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Answered: Animation/Rigging in Z4?

ZBrush Usage Questions
#1

Hey guys! This is the feature I was most of all looking forward to. I saw it in pixolators teaser of the weight lifter in z4 beta. I searched this forum and found out it can be rigged, but I tried doing it and didn’t quite work. Does anyone know how to do it? How is it saved? Are the zspheres saved on the timeline? Or the 3D layers? I tried both and didn’t work, hence would appreciate a thourough step by step if anyone’s familiar. Can a focal bone/zsphere be established so the whole character would move and not every single one separately?

Thank you! Would mean the world

#2

This is one I’d like to see answered soon (^_^)

Can’t wait for the Official Tutorial Vid’s to catch up with this release :wink:

Also think they should release a Z4 ‘carepackage’ that includes a weighty manual full of DVD’s - a ‘get out of work free’ card while learning all the wonderfull new features & a leaflet Titled ‘How to Cope with becoming a Z4 Widow’ for friends & loved ones :lol:

#3

take a look in zclassroom

#4

Hey, I have actually either it isn’t there or I can’t find it :smiley: Can you post a link please?

#5

still i dont received my email but im reading all the post and try to learn from the question and answer so when i have the gem in my hands im in better condition to work with it!
i think this link will help: http://www.pixologic01.com/zclassroom/homeroom/modules/zbrush4/video/animateExpose.f4v

#6

so no actually mesh can be animated? :confused:

#7

http://www.pixologic.com/zclassroom/homeroom/
Watch the ZSpheres series of tutorials

#8

Well it can be animated, but we don’t know how. Thank you all for your help so far. But still waiting for the explanation. I know that you can bind the mesh to your zsphere rig, but can you bing all the subtools to it? And then where do you store the changes, on which timeline “layer”? I tried the zspheres and didn’t work, just saves the last modification throughout all the keyframes.

#9

Here’s my rigging test http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJ5UsD7x4zc
I used the transpose zsphere rig and tuned on a layer, posed it and put that layer to the timeline, if this it the right way to do it, 2 questions remain…how to transfer the details back to the tposed mesh so it doesn’t explode and still animates, and the other one is how not to influence the solid objects, grasp them and let them go. as seen in the wightlifter (james brown) vid.

#10

so no actually mesh can be animated?

from my very quick tests, I believe you do the adjustments of a mesh on a layer and then animate that layer strength up and down in the timeline.

Set the strength of the layers to the deformation you require then place a key in the timeline.

#11

so no actually mesh can be animated?

http://screencast.com/t/ZDQzNDM5MTU

#12

TIMELINE

#13

Thanks for your replies, i know you all mean well, but you didn’t get my question - rig a character using zspheres and animating that zsphere rig and then projecting high res mesh over it so IT animates. A tut for that?

#14

I think you can find that in the online docs… but here is what I do.

rigging your mesh with zpsheres and animate using timeline:
— make a Zspheres rig
— in rigging submenu selectmesh ( and set lowest subdivision of the mesh you want to animate…)
— in adaptative skin submenu shift+click on preview and in density the higher subdivision levels of the mesh… so if you have 3 subdivions leves … set density to 3.
—Now draw a little detail on the preview mesh…
—unpress preview
—add a layer
— bind and pose your model
add layer for every different pose

to animate in timeline you have to track on every layer so you can animate and render it. ( with preview on on adaptative skin) to render with BPR… first render and then ctrl+shift on timeline

here you have a zproject and a video to download it.

http://rapidshare.com/files/416044126/timeline.zip

#15

hey cherub! any luck rigging your character with zspheres…??

I wish there were a way to access the weight of each bone or they improved the autoweight system… like the one used by pinocchio . I have no idea if it would be possible to acces to the weight and change it somehow.

#16

Thank you Dargelos!:+1:, finally got it to work over here!

#17

Hey dargelos! Thank you so much for this! I was a bit busy these days so I’m now downloading, will let you know how it works. Thank again. Kudos :+1: