default zscript-which one is best for v.1.55b?

[enter]

Hello all,

I'm exhauted. I have read so many threads in the last 5 days since I got Zbrush.
I found myself keep runing around spending tooooooo much time trying to manage my Zbrush scripts and workspace rather than putting them to work. I don't ask much. All I want is a clear interface, all important zscripts link together easy for accessing.
Yes, I saw there are so many scripts for this purpose. But which one? I downloaded this I downloaded that everything just so overwhelming and so confusing( some are outdate, unable to use with the new version!)

I wish... Zbrush will be made easier for new user like me. I would like to spend time creating something using Zbrush, not trying to put its pieces together , though.

Thank you for your help..

[keith]

Have you tried the ZLauncher zscript?

ZLauncher ZScript (RevA) (http://www.pixolator.com/zbc-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=1&t=010077)

It has got a clear interface and all important zscripts together.

[enter]

Yes, Keith, I did. However, when you click on a script, the default will go away, to use other you have to re-call the zlauncher via LOAD script float menu. ( not much different with calling the script itself at all ). The thing is, how can you use those scripts at the same time without closing one in order to open another? Such as using TextureMaster with ColorQuick with MaterialPack....

Thanks,
Enter

[Antimorph]

It sounds like you may not know that you can use the left arrow (cursor key) to go back to the Zlauncher.

I do not know how to get all of those utilities stacked on top of each other, and I doubt whether I'd want to.

Your right though, it'd be great to have a central zscript repository with a one file install routine for newbies to get all the best zscript tools and utilities in one go.

I don't doubt that I've not yet found all the useful zscripts out there, and I fully expect that the masters have tricks, tools and workflow enhancers which would be of immense benefit to new users including myself.

As community members build many of the utils themselves however the problems of redistribution of copyrighted work must be considered, and ensuring fair credit is given to authors and keeping systems allowing authors to track popularity, respond to feedback and make updates at a single location is vital.

We have that here,but newbies like enter do not have all the benefits that familiarity brings.

But then we put in the effort, we didn't expect instant solutions, we read, we searched, and we didn't moan about it and typically we thanked our sources.

I'm willing to put some effort into making it easier for people. Any task masters about?

[enter]

Hello Antimorph,

5 Days reading and researching, not long but enough for me to know how wonderful Zbrush people here. I truly appreaciate the help, and I firmly believe that the tips, the scripts, the tools that were/are created, devoted by Z Users have been greatly improving Zbrush- makes it an amazing piece of software.

As you said above, I do too I wish Zbrush company could put thing together,in a more
comprehensive manner, as I guest most newbies like me are not software engineering, though. ( Tip for newbie :if you don't do a research here at Z community, you are missing out so many scripts, tools that were made to help your life easier :)


An in love and frustrated Zbrusher

[Antimorph]

Hi enter, I don't think we need pixologic to do this for us, I think its something we can do for ourselves.

My proposal

I figure we could start a project thread over in the community forum and begin to list all zscripts first by author and then by date cross referencing to the authors original post.

This post we're reading is post 10403, that means theres only about 10500 threads to speed read in this forum.

I figure that I could review all up to 5500 over the next month or so. I'll start at post no.1 or as close as I can get to it which is back in the dim and distant past.

When everything is xref'd by author in one thread we might design a form to collect information from volunteer testers or even the authors themselves to ascertain each scripts properties, for instance compatability, function, redundancy, 'essentialness'

I'm sure theres a great deal more to do after that, but that would at least be a decent start.

Its not just something I can do

Lets say
Searcher 1 starts at post 0 and works up,
Searcher 2 starts at post 10500 and works down,
Searcher 3 starts at post 5250 and works up,
Searcher 4 starts at post 5249 and works down,
Searcher 5 starts at post 7500 and works up
Searcher 6 starts at post 2500 and works down

Volunteer searchers offer their services on the community board in the project thread and fill up the next vacant searcher slot.

Each Volunteer begins to list the uncovered Zscripts, first aphabetically by author name and by date for each author.

Progress is recorded by each searcher in the project thread. The way the slots work out, searchers can give up at any time with or without giving notice.

Say I search 100 threads in a day, I record the range I covered in my post on the project thread together with my harvested zscripts. The next day I edit my post with the new range I covered.

We collate each researchers 'results' at the end.

I'll make a project thread on the community forum sometime in the next few days.

[enter]

Hi Antimorph,

I think those best-important scripts should be incooperated to Zbrush default software by Pixolator. Why? Because the scripts that are working with the current Zbrush version now may not work with future Zbrush releases- unless the authors of the scripts kindly rewrite it for you- or you have to spend time figuring it out the hard way. Either way it is still time consuming for both authors and users.

However, organizing all scripts in one place is a great idea. I think it will help a great deal. Do you think it will be better if we have a place for all authors to post their scripts,their names , published date, update date , for which Zbrush version...? I will be more than happy to host this "library" on my server, ( I will need to find a good journal tracking script and install it first, though ) unless Pixolator has a place for this purpose ( Zbrush central 's quick link is a similar idea, however I don't know if the authors can post their updates directly ... )

[aurick]

There are some compatibility problems with being able to run multiple ZScripts at the same time. The most significant is that the ones that you would most likely wish to have running are utility ZScripts. These scripts usually have three things common: variables, routine calls and shortcut keys. When one ZScript is loaded, there's no problem -- the author made sure that the shortcut keys assigned to ZScript buttons didn't conflict with those already assigned to ZBrush. And of course, the only variables and routine calls present are those in the script. But if you were able to have several scripts running at the same time, it is guaranteed that shortcut keys will start to conflict. Variables are likely to start conflicting as well, and possibly even routine calls.

And the thing is, there's no way for the author of a ZScript to know which other scripts someone might want to "stack". So it would be difficult to try and compensate for these problems. To make matters even more "fun," I know as a ZScript author myself that it is sometimes very difficult to pick shortcut keys that will be meaningful (and therefore remembered) without overlapping any that are already taken by ZBrush proper. If all ZScript authors were to collaborate and make sure that no shortcuts overlap, then the fact is that only the first few authors would be able to insert any. Authors coming after that would be stuck with the unpleasant reality that all the possibilities have already been taken.

Now, all of that having been said, there are ways in version 1.55b that a script can remember information across multiple sessions. This is why you can close the tutorial section of the default ZScript and have ZBrush remember that state the next time you start the program. This means that future ZScripts could be written to allow you to work with them, switch to another one, and then come back to where you left off. I have plans to update ColorQuick and QuadQuick this way as soon as I find the time to do so (and learn the new routines that are necessary to do it. ;)). This gives you the best of several worlds: You can work with multiple scripts at once, ZBrush is having to keep the minimum possible amount of coding in memory at any given time -- freeing that memory up for your artwork, and no conflicts with other scripts since only one is actually loaded at any time.