I’m using ZBrush with Agisoft for photogrammetry and since the mesh needs to stay in the exact same location if you need to bring it back into Agisoft I’m trying to figure out which operations in ZBrush will transform the mesh away from its original location. Things like Dynamesh and using the UV master… I’m pretty sure those two will move it to a new location. Are there others? And also is there any way I can see if the mesh has moved within ZBrush?
does anyone know?
Is there a better place (or way) to ask this?
Certain deformations such as Unify and Offset will change the position of the mesh. So will moving the red cross in the Tool >> Preview window or changing the sliders in Tool >> Position. ZRemsher operates relative to the model’s global center rather than the geometric center. This means that if the model is offset, it will produce an incorrect mesh unless you first press Transform >> S.Pivot. That function temporarily moves the transform center to match the geometric center of the visible mesh, allowing ZRemesher to function properly. Once you have the new topology you can immediately press C.Pivot to return the pivot point to the original position. UV Master and DynaMesh have no effect on the position of the mesh.
In other words, there is very, very little that will change the position. Even pressing Geometry >> Make PolyMesh3D will not change the position – the new Tool’s position will be identical to that of the original SubTool.
By the way, if you ever have a concern about whether a function might change the model’s position, take a quick look at Tool >> Preview. If the red cross doesn’t move when you perform the function then the position is unchanged. This makes it very easy to quickly test for yourself, which is perhaps why people haven’t answered.
Hey aurick, thanks so much for the reply, that helps a lot! I actually hadn’t really used the preview window, I’d just been turning on the grid to check. It’s helpful but I need to turn it off when it gets in the way and then I get too involved in what I’m doing and forget to keep an eye on my mesh location. The preview window doesn’t seem to live update which still makes that one a bit iffy for me, but at least that’s another way to check! 