ZBrushCentral

Custom Image Planes

ZBrush Usage Questions
#1

Does anyone know how to build image planes from scratch? I would like to build my own for specific tasks. Two intersecting squares isn’t always best for my applications. I’d like to be able to create irregular rectangles, 3-plane versions, discs and so on, but the only info I’ve been able to find on the subject is the default imagePlaneX tool already included.

Thank you kindly

#2

You can lay your planes out however you want. You’d then use a UV mapping app to lay out the planes’ UV’s so that you can apply a separate picture to each plane. That’s all that was done with the ImagePlaneX tool, which is why it has a texture template to show you where each picture goes on the texture.

Once the image plane model is created and a texture is made for its particular template, you apply the texture and work with it exactly the same way the ImagePlaneX is used.

#3

The one provided uses a single image and automatically applies sections of the image to the proper planes. I’d like to be able to construct custom ones in the same manner, so I don’t have to create a custom one each time.

#4

They just have two planes, side-by-side on the same 0,1 UV space, and they made a template image so you can place your own front and side shots in the proper place on the texture.

#5

Yes, and I’d like to make custom versions, such as one with a third plane, ones with non-square planes, ones with different height to width ratios. I can’t seem to figure out how they constructed theirs to work of a single image, which is preventing me from designing my own.

#6

This is simple enough to do:

  1. Initialize the parametric planes (Plane3D, Circle3D) from the Tool palette so that they are how you want. You can change the proportions and so on.
  2. Make sure each plane has been converted to a polymesh (Make Polymesh3D button).
  3. Combine the meshes into one using the Tool>Geometry>InsertMesh button. You will now have a number of planes on top of each other.
  4. Each will be a separate polygroup and you can use that to hide/mask so that you can move them apart. Space them out so that they are all on one (flat) plane.
  5. Apply Planar UV mapping by pressing Tool>Texture>Uvp.
  6. Once your planes are UV mapped you can move them about however you want and your single image will still map over all the planes correctly. Use partial mesh visibility to hide and mask planes so you can move them how you want using (for example) the Tool>Deformation>Offset slider.

See the ztl in the zip.

planes.jpg