Hello - couldn’t seem to find any info on this so hopefully there is a solution. Is there a way to simultaneously polygroup and sculpt (namely with VDM brushes but applies to any brush, really) at the same time?
For example I’ve got a head that I’m adding spikes to with a VDM brush… I’d it so when I drag out my VDM spikes they end up as a new polygroup as well. Is this possible?
Thanks in advance.
Hello @orangetheripper
I’m not aware of a way to do this simultaneously. However, a couple ways to set this up with a little planning come to mind. Keep in mind that if you can use an IM brush for the task, those come out as a separate polygroup to start, and should retain those polygroups if fused to the target mesh with Dynamesh or Live Boolean.
Polypaint=Masking=Polygroups. Each can be converted to the others in ZBrush, so if you can figure out a way to have your VDMs strokes painted or masked, you can convert them to Polygroups.
One way to do this would be to fill your target object with white paint (Color> Fill object with RGB or MRGB active) for contrast. Then select a high contrast color (Like black) for your VDM strokes. Draw out all your VDM strokes with RGB active. The color may not extend all the way to the base of the stroke, but you can adjust this.
First, convert the color to masking. There are a few ways to do this. The “Mask By Color” option in the Masking Palette will let you interactively define the mask from the polypaint, and you can adjust where the edge of the masking will fall. If you use one of the other Mask by color options like Intensity, you can convert the color to masking, then shape the mask with the “Grow”, “Shrink”, and “Sharpen” functions in the Masking Palette.
Once you have a good mask defined, convert it to a polygroup via the “Group Masked” function in the Polygroup Palette. Increase the Polish value to get a cleaner edge to your group.
You could also duplicate your target mesh, and run a slight negative inflate with Tool > Deformation Inflate. This will cause the mesh to shrink inside the surface of the original tool. Make certain the duplicate subtool is a different polygroup from the original, and perform your VDM strokes on the duplicate. This will result in the VDM strokes poking up through the original mesh as a separate polygroup, and the two meshes can be fused together with Live Boolean while retaining the separate polygrouping.
Good luck! 