ZBrushCentral

Delete Subdivision history?

ZBrush Usage Questions
#1

Hi forum, I’m new here as well as new to ZBrush, so bare with me… :stuck_out_tongue:

I never modeled before, as I find 3D programs to be daunting. But ZBrush is actually somewhat close to sculpting IRL (which I’m used to), so even though it’s not exactly compareable to what can be seen in these forums, I was able to produce a fairly ok-ish model of the Great Goblin (from the Hobbit movie) meant for a mod of a Lord of the Rings RTS game. Now, the problem is just that somwehere along the way, I pressed the “Freeze SubDivision Levels” function. And now that the model is done, I can’t “unfreeze” as the mesh from the model’s history comes back and ruins the model. I suspect this hidden cashe mesh is the reason that when I try to UV map the model… the map comes back with 760 (!) islands and looks like the remains of a car crash…

Does anyone know, how to delete SubDivision history without having to first “unfreeze” (which brings back the unwanted mesh).

Attachments

5795e139950de08ef1b35178901ee581.jpg

#2

Hitting the ‘Makepolymesh3d’ button should do the trick. This will create a new copy of the mesh in it’s current state.

#3

Oh that’s what it’s for? I never really grasped what “MakePolyMesh3D” does, but I will try that. Thank you! :slight_smile:

#4

The Make PolyMesh3D button is useful for things like that but its main purpose is as a way of converting a ZBrush parametric primitive, such as the Gear3D, into a mesh that can be sculpted.

#5

So… you have to use MakePolyMesh3D to sculpt, as a pre-requisite? Or just in certain cases like “parametric primitive”?

#6

The program will tell you.

#7

Just in certain cases.

If you have a normal polymesh (such as an imported OBJ), you can sculpt immediately. Clicking the button will just create a duplicate mesh in its current state (geometry only, no UVs or polypaint). This can come in handy for instances like you’re facing, or if you need to get rid of some HD geometry). Very rarely I might have to use it on an imported mesh prior to using UV Master.

Otherwise, you only really need it when you’re working with the primitive objects that let you adjust their initialization settings prior to creating them. You can also use it to convert a zsphere preview into an actual mesh as well, but there are otherways to do that as well so it’s not a prerequisite.

#8

You guys are great! Thank you so much for all the input. This is really helpful in getting to know and understand the fundamentals better :+1: “Clicking the button will just create a duplicate mesh in its current state” was an explanation that even a rookie like me could understand =) And yes, the tooltips are also helpful. But some of you explain stuff better than the program does.

Sculpting is fairly easy - knowing the client isn’t as easy :laughing:

Btw… the “DynaMesh” option. If I understood it correctly, it can allow you to for instance strech the mesh, while adding polys whilst doing it and thus reducing overly streched polys?