Workflow

The GoZ workflow is quite easy and you will see how your workflow can be drastically speed up, by allowing you to edits your models in the software of your choice, or setup a quick render. In a single click, your model appears in other software, including the existing maps if you created them, ready to be rendered.

Edit your topology by adding some loops or extrusions, change the silhouette if needed, go back to ZBrush, change your sculpt, generate again the maps and send everything back for a new render.

GoZ is working with Multiple Tools or all the Subtools or the visible SubTools, allowing you a liberty of modifications without manipulating temporary files, imports and exports.

When creating new 3D objects in the 3D software, depending of the Import as SubTool preference activated, located in Preferences >> GoZ, the imported object will be created as a new Tool, or as a SubTool of the active Tool.

An important extra point to consider about GOZ and the selected software: you can change at anytime the selected application which mean that you can do some operation in a software, like a 3D modeler, and the UV creations in another package, to finish by the render in a 3rd different software. As GoZ is an open file format, more applications will be added in the future, meaning more workflow possibilities for you!

Then, to proceed with GoZ, follow these simple steps:

In ZBrush:

• If you need, create the Diffuse, Displacement and Normal maps.
• Depending of your needs, click on the button GoZ, All or Visible, located in the Tool palette, to respectively send the selected Tool or SubTool, all the SubTool of the current Tool, visible or not, or just the visible SubTools of the current Tool.
• On the first click, GoZ will ask you which software to work with in a floating window. Click on the application of your choice.
• If the application of your choice is not running, GoZ will launch this application. When the target application will be open, your model will automatically appear.

In the target application:

• Do your topology operations or renders, depending of your needs.
• If you want to send your model back to ZBrush, click on the GoZ icon available in the interface or the GoZ command located in a menu. The location of this icon or command will depend of each application.

Note:
If you wish to send multiple objects at the same time, select them first. GoZ will always send back the active selection

Back in ZBrush:

• After few seconds, your updated model will appear in ZBrush.
• If you changed the topology, a message window will ask you to reproject the sculpting details or not. Choose the operation which correspond to your needs.
• You are now back to the first step. You can redo all these steps as much as you need.

GoZ for the mesh edition and the projection of details

One of the most powerful features of GoZ is to allow you to send forth and back your model in another 3D software to edit your topology, or even adding props and then, streaming up your pipeline.

To edit your topology, just press the GoZ button: ZBrush will go to the lowest level of subdivision of your model and it will open it in the application you choose.

It is advised to mainly to refine the topology by adding loops, minor extrusions, to refine your shape, but avoid as much as possible major additions like converted a sphere made in ZBrush to a teapot in your package of choice: when sending back your model in ZBrush, a warning message will ask you if you want to transfer the existing sculpting information to your updated model or simply replace it and deleting the existing sculpting. Then if you chose to transfer the details and you create major changes, you may have unexpected results.

Notes:

• The projection of details can be time consuming and requiring a large amount of memory.
• The Projection may alter a little bit the quality of the sculpting. For a better result, try to minimize the projections by reducing the transfer between the different applications

GoZ for the rendering

When you create a sculpting and create the Displacement maps, Normal maps and/or Diffuse map, assigned to a Tool or SubTool and sending your model to another application through GoZ, a new shader will be created on the first time, which will include all the information needed to do a render with the according settings, like the displacement intensity value, or the normal map directions. Only add few lights, tweak the shader and your model is ready to be rendered.

A shader will be created with at least one map loaded in the Displacement Map, Texture map or Normal map menu located in the Tool palette. GoZ won’t create automatically the maps for you, then if you want to export your model including the maps, you must:

• Create UVs or import UVs (through GoZ or not) at the lowest level of Subdivision
• Choosing the size of your texture in the UV Map menu located in the Tool palette
• Creating your Diffuse, Normal map or Displacement map in the menu of the same name, located in the Tool palette.
• GoZ will only send the Displacement, Normal and/or Diffuse Map(s) if the map(s) are in the small preview window of either map sub-palette.
• Then, you can send your model through GoZ to the application of your choice and creating your renders.

If you recreate new maps after the creation of the shader, GoZ will try to automatically update them in the previously created shader, without, if possible, not affecting the changes you did.

Note about 3DSMax :
3DSMax create a Shell shader, which will let you choose for a real time shader and a rendering shader. The realtime shader is based on a DirectX Shader, to have the normal map displayed in real time.

GoZ for the base mesh creation

If you need to create your 3D base mesh in the application of your choice, you can send your ZBrush model in the application of your choice and use it as a template for creating new models, like props.

Once your model is done, select it and send it back in ZBrush through GoZ. Depending of the Import as SubTool preference activated, your model will be created as a new Tool or added as a SubTool of the current selected Tool.

Working with several Tools and SubTools

GoZ is able to work with several Tool or SubTool at the same time, eventually shared between different target application. The only important thing to consider is to working with objects which have a unique name. As the models are send between several applications, this is the only way to keep track of all your edits and change.

GoZ can work with:

• Different Tools which contain no SubTools.
• SubTools which are in different Tools.
• All the SubTools of a Tool, visible or not.
• A new 3D model imported from another application as a new Tool or as a new SubTool

When doing all your GoZ operations, ZBrush will be able to automatically select the corresponding Tool or SubTool or the corresponding mesh in the target applications.