Smoothing out jagged mesh faces

You can improve the visual quality of low-poly items by editing their normal maps to smooth out the jagged edges of the polygons.

  1. Open a project or import the items you want to transfer to ZBrush in Character Creator (CC).
  2. Select the item by either clicking on it in the viewport or selecting it from the Scene panel.
  3. Click the GoZ Plus button in the top toolbar to open the GoZ Settings modal window.

  4. Ensure the Template is set to Create, as you are sending your model to ZBrush for the first time.
  5. Enable the Normal option to convert your model's normal map details into mesh details in ZBrush.
  6. Select the desired subdivision level for the initial model resolution used for polypainting and mesh detailing in ZBrush.
    ClosedNote:

    The higher the subdivision level, the better the resolution and quality of your model's polypaint and mesh details will be.

  7. Enable Smooth to apply a smoothing effect on the entire geometry and remove sharp edges. The Smooth feature only takes effect for meshes with subdivisions higher than 1.
  8. Click the GoZ button to start the transfer process.

    9. In ZBrush, the mesh will appear less rough with Smooth enabled.

    Before and after enabling Smooth.

  9. In ZBrush, expand the Subtool section and select the tablecloth.
  10. Use the tools available in ZBrush to smooth out the sharp facets of the tablecloth. The “Smooth” brush (Shift) is a suitable tool for this situation.

    11. Before and after brushing the entire tablecloth with the “Smooth” brush.

  11. Once your editing is finalized, navigate to Zplugin > CC GoZ Plus.
  12. Enable CC GoZ Plus > Details > Normal to convert the subtool mesh details into normal maps.
  13. Select the desired map size for the item’s texture resolution and click All.

    Normal map with the map size of 512p.

    Normal map with the map size of 4K.

  14. In Character Creator, the GoZ Options modal window will appear. Keep the default settings and click the Update button.
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The normal map is now updated.

The original tablecloth has many jagged facets on its surface. After smoothing out the tablecloth in ZBrush, the jagged edges are no longer visible.