ZBrushCentral

2 Quick Questions

ZBrush Usage Questions
#1

Using ZB4 R2 (Mac)

Appended Eye Missing when Reloading Subtool

  1. I have a head model and I appended and eye as a subtool. I then moved the eye into place on the head and saved the Tool as a ZTool and quit ZBrush. When I reopened ZBrush and looked in the Subtool palette the eye was not there. Is there something special you need to do before saving an appended object as a ZTool?

What is the Difference Between “Insert” and “Append”?
2. in the Subtool palette “Insert” and “Append” both seem to bring in a mesh so what are their differences?

#2

Append adds a new subtool to the bottom of the stack. Insert will insert the new subtool below the highlighted subtool.

I just tested both versions of zb4 and I’m having no trouble with saved ztools missing appended subtools. Perhaps you thought you saved the last version, but didn’t? I’d retest on something simple to see if you still have the problem.

#3

I’m not sure what is happening with the missing eye. If you saved the tool correctly and reloaded it it should be there. Is it possible you are opening another/previous version of the original tool?

As for the difference between Insert and Append: Insert places the new subtool directly below the selected subtool; where as Append adds the new subtool to the bottom of the stack.

#4

Don’t know what I was doing wrong but the eye saves fine with the ZTool when I tried it a 3rd time. Thanks for your help with this. Also thanks for clearing up the insert vs append issue. So as far as I can tell the only difference between (Subtool > "insert’ and “append”) is where it places the subtool in the Subtool stack.

One last question if you don’t mind.


How Can I keep the Eye Texture White When Reloading the ZTool when it always defaults to the RedWax Shader?
I read if you turn on “MRGB” and then select (Color > Fill Object) the object will stay that color when reloading the ZTool. I tried this and it works but it doesn’t seem to work when you have a “Texture” assigned to the ZTool like in the case of the eye.

I have brought in an eye from another application and it has a texture. I loaded the texture into ZBrush and then selected the ToyPlastic Matcap, but when I reopen ZBrush and reload the ZTool the eyes always default to the redwax matcap.

Is there a way to get my eye to fill with a white material and still have a texture applied to it so when I load the ZTool the eye will be white?

eye.jpg

#5

Turn only the matarial button at the top on and select a material and then fill it in the color palette.

#6

I tried that but it didn’t work. Here’s what I did.

  1. I selected an eye from the Subtool palette.
  2. I then selected the “M” (Material Channel).
  3. I then picked a white color from the Color Palette.
  4. I then selected (Color > Fill Object) from the top menu.

Results = Nothing changed. If it worked the eye would have turned white in the Subtool palette but the eye is the red wax color in the subtool palette.

Maybe it’s because the eye texture is covering the mesh color so that’s why I am not seeing the mesh fill with the color because the texture is covering it.

But there still is a problem. Whenever I load the ZTool the eyes still default to the “RedWax” material. But they should be loading as all white because that’s the color of the texture. So why are they loading with the wax color?

#7

M is “material”. If only M is pressed, you are only working with material, not color.

MRGB must be pressed to paint material and color at the same time.

Colorize in the Tool>Polypaint menu must be pressed to see any polypainting.

Make sure the object is not masked before filling. Clear any masking on the subtool in question, even if no mask is visible. Objects can sometimes become masked even if the masking is not visible in Zbrush.

To avoid having a subtool default to red wax, it must be filled or painted with a different material, but again, colorize, or the little paintbrush icon in the subtool menu must be pressed to see it.

To save projects with textures and custom material settings, save as a Zproject file (file>save as), not a tool.

#8

Thanks Spyndel,

I tried all those steps, “Colorize” is on, The Texture is on, there are no masks, MRGB is on. I also saved the file as a .zbr document but when I open it it is not editable.

So I can’t find a way to open the ZTool with the eye texture visible. I have to always select the “ToyPlastic” matcap for it to work. A ZTool will open with visible polypaint, but not with imported textures it seems.

#9

A tool will save with an applied texture, and load with that texture applied.

Color>Fill will fill an object with polypaint color and material, which can be seen when colorize or the paintbrush icon is active.

But, if you are saving a tool with a texture (image map, not material) applied, it will load with that texture applied, and it overrides the polypaint. The texture will preview with whatever material is currently selected(red wax by default upon loading.)

To then see that polypaint, you must disable the texture in the texture palette (un-press the “texture on” button.) You will then see whatever polypaint and material you have painted onto the object.

If you want to see all that color and material information saved at the same time as polypaint, activate your texture and click “polypaint from texture” in the polypaint palette. This will transfer all the detail from the texture directly to the objects polygons as color. The mesh will need to be high enough resolution to hold the detail.

Then, with “M” (material) only pressed on the upper tray, with your desired material selected, press Color>Fill object. This then paints your mesh with that material, but leaves the color intact.

Save as tool (texture should no longer be active or needed) it will load with that polypaint and material visible. If you have custom settings for that material , it must be saved as a zproject from the file menu.

#10

Spyndel,

OK, that was very well explained. Thanks. I don’t know why ZBrush has to make what should be a simple task so complicated. lol. but I tried it and it worked. Thanks Spyndel.

#11

It’s not complicated so much as different from the texture based workflow you’re used to in external programs. I simply had to explain a bunch of minor points to you all at the same time. ZB has moved to a polypaint centric workflow, with textures occupying a much more transitory role as situational tools or eventual exports. When you get used to it, you may come to appreciate the freedom polypaint gives you.

Its actually much more straightforward in a way to just think that ok, I can simply paint any mesh, with either color, displacement, material, or any combination of the three, like I could to any object on the desk in front of me, and have those things be persistent, without worrying about juggling a ton of image maps.

The texture overriding the polypaint thing is just something strange until one learns it, then it seems obvious.