Hi all, I am a complete newcomer to ZBrush (Day 2), I have used clay as a sculpting medium in the past and just love how some of the techniques I learned with clay are so very useful now in ZBrush.
Eventually, I would like to make a Diorama, maybe a small jungle scene (I am Very interested in Organic forms such as trees, plants and fungi).
I have started my first project, an alien bust (using a single sphere as the base) and am very pleased with how it is progressing, but I am very keen to start on a mushrooms, maybe a little moss covered rock with multiple mushrooms growing on it.
But before I start this I have a few questions if I may?
I have been playing around with the basic 3D meshes (also known as prims?)
The cylinder, sphere, cube etc. By using the Initialize menu I discovered i could alter the basic shape of a prim (example: Reduce the coverage of sphere to make a dome shape). This got me to thinking, If i wanted to make a basic mushroom shape I could make a dome from a sphere as the Cap, use a cylinder as a stem and a Ring as the Annulus.
But this is where I got lost.
How do I add multiple objects, sphere, cylinder, ring as my basic starting shapes, select them individually for manipulation of the basic shape, then link them together before making them a single object I can then use as the basis for my sculpture?
Hope someone could give me a brief explanation of how to achieve this or point me at tutorial that covers my question.
I have to admit, I’m super enthused about ZBrush and my future creations!
Many thanks
Hi, welcome to Zbrush, the real artist tool.
First to answer your question directly.
You can add more object, also known as subtools under Subtools > Append.
To merge them, well you Merge 
Secondly, you might want to explore Dynamesh instead. It works like a real clay without having to worry about topology, mesh density etc. This is what most clay artists love. And the best thing that ever happened to Zbrush.
For the mushroom you might want to use a QCyl Y and the defaults will get you started. ZModeler brush is an awesome new tool to ZBrush and makes some things a snap 
Enable Dynamic to see your smooth organic form
Many thanks for the tip on Dynamesh hedition, it really helped with the stretching problem I had encountered.
It seems there are so may different ways to achieve the same objective in terms of creating a desired shape to and object.
I have created a number of basic mushroom shapes now, each using a different method. My preferred method so far is to create a sphere, turn into polymesh, mask half of it, then use Deformation to create a stem from the unmasked active area. This way I can easily achieve a basic mushroom shape.
Now, retuning to my question regarding adding objects/subtools. Ill use a mushroom again as an example, I did as you instructed and created a sphere, ring and cylinder using the subtools>append method. At first I could only still see the Sphere, but it turned out the other objects where inside the sphere, it placed them all at the same point in space.
I did manage to separate them but only by luck, i was just clicking around the move buttons but am still having issues moving my subtools around individually, they mostly move as a group etc.
I really need to master this so that when I move on to more complex models, a mechanical model say, it is going to be made up of many different parts/subtools.
So this leads me to a few more questions
How do I select only one subtool at a time, so that when I move it, the other subtools stay put?
How do I select my subtools as a group, so they then all move together?
What is the best method for moving them around the screen?
How do I align my subtools? (once again a mushroom as example), I have the cap, stem etc all ready to be put together,
how do I make sure they are all perfectly aligned through the center, one above the other so that when I move them into place they are all on the same coordinates?
How do I rotate around a single subtool, so that my camera does not rotate around them all?
Sorry for all the questions but as you can probably appreciate, for a complete newcomer with no training all these thins are still an enigma to me
Hi Doug, many thanks for the reply.
What exactly is QCyl y, and how do I find it? Could you please explain in a little more detail?
Cheers
Load the PolyMesh3D(star)
Next look in the Initialize menu, second row, middle.
How do I select only one subtool at a time, so that when I move it, the other subtools stay put?
You can only select one subtool at one time. If when you sculpt/move and more than one object is affected, that means they are currently all one single subtool.
How do I select my subtools as a group, so they then all move together?
There might be a new way, but the only way I know is to Merge them into one subtool, move them, then split again. I think zbrush can really use the photoshop style Group Layer function.
What is the best method for moving them around the screen?
Transpose is a good way W for move, E for scale and R for rotate. It takes some time to get use to the pivot but it is very powerful. Another way to move is Deformation>Offset (you can set the axis by clicking on the small XYZ on each deformation option). I use both equally often.
How do I align my subtools? (once again a mushroom as example), I have the cap, stem etc all ready to be put together,
how do I make sure they are all perfectly aligned through the center, one above the other so that when I move them into place they are all on the same coordinates?
Hmm…you can’t. If you have been working on symmetry, everything should remain aligned to the center of one another.
How do I rotate around a single subtool, so that my camera does not rotate around them all?
Press F on the selected subtool with the Local button on. The local button is on the column between the viewport and the tools on the right.
Sorry for all the questions but as you can probably appreciate, for a complete newcomer with no training all these thins are still an enigma to me.
No worries. I had a lot of help when I started out, so I try my best to give back to the community by helping out too. If any answer I provided is wrong, please kindly correct me.
Cheers Doug, I loaded the star as you said, but when I hit QCyl y it just turns into a cylinder? Am I missing something?
5 on the Y will let you scale the edge loops better as there will be more of them to start with. They are quite easy to add, slide and move afterwards to refine your shape. Use the power of the ZModeler brush. Learn its’ ways. 
Many thanks hedition, very helpful. Its going to take some time, but ill get used to it soon enough I hope. 
small_orange_diamond:D