ZBrushCentral

ZAppLink - Information, Installation and FAQ

[attach=208304]ZAppLink[/attach]

Note: all plugins are now included with the ZBrush 4R7 installer. If you did not install a plugin then run the installer again.

For the latest information see the online docs here : http://docs.pixologic.com/user-guide/zbrush-plugins/

ZAppLink is a free plug-in that extends and enhances ZBrush***8217;s texturing and illustration capabilities by automating the connection with programs such as Photoshop, Painter, or Illustrator.

ZAppLink works with click-button ease and continues Pixologic***8217;s commitment to providing innovative tools to support next generation artists forging the work of tomorrow.

Modeler and texture artist, Caroline Delen, says, ***8220;The ZAppLink is an excellent addition making it possible to project photographic reference or any painting directly onto your ZBrush viewport through Photoshop and has definitely become an important part of my workflow.***8221;

Leigh van der Byl, Texture Artist at Cafe FX, says “ZAppLink is a fantastic feature that has helped to make my Photoshop/Zbrush texturing workflow more efficient and intuitive. It’s a must-have tool. Pixologic is taking what is often an unintuitive, bothersome process and making it more accessible to artists who just want to get straight to the creative parts of texturing.”

For a view of ZApp Link’s abilities visit Caroline Delen’s Artist in Action post here.


:large_orange_diamond: This plugin is available with ZBrush 4R6.


:large_orange_diamond: Installation

The plugin is automatically installed with the standard installation of ZBrush.


:large_orange_diamond: Frequently Ask Questions

Q: I don’t see ZAppLink in the Document palette.
A: If you did a custom install of ZBrush then run the installer again and make sure you install the ZAppLink plugin.

© 2010 Pixologic, Inc. All rights reserved, Pixologic and the Pixologic logo, ZBrush, and the ZBrush logo are registered trademarks of Pixologic. Various patents pending. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

But doesnt work on macosx with Photshop. If press any key or “enter” or “esc”, close dialog box in Zbrush.

Sorry for the double post.

I just loaded 4R4 - Zapplink 4.0 does not work, needs an update

hi,when i import the texture from photoshop to Zbrush via ZAppLink,it shows a dialogue box that says New Layer,Delete Layer,Layer with blend alpha,i click any one option then it shows “pick” dialogue box,when i click the pick button the texture is not on the object.(face).
When i do simple brush stocks with in the face(not outside of the face) in photoshop it gives best results in Zbrush.
what is the problem?can any 1 guys help me.
am texturing a face just shown in youtube videos.
thx

Any news on an update? Having trouble using ZAppLink with 4R5 and CS4 on Windows 7. Thanks!

ZAppLink sends projection to PhotoShop (CC x64), I tweak it, save and re-enter ZBrush. I see my changes in “preview” mode, but after some flickering (presumably process of applying my changes to existing polypainted stuff) changes disappear and tool looks exactly like it was before.

I only found very old thread with similar issues and those were caused by misplaced files.
To verify, I have ZAppLink_4R6.zsc and ZAppLinkData_4.0 inside \Pixologic\ZBrush 4R6\ZStartup\ZPlugs folder.

What material have you selected? ZAppLink will not work with the Flat Color material applied to the model. Also, sometimes surface noise (applied through the Tool>Surface sub-palette) will hide the polypaint.

If that doesn’t help then perhaps you can upload your ZBrush project to Dropbox or www.wetransfer.com so that I can take a look and try to find what is wrong.

Edit: also this thread may help:
http://www.zbrushcentral.com/showthread.php?183936-Zapplink-not-picking-anything-up-HELP

Thanks,

Thanks a lot, Marcus. It was FlatColor material.

Great, thanks for letting me know.

Love ZappLinking in and out of Photoshop. However, there’s too much button clicking in between:


  1. Hit “Zapplink” in Document menu
  2. “Drop now” in the resulting dialogue window
  3. “Update” button in Photoshop

Do some painting…


  1. “Save” in Photoshop
  2. Tab back to Zbrush
  3. “Re-enter” Zbrush dialogue
  4. “Pick up” now dialogue

Does anybody have a faster way? An edited version of Zapplink or a Zscript or an action in Photoshop or any other faster tips?

You can assign a hotkey to the ZAppLink button. Also, the dialog boxes in ZBrush can generally be dispelled by pressing Enter (or Esc to cancel). In Photoshop also, you can press Ctrl+S to save the file or Enter to update.

It would be difficult to reduce the operation further.

Thanks Marcus. One day if I get time, I’ll try some Windows Macro apps, see if I can do this with one button on either side of the process. Granted hotkey, enter, enter is faster, but I’d like it easier and faster. Will report back here one day.
Steve