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Having Trouble With Insert Mesh - Z3.2 - Mac

ZBrush Usage Questions
#1

I am having a hard time with several features in zBrush. I am using Z3.2 on a Mac 10.5.8 and am following the zBrush Character Creation book. The Few things I need help with in this book, of course are not working for me. And to make things even trickier the interface of Z3 has changed from when this book was made and from the Z3 interface I am using now. I will start with my first issue

Insert Mesh - does not work. I append the 3D poly mesh I want to use, making sure it has the same amount of subdivisions as the mesh I want to insert it to and then I scale, rotate and position it where I want it. I then clone the tool I want to insert and then delete it from the subtool menu. I then go to geometry>insert mesh and select the recently cloned tool and then nothing happens. I am going step by step in this book with no luck. so Am i missing something?

Pixos, Please help. Or is this and the three other things i am stuck on something I should open a support ticket for? Please let me know.

Thanks

#2

Insert Mesh does work quite well, but it has some rather painful quirks associated with it. Its quite simple when you understand it, but explaining it can be confusing, so please bear with me. As of 3.1 (PC):

  1. The Meshes must have the same number of subdivision levels.

  2. The meshes must both be at the max subdivision level.

If either of these two are not true, the operation will fail with no indication given as to why.

  1. Sometimes there can be scaling issues involved, so even though you have successfully inserted the mesh, it may be hidden or difficult to find. It is therefore better to first append the mesh to be inserted as a subtool to the other one, and make sure it is positioned as desired. Then clone that subtool, and use the Insert Mehs operation on the clone. That way you can be sure it will import to the proper scale/location relative to the other subtool.

Easy once you’re used to it. Confusing to figure out at first.

[edit] I realize this does you no good, but the whole process is much easier and more straightforward in 3.5 with the “Merge Visible” command in the subtool palette. In your version Subtool Master provides a relatively hassle-free alternative to Insert Mesh, but Insert Mesh is the only way to keep your subdivision levels.

#3

Thanks Spyndel

1 - My meshes do
2 - They were
3 - Did not know about the scaling issues, I will check this.

3.2 On my system does have Merge Visible, funny that is actually what I have been using instead. I guess this is much easier. I will just keep using it.

Best,

f~

#4

Ah yes, you accursed Mac users, always getting new features before the PC ;)…

Anyways, if “Merge Visible” in the subtool palette works the same as it does in 3.5 (I have no idea), you can merge any visible subtools into a single new tool that appears in the tool menu (and must be manually appended to the existing tool). The new tool will have the number of SubD levels as the tool with the Lowest number of SuBD levels that went into the merge. So if you want the full range of subD levels intact, each subtool must have the same number of subD levels.

#5

There is good control this way. Experiment w/ ‘weld’.

If you’re wanting to be able to blend the seam, try to have similar size polys on all tool’s same subdiv levels before merging. This will allow you to use the clay tubes brush with light smoothing to bluff a seamless transition. :+1: :sunglasses: :+1: