ZBrushCentral

divide problem

ZBrush Usage Questions
#1

I get this message when i try to go above 4 divide

Note: A 3d Mesh with Subdivision-history may be partially modified only while lowest subdivison level is active.

Switch to the lowest subdivision level or delete the subdivision -history and try again

If i delete the subdivision and press divide i can get more divition but i loss the lower version of the polys 1 -4.

any idea what is going on?

thanks
chris

#2

I think…

You either have parts of the mesh hidden or masked, and the attempt to divide would only paritally subdivide the mesh, which it can only do at the lowest sub-d level.

#3

Hi thanks you for reply now I get a new message

Note Subdividing the currect mesh will produce a mesh with polygons count larger than specified in the Preferences:Mem options.
Decrease the number of subviv levels or increase the max options

#4

Preferences>Mem>MaxPolyPerMesh specifies how many millions of polygons a model may be. It automatically sets itself to an ideal value for your computer’s capabilities. You can increase that slider (to a maximum of 10) and allow ZBrush to work with larger files, but doing so will slow down performance. The slider should NEVER be set to more than double the default value.

Bear in mind that every time you divide a mesh you quadruple the number of polygons that it has. So if your mesh has fewer than 2.5 million polygons it can be divided again (provided that your system can handle the huge number you’ll get). If it has more than 2.5 million polygons, then a supercomputer couldn’t even divide it again.

Rather than increasing the MaxPolyPerMesh setting it’s usually more efficient to break the model up into smaller pieces. Each of those pieces can be divided to the maximum default value, giving you a combined polygon count that exceeds what a single mesh can have – and without sacrificing performance.

#5

Thanks for that very much abliged for the good information. Can I ask Say I am making a head How can i Break it into small parts? Like hide area of the model and then divide?

Regards
Chris

#6

No. That will divide the visible part and create triangles at the join with the other part.

Here’s what to do:


  1. Apply UV mapping, if you haven’t already
  2. Hide half the mesh
  3. Press Tool>Clone to create a duplicate of it
  4. Press Tool>Geometry>Delete Hidden to remove half the polygons
  5. Press Tool>Geometry>Crease to keep the model from contracting when you divide it
  6. Select the cloned copy of the tool
  7. Reverse mesh visibility
  8. Repeat steps 3 & 4
You’ll now have two matching halves of the model, and can get more polygons out of the pair than you could with the whole. Because the model was UV mapped at the start, then any textures or displacement maps that you create will be able to match up without overlaps.

#7

thanks for the top tips