ZBrushCentral

depth cue in bpr

ZBrush Usage Questions
#1

hi,

Does the depth cue still work in 4r6’s bpr? I used it sparingly around version 4 and it seemed simple and noticeable. These days, try as I might, I just can’t get anything out of it.

I’ve looked at other posts on here and it was recommended to crank the anti alias ‘size’ setting up. I’ve done that (and set min & max distances) - no amount of slider adjustments give any noticeable result.

It’s switched on in the properties too. I’ve also cranked the size of the mesh up in case it’s unit sensitive - still nothing

?

thanks

#2

For BPR you need to use a filter. See here:

http://docs.pixologic.com/user-guide/materials-lights-rendering/rendering/depth-cue/

#3

right thanks - I’m taking a look now.

I’ve never looked at these filters; I’ve always export out passes to PS for any postwork. They seem interesting :slight_smile:

I’m sure it used to be a simple case of switching it on in the render properties though. I got it working on my very first sculpt a few years ago when I really didn’t know what I was doing :] I wouldn’t have delved into trouble shooting if it hadn’t have worked off the bat. Or maybe I’ve just forgotten the process I went through… I definitely didn’t use filters though

But, rendering in ZB is still a bit of a mystery to me tbh. I’ve never really got to the bottom of the distinction between a ‘best’ and a ‘bestpreview’ render. My own logic would suggest that ‘best’ is better than ‘bestpreview’ (a true oxymoron :S) Yet bpr seems to be the one that’s regarded as de facto in ZB.

#4

Render effects have changed from earlier versions due to changes in how BPR works, so what you did a while ago won’t necessarily work in 4R6. As for the difference between Best and BPR - Best is a legacy renderer now really only used for 2.5D work and particular material effects; BPR is for models in Edit mode only.

See here:
http://docs.pixologic.com/user-guide/materials-lights-rendering/rendering/

#5

ah. That clears everything up then. Cheers marcus :slight_smile:

#6

is there a way to turn off depth entirely when using BPR?

#7

You can use the Flat Color material, if that is what you mean.

#8

Hi Marcus thanks so much for the reply! :slight_smile: You know how in the BPR Render Pass pallette you Shaded, Depth, and Shadow. And if you want to get a Shaded pass without the shadow you would have to turn off shadow in the “Render Properties” section. Is there a way to turn off the Depth pass completely like that?
I have a scene setup in zbrush and everything thats far from the origin is rendered with a blur, and i’d like to turn that off if possible.
If i give those object a flat color material then I would not get the shades and the definition details that I would still like.
I know about the BPR filters, how you are able to add blur, but i would just like to get rid of it completely. Your help is very much appreciated. Thanks!!!

#9

I don’t understand what you mean by “everything thats far from the origin is rendered with a blur”. I’m not aware that BPR automatically blurs anything. Can you show a picture of what you mean? Also what settings are you using?

Thanks,

#10

sorry for the late reply Marcus. Hope there’s a way to fix this. it seems like there is a blur automatically added to this for some reason. whats weird is that if i rotate so the cylinder is in the foreground there is no blur applied to the cylinder. :confused:
depth cue question.jpg

#11

OK, thanks, I can reproduce this. I think that you are hitting some kind of size limit. ZBrush doesn’t have a camera as such, so perspective and so on is faked by the renderer. I think the blur is being introduced because the data precision is being degraded rather than as a deliberate effect.

But from my tests this only happens if the objects are moved in the negative direction (such as -Z for forward, towards the viewer). ZBrush automatically resets the default position of an object in Edit mode so that it is at zero Z depth. It seems able to cope with objects that are far behind this point (high positive Z) but not in the forward direction. So if you are careful how you set up your model all should be well.

You can test the effect like this:

  1. Select the PolyMesh3D star.
  2. Append the Helix3D. Switch to the new subtool in the subtool list.
  3. In the Tool>Geometry>Position section, set the Z slider to 100.
  4. Position the model so you can see both subtools and then do a BPR. There shouldn’t be any blur.