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Alpha Help

ZBrush Usage Questions
#1

I made this terrain in ZBrush 3.5r3.

From the terrain I made this alpha - exported it out and brought it back in as an alpha

I then made a make 3d from alpha and got this shape (tried varoius settings)

I want the make 3d from alpha to look like the alpha I made from the terrain so I can use subtools to place the terrain onto the made 3d from alpha.

How do I do this?

Attachments

x1.JPG
x1.JPG1931×995 131 KB

z2.JPG
z2.JPG1919×995 113 KB

z3.JPG
z3.JPG1930×990 122 KB

z4.JPG
z4.JPG1929×1025 149 KB

#2

Here’s a jpeg of the alpha

Attachments

x2.jpg

#3

How did you make the alpha? It doesn’t appear to have any depth information, which would account for the Make 3D turning out as it has.

#4

Marcus
After making the terrain I filled the layer with black turned off the alpha and no texture and changed the material to flat color.

What I want is for that white area to become a base to place the terrain onto (subtools I think) - so the white area extrudes to about say 1/4’ in thickness from top and bottom and the top and bottom flat and the jagged areas around the white area be be cut into the 1/4’ thickness (say like using a jigsaw to cut into a 1/4’ piece of plywood around the white area thereby forming a base that will fairly match the terrain’s base.

#5

OK, now I understand what you are trying to do. The best method is this:

  1. Import the alpha you made into the Alpha palette.
  2. Select the Plane3D ztool. Draw it on the canvas and enter Edit mode, then press Make Polymesh3D to make it a polymesh.
  3. Subdivide the plane a few times.
  4. Make sure your alpha is selected in the Alpha palette, then press Tool>Masking>Mask by Alpha.
  5. Press Tool>Masking>Inverse to invert the mask.
  6. Press Tool>Sub Tool>Extract. This will create a new subtool based on the mask. You can experiment with the E Smt (edge smoothness) and Thick (thickness) sliders and do another Extract until you get the result you want.

HTH,

#6

Marcus that worked :+1:small_orange_diamond:sunglasses:

Now I have the base for the terrain and the terrain would I then load them into subtools and put them together and then (? to make the two into one model)

Attachments

base1.JPG

#7

Doesn’t seem to work sometimes - not sure what I am doing wrong. (question - once the new model is made should it be placed in with the tools in the tools palette ?)
[see attaached image
]zx1.JPG

#8

That looks OK, it’s just that both subtools are visible. Turn off the eye icon for the top subtool (that’s the original plane) and make sure the extract is selected. Then you’ll see how it is.

To combine your terrain and the base:

  1. Make sure the base is selected in its subtool list. (As above, the top subtool will be the original plane).
  2. Select your terrain in the Tool palette (load it if necessary).
  3. Press Tool>SubTool>Append. In the pop-up select the base you created.

The base will be added as a new subtool to the terrain. You can now select it and scale, move or rotate it using Transpose. If you want to combine the terrain and the base into a single mesh you can press Tool>SubTool>Merge.

#9

Thanks Marcus:+1: