Confusion when merging and Appending

[theMARK]

I’m having a workflow breakdown.

I’m creating a shock absorber using primitives. Therefore I’m creating the parts and then using merge and Append.

However to get the lowest possible polycount I’m re-topologising each subtool and making adaptive skin.

After making adaptive skin I’m adding detail to the parts (subtools), sub-dividing up to 5. I then append all the subtools and Merge at the lowest sub division level.

After Merging all the parts into the final subtool and sliding the polycount up to 5, I’m losing all the detail (joint,screwheads etc).

Should I be merging the basic subtools into the final model and then adding detail?

Any pointers would be gratefully received.

[theMARK]

Just to add to this thread.

I have just found that after adding a subtool and using SubToolMaster to duplicate, when Merging Visible the subtool that was duplicated and the subtool that was duplicated from have become sort of transparent.

Is this a Mac bug?

[theMARK]

Just to add to this thread.

I have just found that after adding a subtool and using SubToolMaster to duplicate, when Merging Visible the subtool that was duplicated and the subtool that was duplicated from have become sort of transparent.

Is this a Mac bug?

I think perhaps this may be because I didn’t specify an adaptive skin thickness. I just left it at 0. I’ll give it a go tonight.

[theMARK]

I’m having a workflow breakdown.

I’m creating a shock absorber using primitives. Therefore I’m creating the parts and then using merge and Append.

However to get the lowest possible polycount I’m re-topologising each subtool and making adaptive skin.

After making adaptive skin I’m adding detail to the parts (subtools), sub-dividing up to 5. I then append all the subtools and Merge at the lowest sub division level.

After Merging all the parts into the final subtool and sliding the polycount up to 5, I’m losing all the detail (joint,screwheads etc).

Should I be merging the basic subtools into the final model and then adding detail?

Any pointers would be gratefully received.

Just wondering whether anyone would agree that my issue may be due to:
producing a shock absorber by Appending other subtools and then Merging all subtools to make one shock absorber subtool.
Appending the shock absorber subtool to another model and then Merging again.

I’m wondering whether the loss of detail is due to Merging too many times. Perhaps I should Append all the seperate subtools to my main model and then carry out one final Merge?

It just feels natural to build the parts and then add to the final model.

An example would be to model a bicycle:
Model the frame and save as a subtool.
Model the wheel and append the tyre and spokes, merge as one subtool.
Model the seat etc.
Model the handle bars etc.
Append the wheel, seat and handle bars to the frame and merge all.

I’m really not sure if any of this makes any sense???

[spaceboy412]

why don’t you just append/merge all the tools at their highest resolutions that already have your detaling, then do a reconstruct subdivions if they don’t have any after merged.

also “I have just found that after adding a subtool and using SubToolMaster to duplicate, when Merging Visible the subtool that was duplicated and the subtool that was duplicated from have become sort of transparent.”

i think you may be talking about a Normals issue, sometimes when making Adaptive skins using retoplogy the normals get reversed, check the tool:display button Double, if that looks like its fixed it, then hit the flip button so they are facing outwards.

[theMARK]

spaceboy412, you are a Star.

Thanks for getting back. I was starting to lose my faith in ZBrush.

I’ll give the “reconstruct subdivisions” a try. I was originally Appending/Merging, at the highest sub division level. However I was finding that the polycount was getting ridiculously high. Plus I wouldn’t be able to lower the poly count to utilize UV mapping. Therefore I decided to try and keep the polycount down until the very end.

The Normals option sounds spot on. When I was masking some of the subtools and adjusting Deformation/Inflate to a negative setting the mesh was being pulled out rather than pushed in. Thanks for that.

I really seem to be struggling with regards to polycount etc in ZBrush. I’m more or less happy with the progress of my learning ZBrush. I just can’t get my head around Polycount/Merge/Append and what the best combination is.

[theMARK]

OK, I’ve managed to keep my Polycount down whilst keeping a really low polycount for possible UV mapping.

Just carried out the work on my shock absorber (appending subtools until I had the model finished). When I was happy I deleted higher (polycount) from 4 up o each subtool, then merged into one subtool. This allows me to adjust down to 1 (polycount).

My merged model has now gone from 5million to 130,000 poly’s, which makes the workflow above make so much sense.

I’ll do the same for all the model parts which will be added to my final model. Once I’ve merged all I will then increase my polycount before carrying out detailed work, adding material and polypainting etc.

I suddenly remembered I’d been through this process before, I just have a serious problem remembering the workflow.

Feel free to inform me if I’m wrong or if I’m complicating things here, or even if I’m going to come a cropper later on, because I’m not doing it properly.