Sub-Tools with Physical Properties?

[Rob_Meade]

Hi all,

I’m very new to ZBrush, so please excuse any ignorance/lack of understanding on my part.

I was wondering whether it was possible to use a Sub-Tool to effectively “block” geometry?

To give you a better use-case example…

I was recently trying to model a head, I created some eye-sockets and then a sub-tool for eye balls. When it came to the eye lids I thought, if only I could push the eye lid geometry up against that eye ball and it “blocked” any further movement of the geometry for the eye lid. I’d be a be get to a really nice rounded eye lid (on the inside) that matched the shape of the eye ball.

My experience with ZBrush is miniscule but I wondered if this was something that ZBrush can do?

I appreciate there are masks, which, from my understanding allow me to either work on a specific area, or prevent changes to a specific area, but in the above example, masking the eye ball wouldn’t have helped, because the eye lid geometry could have still been pushed “through” the eye ball.

Any info would be really appreciated, and if you can explain it in a way that a kid with a pack of crayons could understand that would be great, as that’s kinda where I am

Thanks in advance for your time

[Spyndel]

Hi @Rob_Meade,

It seems like you’re asking for some sort of collision system. That would be the Dynamics functionality, but probably not how I would go about this. Rather than trying to make another mesh conform to the eye, it would be easier to simply generate a new mesh based on the curvature of the eye in the first place.

Mesh extracts or the MeshProject brush would be good ways to go about this. You could also draw out the mesh as new topology on the surface of the eyelid with the topology brush, and use the surface snapping functions in ZModeler, aided by Dynamic Subdivision preview with thickness, to position the points on the surface of the eyeball as desired.

Good luck!

[Rob_Meade]

Hi @Spyndel,

Thank you for taking the time to reply, your suggestions and the links, really appreciated.

One thing with the Mesh Extracts approach, I can see how that would give me the shape, but how would I then, potentially, join the eye lids back to the head etc, at this point I believe they would be a separate sub-tool. Or is that generally the approach?

Again, very new to this, so any further insight is really appreciated.

[tobor8man]

Hi @Rob_Meade

to join eyelids back to the head there are several options depending on what your final outcome is (image, game model, 3d print …)

Merge the subtools then:

• Live Boolean (Union) the pieces together, or
• Gizmo : Remesh by Union, or
• Dynamesh, or
• Subdivide a low poly mesh (of, for example, the head) and project details of merged subtools onto it, or … there’s probably more ways.

Depending on how new to Zbrush you are I’d suggest:

• Michael Pavlovich Introduction to ZBrush (New and Updated)
• Browse the Pixologic Livestreams and watch some that grab your attention. It’s a good way to learn approaches to using Zbrush rather than just the mechanics of the tool. For example, Pavolvich is good and covers a lot of techniques from sculpting to hard surface, figures, clothing, props etc.

Have fun.

[Rob_Meade]

Hey @tobor8man, thank you for the reply and the list of things I could potentially try, this is really useful as it gives me things to experiment with.

The current project is for a head sculpt for a college project, the aim would be that it could be used in a game, but it won’t actually be, e.g. it won’t get to engine for this project, more about the aspects we may need to consider etc.

New-ness wise, I’d say my total hours in ZBrush at the moment would be less than a week, although that spans about 4-6 weeks. I’ve watched 14 videos in the Getting Started lesson in the ZClassroom etc. Was good info, but the video quality was really low which made seeing things being selected on menus a bit challenging and put me off from watching subsequent videos in the ZClassroom - which was a shame. I noted Pixologic have a YouTube channel also, but there’s SO much on there I wouldn’t really know where to start.

Thanks for the links, again, handy to have a start place.

Not done anything like this before, I was going to pop a screenshot of what I have so far, but I can’t find an option to add an image to the post.

Anyhoo, thanks again for the help

[zber2]

@Rob_Meade

@Rob_Meade

I was going to pop a screenshot of what I have so far, but I can’t find an option to add an image to the post.

[Rob_Meade]

Thanks for this, I have literally no idea how I didn’t see that!

Am I correct in assuming you can’t edit a post after posting? I’ve hovered around a few icons but can’t see a way to do that either?

#OldEyes

Actually, now I’ve just posted this I can see the edit option, so is that only available until someone else replies to the post etc? After which it just becomes a delete post option?

[zber2]

@Rob_Meade

@Rob_Meade

Am I correct in assuming you can’t edit a post after posting?

As you are still considered a new member at Discourse Trust Level 0, you can not edit your posts after 24 hours.

Users at trust level 0 cannot …

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[Rob_Meade]

Thanks for clarifying Andy, I’m a ZBrush and Forum noobie