howdy,
so without the intention of trying to turn zbrush into something other than zbrush, i’m thinking about the interface and there’s still a lot of clunkiness and manual clicking that one needs to go through for very common tasks.
even something like polypaint requires multiple manual button presses that are left to the user to execute instead of a simple “polypaint” button that sets everything up automatically.
same thing with retopoing something…
all of these new functions seem just a bit too tedious and manual than it needs to be. too much unnecessary detail is exposed to the user. such that for a lot of zbrush features (and this speaks to how infrequently i get to use zb) i simply don’t know how to start doing something! i have to literally look it up every time.
the zbrush interface seems like it’s left in a state where the user is left to think the programmer’s thoughts after him and in order to do any specific thing X, the user has to run through all the programatic procedures (1st do this, then do this, then do this, and now we can start) that are required to get there… instead of these things being automated. imo, this should be addressed sooner than later. if nothing else, these things should be simply scripted buttons (that execute an automating script) but they should be the main interface buttons to access these functions.
also, i recently had the notion that so much of zbrush would fit very comfortably and more intuitively under the notion of TABS and each tab indicating a WORKING MODE.
- 3D MESH MODE
- 2.5D PIXOL MODE
- 2.5D QUICK SKETCH MODE
- 2D PAINTSTOP MODE
and these are literal tabs just above the viewport or at the top of the zbrush window and they automatically pickup and drop tools and also change the brush sets so they are appropriate for what you are doing - that is, you will have no access to tools that you can’t use while you are doing a specified task.
the advantage of this is that you lose the current “fiddlyness” of the zbrush interface as it is currently. seriously, having models accidentally drop is very very frustrating and should not be possible.
with the modes as listed above, you would NEVER have to “drop” a model or go into PROJECTION MODES.
all you would ever have to do is switch tabs. and in 2.5d pixol mode, you just have do actively destroy the link to the 3D model if you want to have just dropped it and continued painting using the dropped pixols.
and in 3d mode, you would not be able to drop the brush accidentally.
imo, this would not be a huge or “character changing” departure of what zbrush is or is trying to be.
instead, it would just make zb more intuitive and FEEL more stable. that may seem like a small thing but imo, it’s a really big thing in terms of the way a software FEELS.
some software makers try to defend “fiddlyness” like this as making the software “faster”… but imo, that speed advantage is completely wrecked when the majority of users end up constantly doing things THEY DID NOT INTEND TO DO.
anyhoo, i tweeted some of this already but felt like i should just do a formal post so that i can put it off my head.
just my opinion and my take. consider or disregard as you see fit but especially as zbrush grows larger and stronger in functionality, the MORE attention you will eventually have to put into the interface.
thanks.
jin