ZBrushCentral

How do you apply a stroke on exact center of a subtool?

ZBrush Usage Questions
#1

I’m pretty new at Zbrush and I really like it so far but I’m totally lost on how (if possible) to apply my brush or stroke to the exact center of a subtool surface.

For example, what if I wanted to pinpoint the exact center of a circle? Like maybe using radial symmetry, I wanted to create an offset and then extract a cylinder. But to do this, I would have to start a stroke at the exact center of the circle in order to extract an even offset.

I know Zbrush is more designed for free hand sculpting but I since I think you can force a subtool to the center, you can probably begin a stroke at the exact center as well?

Thanks for any help.

#2

If the object is symmetrical along two axes (for instance x, y, or x, z), you can find the center by turning on symmetry along those axes and converging the cursor, or by using radial symmetry on an axis perpendicular to a surface and converging the points.

If a section of a mesh is symmetrical in itself but the rest of the mesh isn’t, or is located off center, you can hide all but that section of mesh, and turn on local symmetry (L.sym) to do the above.

Otherwise you’ll just have to locate the center of a visible mesh with either the gizmo or transpose functions, and “eyeball” the start point, which should be good enough in most cases.

#3

Thank you very much for your answer and time.

May I please ask though what you mean by “converging the cursor” ?

I think what I’m having trouble with is the idea that as soon as I use my stylus and tablet to begin a stroke, it will move my first stroke to an inaccurate location.

Is there a command or key that you can hold down that will begin a stroke in the center of the document?

In other words, an easy way for Zbrush to have solved this issue would be:

First, use the command to center a symmetric subtool on the document.
Second, hold down a key like “shift” etc. before beginning a stroke and it would keep the stroke centered.

Is there a way like that already built in?

#4

When you turn on symmetry, you get two red targeting highlight dots on either side of the cursor. The point where they converge is the centerline. If your object is symmetrical along more than 1 axis and you switch on symmetry along that axis also, you get 4 dots, and the point where they converge is the center. If radial symmetry is on, the point where the radial dots converge is the center (assuming a symmetrical object.)

If you hide all but a portion of a mesh, and turn on local symmetry (L.Sym), the symmetry will be based on the visible mesh center, rather than the tool center.

Otherwise, there are no functions like you suggest. Both the gizmo and the transpose functions have a control that will cause the manipulator to snap to the mathematical center of the visible mesh, so the center can be “eyeballed” from there.

#5

OK, thank you very, very much.

I will use this information and just practice with it.

Much appreciated.