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ZAppLink help

ZBrush Usage Questions
#1

Hi,

Did something change in ZAppLink? I’m trying to fix some seams on some skin for a character, this is an older way to doing things I know but it USED to work fine and now it doesn’t or there is a missing trick I don’t know about!

I load my character, subdivide and add in the texture that needs fixing. Invoke ZAppLink from the Document drop down and go to Photoshop 2021 and do my fixes. Hit save and back to ZBrush and drop the new paint info to my canvas. Then… nothing, it’s now a static painting rather than a model. I’ve tried this three times and it never returns fully to a model so I can continue to fix seams.

I’m not sure why there isn’t an easier set up for fixing seams. Really annoying. Just about every program out there I’ve tried (Mudbox, 3DCoat and even the older, very old Deep Paint 3D) all have their pluses and minues but fixing seams is a headache! So I’m back in ZBrush because I know I USED to be able to fix seams but now I’m stuck!

HELP?

Thank you! :thinking:

#2

Hi @RAMWolff

I can’t immediately recreate your issue. Two questions:

  1. Are you sure the mesh is in edit mode before sending to Photoshop? Otherwise you would just be painting 2.5 d layer information.

  2. Do you have this problem with any tool you try to use, or just a specific tool? If you, for instance, quit ZBrush entirely, restarted a new session, loaded the dog.ztl from lightbox, created some quick UVs and a texture for it and sent it to Photoshop, are you able to send the changes back to ZBrush and pick up the model?

If that works for you and your other tool doesn’t, there may be an issue with that tool. We would need to know more about that to help you further.

If you can’t get it to work with any tool, then there is either an issue with your process that isn’t apparent from your description, or possibly an issue with your installation. Please review the process in the ZAppLink documentation. If you are confident you are doing it correctly, then please visit Pixologic Support and start a conversation.

Thank You!

#3

Thank you, I’ll get to this today and see if I can resolve it by doing it right, if I am doing it right I’ll hit up Support and start a ticket! Thanks so much!

#4

I’m also a vivid user of the ZAppLink (to use with Photoshop Elements) and I don’t notice anything out of the ordinary.

This is probably not what’s causing you issues but I still wanted to mention it because I got confused by this at some point myself: are you sure you’re editing the right layer(s)? Because I noticed that if you add layers or edit the wrong ones then this can result in ZBrush not picking up any changes.

And well… sometimes it can be easy to overlook.

Hope you can solve your issues!

#5

So I’ve followed instructions and yet when I get back to ZBrush I keep getting a 2D view and yes, the figure is in Edit mode. So I’m confused. I have used ZAppLink before in the past with no issues. I’m only editing in PS 2021 on the layer that’s preselected and then hitting Save and going back to ZBrush. This last attempt the send to PS the figure jumped to a new position and then exported layers to PS and when I came back without changing anything there it was, 2D with my 3D moving. Something is up!

Here is a screen shot of the export just before I hit Drop

FIgure in Edit Mode

#6

There was a small updated to ZBrush so now the ZAppLink is working!

#7

Hi again,

IS there a proper way to work with this link? When I get into Photoshop and make my improvements I get back into ZBrush and some of the work ends up on another part of the hand. Like a finger texture will be superimposed on the palm of the hand! Really annoying.

I know there is like a ways to hide parts but this is to fix seams on the hand so what I have to hide all but a finger at a time? :no_mouth:

Thank you for the help! :grin: