ZBrushCentral

Layers

If I have 2 layers, how can I keep layer 1 visible yet work in layer 2? and so on for a higher range of layers…
After hitting new layer, layer 1 blacks out and I can no longer see it yet it’s still there, just hidden.

All active layers should be visible at all times, unless they have been moved in depth so that their contents fall behind the “clipping layer” – that deepest point that ZBrush can display.

Check out your Layer palette. If a layer icon has a grey background, then the layer has been turned off and will be visible only when it’s selected. If it has a teal background, then it should be visible at all times, regardless of what layer you are on.

I’ve created a sample image for you. It has three layers – one with red spheres, one with blue spheres, and one with a single green sphere.

The third layer with the green sphere shows an orange box around it in the layer palette. This is the current layer. It has a grey background, so is turned off, but it is still visible because it’s the current layer.

The first layer with the red spheres has a teal background, meaning that it’s turned on. As a result, the spheres are visible on the canvas.

The middle layer with the blue spheres has a grey background, meaning that it’s turned off. Since it is not the current layer, its spheres are invisible.

If you are having a situation where the layer’s contents disappear even when the layer is still turned on, then it is most likely a case of the layer having been given a high Z value in the Layer>Modifiers. Try moving the layer forward by entering a Z value of around -1000.

If that STILL doesn’t solve the problem, could you record a script and upload it here? That would let us see what’s happening to you.

Hope it helps!

Ok, Ive tried it with more than 2 layers and discovered only 2 layers are visable at a time. I’m fairly new to Zbrush so I’m not that good with this yet, if I’m missing something or doing something wrong, I don’t know. When mouseovered, all layers say Depth=32. Those images that turned flat on the layer window, are actually spheres. I have no clue why they look flattened.

Ok I’m sorry, I didnt realize you had to multiple click within the little layer window to change whether its visable/non visable.

I got it now. =]
Thanks for the help.

Good deal.

Yeah, in the example that you showed, the blue sphere (I refuse to say “blue ball” ;)) layer was turned off.

As for the flattening that you see in the layer thumbnail, it’s because that’s just a reference. It doesn’t show a rendered version of the canvas, probably because it would just be too processor intensive. So it pretty much just shows unshaded color – not even materials.