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Extracting subtools & thickness question...

ZBrush Usage Questions
#1

Most of the time when I’m extracting subtools from a model’s surface, I want to extract from that surface, not have the surface of the object be the mid-point.

For example, if extracting something intended to become clothing, I don’t want the clothing to intersect with the body, I want it to lay on top of the body…but it appears there is no control for how much you want to extract inward or how much you want to extract outward…?

The only workaround I’ve found is that you can extract a subtool and then use deformations to inflate and/or scale, but it isn’t very precise.

Am I just missing a simpler solution (hey, it happens!)? Anyone else have this issue?

And one more thing…is it just me or is the thickness amount setting a little too ultra sensitive (0.01 for cloth…0.03 for leather…)? We’re dealing with 10ths of fractions here and numbers that don’t really appear to mean anything… (it’s ok, you can say it’s just me if it is!) :slight_smile:

#2

The only way (without using deformation panel) is set the thicknees near 0 and after press extraction mesh use the Transpose Tool to scale a bit less than original.
Andreseloy
i made this zscript to show it…nothing special

#3

You can set the Extract Thickness slider to 0, do the Extract. You will have a subtool which conforms closely to your mesh. If you want it to conform more closely, use the ZProject brush at this stage. Store a Morph Target. Then use the Deformation:Offset slider to offset the new subtool to the degree of thickness you want. (You can do two direction simultaneously.) When you’re happy, press the Morph Target:Create Diff mesh button and append the result as a new subtool. You should then have a snug fitting extraction of the extact thickness you want.

#4

Thanks for the tips, guys! (And thanks for putting the script together andreseloy)

Marcus - will try your suggestion.

Hmmm… An extract set to “0” results in a one-sided mesh… which could definitely be useful, but that was unexpected. But I guess it makes sense. One-sided means I could then export the extraction, bring it into 3DS Max and easily apply a “shell” modifier to it.

My initial use of deformation offset sent my object off at a weird angle along the X and Y. Apparently the pivot is not centered (along the X), even though the mask (representing front chest armor) from which the object was extracted was “centered” by painting the mask with X symmetry on, but maybe it’s not that precise. I turned off X and Y under offset which results in nice extraction along the Z. It may not be ideal only offsetting from one axis all the time, but it works in this case.

Creating a difference mesh from stored morph target results in a nice clean tool, though my first 2 attempts were inside out (flipped normals - which I simply flipped back) for some reason. 3rd attempt was good, without anything significantly different done on my end… so I don’t know the reason for the flipped normals.

In any case, this technique appears to work pretty well. It’s not quite as ideal as having the choice of having objects extracted outward from a surface and/or inward to a surface, or both, but this is a great workaround and gets the same result.

Will be playing with this a lot more today, may have more feedback. I wonder if there is a way to create a plugin for this… :wink: Nah.

#5

Yes, flipped normals seem to result from some operations but with no consistency. I’ve used the mirror function in exactly the same way and one time the normals are flipped, the other not.

The Extract thickness algorithm obviously involves a change of scale as well as offset - to give perpendicular ‘sides’ to the extraction. So, depending on the situation, a small increase in the Deformation: Size slider may help the result using the Morph Difference method.

Incidentally, extracting an unmasked mesh with 0 thickness results in a duplicate subtool (though it may not be possible to reconstruct subdiv levels).

plugin? No idea about those. :wink:

#6

Marcus - hmmmm… I’m running into some issues with this while trying to use the ZProject brush at this stage. I’m trying to read up about this brush elsewhere (wiki, your tutorial, etc), but I’m not sure it resolves this issue…

Example:

Let’s say I have a body which I want to add a shirt to.

I mask the shirt and extract at “0”. Now I have an object that closely, but not exactly conforms to the body, but it has no thickness (it’s one sided).

So I want to tweak the shirt so it conforms to the body by using the ZProject brush. The problem is, the extracted shirt has parts that are both “inside” the source body and “outside” the source body (it’s not all one or the other) and painting with the ZProject brush on an object that isn’t all one or the other appears to cause issues. Has this been resolved with another technique? Should I be more descriptive?

I guess the step after extracting and prior to using the ZProject brush would be to offset inward or outwide, then Zproject…then store MorphTarget, then offset, then create MorphTarget difference…

Just thinking out loud here.

  • Problem with offsetting an extracted shirt is that the pivot is not centered. And you can’t just offset in one direction. Appears inflate may be better.

  • Furthermore, what’s the “Project Morph” under Morph Target do? That may be a partial solution here…if I could figure out exactly what it’s doing. Projecting, I see… :wink:

Although there is a “workable” workaround here, this is beginning to get a bit involved for simply wanting to extract from an object’s surface (and not into it). :confused:

#7

i get the same problem with zproject but i pick another approach:
1.-Mask desired parts of your master model
2.-Extraction 0
3.-Select the new mesh(cloth) add new layer
4.-Press Intensity to 2 or whatever number you need
done!
Andreseloy

ps: in doing this i am playing with storemorph,inflat and create diff and add very nice results

zscript added

#8

Hmmm… are you missing a step between 3 and 4? (like “inflate” or “offset”?)
Doesn’t the intensity need to affect a morph that was done?

Edit: I see that you edited to correct… :wink:

#9

Hold down/lift Alt when using the ZProject brush to bring the mesh forwards or push it back. Alternatively, run over themesh lightly using the Std brush to bring the mesh forwards first.

I was really only suggesting a way of making the mesh conform a little better if necessary. Another thing to try is setting the Extract smooth slider (S Smt) to its lowest settings. That makes the extraction conform better.

I agree the Inflate deformation could be better. No idea about Morph Projection.