New plugins: Alpha & Texture Loaders (updated 11/11/2008)

[marcus_civis]

ATLThumb.jpg


Drawing my inspiration from the Gnomon Alpha Browser (http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/showthread.php?t=27566) released some weeks back, I've written these two plugins to enable you to browse and load images from your own library of alphas and textures.



:b3: Quick access thumbnails of all your Alphas and Textures
:b3: Uses your own folder and file names
:b3: Up to 250 images per tab - 2,500 images in all for each loader
:b3: Search for files by name
:b3: Add files to 'Favorites' tab for batch loading by hotkey.

grab02.jpg


As the loaders use your folder and file names, you can organize your library in a way that is meaningful to you, speeding your workflow. Tabs can be cleared at any time, so that new 'project' folders can be added as necessary. Files can be quickly loaded or selected as Favorites for batch loading at the start of a ZBrush session.

INSTALLATION:
UNZIP the zip file to your ZStartup\ZPlugs folder (..\ZBrush2\ZStartUp\ZPlugs).
You may need to create the ZPlugs folder if you have a new installation of ZBrush.

To install only one plugin: delete the .zsc file and data folder for the plugin you don't wish to install.

Restart ZBrush. You will find two new buttons: a "LoadAlphas" button in a new subpalette "Alpha Library" in the Alpha palette, and a "Load Txtrs" button in a new subpalette "Texture Library" in the Texture palette. You can Ctrl+drag the buttons to where you want on your interface and store the setting (Ctrl+Shift+I).

For full instructions download the LoaderInstructions_PDF zip.

Many thanks to spaz8 and Lemonnado for help with testing; special thanks also to aminuts and Svengali for testing and for some valuable suggestions.

Updated for PC ZBrush 3.1 August 17 2007
Updated for MAC ZBrush 3.12 November 11 2008

There are no enhancements, simply a few issues have been fixed including:















Faster operation
Large image will display whole if original is square, otherwise it will display a portion at actual resolution
Assign any hotkey to load 'favorites'
Startup screen no longer called on exit


Note: when adding alphas/textures to the loader, creating of thumbnails is memory intensive. Loading many images at one time may result in ZBrush popup info failing to display. Restarting ZBrush will correct this.







Watch the Movie Below to understand how Alpha & Texture Loader works:





AlphaTextureLoader.jpg (http://download.pixologic01.com/PluginsMovies/AlphaTextureLoader.mov.zip)




Download AlphaTextureLoaders_Mac.zip (http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/attachment.php?attachmentid=114508) for the MAC Version



Download AlpTxtrLoaders-3-1.zip (http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/attachment.php?attachmentid=66082) for the PC Version


I hope you find the Alpha & Texture Loaders useful.



AlphaTextureLoaderSmall

[Svengali]

Super package Marcus! Very useful. Easy to use. ZScripts every ZBrusher will want. And here's a little tip for installation:

I want the loader buttons handy and have found a most logical placement... that takes up NO extra real estate:

loader tip.jpg

Nice work!

Sven

[aminuts]

You are all right Marcus...no matter what they say about ya!!:D

[voolger]

great extension to work with z. thanks also to the testers for their effort.

ciao voolger

[abxy]

wow, another indespensable tool from the great marcus! this is good stuff.

[maartmo]

Looks like version 2.5 is going to be delayed a bit more...... or is this allready added ? It should be. Another classic ! Thanx!

[yoogy]

WOW - very useful - :tu:
THX Marcus :D

[Bas Mazur]

Great script!! Nice and basic! It should be nice to have a script like this for materials too.

[JohnArtbox]

Outstanding...was just wondering how to do this a couple of weeks ago

[froyd]

I so waited for this kind of plugin! Youre a genius :D
Thanks alot!

[Abyssis]

heya marcus-dude, very, very useful plug, U r the man:cool:

Thank you...:tu:

[Frenchy Pilou]

:tu:
Pilou
Marcus Aurelius ;)
http://www.lawbuzz.com/tyranny/gladiator/images/marcus.jpg

Pss Why not create a special Thread at ZBC
"A bank of Alpha textures" with just the file of alphas where all Zbrushers can load them?

[el-d]

big sigh of relief. We've waited so long for someone to create this little gem.

:tu: :tu: :tu: :D :D :D

Thankyou Marcus

El-d

[vlad74]

Thank you Marcus. This is so helpful and comfortable to use. Thank you again.:tu::tu::tu::tu::tu:

[Mr micro26]

Thanks Marcus:tu:
I d buy u a beer man:cool:

[bicc39]

Extreme gratitude for another in a long list of items
you have contributed to the forum.
Hope in some ways you get back the time and effort
you have spent.

Soon they will call it "MarcusBrush"
Thanks.

[Digits]

A quantum leap buddy! This has been needed for so long, a way to organize your own files. I loved Zlist but you ended up with all these duplicated files and no way to distiquish them by filename. Hats off:tu::tu::tu::tu:

[maartmo]

Pss Why not create a special Thread at ZBC
"A bank of Alpha textures" with just the file of alphas where all Zbrushers can load them?
That is a great idea Frenchy !!

[lemonnado]

:tu::tu::tu::tu::tu::tu::tu::tu::tu:
THANKS!
ZLife will never be the same:D!
LemonNado

[Wordsmith]

Thank you so much Marcus.....great addition.


Word.

[frogspasm]

You rock!
Go Marcus!

[ryankingslien]

You are my hero!!!! :)

Ryan

[DarthWayne]

Fantastic, you've saved me a load of time hunting through my ever increasing alpha collection. Great Plug-in!

Wayne...

[Strannik]

That's really cool! :tu:

[hyper1]

Marcus, your the man! What a useful plug. Now won't have to dig and shift load to work! Phew, what a time saver.
Thanks!

[etherdragn]

NICE! This was the biggest thing I was wanting for zbr!

[Anatom]

You ARE brilliant, Marcus.

Yes, you are! :D

Anatom

[DaveG]

Thanks very much Marcus - :cool:

You will surely be rewarded!

Cheers!
Dave
:tu:

[drjjwow]

omg this is awesome. Not to tear down previous scripts by southern, but you did an excellent job with this scrip. Now if it was possible to maybe add Materials to this script, this would be the best script out there, I'd charge hehe.

[cy]

Marcus I have needed something like this for a long time.
You are got my Vote for ZBrush Hall of Famer.

[Leebert]

You, sir, have just zrocked my zworld. This is exactly what I have been wishing for! Hall of Fame? Hall of Immortals!

[willog]

Thanks Marcus mate, yet another fine piece of scripting that will save time and make Zlife just that bit more eaZy

Bill

[ThaoLe]

Sweettttt Marcus..

Thanksssss

Thao

[Dty5731]

this is great! I cant wait to try it out! :D

[Bas Mazur]

Hahaha, so don't wait :D :D

[Fouad B.]

thx Marcus another usefull tools :tu:

[Sebcesoir]

still the best of the best scripts...

Thanks again Marcus!

[Moochie]

Brilliant! Thank you!

[Dty5731]

Hahaha, so don't wait :D :D
;) finally did, and this is making my life sooo much easier! <3
Thank you so much marcus!

[ambient-whisper]

dude. you have no idea how high quality this is. this is the type of stuff that makes me smile :)

[TOXE]

Great!!! I'll offer 200 cappuccino for this :D

-TOXE

[Antimorph]

Fantastic work. :)

PS. How's the old identity bearing up?

[sadicus]

Thank you!:tu: :tu: :tu:

[Atwooki]

This is really excellent Marcus! thanks a bunch for all your hard work
and attention to detail :tu: :tu:

Chris

[Buckie]

MC you da man...:D

[ilusiondigital]

I agree with Ryan, you are my hero too.

Thanks a lot Marcus, you´re the best

[ZedHead]

Although simple, this is an amazing plug-in that plugs a gap in my Z workflow that had been bugging me for ages.
You are a hero!!
________________________________
Tolu Abisola
Baby Dragon & Metahuman WIP
http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/showthread.php?t=25203
Cardassian Woman
http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/showthrea...ardassian+woman
Harpie
http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/showthread.php?t=28783
Barbarian & Commando
http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/showthread.php?t=30272

[marcus_civis]

Thanks for the comments guys, they are much appreciated. :)

One thing I forget to mention in the Instructions: if you've pressed a button and are not sure what's happening, check the NoteBar. There's generally a message there when you've pressed a button. For example, when you're adding an image to Favorites it will say 'Alpha blahblah added to Favorites'; or if you're loading alphas with the browser pinned open it will say 'Alpha blahblah loaded.'

Sven: thanks and thanks for the great tip on positioning the buttons.

TOXE: 200 capuccinos? Blimey, not in one sitting I hope. ;)

Antimorph: yeah, I need to check the mirror to see which hat [cape?!] I'm wearing. :D

Cheers,

[Wordsmith]

Thank you so much Marcus, for taking the time to save us time.


Word.

[Buckie]

Can we have more tabs please, I've filled it up already...:confused::cool::D

[Moochie]

Sorta bug found. If I load a bunch of textures and it includes just one incompatible texture, I get the error message as you say. However, I've found that the 'bad' texture will still load as a thumbnail. And then I've no way of deleting it, except by clearing out the whole of that tabbed section. I know I should be more careful and go through each texture first in my graphics prog, resaving as necessary. But thought I'd mention it in case it hasn't been spotted before.

Awesome plug in, though.

[aminuts]

moochie....you can delete it by selecting the magnifying glass then clicking on the x in the left hand corner.
It works for me so I reckon it should work for you but have been wrong before.:D

[Moochie]

aminuts .. unfortunately not. If I click the magnifying glass on a thumbnail for an unsupported graphic type, I just get the error message and the window disappears as if I'd selected the texture for use. When I reopen the selection window, the previous graphic is still in the large preview pane, and the corrupt thumbnail is still where it was before. Only way to get rid of it is to clear the entire tab and start over. Not the end of the world, but I've had some ordinary jpgs fail to load (though they've been ok after I've resaved them within Paintshop Pro).

All that's needed, I think, is a 'Delete last thumbnail' button at the bottom, as the corrupt thumb is always the last one that has been added to the collection. Or the ability to right click > delete on an offending thumb. No biggie.

[aminuts]

are you on a mac or pc? It's weird that I can delete em and you can't but it's weird that one minute it was 65 degrees outside then half hour later it was 40 degrees....I hate winter...and it isn't even here yet...arrghhhhhhbrrrrr.

[marcus_civis]

Moochie,
I've no idea why you can't delete the thumbnail as aminuts describes, unless you're using a Mac and they respond to the script differently - unfortunately I've not got access to a Mac and so can't test the script.
You should be able to click on the Magnify button for a thumbnail without the script exiting. If there's a bad image it simply shows in the large window as a red triangle with a '?' in it. Clicking on the 'X' at bottom left should delete the entry.

I will bear in mind your suggestion for when I update the script. In the meantime there is an alternative method you might try:

First you need to find the bad file and rename it. Renaming will mean the loader can't find the file so won't try to load it. (You may be able to find the bad file from the ZBrush Import image button. Highlight single files in turn - if the gray ZB logo shows that will most likely be your bad file.)

Launch the Loader and press the Magnify button for the bad thumbnail. Hopefully this time you'll get the red triangle and will be able to delete the entry using the 'X' button.

[Moochie]

Thanks for the replies, guys. I am of the PC persuasion.

I'll try your suggestion, Marcus, if it happens again. Since loading a whole bunch of textures willy, indeed, nilly, I've found it way better to spend some time first getting the textures all nice and square, with any unwanted bits edited out. So I'll be resaving them anyway.

I have to say that this plug-in has dramatically increased the speed at which I can work. Thank you again .. the spontaneity it allows when texturing is a total dream.

[marcus_civis]

Moochie,
I'm interested that you use a PC as I've not had the behaviour you describe in my testing. It looks like another example of something Digits once mentioned he thought happened - that different setups respond to zscripts in slightly different ways.

Anyway, I'm glad you're finding the plugin useful, and when I get round to updating it I will see if I can improve the way it handles problem files.

Buckie,
Thanks for your suggestion of more tabs. I will also see what can be done when I update the plugin - though I'm afraid I don't expect that will be for a while.

Cheers,

[bneall]

this is a great script, but seems to have alot of issues with zplugins, especially projection master, one or the other will crash when used together 80% of the time (throwing errors, and often locking me into projection master, or after projection master is enabled, breaks alphaLoader), this is of course, on a Mac. :/

wish you could test this and debug it on mac :(


oh well.

[davidT]

A bit of a bug. Over a netowork XP Home edition, I'll start it, it says that it can't open the file from my other computer, it'll open it anyway and then won't post an image in the large window although the thumbnails are there. It works great on my resident harddrive it just is a bit glitchy over a network.

PS Awesome program this has been a sorely needed addition.

[Moochie]

davidT: could the problem relate to using XP Home in a network? I was under the impression you had to u/g to XP Pro to network properly.

[marcus_civis]

bneall,
There shouldn't be any problem with Projection Master, or any other script/plugin. The way ZBrush handles plugins only one can be loaded at one time (and PM keeps a tab on its state). What I supect is happening on your system is the update alpha/texture feature is affecting things. It has been noted before (by Svengali among others) that this can kick in at unexpected and unwanted times, freezing ZBrush and unfortunately there's no way of switching it off. Do you get a message in the NoteBar along the lines of 'updating alpha modified outside ZBrush'? If this is the case, all I can suggest is that you avoid minimizing ZBrush while working with textures or alphas as in my experience that can trigger the thing.

davidT,
If you successfully added images from your network to the loader but can't retrieve them at a later time then I think it is most likely a network problem. The thumbnails are on your local machine and so will load OK.

[davidT]

Yea it's some network thing. I am using xp home but usually it works fine. This has been the only problem that I've had....oh well, it mostly works....:D

[skipstah70]

Marcus... thanks for posting this awesome tool... it is most useful.:tu: :tu: :tu: I have a question though when I load in the .psds in, Zbrush appears to be also generating a Zdepth Grab for each file? They appear beside the thumb in the alpha editor. Any one else have this prob?

S

[marcus_civis]

Hi skipstah,

This is just part of the thumbnail generation. (If your're interested, the plugin uses the MRGBgrabber tool to grab a small version of the texture or alpha which is then exported as the thumbnail. As the MRGBgrabber also grabs the zdepth, that ends up in the Alpha palette.) There's no need to worry about it except after adding about 200 files to a loader it is best to restart ZBrush before adding more so that the cache is cleared. This only happens when the plugins are generating thumbnails.

[skipstah70]

:lol: Many thanks MArcus .. that solved it !

S

[TVeyes]

I have been away for a while but I just had to add... excellent work Mark. Thank you very much for a very useful zplugin :tu:

[InvisibleGenie]

This is a "I can't believe I wasn't using something like this before" type of script. Zbrush would benefit from including something just like this as part of the standard! Great work marcus.. now.. would you be willing to share your great textures and alphas with us :)

[nathan.towart]

i agree with invisible genie..can you share your alphas and textures plz?

[aminuts]

hey guys....a search on either alphas or textures should turn up a ton of links for you here....the poor guy put enuf time putting those together (thanks again Marcus (nuts bowing fantically...mumbling not worthy not worthy) !!) so it's our turn to do the work and find the goodies to fill em up.

I would suggest checking out the challenges forum there was an alpha challenge, also check out the community forum as about a zillion links can be found there to textures etc for starters.

remember you can also create your own in zbrush so get busy and create some...it's lots of fun and gives you the ultimate control over them too!

[InvisibleGenie]

Does anyone want to share their textures/materials/alphas possibly in zip files for Zbrushers to download and experiment with? I am sure we could all benefit from sharing of ones we enjoy using. "Any private ones can of course be withheld!" Great work marcus.:tu:

[marcus_civis]

Thanks for the comments guys. :)

If you search the forum you'll find that many people have shared their texture/alphas/materials. For example, for materials search for jantim's as his are quite simply wonderful.

Some time I may share some of mine but at the moment the collection is rather sparse. The picture at the start of this thread is a comp to demonstrate the plugins and doesn't reflect the true state of my alpha/texture libraries! :o

[grayscaledepth]

:eek: thanks! very useful

[InvisibleGenie]

Marcus, you honestly had me fooled! I saw your example and was immediately wishing I had all those cool neato textures, but sometimes appearances can be deceiving! I understand what you mean by compilation.. Wouldn't it be great to have a very solid collection of both materials and textures in addition to the ones that come by default! I sure think so.
Thank you for the quick reply and as always, the great plugins.

[Miken72]

I´d like to thank you all coders for sharing your fantastic scripts! You really make ZBrush rock.
Needless to say ZBrush 2 is the best and with your scripts it goes far beyond...

For all Zbrushers Happy New Year!

All the best:
Miken72 :D

[ZB_Artist]

Super nice. Thanks!!!

[zufo]

Thanks , save many people ~

[q3aki1]

Hi.
I'm new to zbrush but after i loaded up this plugin and added those alphas i've got smth like this: (it's makin' a thumbnail then it's adding the same number of white squares,how can i get rid of them?)

[marcus_civis]

Hi q3aki1,

That's just part of the thumbnail creation process. It only happens when you add files to the browser and all you need to do is restart ZBrush for the extra alphas to disappear.

[pixelsoul]

:D this plugin rocks much better then the one from gnomon had problmes with dirs with the gnomon one this one works perfect :tu:

[midcgi]

Marcus you are the Genius Man!!! Besides Artist, this plugins saves you so much time and you can see the thumbnails!!! Aren't you working for the zb team??? You should, you should hehe. Really thanks for the plugin, installed and is working nicely. Now I can organize my files in a much better way and organized, with few clicks away only! Cool! Really cool! Again, Thank you.

[Blaine91555]

Marcus - Thank You :tu: I needed this :D

[SMAILES]

Hi all, new to the forum,,great tool!

[jumpingjellybean]

Yeah, had to add to this, thanks again for the plugin. I've been looking for just something like this. Was shocked when I realised this functionality wasn't with ZBrush to start with. It's just so handy it's not even funny.

[marcus_civis]

Thanks for the comments, guys. Much appreciated. :)

[Jekkle]

i must be the only retard who couldnt get this to work i put it in the directory you said, and everything but i dnt get any buttons, the only other plug i have is zmapper, i dnt know wth is going on ive tried put the files everywehre zplugs zscripts all sorts of combinations n no luck :( i feel stupid

[marcus_civis]

Hi Jekkle,

Sorry you're having problems. Make sure that when you unzip the zip files the folder structure is preserved - there should be several subfolders for the browser dat.

If you use Winzip then double-click on the AlpTxtrLoaders.zip to open it. Then choose 'Extract'. Make sure 'Use folder names' is checked and then extract the zip to your ZBrush2\ZStartup\ZPlugs folder.

If that doesn't help can you post a screenshot of your ZPlugs folder showing the texture/alpha subfolders? I should then be able to help.

Cheers,

[Jekkle]

erm im using winrar, so how do i do the things u suggested here ill post a screeny for ya anyways

thanks for the help doesnt make sense why it wouldnt work no one else has seemed to have had any trouble with it :(

[marcus_civis]

Well that look OK. You should get the texture/alpha buttons at least. Makes ure you are looking in the texture and alpha palettes, not the zplugins. :)

There should be subfolders in the loader data folders like the attached pic.

In case the unzipping is the problem: in WinRAR then open the zip and press the 'Extract To' button. You'll get an 'Extraction paths and options' dialog. On the Advanced tab make sure 'Use relative paths' is checked. Then extract to your ZBrush2\ZStartup\ZPlugs folder.

[Jekkle]

ive done everything you've mentioned, the sub folders r as they should be, still no buttons no matter where i look on the interface, just my typical zbrush setup

like this

[marcus_civis]

Are you checking the Alpha and Texture palettes?

[Jekkle]

yer its there, wat a jerk i feel like, thanks man, i guess i wasnt having issues just more personal issues of not reading all the details, then again it was 3am or thats my excuse at least, it may have been later :P thanks again and great idea by far!

[marcus_civis]

Glad you got it sorted. :) I hope you find the plugin useful.

[Jekkle]

great program! hiccups with it because i have over 400 alphas, heheheheh but besides that really awesome love the layout the user friendlyness, everything its something that should have been built into zbrush from the start perhaps?

[marcus_civis]

Glad you like it. :) Yeah, for 400 alphas you'll need to restart ZBrush a few times as after loading about 100 alphas/textures things may choke. I hope to rewrite the plugins sometime using a different thumbnail method which won't have these restrictions.

[Erklaerbar]

hmm i didnt say thanks yet? Shame on me... Thank you Marcus. These scripts are both incredibly useful and well implemented.;)

[BurningL]

I am a New to ZB guy,Found this Plug,THX!

[Chris Collins]

Thanks Marcus. It works like a charm. And thanks to Svengali for the idea for placing the buttons right below the Alpha and Texture icons.

[wckedsunny]

Marcus

If the alphas bitmaps are by chance deleted from the hardisk- will it still load in the alpha textures loaders ? I mean the files get saved in the pixologics folder or stay in the respective folders through which they are loaded..

[marcus_civis]

Thanks for the comments, guys. :)

Wicked,
If the alpha files are deleted from the hard disk you won't be able to load them. The thumbnails will still appear, as those are stored in the loader data folders, but you'll get an error when trying to load a file. Sorry. :(

[seanforsyth]

Hey Marcus, thanks million for this, it's a real life-saver and is one of those absolutely indispensible scripts I can't believe I lived without up until now. Seriously, thanks a million! I do have a question though, every now and then when I click the LoadAlphas button, it won't bring up the browser dialog but will instead just say "Favourite alphas loaded". Any idea why? Guessing it's the equivalent to the Load Favs button within the browser, just wondering how to call it from just the button in the Alpha menu.

[marcus_civis]

seanforsyth,
Thanks for your comments, I'm glad you like the loaders. :)
In answer to your question, the code specifies that the Favorites are loaded when the hotkey is used but (as you've found) occasionally it happens when the button is pushed. There's obviously a bug in there somewhere. I'm hoping to update the loaders at some point and I'll try and sort it out then.

[seanforsyth]

God, this script just gets better and better. Hadn't even realised there WAS a shortcut key that could load them up in one go. Excellent! Thanks again for this!

[lildragon]

Just now getting into Zbrush for everyday use after having it for a couple years, and just now found this plug :tu: . Forever greatful :)

Cheers

[Slosh]

This is by far one of the most useful plugins (altho I use several and they are all great). I created 2 folders in my ZBrush2 directory: ZAlphas and ZTextures. Each folder has several subfolders by category and usually when I try to import a texture or alpha through their respective menus, I have to navigate my way to my new Z folders...this plugin makes it so much easier. Thank-you X 1000. I am posting this to hopefully get some new users to see that it's out there...often times plugins get lost because no one knows they exist.

[Phönix]

Does it work with ZBrush 3.0 or, if not, will there come a new version of this plugin?

[rimasson]

In Z3, you can put Alphas, mats and textures in the ZStartup/Alphas, Mats or textures directories. No need for this plug.

[sadicus]

rimassonIn Z3, you can put Alphas, mats and textures in the ZStartup/Alphas, Mats or textures directories. No need for this plug.


There is no way to catagorize the Alphas without the plugin.
Every alpha you put in will show up.:eek:
that's ok if you only have a few 100 or so.

I found the pluin to work in ZB3 but when you hit Cancel, it takes you back to the Startup screen. No worries, if you were editing a mesh, just choose Other and your mesh will still be in edit mode.

[ambient-whisper]

still, would be nice to get this plugin recoded, or if a new version was made to get around the loading screen issue. it was a wicked plugin that i personally would love to use again.

[marcus_civis]

These plugins shouldn't be difficult to rewrite for ZBrush 3. I'll do it as soon as I can. :)

[ambient-whisper]

only question i have is..
is it possible to make the plugin work a little different.

i am thinking about the way that the material palette works, and the categories to just be a slider of sorts. ( like the switching tool slider works ).

what i feel would be awesome is if i could drop in a few directories somewhere on my hard drive, and set the plugin to read that directory structure. it would automatically scan the textures within the directories and add which ones zbrush supports. the directories would be loaded up at startup, and perhaps an index file saved after running it for the first time.

that way we could use the slider to change the categories very quickly ( like ground/metal/ etc. and get the textures showing up within the directories very quickly within a material/tool palette preview window. im not sure if this is possible, but it would be a very minimal interface but would provide us with very fast access and switching to what we would need.

it also wouldnt require a pop up menu that way.


even if we had to change directories using an openfile dialogue every time, it wouldnt be too bad, because we could very quickly manage large numbers of textures quickly. currently the way the plugin worked, was ok at adding a number of key textures you use, but something i felt somewhat lacking was the ability to add/remove large amounts of textures at any given time. this way, if we could change/rebuilt the library to our needs based on whats on our hard drive on the fly like that, and we could also make sure that our libraries could change on a per project basis, if the need came up.

[Phönix]

In Z3, you can put Alphas, mats and textures in the ZStartup/Alphas, Mats or textures directories. No need for this plug.Yeah, I know that, but it's not the same! ;)

[aminuts]

yeah....if ya have alot of alphas you end up sucking disk space zb might need eh? i only have about 220g left after all and we can't be taking any of that away.

i had all texturing stuff on another drive to keep main one clean.

i definitely miss my categories! :D

[Opeth]

I'd also like to point out that having this recoded for Z3 would be wonderful :)
Maybe with a shortcut to open each library browser? :D

[Doqpelgänger]

Agree, im used to this plugin. The zoom view is very useful. My vote for a v3 version.

[Opeth]

If you make a Z3 version I can pay you for it with my respect :rolleyes::lol:

[spaceboy412]

Marcus, I'm attempting to make this work in z3 so i can have an image reference browser, would be nice if i could have more zooming control in the exploded window too.

[marcus_civis]

Marcus, I'm attempting to make this work in z3 so i can have an image reference browser, would be nice if i could have more zooming control in the exploded window too.

spaceboy,
The scaling issue with the enlarged view is an issue that I hope will be fixed in the ZBrush 3 point update. Until it's fixed there's no way I can control the image scale.

[spaceboy412]

Marcus,
I've played with this in z2 to understand the way it works, and like i said i'm primarily using this as an image browser for reference.Whenever you get a chance to update this after the 3.1 update could you add the following: the ability to zoom into the image at different levels, 75%, 150% and up etc. and the ability to drag/scroll around the image that way i can focus on a detail if necessary. Thanks again.

[marcus_civis]

Marcus,
I've played with this in z2 to understand the way it works, and like i said i'm primarily using this as an image browser for reference.Whenever you get a chance to update this after the 3.1 update could you add the following: the ability to zoom into the image at different levels, 75%, 150% and up etc. and the ability to drag/scroll around the image that way i can focus on a detail if necessary. Thanks again.

spaceboy,
Unfortunately I think that the features you ask for simply won't be possible using zscripting.

[spaceboy412]

okay marcus, i had just thought that you'd be able to implement the same zoom and scroll buttons that already are in zbrush, i guess i thought that the exploded window was just a document so i figured you'd be able to use the same controls.

[marcus_civis]

okay marcus, i had just thought that you'd be able to implement the same zoom and scroll buttons that already are in zbrush, i guess i thought that the exploded window was just a document so i figured you'd be able to use the same controls.

Sadly, no. The browser window is basically built from zscript Notes so I'm limited to how images display in notes & note buttons. But I'll bear your suggestions in mind in case I can improve on the display options some how.

[starkilla]

Please trust that i will put this to good use.
:tu:

[MASTERSHOKHAN]

Thank You

[RAMWolff]

This looks to be a very powerful tool. I'm subscribing to this thread in case there are any updates for it for ZB3!! :)

Thanks so much!! :)

[Tiger_Michel]

Hello and thanks to Markus for this neat Plugin (I got really dependent on it already) :tu:
It worked great in ZB3 but now in the updated 3.1 it stopped working.

Is it possible to get an updated version?
(I really have a lot of Alphas) :o

Please! :)

[Roland Kaiser]

So both plugins are working pretty well to my zBrush3.1 version.

Cheers

Roland

[Jettatore]

I'm using the new ZBrush 3.1 and I get this error when I try to add alphas to the Loader...

ZScript Note: Interface item could not be found.
Alpha:Brush00
in...
{IPress,Alpha:Brush00}

[marcus_civis]

I'm using the new ZBrush 3.1 and I get this error when I try to add alphas to the Loader...

ZScript Note: Interface item could not be found.
Alpha:Brush00
in...
{IPress,Alpha:Brush00}

Yes, there are things that need fixing. I'd like to give them an over haul but it will take some time. I may release a 3.1 fix first, I'll take a look.

[RAMWolff]

Thanks Marcus!! :D

[marcus_civis]

Here is an update for ZBrush 3.1.

There are no enhancements, simply a few issues have been fixed including:

Faster operation
Large image will display whole if original is square, otherwise it will display a portion at actual resolution
Assign any hotkey to load 'favorites'
Startup screen no longer called on exit


Installation:
UNZIP the zip file to your ZStartup\ZPlugs folder. Important: make sure that your zip program is set to preserve the folder structure. Full instructions in the zip.



Note: when adding alphas/textures to the loader, creating of thumbnails is memory intensive. Loading many images at one time may result in ZBrush popup info failing to display. Restarting ZBrush will correct this.

If you haven't used the loaders before download the PDF instructions here (http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/attachment.php?attachmentid=21536).


I hope you find the loaders useful

[Svengali]

Hi Marcus,

Thanks for the 3.1 update on these two very essential plugins... Gonna give them a spin right now. :D

Sven

[edit - figured out the extra folder, no problem.)

[marcus_civis]

Thanks Sven,
I screwed up the zip for the first few downloads - everything's inside an extra folder. I expect you'll know how to sort it out!

[WailingMonkey]

Very kind of you to update this, marcus_civis. A handy
plugin to have, no doubt! Thank you! :)

WailingMonkey

[aminuts]

Sweet!Let me and my thanks to the list! Am real glad this one's been updated..woohoo! :D

[Trurl]

Thanks for the 3.1 update, Marcus.

[Atwooki]

Excellent work Mark.... thanks for putting in the time to do this one :tu: :tu: :tu:

Chris

[hyper1]

Markus,

First, thanks for the update! Second, I noticed on your "Plugin" Page there is no clear indicator for Plugins that work for 3 or 3.1, or that will continue to work with both.
Just a thought;) .

[Seavannah]

Thanx marcus. This plug rules.

[Altermind]

wonderfull script... however... I was wondering if it's possable to get the 3.0 download of it again... I can't bring myself to "upgrade" to 3.1 yet... to many bugs for me.... let me know.. thanks :)

[marcus_civis]

wonderfull script... however... I was wondering if it's possable to get the 3.0 download of it again... I can't bring myself to "upgrade" to 3.1 yet... to many bugs for me.... let me know.. thanks :)

There was no version for ZBrush 3.0 but the version for ZBrush 2.0 is still at the start of the thread:
http://209.132.96.165/zbc/attachment.php?attachmentid=21535

[campi]

I'm having some difficulties with the latest version of the Alpha/Texture Loaders.

THe Script loads up just fine, but if I add a Alpha it just tells me

ZScriptNode: Interface Item could not be found
Alpha: Brush00 in ...
[iPress, Alpha: Brush00]

After that half my buttons in Zbrush dissappear and I can only restart Zbrush 3.1.

Suggestions ?

Thanx,
Jens.

[marcus_civis]

campi,

I think you probably need to download the version for 3.1:

http://209.132.96.165/zbc/attachment.php?attachmentid=66082

HTH,

[Erklaerbar]

great update :tu:

thank you very much

[jadedsoul]

very cool tool..but it keeps saying that it it cant read my textures, says somthing like unreconisable "spelling" format or somthing....even though there good normal psd and jpg textures...i think its a bug or its coz all my textires are on a external drive...???? im not sure..all my psd alphas are ok though..cheers:tu:

[marcus_civis]

very cool tool..but it keeps saying that it it cant read my textures, says somthing like unreconisable "spelling" format or somthing....even though there good normal psd and jpg textures...i think its a bug or its coz all my textires are on a external drive...???? im not sure..all my psd alphas are ok though..cheers:tu:

jadedsoul,

If you can load the textures into ZBrush normally then I guess that this is a problem with the external drive, though it is strange if the alphas give no trouble. I'm not familiar with the error message - that will be generated by ZBrush. If you can post a screen shot then I might be able to offer a solution.

[-WOODY-]

Just wanted to thank you marcus_civis for updating and providing us with this handy dandy plug-in.

It sure is a whole lot better than using the default loading method which can be cumbersome a lot of times.

[TuSo]

This Rocks


Thank You

TuSo

[Gareee]

Ok, on the first page, Svengali moved the buttons. How is that done?

I turned on the preferences option for a custom ui, and held the cntrl button down, but when I select the buttons I can't drag them, and instead get an option to rename them.

(3.1, btw)

[Svengali]

In ZB 3.1, under Preferences menu, find Custom UI submenu and press Enable Customize button...

Also, remember once you set buttons as you wish, press Ctrl+Shift+I to save your custom UI. :)

Sven

[Gareee]

Cool! Yer still around. I did enable the custom ui, but cntrl didn't allow me to drag the buttons.. just rename them.

I'm hitting cntrl after selecting the dropdown menu... that the proper method?

EDIT: I got it.. you have to open the dropdowns, and then select load alpha (or textures) to see the dragable biuttons. I was trying to drag the menu option rather then the button...;)

[livednaevil]

I'm using version 3.0, and the directions for installing are a little more vague then i can understand. I've attempted to do as instructed, but it just confuses me. Anyone have a fool proof set of instructions for me?? Also what are other must have plugins for 3.0?

[marcus_civis]

livednaevil,

The zip file contains both files and folders. When you unzip it you need to make sure that the folders remain intact. Some unzipping programs won't do that automatically and then you would have to recreate the folders. You can unzip to anywhere on your hard drive and then copy the files over into your ZBrush3/ZStartup/ZPlugs folder. When done, it should look like this (though for simplicity I just show the Alpha Loader; the Texture Loader is exactly the same):

LoaderFolders.jpg

The Tab0, Tab1 etc. folders in the Thumbs folder are effectively empty. These folders are used by the plugin to store the thumbnails it creates.

Once you have the plugin installed, restart ZBrush and you will find two new buttons: a "LoadAlphas" button in a new subpalette "Alpha Library" in the Alpha palette, and a "Load Txtrs" button in a new subpalette "Texture Library" in the Texture palette.

HTH,

[tdrs]

Hi ,marcus_civis

I tried the plugin, But I found that the plugin's hotkey(shift+a and shift+x) did not work. :confused:

why?:rolleyes:

[marcus_civis]

Hi tdrs,

Just use the ZBrush method to assign those hotkeys (or the ones you'd like to use) : Ctrl+click a button, then press the hotkey combination. Store the hotkeys before closing ZBrush by pressing the Preferences: Hotkeys: Store button.

[tdrs]

Thank you,marcus_civis.
I know how to set up Shortcuts. ;)

After repeated attempts, I found that when I move the mouse over the button, then I press the hotkey, and then plugin panel will pop up;or they will not pop up. :eek:
Snap1.jpg
Why?:rolleyes:

[marcus_civis]

tdrs,

I suggested using the ZBrush method because sometimes the coded hotkeys fail. However, if you are testing the hotkey while the cursor is over the button that will probably fail too. In order to get the dual functionality (so that clicking the button launches the browser while the hotkey will load the Favorite textures) the plugin checks where the cursor is, assuming if it is over the button that you're not using the hotkey. :)

[tdrs]

HI,marcus_civis

I see.
I use the zbrush method to set hotkey. But I understand my question, I hope I can use hotkeys to pop-up plugin panels, now it seems impossible.:rolleyes:

[marcus_civis]

tdrs,

I'm working on an update to this (and other plugins). I shall try to put in an option for what the hotkey does so you can choose.

[SNARK]

Hi, Marcus.

When I open either the Alpha Loader or the Texture Loader and press 'add', ZBrush closes. Immediately. Thoughts?

Thanks!

~S.~

[marcus_civis]

SNARK,

I've not come across that issue. Are you using the version for 3.1?

If not, download it here:
http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/attachment.php?attachmentid=66082

[SNARK]

Thanks, Marcus.

That must have been it. I deleted the version I was using and installed from your link and now all is well.

~S.~

[marcus_civis]

Great! :)

[SNARK]

Marcus,

What is the difference between an Alpha and a Texture? Is an Alpha essentially a grey-scale image used to 'sculpt 3D geometry' into the model surface and a Texture essentially a color image used to 'paint 2D detail' onto the model surface?

Can any photograph be a Texture if it is cropped sqare? What is a good size for Alphas and Textures that are going to be used in this way? 2048 x 2048? Larger? Smaller?

Thanks!

~S.~

[marcus_civis]

SNARK,

Yes, that's basically it. A texture can be an image you use as reference, an image you paint with, or an image that is applied to your model to give it color (for which the model must be UV mapped so that the image is applied correctly). The last option is mostly used by people who want to use their models outside ZBrush, for example in an animation program or for game creation.

[enslaver]

Thankyou for putting the time into this, greatly appreciated

[skullbeast]

Wow! What a great Plugin. thanks!

[ivo d]

I got a problem.

Just cant get the plugin to work.

Got zbrush 3.1

Have the zbrush 3.1 version of the script.

put it in the startup zplugs.

unpacked with winrar, folders are in tact etc.

I load up zbrush, and there is just nothing.

Tryed it 5 times now, re installed and so on


if i go to zscript and try to load it manually also just nothing happens, no msg nothing.


Does someone have any idear what could be the problem??

[marcus_civis]

ivo d,

Thanks for the pic, it's a great help. :)

What you're showing is the Alpha pop up palette. You need to look in the main Alpha or Texture palettes. To show these click on Alpha or Texture in the line of palette names at the top of the UI. Your installation appears to be correct so you should see an Alpha Library & Texture Library submenu. Click those to reveal the buttons.

[ivo d]

Thanks a lot, worked as a charm, was looking to hard, in the wrong places ;)

[piotrek255]

Hi, No matter what shortcut i assign to the texture and alpha loader, it wont work, i can tap it all the time, and the window with alphas or textures wont show up, i have to go to " alpha -> alpha loader " to make it show up, how to fix this?

PS: i'm using zbrush3.1 and downloaded the newest version of the plugin

[marcus_civis]

Hi, No matter what shortcut i assign to the texture and alpha loader, it wont work, i can tap it all the time, and the window with alphas or textures wont show up, i have to go to " alpha -> alpha loader " to make it show up, how to fix this?

PS: i'm using zbrush3.1 and downloaded the newest version of the plugin

The plugin is designed with special usage for a hotkey, so it won't work in the ordinary way. If you select alphas/textures for the 'Favorites' tab then pressing the hotkey will load those alphas/textures. If you don't have any favorites selected then nothing happens.

[terjq]

Thanks a lot! this plugin helps me improved my texturing speed!:D

[PJC_Slimo]

hey there, i had a bunch of brushes custom made in photoshop that I converted to files to use as alphas for zbrush, it helped a lot when combined with the alpha loader plugin. I love this plugin, thank you!!

this is a download link from mega upload cuz it's around 130 megs and i don't think i can upload that here.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=9F7LAKTW

let me know if anything is wrong with the file or link, thanks

[mucky_wet_noodle]

Hello and thank you for the plugin.

I used this with zbrush 2 but I am running into this problem with both alpha and texture loading in 3.1. When I add alphas, it gets as far as the thumbnail creation then pops up this error, and only one missing thumbnail image is shown in the tool. All the alphas are left loaded in the standard zbrush alpha pallette.

I am using zbrush 3.1 and the latest script. I tried downloading and reinstalling, and checked the images and everything appears normal.

Thank you for any suggestions.

alphaLoaderError.gif

[marcus_civis]

mucky_wet_noodle,

I think you've got the wrong version by mistake. Download for 3.1 using this link:
http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/attachment.php?attachmentid=66082

[mucky_wet_noodle]

Ah thank you, I clicked on the wrong one.

[scorpes]

Great plugin!!... But for some reason it doens't work on my (home) computer.
The plugin loads fine and the buttons are there... if click to open the texture library then it opens fine and the buttons are there... but nothing is working everything is freezed. I can only exit the library by hitting the escape key.
I am using Zbrush 3.1 and the AlpTxrLoaders-3-1.
It does work at my work computer.. so there must be something wrong with my computer or something?

Edit: Lol i switched back to zbrush (after posting this message) and now the buttons are working :-) weird but it works now.

[marcus_civis]

scorpes,
I'm glad it's working. :) Perhaps you need to defrag your hard drive or something.

Cheers,

[thordwolf]

Well I followed the instruction on doing the face and I get as far as pressing the projection master a second time and then all that happens is that the texture comes out messed up. It looks streched. I have the orignal texture at 1024x1024 and the screen is like the video tells me to setup but I just cant get that face to come up as a texture. Btw I am using ver3.1. Does anyone know what Im doing wrong?

Sincerely
TDW

[marcus_civis]

What UVs are you using? It looks to me as though that's the problem.

[thordwolf]

Uv's? what uv's?
Yeah I didnt realise till about 3 hours later, Ive now taught myself blender and Im making the uvs to go with the face now :D
Thanks for the help though.

[scottleroc]

Brilliant Marcus VERY useful plugin - thanks for the 3.1 update :D

I think the ZB download section needs updating. When I downloaded your plug from there it wouldn't work with version 3.1

Anyway once again thanks for this, I am always lossing textures :D

[mrjAnim]

Thx Marcus. . .your work is very much appreciated :D

[Dubb]

i am using zb 3.1 with the correct version of the download (it should be on the first page of this thread imo) but for some reason when I ctrl click the Load Alpha button to try and drag it over to my left hand pallette it will not work. How can i avoid having to go Alpha>LoadAlphas? Id really like to have the button there on the side rather than just assigning it to ahotkey. Is that possible??

[M i c h e l]

i am using zb 3.1 with the correct version of the download (it should be on the first page of this thread imo) but for some reason when I ctrl click the Load Alpha button to try and drag it over to my left hand pallette it will not work. How can i avoid having to go Alpha>LoadAlphas? Id really like to have the button there on the side rather than just assigning it to ahotkey. Is that possible??

very easy !
First and Important go to Preferences > Custom UI > Enable Customize
Then Select Load Alphas with the Control Key and put it wherever you want.
Do not forget to Store Config and Voilà !!
It works for me so it should for you !

[Dubb]

thx! for some reason even after enabling Customize UI it wouldnt work. I rebooted my computer and that seemed to fix it.

[Helixdnb]

Anyone know what i'm doing wrong? Whenever it tries to generate a thumbnail/whenever I try loading any in via the alpha loader, I get:

File Write Error
Incomplete File Write


Any ideas on what steps I'm doing wrong? All of my Alphas are in folders in the Zstartup/Alphas folder. The plugins themselves are in: ZStartup/ZPlugs with the AlphaTextureLoaders folder (containing the AlphaLoaderData and TextureLoaderData folders inside of that) in the Zstartup/Zplugs folder as well.

Thanks in advance for the help.

Also - I'm using 3.12 for mac osx 10.5.5

-Helix

[M i c h e l]

Anyone know what i'm doing wrong? Whenever it tries to generate a thumbnail/whenever I try loading any in via the alpha loader, I get:

File Write Error
Incomplete File Write


Any ideas on what steps I'm doing wrong? All of my Alphas are in folders in the Zstartup/Alphas folder. The plugins themselves are in: ZStartup/ZPlugs with the AlphaTextureLoaders folder (containing the AlphaLoaderData and TextureLoaderData folders inside of that) in the Zstartup/Zplugs folder as well.

Thanks in advance for the help.

Also - I'm using 3.12 for mac osx 10.5.5

-Helix

This is how your files should be :
The TextureLoaderData folder must be outside of the AlphaLoaderData folder

http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/9586/finder001jx7.jpg

[Helixdnb]

Awesome! Works perfect now, thanks sir!

[MoonChild]

Hi, I downloaded this plug-in, and I get the button with the menu, but I don't understand how to get the thumbs and directories as it shows in the help pdf file, all my buttons and thumb window panes are blank. What I mean is the various tabs that show Metals-rust, Paint-scratches, etc. I'm a bit confused on what to do at this point. Is there a separate file to download that includes these images to go to? Any help is appreciated!!

[marcus_civis]

MoonChild,

The Loaders are for your own textures and alphas - there's no collection that comes with them (those shown in the post are for illustration purposes only).

To add textures/alphas press the 'Add' button and select the images from your hard drive.

Note: This thread has been released with a more current one. See here (http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/showthread.php?t=65414).