mudbox ptex export issues

[Neilg]

Hey everybody. My name is Neil and I cant figure out how to export ptex.

So I have a model with no varying levels of subdivision - it's a single, high poly mesh. theres a ptex texture on it, which looks fine in mudbox.
I export the .obj, then export the ptex, apply it in max and this is the result i get:



Here's how it is in mudbox. I originally thought it was due to me exporting a higher detail mesh than the ptex was set up for, but now it's a collapsed high detail mesh with it working in mudbox and not in max.


Any ideas?

[FSGFX]

ptex is bound to the geometry its created on...
if the point order changes it wont work...
and its not good in working with highres meshes...
ptex does not like triangles...

if the mesh is so dens on level0 like in the image above you would create a giant ptex file...
if you see color in mdbox this will not ensure that this is ptex... mudbox isnt able to paint direct to ptex... its always painting to uvs and will bake in the end to a ptex file...

[Neilg]

Ok so none of what i'm doing will work is what you're trying to say?


Lets back up then. I have the all quad retopo'd version that was originally painted. File size and giant ptex files are of absolutely no concern to me. How do I get this 600k poly mesh with colors painted onto it:


Into max?
I was under the impression it was going to be quick or at least somewhat automatic once i was at this stage.

[vlado]

Which mesh level are you exporting to an .obj file? It should be the lowest one. You will need to use the VRayDisplacementMod modifier to smooth it out.

Best regards,
Vlado

[Neilg]

I tried the lowest - the texture sort of lined up but had holes all over it.


I didnt really go down this route because it still seemed like something was wrong and i was trying to avoid using baked high poly to low poly displacement. I've never done it, dont know how to yet and have already spent more time than this entire task was budgeted for trying to get the model into max.

Should the level 0 in max with the ptex look how it does in mudbox, like this?


There's really no way i can just use the high poly mesh and deal with a 1tb ptex?

[Neilg]

edit: found the issue, see below post.

[Neilg]

e: giving up. told the client we cant do it. If they had any idea how close we were...

[vlado]

You give up too easily but I agree that Ptex is not for everyone.

Best regards,
Vlado

[Neilg]

This wasn't a personal project - they asked us to drop in a piece of art and we budgeted for the scan and 2 hours to clean it up and re paint it. I didn't expect getting it into max would take another 2+ hours on top of that. it had already taken so long to get the scan back they were getting pissed and wanted the image without the art in it, if I hadn't cut it off it wouldn't have rendered last night.
Very last minute addition of a jeff koons - http://cdn.spectator.co.uk/wp-conten.../146552167.jpg
Which we were fortunate in finding he'd stolen from a cheap toy you can buy from amazon.

I was a little naive in thinking that you could get something as it looked in mudbox into max that easily. I'd have been happy and able to work with vertex colors or multi gb files.
Guess i have to figure this out someday because we own mudbox now after I made a case for how useful it will be in the future.. :/