ZBrushCentral

Alpha scale and size.

Hey all, I have been working on a process to create 3D sculptural relief’s from photos using ZB. I am having trouble making sure I don’t distort the original image when mapping in PM.

When you use an alpha in PM is there a way to scale it to a specific size and change the aspect ratio? Here is what I am doing, I bring in a photo say 4” x 6” into ZB use PM to map the alpha on to a plane with 5-6 sub patches. I create a relief by scaling the final plane in the z to a very thin relief sculpture of the picture. I export as obj, import into and eventually bring the relief into a CAM program and cnc mill the parts. I end up with a 3-D sculptural relief of the 2d picture. BAM a new business is formed. We are in the process of putting this together. We will be soon up and running at the url www.photosculpts.com and in a store near you.

Anyways the trouble I am having is keeping an exact representation of the original picture distortion free. Because when I do the mapping in PM you have to rescale the picture alpha from it being square to picture size aspect ratio. So when scaling it on a plane of the proper aspect ratio I am never really sure if I am distorting the picture.

SO is there a way to change the aspect ratio of the original alpha ( the picture) to the exact size or pixel count to keep from distorting the picture in either the X or Y. ANY help with this would really be great.

Thanks
Bill B
BNT Studios

Are you using the Alpha because it is greyscale or some other reason?

can you bring the photo in as a texture?

Not sure what you are wanting to do but here is how to make a ratio for 9x16 widescreen

texture import texture

tool palette selected the plane3D tool and draw it onto the canvas - enter edit mode

tool palette - initialize H Radius 16 V Radius 9 (Here use 3 for 9 and 4 for 16)

texture palette selected the matte image and applied it to the plane3D tool

see posts here
http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/showthread.php?t=21784&page=2&pp=15

once have setup and ratio
try make texture to alpha
then make that alpha to texture and apply as a masking