Normal Maps, Displacement Maps,
Maya, and Decimation Master
After sculpting and painting your character in
ZBrush, you may want to transfer your work into another application such
as Maya or 3ds Max for animation and rendering. Your final product may
be for film, video games, print, or even a 3D rapid prototype model created
on a 3D printer. By giving you a method for rendering your ZBrush work
in other applications, Pixologic has opened the door for ZBrush to become
a staple in professional entertainment industry pipelines.
Although most applications cannot render millions of polygons—and
at this time no application can animate a mesh with such a high polygon
count—you can still use your ZBrush asset in a visual effects or game
pipeline. By using difference mapping, you can re-create your high-polygon
digital sculpture in a suitable renderer. Decimation, on the other hand, offers
the ability to export your actual 3D model with all the high-frequency detail
while maintaining a workable file size. This ability to maintain detail within
a workable file size is very important when the final product is to be 3D
printed to create a physical model from 3D data.
What’s a Difference Map?
Before we proceed, it is important to understand the concept of difference maps and how
they function. In this context, the term difference mapping refers to texture maps generated
by calculating the difference between two surfaces, usually a high-resolution polygon mesh
and a low-polygon counterpart placed together in world space so the program can find the