ZBrush Tip: Align ZBrush normal-map tangent settings to your target renderer

When baking normal maps in ZBrush, aligning tangent options to your target renderer prevents seams, shading errors, and “inverted” lighting.

• Preparation
  • Sculpt with multiple subdivision levels: the highest holds detail, the lowest is the bake target.
  • Verify UVs: no overlaps (unless intended), consistent texel density, and place seams along natural breaks or hard edges.
  • Set UV Map size in Tool > UV Map (e.g., 2048 or 4096) before baking.
• Bake setup in Tool > Normal Map
  • Select the lowest subdivision level.
  • Enable Tangent for tangent-space maps (disable for object-space maps if your pipeline requires it).
  • Enable SmoothUV when your target uses smoothed tangents (recommended for most MikkT pipelines).
  • Enable Adaptive to better capture curved and high-frequency forms.
  • Use Flip G when your renderer expects a DirectX-style normal (+X, -Y, +Z). Leave it off for OpenGL-style (+X, +Y, +Z).
  • Click Create NormalMap, then export from the Normal Map sub-palette.
• Per‑engine shorthand
  • Unreal Engine: Tangent ON, SmoothUV ON, Flip G ON. Import as tangent space normal.
  • Unity (URP/HDRP defaults): Tangent ON, SmoothUV ON, Flip G OFF. If lighting looks inverted, try Flip G ON.
  • Offline renderers (Arnold/V‑Ray/Redshift): typically Tangent ON with SmoothUV; confirm the normal Y convention and flip G if needed. For CAD/archviz, object-space maps can be an option if the asset won’t deform.
• Multi Map Exporter (MME) for consistency
  • Use ZPlugin > Multi Map Exporter to bake normals from multiple SubTools in one pass.
  • Enable Normal, set SubDiv level to the lowest, and match SmoothUV/Flip G to your target.
  • Set Map Size and Border (8–16 px) for clean dilation over UV seams.
  • Export as TIF/PNG for most pipelines; TGA if your DCC/engine prefers it.
• Quality tips
  • Bake at 2× target resolution and downsample externally for cleaner gradients.
  • Match shading models across apps: if your DCC hardens edges at UV seams, keep that consistent in the engine.
  • Use Project All to transfer detail cleanly if you retopologize or change UVs.
  • Add small support bevels on very hard edges to avoid waviness in the bake.
• Troubleshooting
  • Visible seams: increase Map Border in MME, ensure SmoothUV matches target tangent smoothing, and confirm hard edges align with UV splits where required.
  • Inverted lighting: toggle Flip G and re‑export.
  • Shimmering on thin polygons: raise texture resolution and even out texel density.

If you need help aligning ZBrush normal map settings with Unreal, Unity, or your DCC, consult your pipeline’s tangent basis documentation and validate with a quick viewport test. For licenses, upgrades, and expert guidance on ZBrush, visit NOVEDGE or explore ZBrush options at NOVEDGE’s ZBrush collection.