ZBrushCentral

2,5D in other soft?

Do somebody know any other soft that can be used like Zbrush 2,5D painting? I mean something Z aware and capable to blend depth layers.

I know Blender can with its node system. But it requires to setup pretty complicated node network and not so easy when you need to just re- compose something from existing details. Zbrush approach is pretty simple and straight forward but I want something more non-distructive.

Maybe a kind of vector 2d soft or Photoshop layer blending tricks? Something to get two 16bit depth layers for example, mix them together and get a mask to blend color/specular.

Try ZAppLink to your image editing software. Look here for info >>http://docs.pixologic.com/reference-guide/document/

I know about Zapplink, It’s what I call destructive way. Once you put something on zbrush canvas you can’t move sacale etc. moreover after you transfer it to photoshop.

Actually i think it’s possible to get 16 bit depth blending in photoshop directly and get masks out of it but since its masks isns’t “live” and accept connection with other layers blending, it all also works distractive.

I need a way to quickly recompose a lot of environment textures without starting all over again in zbrush. Funny it’s no problem to do with a real time shader and nodes but not in a known 2d or 3d painting program

Much ‘is possible’ http://docs.pixologic.com/reference-guide/layer/

can painting/recomposing on a plane, using it as a faux canvass help?

One of problems with 2,5d in Zbrush it can’t work with hairs and micromesh properly which I use to render grass and small details on a surface,

A faux plane or keep everything as 3d, if i understood it right , is also not so gret idea since I do really big textures . Would be just so easier to compose final thing in 2d only from a fragments done in zbrush. Maybe more like bitmaps in vector soft. I only need something Z aware that could read depth texture and turns them into adjustable masks.

I know expensive 2d composing soft can do something like that but I don’t know it very well. Is there anything not very expensive and complicated?