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Is there any way to get my Ztools to load up in ZB to be at the same ZB internal scal

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#1

I am working with Ztools that were original created at their correct real world size in another app. The objects are all around the same size, roughly 30 mm bounding box.

I would like to load these into Zbrush and have them all be at the same ZB internal scale.

So that a certain brush size value will be the same relative size to all the objects.

I really only need to work on one object at a time, but when I work on any one object I would like for example a size 500 brush to represent the same size brush for all the objects, so that if a 500 is drawing a 6mm wide line one one object I would do the same for all my objects.

Any Ideas on how to achieve this ? I don’t want to make a big file with all the objects. Because I want to be able to this for new objects that I will be creating in the future as well.

Thanks

#2

When importing into ZBrush, objects are auto-scaled so that they are at the correct size for the sculpting brushes and other features (which don’t work so reliably on objects that are very large or very small).

You can stop auto-scaling by :

  1. Select the Polymesh3D Star tool in the Tool palette.
  2. In the Tool>Export sub-palette, set the Scale slider to 1.
  3. Import your model.

If you follow this procedure all your models will be the same relative size.

#3

You could use a external program as Max that has a rigid unit system. In general cm is the best as it is more compatible with other programs and engines (Unreal etc). Create an object or cube with a size you need as reference, for example 100 centimeters. Import it with GOZ (if possible) to the Nick Human included as tool in Zbrush, that has around 1.8 something and check that has a logical reasonable proportion. Then you have a subtool to use as size reference.

Keep in mind that the size only will be kept as long you bring subtools to this reference tool. If you do the apposite, append the reference to another object, then the object can be automatically re-sized.

I think that the script that Marcus did also is useful to copy reference sizes.

Randomly, no very often, the objects in a tool can change relative size with no clear reason. Double check periodically.

Working in a unified scale in Zbrush is a good idea as re-sizing objects with subdivisions and layers deform them.

#4

Thanks for those reply’s.

Am I correct in that, those methods only work when importing OBJ’s? That seems to be what I have found.

I am working with OBJ’s from another app all done at the same scale, so when I import one after the other they all have the same ZB internal scale, and ZB’s brushes are at the same size per draw size for each of the objects.

But then if I bring in one of thoes same objects that I had done some work on in ZB and saved as a ZB tool, it comes in and is at a different ZB scale.

I just became aware of the export scale slider in ZB after reading Marcus’s answer, is that slider a way to set the ZB internal scale?

I found that if I kept a note of the value of that slider after I imported an OBJ, then imported a tool then reset the value of the slider back to the value of the OBJ, I think then the objects were at the same ZB scale is that so ?, because I found that a specific bush size created the same size actual line when measured in units, for both the OBJ and the tool.

Thanks

#5

From my side it is unrelated to the format. All formats work and I don’t have any of your problems using the solutions that I listed. But I always used GOZ for this with Max to create a measure system that perhaps avoids the problem of appending to an unrelated subtool, that could re scale the object. The way Zbrush manage scale is rather obscure.

The idea is that once that you have an object with a proved scale from GOZ all objects appended to this reference will keep the relative scale. If you do the opposite the scale can be lost.

I never touch the export settings in the bottom of tools, that I think modifies the relative size of the exports but I rather keep the same size of the subtool.

#6

The reason I am working with this scale issue is to allow me to use custom insert brushes and insert them scaled correctly to the object I am working on. I have been working with full scale objects from another app. in mm. and have not had any problems going back and forth to and from ZB. But I did want to use insert brushes with the ctrl key held and insert them in specific mm. sizes. The size they get inserted in correlates to the draw size value. But the draw size does not consistently correlate to the model with the same ratio. This ratio is dependent on what internal ZB scale ZB happens to be using. So for example when working with different full scale mm. tools all approximately the same overall size, one at a time in different ZB sessions a draw size of 500 may insert the same insert mesh at 10mm on one tool or 15mm on another tool. I want to be able to insert specific full size mm. objects consistently onto my mm. models. I can determine the correct correlating draw size I need, but I did not want to have to do this calculation every time I load up a different object. So that I know for example that a draw size of “x” will always insert an object who’s bounding box is “y”

Any thoughts on this?

#7

Not sure that it will solve your problem but take a look to this script:

http://www.zbrushcentral.com/showthread.php?188072-DragMaster-Plugin&highlight=dragmaster

From I can see when you set the length units keeps the size consistent between tools. It doesn’t seem that re scales depending of the local scale of the tool.
Take a look to the instructions there as you need to use a shortcut in order to work.

#8

Thanks for that Altea, I could try that but looking at the directions It doesn’t seem to say any thing about scale only that
"The LengthRn slider adds a random value to the stroke length "

I think one solution is to only import OBJ’s then the internal scale seems to stay the same.

But I wanted to store some of my base mesh objects to be worked on later with some masks so I just wanted to be able to store
tools or projects and get them all to load back into ZB at the same scale. So as I said previously a certain value draw size will always insert the same size insert mesh brush when holding down the ctrl key ,for all my base meshes.

#9

Well, I tried. It has a lenght slider (scale) and also a ramdonmizer (of scale) in adition as option.

#10

Thanks, I am going to try it.

#11

Hi Susan.

I´ve created Calipers Master plugin that solves many of your issues:

You can import objects in real size scale while keeping reasonable Zbrush sizes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raaP3-gG6b0

You can use real size brush to have the same size of your brush in mm, cm or Inches
https://youtu.be/lE_-nAwBJSc?t=22s

Hope that helps

#12

Yes, I think Calliper Master is your friend here. DragMaster is simply a way to emulate strokes so you can control angles and lengths. The length slider refers to Pixels and they are screen coordinates, this means that the zoom you are working will also impact the final scale of your insert mesh. So it’s good if you want to keep consistent sizes but not really the best way to adjust sizes precisely.

#13

I also made a little plugin and creatively named it NPaste… you will be able to paste with the original size and orient it to the normal of the target mesh similar to what InsertMesh does. I didn’t really have the time to test it much so it might have bugs…
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#14

Thanks for those additional suggestions, greatly appreciated!