Q1: is zSpheres abandonware?
Q2: Is there any way to re-order the hierarchy for Zspheres, ie: take one joint and attach it to another? say I have a wing coming out of the shoulder blade, and I want to attach it to the upper arm deltoid area, is there a way to just drag the joint over to another joint and have it bloop, attach to it?
Hello @macdoogle!
No. In fact the Proxy Pose feature introduced in the last ZBrush update is specifically meant to make things like ZSphere rigging more useful in a wider variety of situations.
But like all tools in ZBrush they have an intended range of usefulness. If you find yourself butting up against the limits of the feature, you may be trying to work outside that range of use. For the purpose you are using them here, ZSpheres are intended to let a user quickly block out rough proportions for further sculpting.
They were one of the first features introduced in the program (close to 20 years ago) for that purpose, but now users have many other options as well. They are not intended as an advanced modeling tool, and we would prefer users not have to spend a lot trial and error tweaking things and getting them “just right”. They are only meant to get you into the broader ZBrush sculpting and modeling toolset as quickly as possible.
No. But there are many ways to do this with real geometry. Sculptris Pro, IMM brushes, Dynamesh and Live Boolean used in conjunction with the ZBrush sculpting toolset are all vastly more powerful and flexible tools for shaping form and detail. We would prefer that users spend most of their time here and experience the power of those tools. The quality of the geometry that ZSpheres produce is not high enough to warrant much time being invested in it. For something like a wing, a Snakehook brush with Sculptris Pro enabled might produce similar results in a couple seconds in a much more satisfying and interactive fashion.
