TEXTURING
MICHAEL2
Texturing a DAZ 3D Michael 2 Mesh using ZBrush
and TextureMaster
PAGE 2 back to Page 1
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| USING
TEXTUREMASTER |
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The
best way to learn to use TextureMaster is by firing it up
and following the 'show and tell' button (Figure
1). As TextureMaster is actually a ZScript, Pixologic have
included a comprehensive set of built in tutorials that
show you how to use all the features in TextureMaster.
This tutorial focuses primarily on the `drop and pick' features
and the use of the B+F button
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 Fig1.
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| LAUNCHING
TEXTUREMASTER |
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To
make the TextureMaster ZScript available to use you
can call it from your ZScript directory by using:
ZSCRIPT>LOAD and use the dialog box to locate
TextureMaster.txt.
Once loaded you will be presented with the TextureMaster
panel (See Figure 1.)
Select
your DAZ head from the tool panel and place a copy into
the document window by clicking and dragging out to the
size you need.
Press 'T' to enter EDIT mode and drag away from the
head to rotate it into a suitable position for texturing.
A front profile is a good starting point. At this
stage it will be colored with what ever color you have currently
selected in the COLOR PANEL
TIP: If you have BLACK selected
in the COLOR PANEL your head will be invisible against the
default black background. This is a common problem for new
users as they think the head has vanished. Simply click
any other color from the COLOR PANEL.
I use a grey background color similar to the default
interface (See Figure 2.)
Figure
2. |
We
can now give the head a base color, or undercoat.
Any one familiar with painting metal figures will
be used to doing this as it is common to undercoat
a figure with either a dark color or a light color
depending on the required end result. As we are looking
to texture a head and want dark, flesh colors in the
deep recesses and creases, we can choose a dark brown
color.
TIP: It is very difficult
to get rid of the base color from all areas of the
head so get it right first time! If you choose a wrong
base color you will spend more time texturing to change
it.
- Pick a suitable color from the COLOR PANEL.
- The head should update with this color in the document
window.
(See Figure 2.)
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| SETTING
UP THE TEXTURE |
The head, although at this point you can't tell, has UV coordinates
attached to it already. As with most imports from poser or
commercial meshes (e.g.. Michael) the UV mapping is done for
you.
NOTE: If you had created the head
in ZBrush it would create it's own UV mapping.
The first thing to do to create a texturemap is tell TextureMaster
how big you want the texture to be.
In Figure 1 you will see a 'Texture
Size' slider. Click into it and type 2048 and hit ENTER.
This sets the initial size of the texturemap to 2048 pixels
x 2048 pixels, more than ample for the job ahead. |
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| DROP
AND PICK |
To begin texturing we need to explore the DROP and
PICK buttons. Most of the next section involves using
these buttons a great deal so some practice can be helpful.
1. Press 
on the TextureMaster panel.
This will run ZScript commands in the background that FLATTEN
your head onto the canvas in the position it currently sits
in on screen. If you have placed your head as per Figure
2 it is now flattened in that profile.
You can now use any of the 2D Brushes found in the TOOL
PANEL to paint, smudge, blur, intensity brush etc. onto
the image. It will 'project' your brush strokes onto the head.
The main brush I use in this tutorial is the SIMPLE BRUSH
with a range of different ALPHA's. See
figure 3. We will explore the use of these ALPHA's
throughout the tutorial.
See figure 3.
2. Press 
on the TextureMaster panel.
This will 'pick' the head back off the canvas and project
your strokes onto the head in full 3D. You can now rotate
the head as before. Reposition it at a different angle and
use DROP again. Repeat 1 and 2 as needed building up
the texture
TIP: Try this now. You will need
to be very familiar with this procedure as you will be doing
it many times in the next stage. |
