Send objects to Mudbox

 
 
 

You can send a variety of data, such as meshes, UVs on meshes, and materials associated with meshes between Maya and Mudbox. You can then add paint or sculpt layers to an object in Mudbox and send it back to Maya using the Send to Maya commands in the Mudbox File menu.

NoteSend to Mudbox is only available in the Maya File menu if you have matching versions of Maya and Mudbox. (Maya 2014 and Mudbox 2014 are matching versions.)

To send objects from Maya to Mudbox

  1. In Maya, select the object(s) you want to send.
    NoteYou can only send Polygon Primitives from Maya to Mudbox.
  2. Select File > Send to Mudbox, then select from the following options:
    • Send as New Scene.

      Opens a new scene in Mudbox, and sends the selected objects from Maya.

    • Update Current Scene.

      Available only if Mudbox is running. Updates the Mudbox scene by sending the current Maya selection. If no objects are selected, this option sends the same selection that was previously sent.

      NoteYou can also click the Update button in the Maya status bar to update the current scene.
    • Add to Current Scene.

      Available only if Mudbox is running. Sends the current selection to Mudbox. Any selected objects that have already been sent are duplicated in the Mudbox scene.

    A connection indicator displays at the bottom of the Maya interface.

NoteIf there is a problem matching an object during the Send to operation, an error message appears displaying a list of unmatched objects. This message will go to the Log window in Mudbox.

Maya sends your object(s) to Mudbox, automatically assigning any textures added to a new object. If you are updating a scene, you must add textures manually.

To add texture to an updated scene

  1. Select the object you want to add the texture to.
  2. Right-click on the model and select Assign Existing Material.

Troubleshooting

In some cases, Mudbox detects an issue with a mesh sent from Maya. Either of the following warnings can appear when you send the mesh.

Both of these problems can be corrected in Maya.

To correct a High-valence vertex issue

Note This problem is often associated with spherical objects.
  1. Select the object in Maya.
  2. Open the Attribute Editor (Window > Attribute Editor) and select the History tab for the poly object.
  3. Change the Subdivisions Axis and Subdivisions Height values to 15.

To correct a UV Faces Crossing Tile Boundaries issue

  1. Open the UV Texture Editor (Window > UV Texture Editor) and select the Move UV Shell tool.
  2. Reduce the size of the object so that it is not touching the UV shell borders.
NoteMultiple materials on the same mesh are not supported in Mudbox. If you send a mesh with multiple materials from Maya to Mudbox, only the material applied to the first face (ID 0) of the mesh appears in Mudbox.

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