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Image plane - quad view or canvas view?

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#1

Well, its been a long time since I have been able to post anything here. I would really like everybodies feedback on this tutorial.

It is a tutorial designed to address people concerns about image planes. It is not new knowledge but as more and more people use Zbrush in production the demands for accuracy and quickly attainable knowledge are growing exponentially. We have all seen posts that lament the oddness of Zbrush’s interface and there is no doubt a learning hump to get over. I hope this helps some people just starting out in Zbrush.

Thanks go out to Svengali for his wonderful Zscript Moldy 2.

At the end of the tutorial is a slight plea for another certain type of Zscript. If there are any takers, I know there would be many appreciative users out there. I am trying to find time to learn Zscripting soon. I am familiar enough with Mel for rigging and such so I can’t wait to get my hands on Zscripting.

Best,

Ryan

#2

Hi Ryan,

Gonna take a look…learn something new I’m sure or relearn a thing or two I have forgotten hahaha.

Was wondering if you have gotten any further in your Materials pdf endeavor? Or have you been too busy to keep going on it? :wink:

enjoy the interviews.

have fun zbrushing!

#3

Ryan, a very helpful tutorial. I’ll give your zscript suggestion some thought when I’ve a moment.

#4

Aminuts - I am rewriting the materials pdf as we speak. There is so much there to be talked about. I want to first talk about the basics of materials and then go further and look at things like Fouad’s awesome wood material. There is so much potential.

Marcus- Thanks! :smiley:

r

#5

Hi Ryan,

Nice concept tutorial… and yes, I agree there is a ZScript waiting to be made to manage this whole process (and a dozen different ways it might be written for a similar result).

One thing to add to your tutorial: Instead of going into Gyro Move Mode, the Z+ button will let you move the model forward (out from the image plane) in 100 Z-unit increments. (Z- button moves model backward into image plane.)

Thanks for the nod to Moldy2!
Sven

#6

Svengali-

Great! I forgot all about that. I could probably have used your script to even greater effect by setting up the model and talking about your frnt, back… buttons. I will be looking at this again tonight. Thanks for an awesome Zscript!

Marcus and Svengali-

I have another Zscript in mind that I am calling “setShot”. In production houses all of your cg tools are relative to a certain path on the network. This way, say, Disney can control the work environment of its artists, add tools easily, standardize on program versions…

What would be cool is if there was a Zscript that would be designed to steamline Zbrush for production. There are several components:

A hotkey editor gui
A model position loader and exporter
A quick save all button for those power outages moments
A zbrush setup script that would store your current tool, texture, alpha, and other settings. I understand there are some limitations with this.
Aand then room for custom scripts to be piped in like Maya’s shelf, almost. Here you could, say, put a Zscript that would create a poly plane the exact dimensions of a texture into a seperate layer so you could use it to clone reference images from. The possibilities are endless!

There could some use to this. I haven’t listed everything I initially thought of because I am away from the office but what do you think? :smiley:

Best,

Ryan

#7

Blimey! That would be some script. There’s quite a bit to think about there … all annual leave cancelled from today! :wink:

#8

Marcus -

LOL!! Ah, I wish I could get your annual leave! I tell you, the most important thing though is some stable way to save positions, export them and reload them. Right after that comes the ability to atore and swap out background images while changing to a previously stored model position.

Thanks for thinking about it!!:smiley:

r

#9

Ryan,

Believe me, you wouldn’t want my annual leave - I work for myself too . :slight_smile: Will think about the possibilities - I like a problem.

#10

Oh, sorry, I phrased that wrong. I meant, I would love to have you working on this problem on your annual leave! :smiley:

r

#11

Ryan,

As far as saving the positions of tools (or anything) across multiple sessions, my friend has already achieved this…even though it’s sort of in a ‘dirty’ manner. …but he’s achieved it nonetheless, i’ll talk to him about creating a cleaner version which he can give the community through me.

#12

Abxy-

Very cool! I know people who would pay money for that!

r

#13

I made a Zscript of the process for using image planes with some notes attached to make things easier. Also, includes some info on Zsphere sculpting.

r

#14

An excellent tutorial Ryan. I had already read it but seeing it is much better, and I believe more complete than the PDF. I will use this technique in the next couple days. Thank you, it is a big help.

A couple things:

PersonallyI would rename the tutorial to something more specific, like;
“TUT - Background Reference for Multiple View Points”

At the beginning of the TUT you might insert for those new to ZScripts, as well as to remind those who haven’t used one recently;
“As always in ZScript tutorials, just press a key to continue or ESC to exit the tutorial.”

Make a fuller introduction to Moldy 2, and perhaps include it with this TUT;
"Using the Moldy 2, ZScript you can store multiple positions and change between them on the fly. ‘Moldy 2 can be downloaded from LINK ADDRESS.’ "

Hope this is a little help. Again thank you.

Stephen

#15

Excellent ideas Stephan. Thanks. :+1: :+1:

Yeah, i haven’t been happy with the name but its a remenant of how the original idea got started. You are right. It is confusing at best.

I should probably also show people how to do the same thing with markers, more effort but possible.

Also, I should probably put in the ability to pause the zscript, if I didn’t already.

Thanks again. will update soon.

r

#16

Ryan…the ability to pause scripts is built in…so only a reminder of how to do that would suffice!!!

put cursor in top left corner to pause…click to move to next frame …move away and click to resume…i think is how it works if I remember right ahhahaa

#17

You are very welcome Ryan. We all want to contribute to this community. The inspiration of the art works presented at ZBC are fine grade coal powering our own efforts.

I would be most interested in seeing a Multi-Marker ZScript tutorial as well.

Perhaps as much as possible with the (object-tool) and referance background in the same positions as the first lesson. This way the user could judge for them selves which method would be best for their various tasks and or style within ZBrush.

I would also think it valueable to have the two lessons available side by side but in seperate ZScripts. This way the observer could go directly from one lesson to the the next. Yet also more easily repeat viewings of the lesson that is hardest for them to internalize.

You might also consider offering a AVI (Full screen clear, DVIX) video file along with the ZScripts with each developer release of such tutorials. I often desire to fast forward, rewind or jump ahead to near the end of a ZScript on repeated viewings. I really dig the ZScript format for learning. They also give the option to stop anywhere in them and work with the subject tool at that point. But AVIs etc are ALSO very valueable in that they are convienient and utilitarian as well as less intimidating to very new users than ZScripting. Or at least that is my impression.

#18

…easy than a Script for Zbrush :sunglasses:
Very compact file, annoted, and “inside” :wink:
And at the end you can use the models :+1:
With Avi or other I doubt :laughing:
My 2cents :slight_smile:
Pilou
Ps

less intimidating to very new users

If someone is intimidating by a script , he will be also intimidating by the prog :roll_eyes:

#19

Hi, Ryan.

In your .pdf, item number one (1), when you say -

“Texture / Import image plane with all of your drawings on it.”

Do you mean import a simple .jpg image or do you mean import a special file that includes some poly plane created in another 3D app that includes an image? When I tap ‘Import’ and select a .jpg image of a side view of a head I get a message saying that ZBrush is ‘Unable To Read Specified File’ - a file saved as a .jpg.

Thanks!

~S.~

#20

Hey Snark - I have run into that before. The best thing to do is to save it as a .psd and bring that in. :slight_smile:

Best,

Ryan