Is there any way I can group subtools together? I have modelled a skull with 4 subtools and I want them to move as one, just like group workings in Maya but I don’t want to have to merge them all. I have several subtools now that I need in my scene (reference planes), but are getting in the way of sculpting when I turn the visibility on on all the layers. Some grouping system or layer system would be awesome. My understanding of layers in Zbrush is that you can modify an object and have several states of it with layers?
Also, is there a way to instance subtools? I want to model a tooth for example, is there a way of making many teeth and updating the topology on all of them simuntaneously instead of a tedious copy/paste job?
Finally, does anyone have an explanation for the 5 buttons to the right of each subtool. I understand visibility but for the life of me I can’t find any documentation that tells me what they do.
There isn’t grouping in an organizational sense per say. If you want to move all the subtools as one, really the only way is to use Transpose Master. You could also Move all of them using GOz in an external app like Maya and then bringing them back. Its more precise but also more tedious.
Yes layers can store shape, masking, and polypaint information per subtool. So if you were to make a new layer, move the subtool and sculpt on it all that would be stored on it. When you toggle the layer off the subtool would snap back to the original location without any sculpting on it. Layers can be tricky tho. They generally don’t play well with other functions. I can’t really remember but I am not sure if Transpose Master causes layers to explode or not…
No instancing. All just tedious copy and pasting.
The first three icons on the subtool have to do with Boolean operations when the subtool is remeshed. Union is the first one, Subtraction and Intersection are the next two. (Bottom of this page.) The paintbrush toggles “Colorize” (aka Polypaint) on and off. Then as you said, the eyeball is visibility.
Wow! Thank you very much for your amazingly awesome response! How would I move all the subtools with tranpose at once? Or do I have to select them individually? But a wee bit miffed such functionality isn’t in Zbrush - the amount of subtools looks like it can get tricky and tedious.
Instead of instancing, is there a way I can make a mesh and project the details on to another for really quick updating? I’ve never used projected the details back onto a mesh so I’m not 100% sure how it works.
But thanks for clearing up everything else! It was super helpful. And the subtool palette had been annoying me for weeks - haha!
I am sorry. I meant Transpose Master. It’s under Zplugins>Transpose Master. You may have it already installed but if not its at the bottom of the Plugin Download Center. Basically what this plugin does it puts all your subtools at the lowest res then combines them. You are free to move this merged mesh however you want. Then when you are done it transfers all those translations back to the unique subtools.
Yea its annoying. I just made an mech suit armor thing and had over 50 subtools. I wanted to put them in folders so bad! Just get them out of my way!
Instead of instancing, is there a way I can make a mesh and project the details on to another for really quick updating? I’ve never used projected the details back onto a mesh so I’m not 100% sure how it works.
I am not sure exactly what you are trying accomplish but yes you can do this. Basically “Project All” just takes whatever subtools are viable and tries to put their details onto the active subtool. So the active subtool can have any topology you want you just need to have similar resolutions. There are alot of tutorials on Youtube showing how to use the Project All. It’s pretty easy once you see it done once. Even if the Zbrush versions are different it hasn’t changed much.
Ah brilliant! Thanks for the tip! That’s what I was looking for!
I can see your point about projecting the details, but I wanted to get familiar with the tool somehow, so I thought it might be a good way to introduce myself! But yeah, I know the features I want in the next big Zbrush update after 4R3!
