Displacement Resolution Problems with GoZ

The Problem

When sending a model to another application using GoZ, the displacement may appear low resolution, faceted, or stair-stepped, similar to an 8-bit displacement map.

The Cause

In most cases, this is not an issue with the displacement map itself, but rather the scale of the model when it is transferred to the external application.

Displacement maps are calculated relative to the mesh’s scale. If the receiving application interprets the model at a very small or very large scale, the displacement intensity can appear compressed, exaggerated, or faceted.

The Solution

ZBrush includes Scale and Offset settings under:

Tool > Export

These settings affect how the mesh is scaled when exported and therefore how displacement is interpreted in the receiving application.

Recommended Starting Values:

Scale: 1
Offset: 0, 0, 0

From there, you may need to adjust the Scale value depending on the target application and its unit system.

Additional Considerations

• Ensure that the receiving application is set to the correct unit scale.
• Confirm that the displacement map is 16-bit or 32-bit rather than 8-bit.
• Verify that sufficient subdivision levels exist in the receiving application to support the displacement detail.
• Check that displacement strength settings in the external renderer are appropriate.

GoZ automates the transfer process, but scale interpretation can vary between applications. Adjusting export scale and confirming unit consistency usually resolves faceted displacement issues.