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Search for a Spline defined Falloff Effect between sharp b/w transistion lines of an complex Alpha

ZBrush Usage Questions
#1

I am in search for a Brush functioning as an alpha transferfunction
(only for alphas with sharp b/w without gray)
that performs with uniformly homogeneous falloff at edges which can be definded by a exact falloff spline in the brush settings or something like that.

A brush or brush setting that will give me the ability to apply an alpha to a flat surface (clear black and white alpha with no shades of gray)
putting its effect on all black and white transitions with a specific falloff.

Just think about this text lines hear as an complex alpha, which should be projected to a flat surface just to get beveled and maybe chamfered edges from top drawing such effects down to the ground of the surface !
The text example is only an example and should work on all sharp b/w alphas.

The bevel and camfer effect should be defineable through Zbrush… possibly through a spline falloff dialog.

I have asked this question again and again, only in different terms in various Zbrush forums, mostly in English; I haven’t had a positive response from any Zbrusher since 2007.

Mostly the function of the “Focal Shift” was babbled around, but this completely misses the function, because the focal shift only acts like an optical lens curvature on the entire alpha, and does not ensure a homogeneous fall-off between clear black and white lines, which can be very object-specific depending on the alpha. So no focal shift please…

But such a function should actually exist in a depth mapping program, and would determine depthmapping modelling in its core. I’m asking the question here now and hoping for a solution to the requirement.

Happy ZBrushing…

Maybe everything will be better now with Maxon?

#2

Hello @ToniMaroni ,

The functions for adjusting an alpha in the alpha palette do not add any color information to the alpha. They only control the transitions between light and dark values. If your alpha is 100% black and white there is no falloff to adjust. If however you add a blur to the alpha and diffuse the grey tones, you can manipulate the grey tones using the Alpha> Modify Intensity, Contrast, and Alpha Curve adjustment controls. It is possible to manipulate these to create a uniform, hard-edged grey border along the shape.

However to be honest this is going to be more difficult and produce worse results than simply creating your alpha with the desired border to begin with. This is a trivial task in an image editor. Or apply a bevel to the source geometry using one of the dozens of ways of doing this in ZBrush if you are creating your alphas from Geometry.

Once you create your alpha with the sub-white uniform border, there are many ways to adjust the values of the image or the depth of the stroke to control the incline of the bevel. Note that the alpha stroke on the mesh is the result of many different brush variables, and there is no way to define a certain shade of grey as a specific angle of bevel independently of these other factors.

Feature requests can be submitted at ZBrush Support.

Thank you!

#3

@Spyndel

Thank You for Your clear answer.

Can You give me an hint to get the most easy to use “image editor” to add fall off gradients to an alpha. Photoshop is too complicated for mee… needs weeks to get it working a little… Photoshop is the most bureaucratic software I ever seen.

Maybe a true simple “image editor for alphas”

That may help a little.