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A "Putting Humpty-Dumpty Back Together" Problem

ZBrush Usage Questions
#1

Hello Everyone,

I needed to raise the subdivision level on part of my model (the head), but the model already had too many polygons to allow me to subdivide the entire model. So, I decided to split the mesh into subtools (head/body), and raise the SDiv level only on the head. I set SDiv to its lowest level and used Subtool>Split Hidden. I thought this would create the two subtools (head and body), but only the head appears in the subtool menu. It’s as if I had done a Geometry>DelHidden.

Can anyone suggest the proper way to split and then reassemble?

Many thanks,
DocPit

#2

One way is to use polygroups to split your model. i.e., Hide everything but the head, then go to ‘Polygroups’ submenu and click ‘Group Visible’. This will make the head a seperate polygroup from the body which will now also be a seperate polygroup. Then you would go to ‘Subtool’ menu and click ‘Groups Split’ to make them seperate subtools. To join them back together, you would click ‘Merge Down’ or ‘Merge Visible’ in the Subtool menu.

The Split Hidden should have worked. It’s funny that it didn’t, unless you somehow deleted the hidden part. Anyway, the above has always worked for me and it’s all I have really used to split my models.

#3

Zber2,

Thanks for the response.

I did as you suggested: “Hide everything but the head, then go to ‘Polygroups’ submenu and click ‘Group Visible’. This will make the head a separate polygroup from the body which will now also be a separate polygroup.”

However, re:small_orange_diamond:”Then you would go to ‘Subtool’ menu and click ‘Groups Split’ to make them separate subtools.” The Groups Split was grayed-out, but the Split Hidden was available. Split Hidden did produce two subtools.

To reassemble the two subtools, I used Merge Down. (Merge Visible was grayed-out.) It did merge the two subtools; however, they merged imperfectly. (See .jpg.) In addition to the gap, notice that the polypaint from the horns is now applied to the body. Is the fact that the model was polypainted a possible complicating factor?

Attachments

ImperfectMerge.JPG

#4

Groups Split was greyed out because you didn’t unhide the hidden portion. Everything has to be visible for Groups Split to work. I didn’t mention that in the other post, I know. I guess I should have. Sorry.

I also should have metioned that if you are going to be making Polygroups, that you should do them in the lowest subdivision level.

If you are going to divide your model, you should not do it as a temporary thing and think that you can easily join them back together later, because once you divide and start doing more work on it, then it’s not going to fit back together. In fact, the only way to put it back together would be to fix the topolgy or to retopolgize the whole thing. Especially when one part has a higher subdivision level than the other. In your case, you would leave the head and body as seperate subtools and use something to hide the seam between the head and the body like a collar around the neck for example.

I guess I should have explained in more detail, but I didn’t know what your model was and also, I wasn’t aware of your level of knowledge of ZBrush.

#5

Thanks very much, Zber2. All that information is very helpful to me. Much appreciated.