Reload+ BETA - one button to load your zbr, ztl, zmt and etc...

[system]

Hi, everyone!
This is my first post but I have been here several years, I got a lot from here and I hope this tool can be helpful.
Reload+ could load ZDoc, ZTool, Brush, Alpha, Texture and Etc with one button, but it’s a bit complicated, please read instruction carefully and test it several times.
Any questions are welcome.

Installation:

1. Download zip file.
2. Unzip the zip file to your ZBRUSH_\ZStartup\ZPlugs folder.
3. Launch (or restart) ZBrush, you could find it in the ZPlugin palette.
4. Press Reload to have a test : )

Instruction:Download Relosd+_doc_pdf.zip
My usage:

• keep ZDoc if necessary
• store ZTool, Material and Draw Size, sometimes add Canvas
• edit TXT by text editor to load several Ztools, Alphas, Textures at one time

Attachments

Reload+_beta.zip (6.9 KB)

Reload+_doc_pdf.zip (68.5 KB)

[system]

For text editor user:

1. ext: ZDoc, Material and Brush are same as default. Alpha needed to add “.alp”, Texture + “.tex”, Stroke + “.sjk”, Z Intersity + “.int”, Draw Size + “.dsz”, Focal Shift + “.foc”, and Canves + “;xxx.cvs” (";xxx" is “;” + PerspectiveFocalLength, if Perspective disabled, add “.cvs” directly).
2. order: ZDoc should be the first, then ZTool, Brush should be before Alpha, Texture, Stroke, Draw Size and all about brush.
3. current max number of items is 20

[system]

Why I can’t edit my posts?
Beta2 has finished after a long time…
Merry Xmas!

12-23-2008
Shall I rename it as “project”?

Changlog:

• New interface
• Support multiple ZTool, Material, Brush, Alpha and Texture files
• Add some shortcuts button

• Remove autosave to make it easy to use
• Combine Stroke and Draw into one group

Todo:

• Add obj group

Installation:

1. Download zip file.
2. Unzip the zip file to your ZBrush_\ZStartup\ZPlugs folder.(Don’t forget backup your original default.txt!)
3. Launch (or restart) ZBrush, you could find it in the ZPlugin palette.
4. press Reload to have a test

Instruction:
Buttons in ZPlugin Palette
Reload: Reload project. It will load default file if current project is untitled.
Reload…: Reload from selected file.
Project: Edit project list.
+ZTL: Save current ZTool, and add it to current list, then store the list.
+HL: Save Highlight groups in order, and add them to list, then store it.
Buttons in Project UI
Reset: Reset current project with original settings.
i: Ignore case switch. Generally, Reload+ ignored startup items when you saving them, turn off it to saving startup items by force.
Tittle of project file: Display project file’s name. Click it to change project.
Save +: Save current item and add it to list.
Clear: Clear this group.
…: Add files. You can select multiple files in open dialog if “ZFileUtils.dll” exists in “ZBRUSH_\Zstartup\ZPlugs”.
+Highlight: When you click group’s name, the group will be highlighted. +Highlight helps saving these groups in order.
Load Now: Load current list, not from original project file.
Scrollbar: Click it to move through the text.

Importancs:

1. When you load unstartup materials, FastShader2, 3, 4, 5, Colorise2, BasicMaterialB, B2, B3, and MatCap2 will be replaced. If you don’t like it, Marcus’s LoadMats is very useful: http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/showthread.php?t=63296&page=1&pp=15
2. Only one startup item can be stored in each group.
3. The whole list would be stored not only the highlighting group.
4. As I mentioned in Beta1, once you created a standard project file, you needn’t edit it each time.
5. Maximum is 99.

Need suggestions:

1. Is it necessary to support multiple ZDocs?
2. Do you need a Light group?
3. What else do you need?

Any C&C are welcome!

Attachments

Reload+_beta2.zip (9.92 KB)

[Cral]

looks cool

thanks

[Svengali]

airlyon,

This looks to be a very useful plugin, and well implemented! I think you’ll get lots of positive feedback once ZB users discover its potential. A quick video demonstrating its use would help.

nice work,
Sven

p.s. Be aware that there is a problem in saving light setups in 3.1 - unfortunately, the fix that worked in ZB 2 doesn’t seem to work here.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • < edit > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

After a little playing I’d really like to see your entire button group renamed “Project Mgr” and added to the TOOL (or DOCUMENT) menu. Or maybe it deserves a custom “Project Mgr” menu all its own?

Again, your Project pop-up window functionality is brilliant.

[system]

Yeah! Can’t wait for the final version

[spaceboy412]

okay this is so freaking awesome, how i wish i had this two months ago.

[system]

Thank you all for the replies! I’m glad you like it

Hi Svengali,
Thank you for your suggestions! It’s a good idea to change menu, I’ll do it when it is stable, thank you!

28-12-2008
I’m not sure it is right to support all multiple files…

Changlog:
+Add Obj group
+Support multiple ZDocs, Stroke & Draw, Canvas
+Keep the list when execute other plugins

Todo:
+Improve Storke & Draw group
+New shortcuts button to quick Save/Load each group

New button in Project UI:
Record: Only dispalyed when you saved Stroke or Canvas, a save dialog will popup after click it, input description and press ok to add item, it won’t save any files.

Attachments

Reload+_beta2.5.zip (12.3 KB)

[tdrs]

Hi airlyon
Thank you !! :D:D:D

[froyd]

Grats on this great idea and execution!!

This looks like a plugin, that will become a must-have for the serious zbrush addicts

I’ll try it as soon as I get back on my machine next year!

greets
froyd

[spaceboy412]

Hi, i’m having a issue, i’m not sure if its the plugin or i’m not using it right.
I have a document with two layers, on the first layer i have a background image, and on the second layer i my tool in edit mode. however when i use the plugin it keeps putting my tool on the first layer with the background, the document will still have its two layers, just not have the tool on the second. not a big deal cause this plugin does so much anyway.
so is it me or the plugin? if its me, how do i save it properly?

[system]

Hi spaceboy,

Do you load document and ZTool together via Reload+?
If so, move your target layer up to first then save the doc. It’s because ZBrush will not auto select your last used layer when open a doc, it always select first layer.
Thank you for your feedback.

[system]

First I want to say that this tool is one of the things I have been craving to have since I have been using Zbrush (6 years or so). The big thing that I love about it is that I can save materials anywhere I want and don’t have to keep them in the startup mat folder. Also, this tool keeps track of the actual material and not just a number slot so that if I add more materials to the folder it doesn’t mess the number slot up. I love it! Its more like the way other 3D programs work. This really should have been something thats built into Zbrush. But with all that said I think I found a bug.

I have 2 materials with the same name except for a number at the end. Like toonMatcap1 and toonMatcap2. When I try to save in the project editor menu both of them for my ztool it keeps overwriting one of them with the other. I haven’t tried to go into the text file itself and add them both manually. That is my next step.

Lastly, I think I am not understanding something. I can’t seem to figure out how to set the project… Every time I try to reload project it loads the original one that came with the tool. I want to set it so that it load the ones I created. The only way I can get mine to open properly is to reload from selected file and go find the file… That is kind of what this tool is trying to avoid in the first place right? Having to manually go hunt down files every time you load Zbrush. Anyway, the way I expected it to work would be that you “set” a project and then when you hit reload it loads the selected project defined by the user. Am I missing something here?

Thanks for your time and this amazing tool.

Kenzie

[system]

Ok, so I thought there was a bug but it might just be a limitation. Can you store more than 2 materials in the edit project window? It will only let me save 2 of them and then keep overwriting the second one regardless of the name. I am going to try and add more in the actual text file to see if that works. Or maybe clicking on the save+ button isn’t the right thing to do? Still learning the tool so sorry if I am making mistakes. Thanks,

Kenzie

[spaceboy412]

if you want your project to load when you hit the reload button you need to save it as default.txt which i think is in the plugin’s folder. it does make sense to have to at least search for the project file, imagine if you have 5 projects. the easiest solution is to just create a project folder and save them in there.

[system]

Hi Hedrus,
I think your toonMatcap1 and toonMatcap2 are startup materials. Reload+ only record one startup item in each group because it’s not necessary.
If you need to record them, move them out of ZStartup\Materials first and notice that some default materials will be replaced when reloading them.
If you need to save startup item, turn off ignore button first which is on the right of Reset button.
At current version Reload button only reload from default.txt, I’ll add a config file in next version to adjust to different behavior.
Thank you for your feedback.

[uaun]

very useful plugin, thank you for developing and sharing!