ZBrushCentral

Erase top layer color to reveal color of underlying layer?

ZBrush Usage Questions
#1

I want to be able to erase a color from the upper polypaint layer so that I start to see the color of underlying layer. How to achieve this?

As an example, I painted with blue color armor plates on a nude (white) torso of a character, and now I want to start painting on a torso itself. I need white areas as transparent and not actually a color…

Attached is a picture - instead of red stroke starting right under the blue armor, I get white strokes surrounding blue areas. Obviously those white strokes are the strokes which I made refining the blue areas. But what did I do wrong? I thought I actually ERASE unneded blue color and not actually painting WHITE!

Attachments

Capture.JPG

#2

Use Alt while painting to delete color in layers

#3

Ok, the problem is I that already have refined those blue armor areas not by ALT erasing but stupidly painting the white color which screwed my workflow - now when I paint under those blue pieces I get white strokes surrounding blue areas…

is there a way now to turn those white strokes which I made to refine blue areas to transparent areas?

#4

Capture.JPG

Capture.JPG

Also I noticed that for some reason ALT erasing won’t work for me!!! When I Alt erase, I can see changes only after I turn REC mode off and then back on… What the… ?

#5

It is not possible to select a color of a layer and make it transparent without painting it manually with alt. In general color layers in Zbrush are limited.
Not sure why you have that problem with alt and record as I never had it in the past. Alt as an eraser only works with layers and not with the base color of the object. Also materials don’t work with layers and can make the layers corrupt or unpredictable.

#6

When using alt in the base (not in layers) we simply paint with the secondary color. The secondary color is the one placed in the right of the main color.
When using layers alt will simply erase the current layer. But Zbrush will create a halo around the stroke with the same color than the secondary color. This halo will be more or less visible if the stroke has soft edges or if the secondary color is very different to the color we are erasing. For example if you erase blue color better to use the secondary color blue. The secondary color should not be active or will become the main color.
In the first example green and blue halos hare created in the top and bottom after erasing.
In the second there is no visible halo as the secondary color matches the red.
Image 673.jpg

#7

I think turning off Color>Alternate should stop that halo effect?

#8

Marcus, I tried that and it doesn’t work. It is yet tinting the edges even color-alternate is deactivated. The only difference is that now it tints with the main color instead the secondary one. Again if the main color matches the color we are erasing then it is OK. Obviously this won’t be possible if the color we are erasing varies.

It seems that the erase action is applied after the stroke being used for painting.

#9

Oh, that’s a shame - yes, I get that result also. I get better results by turning on Picker>Color>Cont Col. Make sure to turn it off again when you’ve finished erasing.