I am brand new to zbrush, so forgive the question.
When I draw out a tool, I sometimes forget to select Edit right away and start to sculpt, but of course I just end up drawing out another copy of the tool! So I Ctrl-Z to get rid of it, but then I can’t get the Edit button to activate (in order to scult my first copy of the tool). Why is this?
Do I need to somehow “select” the original tool? If so, how?
Thanks
Next time that happens hit Ctrl-N to reset the document. Then drag another copy of your tool and hold shift to align it to an axis. Next press T or click Edit to go into edit mode.
Ctrl+n is the magic combo for resetting the canvas.
Thanks, I know I can just create a new document with Ctrl-N and do everything again from scratch, but there must surely be a way to edit the tool that is already there (i.e. the first one I drew out).
Is there really no way to “select” the tool I have already drawn in order to make it editable? I don’t understand why the “edit” function has been disabled merely by drawing out a second copy of the tool.
(but then again the UI for this program is so far off being friendly or intuitive that I guess I shouldn’t be surprised)
@squirtle - shift only aligns the tool once you have already entered Edit mode.
Basically once you leave edit mode and drag another model you have lost your initial model. What you have in then screen is only a 2.5 snapshot and not a true real 3d geometry. Only the last drawn model counts.
But this doesn’t mean that you have lost your work in any way. Enter in edit mode again and clean the screen with ctrl n means that you was exactly where you left your work but with a different camera angle. Nothing lost except a bit of a mess of interface and a bit of time. But it is yet the most powerful organic modeling tool of the market.
I have removed the shortcut to leave edit more to avoid this problem as the typical way is to hit by accident the shortcut.
thank you Altea.
I don’t understand. You say Ctrl-N cleans the screen but leaves the work just with a new camera angle. But when I hit Ctrl-N everything disappears. No work is left.
Also, I don’t understand your last sentence at all (sorry)
I have removed the shortcut to leave edit more to avoid this problem as the typical way is to hit by accident the shortcut
Each time that you drag on the screen with the subtool selected and edit off you will draw a 2.5 version of the subtool on the screen. This comes from when Zbrush was mostly a 2.5 painting program, basically 2d with 3d effects. Something similar to doing a low relief. And this confuses a lot of beginners.
But the last stroke that you do is a real 3d object. Simply drag the subtool when edit is off, activate edit, and now use ctrl+n. Then all will disappear except the last subtool that you have draw, that will be fully 3d. Obviously if you press ctrl+n before to activate edit again you will clean all and pressing edit will give you an empty canvas.
There is a shortcut to toggle edit. Because I have removed it I don’t remember what one is. You can assign the same shortcut to another Zbrush function with alt+ctrl tick any menu and assign the same shortcut. This will avoid togging edit by accident.
Thanks. This is very helpful.
I wonder what is the point of having 2.5D objects still on the canvas if you can’t sculpt on them? What use are they?
For example, I draw out a cylinder, then draw out another. I can only sculpt the second one because it is a 3D object. What is the point of the first one being there as a “dead” 2.5D object? I would like to be able to join the two cylinders together as one mesh and sculpt them, perhaps, but I cannot.
You can append another subtool to one in edit as well as lots of cool things.
sorry this post is so old but it might help you understand some of the quirks.
http://www.zbrushcentral.com/showthread.php?9095-NEWBIE-LESSON-ONE-The-Interface
2.5 is great if you want to use painting techniques.
Feel free to view my images and help yourself to the UI files if they seem helpful or useful to you.
Happy ZBrushing. 
The original code of Zbrush is a lot of years old. You can spend time rebuilding everything wasting time and the risk of bugs or focus on new features as Pixologic does.
This is not the only program that does that. Max is basically the same program from 1996 with lots of things on top. The difference is that Max was the second iteration of a similar program for DOS and the objective of the 1996 release was to clean the interface and start from scratch, resulting in a rather logical interface.
But if Max was a 3d program in the first release and now is a 3d program, Zbrush was a 2.5 program and now a 3d program, resulting in some inconsistencies in the interface, no matter how cool 2.5 is.
Apart of that Zbrush was already quirky from the start and now continue being quirky. This original way of doing things have given them an edge on how original are creating some solutions instead copycat.
I can’t remember the last time I “drew out” a tool on the canvas…
My startup document is a 3D document that was saved in edit mode (the default dynawax sphere saved as a .zpr), so I just click on 3d tools in the tool palette and start working, or just load saved .ztls. Since I’m already in edit mode, when I load a ztl, it loads right in the document in edit mode.
No clicking and dragging to draw out tools or forgetting to enter into Edit mode.
I think I have a startup macro that loads my 3D startup document automatically.
If I want to work on a cylinder, I just click it in the tool palette.
If I want to add another cylinder, I append a subtool.
I think the 2.5D default startup document is what causes a lot of confusion for people.
I also have my tool palette set to autohide the 2D tools (in Preferences).
@Doug - thank you very much. I shall take a look
@Altea - I am not really sure I know what “2.5D” is anyway. I had never heard the term until I started using zbrush. The objects drawn out before the current tool only look 2D to me anyway (as they can no longer be rotated). So I don’t know why they are called 2.5D (whatever that means!).
@Thor - I basically want to practice my sculpting and create some models like faces etc. I assumed you had to first draw out a “tool”, then go to edit mode (that’s what the youtube videos all seem to do). But perhaps (Thor) you have another way. Is a dynawax sphere the same as a zsphere? What is it best to start off with, if I only want to sculpt stuff?
The video tutorials from pixologic.com have a beginners section. I really recommend to start with those.
http://pixologic.com/zclassroom/homeroom/#getting-started
thanks. I have looked at many of these videos, but I don’t find they explain things too well…
I think what is lacking from most of the zbrush videos that I have seen is a high level overview of the “concept” of zbrush. I can’t quite figure out what it’s really all about and the highly specific videos about how to use this brush or that brush start at too small scale a level As you can see, I am struggling with this whole notion of 2.5D, 3D, dynamesh etc!
FWIW I have been a DAZ Studio user for many years, so I know all about meshes, polys etc.
If you’re serious about learning ZBrush, you may want to consider purchasing some training videos. Eat3D has a really good “Introduction” training video that helped me get my head around ZBrush a few years ago. It was created for version 3.5 but a lot of the topics covered are still relevant. You can find it here: http://eat3d.com/zbrush35_intro
Another great one, which is for the current 4R7 release, is from the Gnomon Workshop. It goes really in depth, covering pretty much everything and explaining it all in great detail. I would highly recommend this one: http://www.thegnomonworkshop.com/store/product/1119/Introduction-to-ZBrush-4R7#.VeyYHZeb6JU
Zbrush is the most challenging graphical program I know (without including Cad programs). Plenty of videos and practice is the only way as it doesn’t make it any easy. The main difference with other programs is that you can not learn it simply using it as a lot of functionality is hidden in odd combinations of interaction, for example the transposer.
Thanks very much everyone. I shall not waste any more of your time with my newbie frustrations. I shall instead follow all the links you have provided in the hope of reaching enlightenment!