Turntable in zbrush?

[sirquadalot]

No problem Ron.

[roger]

Hi
Here is a test that I have done for this mini-tutorial…
<object classid=“clsid:02BF25D5-8C17-4B23-BC80-D3488ABDDC6B” height=“200” width=“200” name=“Dino Movie”> <param name=“cache” value=“true”> <param name=“loop” value=“true”> <param name=“src” value=“http://www.pixolator.com/images01/headspin.mov”> <param name=“autoplay” value=“true”> <param name=“controller” value=“true”> <param name=“playeveryframe” value=“true”> <param name=“scale” value=“tofit”> <embed height=“200” name=“Dino Movie” pluginspage=“http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/” src=“http://www.pixolator.com/images01/headspin.mov” type=“video/quicktime” width=“200” controller=“true” autoplay=“true” loop=“true” cache=“true” scale=“tofit” playeveryframe=“true”> </object></p>

The following are the steps that I have executed in order to produce the above test…

Step 1: For this test, I wanted to create a spin-animation at size of 200x200 pixels (You may choose larger size, for this post I opted to keep the movie file size smaller). We start by resizing ZBrush canvas to the desired size (I have resized the canvas to 400x400 which allowed me to reduce the size of the final movie by 50% and get better antialiasing).

Step 2: Load the 3D mesh , draw mesh in canvas and adjust its position, size and orientation to have the mesh fit nicely within the boundary of the canvas.

Step 3: While in edit mode, press the Transform ZSpinner SpinIt button. This allows you to view a test-spin of the mesh. if the mesh spins around the wrong axis, you can adjust the mesh orientation by using the Tool Preview icon to modify and store a new base orientation.

Step 4: Adjust spin-speed as needed. By default, the SpinIt will rotate the mesh in 10 degrees increments which will produce 36 frames for a full 360 degrees spin, if you need smoother rotation you may reduce this value, example: for the above movie, the value was set to 5 resulting in 5 degrees increments between frames totaling at 72 frames for a full cycle.

Step 5: Adjust rendering properties. Modify the material, lights and rendering properties as needed.

Step 6: By default, the SpinIt function will spin the mesh in the canvas without recording any frames, but if you have one (or more) frames already recorded in the movie controller then SpinIt will switch to recordable-spin.
Note: the default (non-recording) spin will continue to spin until you press the Esc button but when the spin-recording mode is activated, the Spin zscript will automatically stop at the end of the 360 degrees cycle.

When recording a movie, the movie recorded will record frames in its default size. In order to customize the size of the recorded frames we need to import an image with the required width and height into the movie recorder. To do so, I simply exported an image of the current canvas by pressing the Doc Export button and then imported this image into the movie recorded by pressing the Movie Inventroy Iimport. If done correctly, you’ll be presented with a dialog box asking you to confirm the new size.

This step accomplishes two things, first it customizes the size of the recorded frames and – because the movie recorded now contains a frame – activates the spin-recording mode.
[i]Note: Customizing the size of the movie recorded can only be done when the movie recorder does not contain any frames. If you do have recorded frames then delete all frames before executing this step.

Note: The movie controller will continue to display the recorded frames in the default size but the frames will be exported in the correct customized size.[/i]

Step 7: Pressing the Tansform:ZSpinner SpinIt button will initiate the recording sequence. The script will automatically stop when full cycle is recorded.

Step 8: Export the recorded frames as sequentially numbered images by pressing the Movie:Inventriy:Mexport.

Step 9: Launch the external moviemaking program, import the exported images and compose your movie.

Here are the quicksteps…

1. Resize the ZBrush canvas to the required size (or double the required size).
2. Load the 3D mesh, draw in canvas and enter edit mode.
3. Press Transform ZSpinner SpinIt to execute a test Spin. Press Esc to abort
4. Adjust the Transform ZSpinner Speed
5. Adjust any required rendering , lights and materials settings.
6. Import initial frame with a customized width and height into the movie recorder.
7. Press Transform ZSpinner SpinIt to record the spin frames
8. Export the recorded frames by pressing the Movie Inventroty MExport button
9. Launch external moviemaking program, import frames and compose the movie.

Tips:

1: In order to use perspective-distortion while the object is spinning you need to activate the perspective mode (in the draw palette) while in transform-mode (not edit mode). The SpinIt function will automatically hide the Gyro while recording.

2: You may utilize a 2nd layer in order to place background image or any 3D objects which will remain static throughout the recording process (such as a floor or a display stand)

3. In order to record in BestRender mode you need to activate the best render mode and then press the SpinIt button, when you do so, each frame will be best-rendered before it is recorded.

Hope this helps
-Pixolator

Note: The above tutorial describes a procedure which relies on the existence of an undocumented feature (in Step 6). Please be aware that functionality offered undocumented features may be modified in future versions of ZBrush.

Sorry to bring up a old topic, but I just tried rendering out a turntable over the weekend (it took 26 hours) and it did work, but the image quality is not that good??
I did all the steps mentioned and set it to “Best Render”. Each frame took from 30min to 60min. and I had imported materials and lights and I even double the required size.
If I save out frame v0001 from the doc it looks great. But if I save out frame v0001 from the recorder the quality drops? Did I do something wrong or does the recorder just not give you the best looking renderer?

thanks,
-R

[chadtheartist]

I’ve run into the same problem. I couldn’t figure out how to fix it either. I just decided to go with it as is, and use the turntable for small videos on my site. Works pretty good for that.

[roger]

I’ve run into the same problem. I couldn’t figure out how to fix it either. I just decided to go with it as is, and use the turntable for small videos on my site. Works pretty good for that.

Thanks for replying chadtheartist.
It’s weird how you can render a still image and it looks great, but if you let it render as a turnaround the quality drops…as if the turnaround renderer does it as a 8bit image and the still renderer is a 24bit image…?

-R

[system]

Hello, I came across this thread and I tried to get the spin thing to work, and for the life of me I can’t get the friggin model to spin on the proper axis. I’ve tried to change this with the >tool>preview method described here but even if it looks right in preview it still spins the wrong way. How do you set the axis it spins on, and is there a way to center the pivot of the model that doesn’t involve “eyeballing” it? Any help would be much appreciated.

DW

[roger]

Hello, I came across this thread and I tried to get the spin thing to work, and for the life of me I can’t get the friggin model to spin on the proper axis. I’ve tried to change this with the >tool>preview method described here but even if it looks right in preview it still spins the wrong way. How do you set the axis it spins on, and is there a way to center the pivot of the model that doesn’t involve “eyeballing” it? Any help would be much appreciated.

DW

Make sure you store a new base orientation after you change the axis.

-R

[roger]

Sorry to bring up a old topic, but I just tried rendering out a turntable over the weekend (it took 26 hours) and it did work, but the image quality is not that good??
I did all the steps mentioned and set it to “Best Render”. Each frame took from 30min to 60min. and I had imported materials and lights and I even double the required size.
If I save out frame v0001 from the doc it looks great. But if I save out frame v0001 from the recorder the quality drops? Did I do something wrong or does the recorder just not give you the best looking renderer?

thanks, -R

So I guess there’s not a better way of rendering out a turntable from ZB…??
-R

[abcd1234]

1. Resize the ZBrush canvas to the required size (or double the required size).
2. Load the 3D mesh, draw in canvas and enter edit mode.
3. Press Transform ZSpinner SpinIt to execute a test Spin. Press Esc to abort
4. Adjust the Transform ZSpinner Speed
5. Adjust any required rendering , lights and materials settings.
6. Import initial frame with a customized width and height into the movie recorder.
7. Press Transform ZSpinner SpinIt to record the spin frames
8. Export the recorded frames by pressing the Movie Inventroty MExport button
9. Launch external moviemaking program, import frames and compose the movie.

My external moviemaking programs don’t accept the psd files
and with zbrush, we can’t export multiple file with bmp extention

[kelvin273]

Hello Community

I tried out the turntable as discribed by Aurick in this thread. It worked good for me. There is just one thing that doesn’t work:

3. In order to record in BestRender mode you need to activate the best render mode and then press the SpinIt button, when you do so, each frame will be best-rendered before it is recorded.
   Actually the best render does work, but the Movie recorder seems to capture the frames only in 256 colors and so there occur lots of bandings in the picture.
   Please compare the 2 Frames below. The left one is exported by document–>export–>*.psd and the right one is done by writing out the frames from the movie…

[attach=14167]ZBrush Document_1.JPG[/attach]

Due to that color banding, the use of ‘best render’ in this turntable procedure not really makes sense.
Has anybody found out how to get around this color problem?

Greetings
kelvin273

Attachments

[system]

Ya, I have the same problem…

If there is any person who knows how to increase the movie quality, please share your experience with us…

[andylou17]

how do you spin the particular axis that you them to turn it around? for example x or y or z?

anyone know

[DarthWayne]

http://www.dashdotslash.net/testing/
My attempt

Excellent thread, but I do have to agree that the quality of the renders aren’t up to the usual Zbrush standard. Any chance we’ll see an improvement on this for ver 2.5?
Here’s a test I did earlier today sorry for the ropey model (its an old maya head I sometimes use as a base, and incidentally the one I used as a base for the mummy). once I worked out how to change the rotation axis it was easy. I found that making sure you aligned to the top of the model makes it easier, then just make sure its in the center.

Wayne…

[madeleine_spencer]

Hey Roger,

I dont know if this will help (depends on how heavy the model is) but I did a rotation last weekend by exporting a 300,000+ face obj from ZBrush directly to Maya. The renders looked fine. It only took about 45 min with 2 gig ram.
This was with raytracing on one of my spotlights as well…

If you were getting low fidelity on the renders you should check out the DE exporter. The new 32bit float maps give quality like I have never seen render in Maya from the Zbrush maps before. Its so easy to set up too…
You dont get the goregous ZBrush lighting and renders for free though : /

Hope you are doing well,

Scott

[abe_Tamazir]

Fantastic…i gave it a try and it works brilliantly!
Would be even better if there was something like that for morph shapes…doing a cycle between two different shapes and render it in zbrush

[abone114]

yeah my model is doing cartwheels, how do you change the axis it rotates around?

[system]

to do a turntable animation in Zbrush:

first off, draw out your tool on the canvas, swap to edit mode, and setup your model for rendering.

Zbrush 2 comes with a handy ‘Spin it’ thing, which will be the basis of this, you can find it in Transfer > Zspinner. with the Zspinner, you can adjust the speed, a lower number will mean that you get more frames, and a smoother playback. I generally use about 3~7, depending on the render time.

now if you press “Spin It!”, your model will most likely spin off-axis to what you want, so to fix this we need to go to our Tools menu. expand “Preview” and you should see a small box with your model, probably upside down or otherwise not straight on. now this part takes some playing, but you have to rotate your model to another axis, I find usually looking straight on at the bottom of the model gets the best result. that small box works just like the canvas, so remeber to hold shift and spin it so it snaps perfectly.

after you have it on another axis, hit “Store” just under the small 3D box, and your model on the canvas should rotate appropriatley, and if you get the proper axis, it should spin properly when you press “Spin It!”.

cool! so you got your model spinning? now, lets see how we can use Zbrush’s built in Movie Capture to render out a sequence of images!

after your model is spinning perfectly, render out a frame of where you want the spin to start, then go Document > Export and save that render as a PSD anywhere you like, but make sure you can find it afterwards . after its saved, open the “Movie” menu, and expand 'Inventory"; and click on the ‘Iimport’ button, it should bring up an ‘Import Image’ box, browse for the picture that you just rendered, select it and open it in Zbrush. a popup saying that you have to resize should come up, say OK to it!! if you dont, this wont work , and dont worry! it doesnt resize your canvas, it resizes the video!

after you have that done, you can go ahead and setup your model the way you like, get it centered on the screen within the boarders and finally render it out it out, best quality.

now simply go and press the “Spin It!” button, and it should automatically capture to the movie menu!

when its finished, you can preview your movie. and if it turned out fine, go back to “Inventory” in the Movie menu, and hit “Mexport”, find a place to save your image sequence, and name it. voila! image sequence of your model!
from this post

[Skraeck]

the frames get 8 bits/channel, how do i make it to be 16 or 32 ?

[wolfbane]

But isnt it true that the quality that the zspinner produce is only good enough for web preview? it s pretty poor actually, a lot of coloring banding…

[sirquadalot]

When this feature was shown, it looked really cool…awesome, bad ass… but the resolution was so low… I never understood why they did not fix this. Maybe sometime…:lol:

EDIT: I’m going to run through this again just to make sure, but I’ve been using ZB for so long…my money is on not.

[system]

no. im using ZBrush 2, for Mac os x 10.3.9. And this does not work. I record 190 frames running the particular animation movie(correction since the First few steps do work). But the export does no work. I did it twice to be sure. Considering the possiblity that this particular tutorial is not version specified i figured it must hold a similar theory for all Z Brush Applications. But again, This must be a Zbrush 3 tutorial because with the “Movie>Inventory>Mexport”, i get 190 frames of the SAME picture/screenshot. I have no idea how you got your ouput animation except if your using ZBrush 3.