Creating Rock Arch by Dimitar Tzvetanov Web: www.artbychrom.com


Make your UV's now. I won't explain how to make that, the process is easy with max pelt option. You can use whatever app you want for that. I'm going to the bake the normal map part directly. You have the low poly mesh with UV's now. Load your high poly mesh again. They have to be like it is shown on fig.10.

Then in your max modifier list choose the Projection modifier. Pick your high polygon mesh. Check "Shaded" in display section and then increase the amount in Push section. You can see the cage around the mesh, increase the amount enough to avoid intersection with the mesh, that's why shaded is checked.



Now with your low poly model selected open the Render To Texture panel /press 0 on the keyboard/. Here check enable on Projection mapping section, add your normal map and set the resolution. 2k in my case. Press Render and your normal map is ready. You can delete the high poly mesh now, you dont need it anymore. Save your scene and export the low poly model that have UV's.


Now it's time to go back to ZBrush for some textures. In ZBrush load your model of the arch and open the SubTool tab. Click the "append" button and choose PolyMesh3d. Select the polymesh subtool and from Tool pallette click import. Find your low poly model now with UV's. You can see how the star looking object will be replaced with the low poly model.


Divide the new mesh a couple of times and then press the ProjectAll button that is at the bottom of subtool menu. That should project all the details from the old mesh to the new one that have UV's. Then you can delete the old mesh if you want or hide it.