Any good tips or techniques on how to texture stones?

[paramecij]

I have a large collection of various rocks I made some time ago, but still haven't got around to texture them properly. I'm unsure on what's the best way to unwrap them, so there's no distortion, good use of uv space and that it's also easy to paint the texture in an app like photoshop.

 

 

One of the (many) methods I tried was by marking uv seams on "bigger edges" (don't know exactly hot to put it), so the uv's were split into 3-6 chunks or islands. Then I flattened and relaxed each chunk and puzzled them together tightly into a square and made it fit the 0-1 space.

From the uv standpoint I think the results look good, but the problem for me is painting the texture afterwards in gimp. I can easily texture each uv chunk, but making the seams not visible is near impossible or too time consuming.

Is there something like mudbox, only cheaper, out there? I do have access to Zbrush at work, but is something like this possible in Zbrush, or maybe even in photoshop? (painting with images over the lowpoly model, seamlessly over uv chunks)

 

Or some other, preferably more automated way of unwrapping (I have like 50 of them) and then painting these stones?

 

 

 

 

A couple of the lowpoly rocks (150polys), with normal map baked from highpoly version, and badly done diffuse texture

[Pixel Perfect]

Sorry, I have no tips on texturing, I'm sure someone with those skills will make suggestions soon. I just wanted to say the modelling looks excellent. Nice work, I hope you'll showcase them when the're completed.

[Naughty Alien]

..Photoshop CS4 can load/paint OBJ, so you can turn it all around and paint on any way you want..and later export back with corresponding textures..

[tjheldna]

Hi There,

 

This is very possible in zbrush. Here are the basic steps, but I can elaborate on any point if you want..

• Import your low poly into zbrush
  
• Make the model higher poly
  
• Paint the model using textures, paint etc and get it like you need.
  
• UV Map Section: You need to create GUV tiles for the model (you will need to go to your lowest subdivision)
  
• Texture Map: Click Create New From polypaint
  
• UV Map: Click flip V (This wont look right on your model in zbrush but dont worry this is necessary for xNormal)
  

Now you can export the model from ZBrush as an obj, if you have subtools you need to follow the same procedure for each.

 

As for generating diffuse,ambient occlusion, and normal map I use xNormal. Its a fantastic free program. Basicly the obj files that zbrush export can be too large to import into max, but this program works because it does not have any viewport.

 

In xNormal Click High definition meshes

• Assign the mesh exported from Zbrush and then assign the zbrush exported texture to the mesh too (can do multiple at a time) .
  
• Click Low definition meshes assign your unwrapped mapped model (as .obj)
  
• Play around with the baking options which suit your model. I like to generate a normal map, base texture, and ambient occlusion.
  
• Generate your map.
  

If all goes to plan, automagicly it renders all of those textures. You can combine the ambient occlustion map with the diffuse in photoshop by...

• Adding the AO map as a new layer (above the diffuse).
  
• Setting the AO map to multiply.
  
• Duplicate the AO map if you want deeper shadows.
  

I can go into more detail if you need if you have any questions. The way I do it can be time consuming, but I do get the best results this way. This way as well things like seems generally arent an issue, and will also generate an awesome normal maps for you that I would never be able to create manually.

 

Cheers