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Project All is your go-to for baking high-resolution sculpt detail and polypaint onto a clean, UV-ready mesh without losing the essence of your original sculpt.
Core workflow
- Prep both meshes:
- Source: high-res sculpt with all the detail you want to transfer.
- Target: clean retopo with UVs. Align scale and position; keep transforms consistent.
- Stack subdivisions on the target:
- Subdivide the target to a level that can hold the source detail. It’s often safer to slightly exceed the source’s effective resolution.
- Progressive projection:
- At the lowest target subdivision, run Tool > SubTool > Project > Project All.
- Step up one subdivision, Project All again. Repeat to the top level. This captures big forms first, then medium, then micro detail with fewer artifacts.
- Polypaint transfer:
- Enable polypaint projection if you need color. Verify Colorize is active on the target before projecting color.
Key controls that matter
- Distance (Dist): Start conservative; increase until features capture cleanly without pulling stray geometry. Thin surfaces benefit from smaller values.
- Analysis/Blur controls: A touch of blur can reduce spiky noise in high-frequency areas. Keep it minimal to preserve crisp edges.
- Visibility = scope: Only visible SubTools are considered. Hide eyes, inner mouth, straps, or overlapping parts and project in logical passes.
- Masks and Polygroups: Mask sensitive regions (thin lips, eyelids) or isolate by polygroups to avoid cross-surface projection.
Error-proofing and cleanup
- Store a Morph Target on the target mesh before projecting, then use the Morph brush to paint out projection errors non-destructively.
- Use Smooth with low intensity to relax chatter without washing out forms; HPolish or TrimDynamic can re-assert clean planes after projection.
- For tiny undercuts or tight cavities, temporarily inflate the target slightly before projection, then deflate after to minimize ray misses.
- If you see backface hits on thin shells, project each side separately: hide the opposing side, project, then invert visibility.
From projection to production maps
- Once the target holds your sculpt detail and has UVs, use Multi Map Exporter to bake displacement and normal maps, plus polypaint-to-texture.
- Check map intensity/scale against your renderer. Do a quick render validation with a mid-gray material to verify pore scale and edge crispness.
- For real-time workflows, decimate or retopo for LODs after projection and rebake from the projected target for consistent results.
Troubleshooting quick hits
- Mismatch in scale/position: Reset pivots and verify transforms before projecting.
- Persistent artifacts: Lower Dist, project per-region, or increase target subdivisions one level.
- Detail loss at low levels: Project at higher subdivisions first, then use layers to balance detail visibility across levels.
For reliable licensing and expert guidance on ZBrush, connect with NOVEDGE. Looking to standardize your team’s pipeline or upgrade seats? NOVEDGE can help evaluate options and support your deployment.
