Hi SalmonGod.
I’m glad that I found this post though I’m late, but since I have, I’d like to say that Ive attempted, or I’m attempting, my own sort of animation ZScript myself. I have tried 3D layers and going through the intensity slider while snapshotting images. I have also tried doing the same for morph targets, though 3d layers are a better choice I think because you can have several of them and keep them saved i.e. each 3d layer for animation between 2 keyframes.
I’ve even made a 3d camera system where you can set two cameras and pan through them while animating at the same time (though its actually the entire tool rotating since there’s no 3d space) and have added sliders where you can specify certain settings. In fact Im working on this currently, trying different things out. I also extended the functionality to support animating between keyframes for all the subtools at the same time where each layer index is the index of the keyframes for each subtool (though this makes it slower and so is like rendering animation only which is where it lacks). And it all seemed to be working so well. Until alas I found a fundamental problem.
Take a character and set key frames i.e. layers or morph target and then rotate a limb for instance but at a large angle (so you can see a proper full effect) then animate it and see results. You will see that the animation is very unrealistic and the limb will move in a linear motion towards its keyframe destination rather than in a proper rotational motion and will even change in size and become deformed etc as it is animated. Unfortunately it doesn’t work for character animation using character skeleton/bones rotating etc as it gives unusual unrealistic results though it does work well for animating facial movements and morphing effects etc, very well in fact.
I’m currently looking for a solution to this, as it seems possible, but so far it seems very unlikely with Zscript limitations. I think that Animation for Zbrush should be the next step, shouldn’t be that hard. I mean I did, using the prototype animation zscript I attempted, create very nice and fluid animations with a camera even rotating, with great resolutions and great speed at producing the animation (ie no rigging / displacement rendering etc :P), but unfortunately there were some limitations which prevented completing realistic animation, not to mention a hundred other things it would lack even were it successful here.
The point is, Zbrush has already gone so far, becoming my favorite 3d app/program, and still has even further to go and more surprises too I believe, and animation seems like quite a reasonable next step to me which I would be grateful for and which shouldn’t be THAT hard or unfeasible I think.