Machine (with questions)

[frogdot]

http://phazedance.critical-depth.net/z/zmachine.jpg
1. What is the difference in merging layers and flattening layers?

2. When and why does one "bake" something?

The first time I had this image near completion, I merged the layers and lost all but one of them. The second time around, I seemed to lose the shadows at some point. I added them in post, as well as the lettering.
Thank you kindly.

[Stacey]

Wow, that's cool!!

I'm not experienced enough to help you, but I just wanted to point that out ;)

[rhom]

good looking image Frogdot-nice to see you again.

[aurick]

To answer your questions:

Merging layers causes your current layer to combine with the one immediately to its left in the Layers window. Depth remains the same.

Flattening a layer (I believe) removes all depth in that layer. Which would cause your shadows to disappear, alright.

Baking a layer causes everything in that layer to transform into the "flat color" material. In other words, any coloring effects that are caused by your material transform into pure color. There are a couple of very useful places for this that I know of -- and probably more that I don't. For example, if you are doing something like adding fiber, it's good to bake your layer first. Otherwise the material that you're using for the fiber blends with the material that you're painting the fiber onto, and you get some funky coloring effects. Another useful time to bake a layer stems from the fact that all materials remain "live" in your image. That means that if you change a material's properties in an image, all places in the image where that material is used will alter to reflect those changes. But if you bake your layer first, then that layer no longer uses those materials and you can now safely alter them without affecting your image. Word to the wise: only bake a layer when you are 100% happy with the materials used in it!

Hope that helps!

[Digits]

Hi Frogdot
Good to zee you!

I'll give it a shot with your questions

1. What is the difference in merging layers and flattening layers?

Merging a layer into another layer is exactly that, makeing one layer out of two. The problem you were having merging layers is if objects or Pixols occupying the same ZDepth will come out messed up. If you have two layers of varying Zdepth in which nothing touches in Zdepth then it should merge correctly.
The Flatten Layer button is just for rendering purposes. With Flatten Layers on the render treats all Layers as one layer for Lighting, shadow, Fog and transparency purposes. Really, the only time to Unflatten Layers for Best Render is if you are using true transparent materials. In this case lighting, shadow is only rendered in the active layer. You can fool the renderer to keep fog and transparency in other layers by first rendering with Flatten Layers and then click Flatten Layers off, so that each layer is redrawn by the render leaving the Fog etc..

2. When and why does one "bake" something?

Baking a layer changes the layer to a Flat Material with all shadow, lighting etc... Light and Shadow will no longer effect that layer if the Bake is 100%

You can use this to render shadow and lighting in one layer in preperation to use transparency in another layer with "Flatten Layers" Off. Also there are uses for a baked layer when you want to apply the fiber brush tool to an object using a baked layer and the "Layers" feature of the fiber brush. I believe there was a good tutorial of that done at Zacademy which I think is in that Compilation that Upham and Kaz did. That is available at Z-Place in PDF format. (someone correct me if I am wrong about that)

So you can see your problems with merging and losing your shadows was probably the result of having "Flatten Layers" turned off

Hope this helps

[Zoid]

Hi Frogdot,

I was just making this example image for you and thinking to myself, I bet Digits will have answered this already, and sure enough he did. His answer is much more thorough than mine, but I thought that this visual might still be helpful.

The plane and transparent sphere are on one layer(remember to add transparency in the mat. modifier), and the solid sphere is nested in between the other two in z-space and was created on it's own layer.

Digits, Here's a question that came up for me as I was doing this. Notice the shadows. Would it be possible to get both shadows to render and have the transparency effect? http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads0/user_image-995387694lob.jpg

[Digits]

Hi Zoid

Good example.

As far as your shadows with transparency question. With Flatten Layers OFF you can get transparency to show in your material but you will lose shadows etc. in all layers except the active layer that you are in. In addition the transparent object will rightly not cast a shadow, or very little because it is transparent the light going thru it.

However, Pixolator has an excellent tutorial on how to use the Clone brush to achieve transparency and shadows

Transparency and Shadows Tutorial (http://www.pixolator.com/zbc-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=1&t=000142)

Hope this helps!

[Zoid]

Thanks for the reminder Digits,

This is a technique that is good to learn.

[william]

Nice, very nice, the screws look so real that each time I view this image.

I find myself wanting to reach over with a screw drive and give them a turn. :)

[frogdot]

Thanks everyone for the nice comments.

To Aurick, Digits and Zoid. Appreciate the answers. They definitly fill some gaps. Zoid, the visual is perfect and usually preferable when the explanations get technical.