ZBrushCentral

Geometry as reference

ZBrush Usage Questions
#1

Hi you all,

I need some help from you experts. I have been using Zbrush for sometime now and I recently encountered an issue I just can’t solve myself. I want to use a model of a head as reference for another version of the same head. I can duplicate the original one and use the new copy as the sculpting one. However, how do you prevent the geometry of the sculpted version to go thru the original one? I want to make a mold for a silicone mask… The original geometry is a 3D scan of my head. I then sculpt the copy with another character’s features. I want to 3D print both versions finally and use the “space” in-between to pour the silicone into. This way the mask will perfectly face my head. As you can imagine I cannot allow the sculpted version to go “thru” the geometry of the original one or rather the two “molds” will not fit later on. How can I stop this mixture of geometries during the sculpting process.

Thanks all for your help

Tomas Gracias

#2

Hello @tomasillo

Well, I’m not an expert but, if I was making a mask, this is what I might do. Masking the desired part of the head and using the Extract function in “Tool > Subtool” making sure to turn “Double” off, you can get an exact replica of your head for the inside of the mask. It will also give you a different Polygroup on the inside of the extract which you can then hide to avoid any sculpting on it and leaving it entact. You can then sculpt the outside to your hearts content. Hope this helps.

#3

Hi @tomasillo

So perhaps you could use Thickskin. For example, set to 20, and clay buildup to the maximum over the duplicate. It’s now 20 units thicker than the original. Reset Thickskin on the dupe and set Thickness to 10. Now you can Zadd up to 10 units thicker or even ZSub up to 10 units and still be above the surface of the original. Play with Thickskin values as desired. Here’s a video from Michael Pavlovich on Thickskin basics

#4

I have to try both methods, they sound good both of them. Thanks @zber2 and @tobor8man. I will post the results here.

Tomas