ZBrushCentral

Deleting edge loops?

ZBrush Usage Questions
#1

Hi, I’m trying to retopo a model, and I need to cut out a ton of edge loops. Unfortunately, the model is very complicated (multiple tentacles), making it nearly impossible to navigate around to do so. Is there a way to remove edge loops inside ZBrush? If not, is there a way to do this in 3ds or blender? I know that in 3ds you can select and remove edge loops, but I need to remove the vertices involved also, and I can’t find a way to convert an edge selection to a vertex selection. Ironically, blender CAN convert an edge selection to vertex selection, but has no method of removing vertices without creating holes (3ds can remove vertices, then connect the surrounding vertices to maintain your edge flow and keep out holes).

Any help is greatly appreciated!!

#2

You COULD do it in ZBrush via retopology, but it won’t necessarily be easy. You’d have to remove the points for the edge loop, and then you’d have to construct new links across the missing space.

Fortunately, you don’t have to reconstruct EVERY line crossing the edge loop. You just need enough for ZBrush to see that the two parts needs to be connected. For example, if your edge loop crossed a total of 16 poly lines, you could start by reconstructing four of those lines (skipping 3 in between each reconstructed one). If that’s still not enough, construct four more lines, halfway between each that you’ve already reconstructed.

I recommend that you practice real quick with a Sphere3D that is set to 8 x 8 for the initialize settings and then converted to a polymesh. Delete the equatorial edge loop and then reconstruct four of the lines that run from pole to pole. You’ll quickly see how this works.

Here’s an example where I did just that:

Reconstruction.jpg

#3

thanks for the support, aurick, you’re really helpful! However, I finally found the solution, blender has a delete edge loop option that automatically closes the gap. Thanks guys!

#4

Hi Chwaga!

you need to hold down ctrl when you remove an edgeloop in max if you want the corresponding vertex to disappear