Common map extraction options

Options available in the Extract Texture Maps window depend on the map types you select in the Maps to Generate list. This topic describes options common to many map types. For properties specific to each map type, refer to links in the Maps to Generate section.

Name: Enter a name for the texture extraction settings to re-use the same operation later. The saved operation appears as an option the next time you select Maps > Extract Texture Maps.
Maps to Generate: Select the map types you want to generate. The Extract Texture Maps window displays options for each map type as you select from this list. See also Texture extraction overview.

Note
You can select multiple map types for simultaneous texture extraction.

Select from the following map types:

Transfer Paint Layers: See Transfer paint layers and Transfer Paint Layers options.
Ambient Occlusion Map: See Ambient occlusion maps overview and Ambient Occlusion Map Extraction options.
Vector Displacement Map: See Vector displacement maps overview and Vector Displacement Map Extraction options.
Normal Map: See Normal maps overview and Normal Map Extraction options.
Displacement Map: See Displacement maps overview and Displacement Map Extraction options.

Extraction Options

Target Models: Displays the name of the model to receive the extracted map. Unless you are extracting maps in Ptex format, the target model must have UV co-ordinates.

The target model is usually the lowest subdivision level of a model with multiple subdivision levels. You can click the displayed subdivision level (next to the target model name) to select a different subdivision level from a drop-down list.

The map produced represents the difference between the target model (low resolution) and the source model(s) (high resolution).

Add All, Add Selected, Remove buttons

Add All: Click to add all models in the 3D View to the Target Models or Source Models list.
Add Selected: Click to add only selected models to the Target Models or Source Models list.
Remove: Click to remove the currently selected model(s) from Target Models or Source Models list.

Generate one map for all targets: Use this option when extracting to multiple targets if you want one map generated (for each extraction type selected) that can be shared by all target models. This is useful for conserving the number of texture maps when multiple objects share one UV tile.

ImportantWhen generating one map for multiple targets that share the same UV tile, ensure the models do not have overlapping UVs.
Generate one map for each target: Use this option when extracting to multiple targets if you want one map extracted for each individual target model. This is useful when the target models use different materials or when the UV texture coordinates occupy the same UV tile location and producing one shared map would not be possible.
Smooth Target Model: On by default. Uses a smoothed version of the target model (low resolution) for map extraction calculations. Turn off if you are extracting texture maps for games applications where a smoothed model is not used.
Smooth Target UVs: Smooths the positions of interior UVs of the target model during the texture extraction. Smooth Target UVs only smooths when the Smooth Target Model option is on.

This can be useful if your image rendering software (for example, Pixar’s RenderMan^®) can smooth the UV texture coordinates on a mesh during rendering to improve the results.
Source Models: Lists the model(s) to extract maps from. The source model (high resolution) typically contains the sculpted details to be extracted into the map(s). This model does not require UV texture coordinates.

You can click the displayed subdivision level (next to the source model name) to select a different subdivision level from a drop-down list.
Smooth Source Model: On by default. Subdivides the source model and uses the smoothed version for map extraction calculations. This option is useful for most texture extraction applications.

Method options

Method: Determines how the source and target meshes are compared during texture extraction. Select from two methods:

Ray Casting: Extracts a texture map by recording the distance (as a pixel value) between the source and target models based on sample rays cast along the surface normals of the target surface. The number of sample rays cast depends on the texture map resolution.

Use this method when extracting maps between arbitrary meshes (meshes with differing topologies), and ensure that you manually align the models as accurately as possible before extracting. Artifacts in the resulting texture map can sometimes occur (particularly with overhanging features) that require editing afterwards.
Subdivision: Extracts a texture map by recording the distance (as a pixel value) between one subdivision level and the corresponding point at a higher subdivision level on the same model. Use this method only when extracting texture maps between different subdivision levels on the same model.

The resulting texture map will contain fewer artifacts compared to the Ray Casting method, requires no setup or alignment between separate models, and performs the extraction more quickly. However, Subdivision does not capture the height differences as accurately as the Ray Casting method, particularly when vertices on the higher subdivision level have been translated off normal compared to the lower subdivision level, which can occur when using the Grab or Pinch tools.

Choose Samples: Available when Method is set to Ray Casting. Determines which value to record if an extraction sample intersects the high-resolution model more than once:

Furthest outside: Samples furthest out from the source model(s) up to the range specified by the Search Distance.
Furthest inside: Samples closest to the interior of the source model(s).
Closest to lowres mesh: Samples closest to the target model.

Search Distance: Available when Method is set to Ray Casting. Sets the total distance samples can travel to find the source model(s). Samples can travel on both sides of the target model based on the Choose Samples option.
Best Guess: Sets the Search Distance option based on the distances of the bounding boxes for the source and target model. This option provides a useful estimate for the Search Distance provided the two surfaces are not too far apart.
Test Both Sides: Available when Method is set to Ray Casting. Off by default. so that intersections are ignored when the ray intersects a surface that is facing in the opposite direction. When on, Mudbox records ray intersections with source faces that are backfacing. This improves extraction results when a number of intersecting meshes are used as the source model.

Image properties

Image Size: Specifies the height and width in pixels of the output map(s).

NoteA larger Image Size produces more detail in the map, but increases extraction time and file size.
Antialiasing: When on, improves the quality of the final extracted image map by applying a filter comparison between pixels in the image. Higher values increase the amount of antialiasing that occurs and the time to extract the image map. For initial test extractions, use a small Image Size value and leave the Antialiasing property turned off until you produce a final image.

Output options

Base File Name: Enter a name for the extracted map(s).

Click the folder icon to set save options (including file format) in the Save As window.

Note
If the model contains UVs within multiple UV tile spaces, that is, outside the 0 to 1 range, Mudbox automatically creates separate maps that correlate to each UV tile and saves to the directory you specify. For example, <basefilename>_u1_v1.bmp, <basefilename>_u2_v2.bmp, and so on.
Bits per Channel: When you select an image file type for your output map (click next to Base File Name to open the Save As options), this property indicates the color depth for the output map, based on the file type you specify.
Include Mesh Data: Only available when you select Ptex as the output format. When on (default), Mudbox also saves general data about the mesh (vertex positions, list of faces, and so on) in the output Ptex file. This can be useful if other tools in your pipeline can use this type of Ptex data, for example if you will use a Ptex viewer to inspect the output file. It is recommended that you keep this option on when extracting Ptex files.

Other extraction options

: The remaining options appear below the map-specific options.
Delete this operation: Quits the texture extraction operation without outputting a map or saving any settings.
Extract: Starts the texture extraction operation using the current settings.
Close: Quits the texture extraction operation without extracting a map.