Create a vector displacement stamp in Mudbox

[@ErikRicardoLC]

I'm very glad to cancel my 3dworld subscription,this is the only tutorial I were cared about in that issue and now I'm getting it for free. Thank you, you have made me save a bucks.

[@UncleTravellingDan]

By far the best explanation of vector displacement thanks!

[@maximushowells7756]

found this tutorial initially helpful. created a dmap. but the video entirely skips how to import the dmap once its done. opting instead for the "here's one i made earlier". now i have a dmap that i cant in fact use because i have no idea how to implement it.

[@AstroSquid]

As far as I can tell this doesn't work as shown, as it leaves steps out when making a vector displacement map. When I tried to do this by creating a plane then creating an object on top of the plane, like he does with the car for the depth map (grey scale), when attempting to do this with a vector displacement map I get this error. Mudbox 'cannot extract a Vector Displacement Map from these meshes, because they do not have the same base-level topology." I still have yet to get this to work, as I've found online you can't create a vector displacement map from two different objects only if they have the same vertex count. So I guess only if you sculpt the plane into a car then you can extract the vdm. I think for the vdm he used gray scale displacement maps to make the geo to exract vdm he shows at the end, and didn't show that part.

[@feenux09]

It actually works. I was confused at first too, but it's pretty much about what he says at 12:27. You create the normal displacement map (black and white), transfer that to a plane, sculpt it, and then you bake the vdm. It's more like a two-step method to make vdm. But there IS something he didn't say, and it's that you need to use ANOTHER plane to bake the sculpted detail to, and not the same plane at level 0, it would look bad because the lvl 0 plane is modified when you sculpt, so, use a second untouched flat plane to transfer what you sculpted before.

[@AstroSquid]

Yeah I eventually figured that out. Also, I believe I need to import a (2 triangle) quad plane so that the map can be extracted to a flat surface. The test I did I used the plane object in Mud Box but at level 0 there are still a lot of polys in it so the vdm map I made still wasn't right, it wasn't flat after sculpting it out.

[@cromrke7984]

Does anyone know if there is any way to convert a high resolution triangle mesh into a vector displacement stamp, without converting it to a normal displacement map first and loosing all the "undercutting detail" ? It would be great for capturing real detail from reality with a regular camera and photogrammetry software. Please mention programs that can do it if you know of some that can. Thanks.

[@boycie18]

+cromrke im trying to achieve the same, did you ever manage to find a way? Does the above not provide whats needed?

[@markoposavec9240]

+Tom Cowlishaw Unfortunately I have not found any program that can do that. I find it rather surprising since such a method would fully leverage the photogrammetry process. especially if combined with matching color data... or even better matching specular, gloss etc... maps. I would be incredibly powerful, for example imagine creating a rock wall with the stamps of a few samples of rock and then just touching it up a bit with mudbox or zbrush. I have not searched for it lately, maybe something new came up in the past 2 years.

[@boycie18]

+Marko Posavec last night I managed to use mud box to create a displacement map based off the photoscan I did of some mud in a local field. I took 350 photos and pulled a detailed model from the scan... I now have managed to convert that mesh into a displacement map so thst I can use it as either a stamp or as displacement in maya. Next iv got to figure a way of making the scan I have tileable first so that when I apply the displacement tiled across a surface it has no seams... I'm not sure if this helps you? I know what your trying to achieve, I believe it's similar to what I am....

[@boycie18]

+Marko Posavec oh, and iv used agisoft photoscan first to capture a scan from my photographs and then taken the result maya to convert to polys before mud box..

[@markoposavec9240]

+Tom Cowlishaw If I understood you correctly.... Yes the regular displacement is a workaround that can be used with some touch up. But vector displacement generation would be much more powerfull.

[@SupaPoopaScoopa]

@ErikRicardoLC Lol, saying that will make them make less for free!!

[@RH3D]

YAY.