I’m currently working on a high-resolution sculpt in Nomad Sculpt and am exploring workflows to pose my model using external software. My goal is to:
Export the low-resolution version of my multiresolution mesh.
Pose the mesh in external software (e.g., Blender).
Re-import the posed low mesh into Nomad Sculpt.
Reapply or reproject the original high-resolution details onto the posed mesh.
I understand that in ZBrush, a similar process is done by the GoZ feature, which allows for posing in external applications and then reprojecting high-resolution details upon re-import.
In Nomad Sculpt, I’ve used the following approach:
Export the lowest subdivision level of my mesh in GLTF.
Pose the mesh in Blender, ensuring that the topology remains unchanged.
Re-import the posed mesh into Nomad Sculpt keeping topology.
Attempt to reproject high-resolution details onto the posed mesh.
However, significant positional changes, such as moving an arm, break the reprojection process if the high poly version does not align.
Has anyone successfully implemented a workflow in Nomad Sculpt that allows for posing in external software while preserving and reapplying high-resolution details? Are there specific techniques or best practices within Nomad Sculpt to facilitate this process?
Any insights, suggestions, or shared experiences would be greatly appreciated.
You can do this also in Nomad BUT you have to work in multi-resolution.
Do low poly symmetrical sculpt.
Pose onto layers.
Increase subdivision of model to add detail on another layer.
If you want to tweak pose then you can go back down to lower subdivisions & repose without losing the details when you go back to hi-sibdiv
Thanks for your suggestion! I understand that you also pose directly within Nomad. My goal in exporting the model to Blender is to rig the low-poly model there. This way, I can export different poses back to Nomad, reproject the higher subdivisions, and make adjustments for the new pose. Posing without rigging can sometimes be challenging, depending on the model.
Thanks Bezzo, you’ve given me a helpful clue! Now I can get closer to the workflow I was aiming for—exporting a low-poly model to Blender to be rigged and importing poses, to continue my work in Nomad.
The steps:
I create a T-pose model with multi-resolution to apply detail at higher levels.
I clone the model.
I go to the lowest multi-resolution level in the cloned model and delete the higher levels.
I export the low-resolution model as a GLTF.
(Since Nomad uses standard GLTF morph layer implementation, I can also create layers in Blender as it is compatible.)
I rig the model in Blender, storing the base T-pose as one layer and the additional poses as separate layers.
I export the GLTF from Blender.
I delete the cloned low-resolution version since it’s no longer needed.
I import the posed GLTF from Blender, that includes the T pose and the other poses as layers.
I create the same multi-resolution levels on the imported model to match the target high-res model and project the topology on the layer that matches the T pose.
Now, I have a layer for each pose with the high-resolution projection applied.
I can delete the original T pose as it is not needed anymore.
It’s still not as fast as GoZ, which, as I understand it, automatically projects the high-poly details to the new geometry if the model has the same name, polycount and vertex index match. However, with this approach, I can send multiple poses at once.
Nice! Didn’t think about the morph layer thing in blender.
I’d still be thinking of blocking out the pose in low poly before adding detail, cutting out the reprojection step. But what you suggest is a very nice workflow
Blocking the pose on the low-poly model works well if you only need a single pose derived from the original T-pose. However, in my case, I need to create multiple poses from the same base model, and rigging provides me with that flexibility.
I refined the workflow by exporting OBJ files from Nomad instead of GLTF, as GLTF exports triangles rather than quads. By using OBJ, the mesh retains its quads and allows me to export the lower-resolution model directly, without duplicating and removing the high-resolution levels. This simplifies the process and saves a few steps.
Create a T-pose model with multi-resolution levels to add details at the higher levels.
Switch to the lowest multi-resolution level.
Export the low-resolution mesh as an OBJ (preserving quads).
Rig the model in Blender, saving the base T-pose as one layer and additional poses as separate layers.
Export the rigged model as a GLTF file from Blender.
Import the posed GLTF file into the project, which includes the T-pose and other poses as layers.
Recreate the multi-resolution levels on the imported model to match the high-resolution target model,
Projecting the topology onto the layer with the T-pose.
Remove the original T-pose model, as it is no longer needed.