I hope this is the right place to post this. If not maybe somebody can move it to the correct category. This is a quick tutorial on how to change some start options in Zbrush. Enjoy!
I have posted this tutorial on my blog along with pretty pictures, too.
http://cgiandmore.blogspot.com/2009/10/zbrush-changing-default-start-options.html
<b>ZBrush – Changing default start options</b>
With version 3.5 came some new features that changed the way ZBrush launches and how it sets up your default document. You are now presented with an integrated file browser called the Lightbox that features object previews. In addition ZBrush now starts with a default document that has a polysphere in the center of the canvas.
Often times when I see new software updates I am just flabbergast with the new amounts of features. Other times when I spot new features my first reaction is: “Cool, now where do I turn <b>that</b> off?” (which reminds me of the Viewcube introduced back in Maya 8).
I really don’t need the Lightbox to pop up during startup and I rarely ever need a polysphere right from the get-go. In addition that polysphere also overwrites the default document which you could tweak in previous ZBrush versions.
So let’s see how we can go about to disable these features.
<b>1.</b><b>Disabling the Light Box</b>
Here is a simple one. Uncheck “Preferences->Lightbox->Open at Launch”.
<b>2.</b><b>Get rid of the Sphere during start up</b>
You need to open up DefaultZscript.txt which can be found in your Zbrush install folder under …INSTALLPATH\zscripts. You can use Notepad or any word processing software to open up the file. In the script file look for the following line:
[i][If,1,[FileNameSetNext,"ZPLUGS_SplashData/SphereStartup.txt"][IPress,ZScript:Load]][pd][/i]
Go to the beginning of the line and add two forward slashes to comment it out like so:
[i]//[If,1,[FileNameSetNext,"ZPLUGS_SplashData/SphereStartup.txt"][IPress,ZScript:Load]][pd][/i]
When you launch ZBrush now, it will no longer create a Polysphere by default.
<b>3.</b><b>Restoring the Classic Boot Screen</b>
This is optional, but if you liked the old boot screen from version 3.1 here is how you can get it back. Once again you need to edit the default Zscript in …INSTALLPATH\zscripts\defaultZscript.txt.
Look for the following line:
//[If,1,[FileNameSetNext,"ZPLUGS_SplashData/Startup.txt"][IPress,ZScript:Load]][pd]
Now uncomment the line by deleting the two backslashes at the beginning of the line like so:
[If,1,[FileNameSetNext,"ZPLUGS_SplashData/Startup.txt"][IPress,ZScript:Load]][pd]
Restart ZBrush and you should get the classic Boot screen again.
<b>4.</b><b>Changing size of the default document</b>
Depending on your monitor size and resolution the default document might be too small when you launch ZBrush. In order to change this you need to have the polysphere document disabled as described above.
Launch ZBrush and go to Document in the menu bar. Change the resolution to something close to your desktop resolution (I use 1000x750). The numbers represent pixels and you can untick the “Pro” button to disable “Constrain Proportions” (and I thought it stood for professional, duh!).
Now you need to save the document (Document->Save as) under …INSTALLPATH\ZDocs and name the file StartupDocument.ZBR.
<b>5.</b><b>Disabling the background gradient</b>
Personally I am not a big fan of the gradient background color that Zbrush defaults to. I rather use a flat dark grey (around 80% black). Here is how you do it:
-To get rid of the background gradient go to Color in the menu bar, select main color and pick any color you like.
-Now go to Document and click on “back” to fill the background with the color that you picked.
-Next take the “Range” slider right underneath and dial it to zero to disable the background gradient.
-Now all you need to do is save this under “Preferences->Config->Store Config” and the gradient is gone forever.