ZBrushCentral

Global Illumination

ZBrush Usage Questions
#1

Greetings,

I probably stumble across it sooner or later, but where is this global illumination?

I’m using the retail version 1.5

Thanks in advance.

#2

Hello ArtGraf,

Global Shadows are activated from the Light>Shadow menu (you have to activate the advanced version of the Light palette to see the extra options).

ZMode makes the shadows more realistic based upon the depth of the objects in the scene. You should turn it on when using Global Shadows.

Rays are the number of shadow-casting rays that will be used during the render. The higher the value, the more rays that will be cast, the softer the shadows will be, and the longer your render will take. Normally, keep the value at 1 until you are ready for the final render.

Aperture controls how sharp the edges of each shadow-casting ray are. Lower values result in sharper edges. Usually, as your Rays value increases, you need to decrease the Aperture or your shadows can actually disappear entirely. Which may sometimes be the effect that you’re looking for. This is all just rule of thumb. :slight_smile:

Of course, you will have to turn on shadows in the Render palette for these setting to take effect, and they only come into play during a Best Render. And FYI, when ZMode is active with only 1 ray you can get some funky holes in your shadows. Don’t worry about it during your light setup tests. They will disappear when you boost the number of rays for the final render.

Also, materials can play a role in the “look” of your render. Try changing the material Diffuse Curve to be VERY diffuse for some great effects. It will look awful in the palette previews, and not so hot with the Preview Renderer, but looks great in a Best Render.

For more tips on Global Shadows, check out the ZBrush 1.51 QuickLinks here at ZBC.

#3

Thanks Aurickle,

Now I know where it’s at.