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3.5r3 > PM > Rotate DragRect Stroke

ZBrush Usage Questions
#1

In Projection Master, I’m using DragRect and an alpha to lay down a relief pattern. Once I’ve put the stroke down, I can move and scale, but I cannot seem to rotate the stroke. This only seems to be an issue with DragRect. The alpha rotates just fine if you use Line or Array. It seems as though DragRect is lacking a rotation function. I don’t believe it’s related to the alpha for two reasons 1) other brush types allow you to rotate even when an alpha is in use and 2) if you use DragRect with alpha disabled you still cannot rotate the stroke.

[[attach=189890]pm1.jpg[/attach]]pm1.jpg

I found this recent thread which touches on this subject, and I tried the suggestion of using Directional Brush. It does allow me to rotate, but I also kept having to pick up my tool (leave PM) after every stroke, because if I switched from a transform mode back to Draw mode (using the Directional Brush) a rectangle would appear where my drawn stroke was.

[[attach=189892]pm2.jpg[/attach]](javascript:zb_insimg(‘189892’,‘pm2.jpg’,1,0))

Suggestions would be appreciated.

Attachments

pm2.jpg

#2

Use the Directional brush, found in the Tool palette, along with your alpha and the DragRect stroke type. This will allow you to rotate the stroke after drawing it – or even while drawing it.

#3

Thanks aurick. I’ll outline the problem I’m having with the Directional Brush.

Once you’ve got a tool dropped into PM do the following:

  1. Choose Direction Brush, DragRect, and any of the default alphas. Turn texture off, RGB off, and ZAdd on.

  2. Draw a stroke of your alpha onto the dropped tool.

***3) Press any of the transform keys. This is where the problem first presents itself. A rectangle replaces your drawn stroke when you press a transform switch. Once you begin to use the gizmo the rectangle disappears and your stroke appears again. Fine, that stroke is drawn.

***4) Switch back to Draw mode to draw your next stroke. That rectangle appears over your last stroke again.

I’m finding that I have to pick my tool back up, out of PM, after every stroke to avoid that rectangle.

#4

You can do two things to work around this issue:

  1. Use Snapshot (Shift + S) to draw more than one version of the alpha without having to switch back to Draw mode. You can switch to Move mode to reposition the next stroke and Scale to adjust size.

  2. Switching to a different 2.5 tool without switching to Draw mode will also mean you can continue in Projection Master without losing what you have drawn.

#5

Thanks Marcus. You’re a gentleman and a scholar. That snapshot workaround is the bee’s knees.