What is ZBrush all about...

[gilamran]

Hi dear Z people.
I first saw this software about a week ago, and got addicted! I'm used to MAX/Maya modeling style, and never thought it would be that easy modeling...

To model something, let's say alien head.
1. I start with a sphere.
2. Move it, add/sub... to get the first look.
3. Use some smooth, layers... for more detail.
4. Divide the polygons for more details modeling.
5. Add some veins, bumps, and small holes.
6. Material it... (Didn't get there yet)

Now let's get to my questions...

* Where is the Alpha in all this modeling? Is it only for materials?
* Do I use only sphere-like add/sub? Or can I use sharper edges add/sub? What do I miss here?
* How can I add/attach other objects to it, like Eyes, body? Coz I can't get out of edit mode...

I'll be glad to get more into the Zing... help me!

Thanks, Dankeshen, Toda, Spasiva!
Gil Amran

[aurick]

Alphas are used for masking, stencils, and brush shapes (when using Projection Master).

The editing brush will always be round. There is a curve that you can modify in the Transform palette that controls its faloff so that you can get sharper edges. For other shapes, use a mask or stencil.

For your third question, you could use the MutliMarker tool (there are tutorials on this in the 1.55b Reference Guide and in the QuickLinks). Alternatively, you can also insert the various meshes into a ZSphere object (there's a tutorial on that in the ZBrush 2 Practical Guide).