transition pieces" or "connection pieces"'''
** Typical examples include the border and trim pieces, but these can also be something like pillars for wall pieces
** The function of these is to attach architectural pieces together and hide possible seams, adding flexibility to the set

*'''Great sets include different horizontal and vertical pieces, corner pieces, and also maybe arch/curve pieces (if applicable to the set)'''
** Without connection pieces like these, the set pieces are very tough to fit together, let alone with other architectural sets, and their use will be more limited

* '''In organic sets, it's good to have a clear unique shape for each piece, that can also be attached to other pieces in the set, and have an uniform flow between them'''
** Each singular piece also benefits from having a varying shape/silhouette from different viewpoints
*** Often a single well thought out piece that manages to look interesting and different in various angles, is better than many different looking pieces that do not

* '''Should generally avoid pieces that attach to one another using only very strictly defined pieces'''
** For example open ended trims with no backfaces limit their use, requiring a very precise seam-to-seam attachment to other pieces, plus the likely use of extra assets to hide their seams and possible open ends
*** Making them tile in increments of 0.25m, 0.5m, 1m, or 2m does help a little as editor's incremental move snap supports that, but it only works in 1:1 scale, and it's generally better to just put some simple garbage texture to fill the backfaces on such pieces.

* '''Try to make as many of the generic pieces to be usable from multiple angles as possible!'''

* '''For "extremely" modular sets, like pipes that are by definition meant to be chained together and require precise connection, it's useful to plan out the origin/anchor point placement for ease of use'''
** Line it up with the most likely rotatory or connection points, e.g. in a 90 degree curved pieces, the origin point should line up with both ends of the pipe and not the center of mass
*** This helps building the pipe structures in the level as it's easier to replace straight pieces with curved ones and having them near instantly line up, and being able to further continue without fuss

==== Different Levels of Detail ====
* When thinking about what parts are needed for the blockset, it might help to think about them in different levels of detail
** E.g.:
; Large architectural shapes and building blocks
# Walls
# Walkways
# Roofs
# Bridges
# Stairs
; Medium details to break up monotony
# Windows
# Doors
# Railings
# Frames
# Pillars
# Supports
; Ornamental details and connecting pieces
# Decorations
# Ornamental borders
# Edge trims
# Emblems/sigils

* In addition, all of the parts will need variations of themselves, such as bends, corners, arches, broken versions, etc
* Also, the set has to include connecting pieces and seam-hiders, such as voluminous border or trim pieces to glue wall and floor pieces together

= Modularity =

* When making modular pieces, it's good to have specific measurements for height and widths
** This way the pieces fit together more easily
*** For example, a wall section that is 10m wide needs to have a matching 10m wide trim section
** When pieces fit together like this, assembling them is easier with the Snap Tool in Modo
** Problem that comes with this though is that for Trine world, everything starts to look too straight, so to combat this make windows, pillars, and trims that hide seams a bit bent and twisted
*** Another way is to assemble bigger sections (modules), or entire building and then twist and bend it at the end

;Things to keep in mind when designing assets for modularity
: How reusable the pieces are vs. how unique they are
:* How quickly do the pieces become repetitive if used a lot
:* How interesting they are
:* Balancing these traits to make compelling set pieces
: Hiding seams
:* Creating border meshes to create more natural corners or transition points between materials or UV seams

;An example of how to create distorted variation pieces
* A slight curving of pillar pieces already create enough distortion and can be used more naturally than more radically bent variations
* When creating this type of organic curving that is important for the Trine style keep in mind also the 3D aspect of the curving so don't just curve in 2D space. The pillar should be differently curved from every angle
[[File:T5 church interiors curved versions overpaint.jpg|800px]]

;Most of the assembly happens in Modo
: Useful tools for building the pieces
:* Noise falloff with move/rotate/scale tool can easily add unevenness to a boring flat surface
:* Soft Drag makes adding subtle curves and Trine Wonkiness™ easy
:* Bend tool under deformation is helpful for creating clean bends

: Feel free to bend the rules
:* Working with limited tools in terms of available materials etc requires thinking outside of the box
:* If it looks good, it looks good
:* Previous rules such as texel density and non-uniform scaling can be stretched to make the end result work better

<gallery widths=300px heights=300px mode="nolines">
File:modular_example_pic0.jpg|Building wall and roof sections
File:Venetian_houses_01.jpg|Venetian building set
File:Lod_houses.jpg|More whole LOD/background buildings made from previous parts.
File:example_pic01.jpg|Breakdown of a modular tower
File:T4_dream_wall_kit_final_editor.png|Modular wall kit
File:Modular_MountBladeMod_01.jpg|Texture usage in modular parts. Source: http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/ModularMountAndBlade
File:Modular_MountBladeMod_03.jpg|Different variation made with modular parts. Source: http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/ModularMountAndBlade
File:Kevin_Johnstone_1.jpg|Source: http://www.kevinjohnstone.com
File:Kevin_Johnstone_2.jpg|Source: http://www.kevinjohnstone.com
File:Kevin_Johnstone_3.jpg|Source: http://www.kevinjohnstone.com
</gallery>

== Typical Wall Pieces for Every Modular Building Set ==

* On top of the general rectangular pieces, these rounded variations come in handy when using the modular set

* Walls:
** Bended Inward - 90 degrees
** Bended Outward - 90 degrees
[[File:T5_asset_variations_walls.png|800px]]
* Wall/Ceiling Moldings:
** Bended Inward - 90 degrees
** Bended Outward - 90 degrees
[[File:T5_asset_variations_moldings.png|800px]]
* Floors:
** Apart from the square ones we get normally:
** Half circle
** Half circle ( split in two )
** Full circle
[[File:T5_asset_variations_floors.png|800px]]
* Beams ( including ones that are meant for ceilings ):
** Bended Inward - 90 degrees
** Bended Outward - 90 degrees
[[File:T5_asset_variations_beams.png|800px]]

= Materials =
* [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Tile_Textures_and_Trimsheets|3D Asset Workflow: Tile Textures and Trimsheets]]
* Clever use of materials is important for optimizing both workflow and game performance
* Tiling materials allow the creation of very large meshes without blowing up the texture size, while trimsheets provide a toolkit for detail work, and breaking up the repetition

=Tips&Tricks=
Good example showing the power of well done trim sheet.
{{#ev:vimeo|35470093}}

Trim sheet map used for the whole environment in the Tor Frick's video. Though for Trine editor we don't use this kind of channel mixing with trim sheets<br />
[[File:TileExplain.jpg|400px]]<br />
Source: http://torfrick.com/info/lab.html

3D Asset Workflow: Billboards

2023-07-28T13:41:57Z

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<div style="border-bottom:2px solid #99aac7; background:#d0def5; padding:0.4em 0.5em; font-size:130%; margin-bottom: 25px; text-align: center; float:top;">
⬑ [[3D Asset Workflow]]</div>

<div style="padding-right: 10px; padding-left: 1000px; padding-top: 60px; padding-bottom: 80px;">
{{#lst:3D Asset Workflow}} 
</div>

=Preparation=
* This guide goes into detail on how to bake billboards using Substance Designer
* Export your game-/editor-ready low poly mesh as their own fbx-file
* You can have multiple meshes in a single file as long as they use the same texture maps and they are named properly
* Same way as if you were baking with Substance Painter
* See [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Baking_and_Texturing#Baking_in_the_Substance_Painter| Baking with Substance Painter]] for reference
* You will also need the diffuse/albedo, normal map and specular map for the exported low poly

==Create your billboard mesh==

# Import your low poly mesh into Modo
# Go into front orthographic view by pressing numpad + 2 (revert to perspective with numpad + ,)
# Use the pen tool to draw a plane that covers the low poly mesh. Try to make the plane silhouette match the low poly as closely as possible to reduce the number of rendered transparent pixels.
# Connect the vertices (Ctrl + L when 2 vertices selected) and create a UV map
# Center the billboard and duplicate it to a new mesh layer
# Move the duplicate away from the low poly, until they no longer intersect
# Now you have 3 meshes: Game ready low poly (used as high poly), billboard plane (used as low poly), and the offset duplicate (cage)
# Export your billboard and cage as separate files

=Substance Designer=
# Open Substance Designer and make a new substance (File > New Substance, or Ctrl+N)
#* Settings don't matter at this point, empty graph works as well as any other
# Right click on '''Unsaved package''' in the left side panel, and select '''Link > 3D mesh'''
# Select your billboard mesh
# The imported mesh can be found in the resources folder in the same panel
# Right click on the imported mesh and select '''Bake model information'''

==Bakers==

* In the dialog, click on the small '''+''' -sign in the middle panel labeled 'Bakers', and select '''Transferred texture from mesh'''
* Add 3 of them. Select each new entry and point them to albedo, normal and specular.
* Remember to tick '''Normal map''' -checkbox in the case of normal map
* Reference for Substance Designer bake settings:
[[File:Billboard_designer_baking.jpg|1200px|alt=Designer baking|Reference for Substance Designer bake settings]]

*For the 2019 Substance Designer version. The UI is slightly different.

[[File:wiki_SD_2019_billboard.png|1000px]]

==Bake parameters==

* Most of these settings are the same as in Painter
* In the right side panel, select the export folder, output size and dilation amount and/or diffusion
* For the high definition mesh(es) select the game ready low poly
* Add the cage if you have one. If not, increase the Max Frontal and Rear distance until no clipping occurs.
* Match '''By mesh name''' if you are baking multiple meshes at once and have them properly named. Otherwise use '''Always'''. Antialiasing 4x4 or 8x8.
* Press OK to bake the maps

=Baking the opacity/alpha=
* For a opacity map, that has individual leafs and their back faces taken to account as well, start by importing your low poly tree into Zbrush
* In Zbrush Separate your leaf planes in to another subtool
* You can do this by using Auto Groups in polygroups menu, then hide all the leafs and in subtool menu -> split hidden.
* Now Import your opacity map for the leaf planes into Zbrush
* Remember to flip your texture in ZBrush. Texture -> flip v and apply it to the leaf planes subtool
* For applying the texture into your leaf planes go to '''Tool -> Texture map'''
* Applied texture on leaf planes:
[[File:Billboard_opacity_bake_tutorial01.jpg|1200px|Applied texture on leaf planes]]

* Next you will need to subdivide the leaf planes in such way that they don't get smoothed
* In '''Tools -> Geometry next to Divide button turn Smt off
* ''' Subdivide the mesh until it is over 1 milj points
* You might need even more subdivision if you are not getting desired sharpness/resolution later
* Transfer the texture map in to polypaint: '''Tool -> Polypaint -> Polypaint From Texture'''
* If the Polypaint looks blurry try increasing the subdivision and repeat Polypaint From Texture command

* Next you will need to polygroup your black colored areas and delete them: '''Tool -> polygroups -From Polypaint'''
* Now to get backsides to show up for the leafs apply panel loops to them: '''Geometry -> Geometry -> Panel Loops'''
* Adjust the thickness to be low amount and '''set Polish to 0'''
* Also you can decrease Loops amount. Test what thickness value works best for your asset.
* Thickness value is effected by the assets size, so it can vary with each model
* Merge your leaf plane subtool into your trees trunk and export the subtool out as obj or FBX
* How the tree looks like before exporting it:
[[File:Billboard_opacity_bake_tutorial02.jpg|300px|How the tree looks like before exporting it.]]

* Create low poly billboard planes for your tree and cage mesh for it as well
* After that in '''xNormal''' set the model that you just made in Zbrush in to the high poly mesh slot
* And add the low poly billboard model in to the low poly slot. By right clicking in that same slot you can assign custom cage mesh.
* In Baking options select for example Bake base texture as the map you want to bake
* Set Edge padding to 0 and antialising to 4x
* Once the bake is finished open the map in Photoshop and turn the base color to white or copy that textures alpha channel, as xNormal creates for all of its bakes usually an alpha channel also.

==Bake==

* The baking process is the same, but instead of '''Transferred texture from mesh''', select '''Opacity Mask from Mesh''' From the bakers-panel, and change the high definition mesh to the one described above.

=Editor=

* In Photoshop, paste the baked opacity map to the textures alpha channel (Add the alpha channel from the channels tab by clicking on the new channel button).
* Only the albedo needs the alpha channel, so save it as a 32-bit tga and name it [texturename]_alphatest.tga.
* Export the rest of the maps as 24-bit tga and name them [texturename]_alphatest_[suffix].tga.
* More about naming conventions in [[3D_Asset_Workflow:_Baking_and_Texturing#Naming_Conventions | Naming conventions]].
* After importing the billboards to the editor, check '''BillboardY''' in the model component to make the billboard follow the camera on Y-axis.
* On the left is the billboard version of the fern group seen on the right:
[[File:Billboard vs model.png|800px]]

=Rendering Billboard Passes in Marmoset=
For now we only have one license of Marmoset and we have agreed with Lucia that she can make everyone's billboards with it. If it seems there is more frequent use for the program we can discuss buying more licenses.
==Intro==
This guide goes into detail on how to bake billboards using Marmoset Toolbag 4 and Photoshop.
There is no baking in this process. We are using the Marmoset render passes. It allows us to get the transparency of an alpha plane which wasn't possible in the previous process.

Exemple of a finished billboard :

[[File:t5_billboard_tuto_01.PNG|x350px]]

==Preparation==

* Export your game-/editor-ready low poly mesh as its own fbx-file. Be sure of the final orientation of your fbx file before exporting in Marmoset. Marmoset doesn't update the normal vertex when you rotate. If you rotate the model in Marmoset, you will not render pass in the correct light direction.
* You can have multiple meshes in a single file as long as they use the same texture maps and they are named properly
* You will also need the textures files (albedo/alpha, normal and metal/roughness) ready for the Editor

==Get your render passes in Marmoset==

# Import your fbx file. Material(s) are created by default depending on the informations provided by your fbx file. If you need to add an alternate texture, you have to create a new material.
# Insert your textures, if you have some alternate texture it's good to have them already placed.
# Flip the green channel (Y) of your normal map if you want the correct normal orientation in Marmoset. If you don't, you can skip the flip Y in the rendering passes.
# On the left side, click on render then below, you have the ouput/render properties. The render passes will render depending on your main camera. So be sure, it's placed properly.
# Change the size file to a game ready size if you want. You can crop properly later on Photoshop too.
# In render passes, you have to add :
#* '''Alpha Mask''' It's the outline of your billboard. Used it when compiling in Toshop. Placed it in the alpha channel in the Albedo texture.
#* '''Depth (Not mandatory)''' It helps to fake a bit more depth. In Toshop, place it above the albedo on multiply and reduce the opacity.
#* '''Albedo'''
#* '''Roughness'''
#* '''Normal''' If you have decided to flip the green channel while importing your texture for a correct display in Marmoset, you have to flip it back when rendering the passes.

[[File:t5_billboard_tuto_2.jpg|1000px]]

==Compilation in Photoshop==

*Use photoshop or anything else to compile your render passes ready for the Editor/Game.
*The normal map is the most important texture for a convincing billboard. You can use some filter such as levels, contrast or curve to intensify your normal map.
Try to be as close as you can to the original 3d model. Something like this :

[[File:t5_billboard_tuto_3.PNG|500px]]
The left one is the 3d model and the right one is the billboard.

Quick summary for the game ready textures :

*Albedo + Channel alpha for the transparency (32 bits tga)
*Normal (24 bits tga)
*Metalness/Roughness (24 bits tga). The Red Channel has the metalness information. The Green Channel has the roughness information and the blue one is empty (black).

==Modo==

*Create a plane and apply your new billboard texture.
*Use the pen tool to draw a plane that covers the billboard. Try to make the plane silhouette match the billboard image as closely as possible to reduce the number of rendered transparent pixels.
*Apply the material on the new billboard asset and adjust the UV.

[[File:t5_billboard_tuto_4.jpg|300px]]

*Export your asset like you usually do

==Editor==

* After importing the billboards to the editor, check '''BillboardY''' in the model component to make the billboard follow the camera on Y-axis.

End result under some specific lights :

[[File:maple_tree_112.PNG|x500px]]