Mudbox 2009 Quick Start series: Mudbox to XSI (32 bit displacement maps)

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This quick start video is rather topical this time.  I thought I’d cover getting your mudbox 2009 32 bit displacement maps working well inside of XSI.  It shows how to get the best quality out of your map in (hopefully) an easy to replicate way.  For this tutorial I’m only using a 2k displacement map that was exported as a OpenEXR file from mudbox.  This time its recorded at 800x600 res and encoded as an AVI so that its easier to see what I’m doing, although everything is explained anyway.

Enjoy

Wayne…

http://www.MudboxHub.com Independant Mudbox User Forum

http://www.DashDotSlash.net - personal site

thanks wayne… great again…

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/christoph-schaedl/6/558/73b

No problem mate, I know a lot of people have found getting 32 bit displacement to work well in XSI a pain in the backside in the past.  As long as people can replicate it on thier own models then its job done. :)

Wayne…

http://www.MudboxHub.com Independant Mudbox User Forum

http://www.DashDotSlash.net - personal site

Thank you for this, Wayne.

I have a question for you regarding the change range node, which will probably expose my lack of understanding as to how 32 bit FP maps actually work, but anyway, here’s something for you to think about:

As 32 bit maps have negative and positive values in them (I think), why is the input range in the change range node only going from 0 to 1? As seen in the video, the change range node is mapping 0 to 1 to 0 to 1. What happens to the negative displacement values?

Cheers

Skylark3 29 October 2008 08:39 AM

Thank you for this, Wayne.

I have a question for you regarding the change range node, which will probably expose my lack of understanding as to how 32 bit FP maps actually work, but anyway, here’s something for you to think about:

As 32 bit maps have negative and positive values in them (I think), why is the input range in the change range node only going from 0 to 1? As seen in the video, the change range node is mapping 0 to 1 to 0 to 1. What happens to the negative displacement values?

XSI automatically divides the number in half to get the positive and negative values so we dont need to add it here.  (A very common mistke in xsi as it happens) So its rather groovy in that aspect.

Wayne…

http://www.MudboxHub.com Independant Mudbox User Forum

http://www.DashDotSlash.net - personal site

Do you mean that it automatically assigns half of the range to the negative and half to positve? So, 0 to 0.5 in the new range is negative, and 0.5 to 1 in the new range is positive? Which means that 0 is full negative, 0.5 zero, and 1 full positive. Is that right?

If so, why use the change range node at all? If it’s just to get a colour to scalar, why not use a colour to scalar?

Thanks for your time on this, and other stuff. You appear to be answering every question posted while producing all the training. Perhaps Autodesk have aquired Dobson DNA, cloned it and released it onto the area.

Skylark3 29 October 2008 09:18 AM

Do you mean that it automatically assigns half of the range to the negative and half to positve? So, 0 to 0.5 in the new range is negative, and 0.5 to 1 in the new range is positive? Which means that 0 is full negative, 0.5 zero, and 1 full positive. Is that right?

If so, why use the change range node at all? If it’s just to get a colour to scalar, why not use a colour to scalar?

Thanks for your time on this, and other stuff. You appear to be answering every question posted while producing all the training. Perhaps Autodesk have aquired Dobson DNA, cloned it and released it onto the area.

Damn my secret’s out!  Autodesk’s secret cloning facility bought my DNA a few months back and there are in fact 6 of me now meaning I am actualy still in bed lol.  Being a clinical insomniac helps I can asure you though..along with always having a pc runing with net access whereever I am (apart from my 6 mile walks deep in the countryside.) I try to help where I can.

I can’t check this at the moment as I’ve not got XSI on my laptop and I hate having to rely on memory lol.  So once I get back home later today I’ll get the info to you, although rememerb that as I dont have any sort of inside access to xsi there’s only so much detail i can give.  Bottom line is it works lol.  Basicaly though its taking half the number and using it internally, reason for the change range node is to give better control should you need to tweak the results of the displacement.

Hope that helps

Wayne...(clone #4)

http://www.MudboxHub.com Independant Mudbox User Forum

http://www.DashDotSlash.net - personal site

Just been playing around a little in XSI and I think I’ve been leading myself astray - the values for negative displacement are already contained in the 32 bit file - XSI happily reads them as either negative or positive. Change range simply remaps the range - it doesn’t convert them to values between e.g 0 and 1 - there will still be negative values in the remapped range. I think maybe I was getting confused with Zbrush displacement maps where 50% grey is zero displacement.

Apologies to clone #4, and anyone else.

No problem skylark..... sorting displacement maps out is a proved path to insanity at the best of times. :)

Wayne...(clone #5)

http://www.MudboxHub.com Independant Mudbox User Forum

http://www.DashDotSlash.net - personal site