When I first save a project, I use File > Save as… and pick a name for the project file.
I like to periodically save my work (in case of disasters), but there seems to be no File > Save. Instead, I have to use File > Save as… and confirm that I wish to overwrite the file. This seems odd (and unlike most programs which just allow you to Save every so often).
Or maybe I am missing something…
It’s a good idea to save your work incrementally, in case something catastrophic happens. That way you can go back to a previously saved version and not lose all of your work.
See here for info about saving in ZBrush: http://docs.pixologic.com/getting-started/basic-concepts/saving-your-work/
Thanks. I am not sure that quite answers my question, but if I understand correctly there is no File > Save function, as such. But the keyboard shortcut Q basically does the same, right?
Correct, no File > Save, but as I mentioned, it’s better to save incrementally in case of disaster.
Hitting “Q” puts you in “Draw” mode, it doesn’t initiate a save.
Hitting “9” initiates Quick Save, which is sort of like Save, but not really. I don’t use this feature, but as I understand it, Quick Save saves your work to the ZBrush AutoSave folder, not in your project folder. It also saves your work as QSave followed by a number sequence. You can access your Quick Save files from Lightbox, but you will need to manually move them to you project folder when you’re done working.
File > SaveAs is simple enough. If you want to overwrite your existing file, just accept that you want to do so, or save as a different name.
But it is exactly for incremental saving that I want a File > Save button! In every other program, I do a bit of work and if I’m happy, just save, then carry on working and Save again. Isn’t that what you mean by incremental saving? This is usually (eg in word or photoshop) done by Ctrl-S. But in zbrush that activates Save as… rather than just Save.
You only really need Save as … at the beginning (when you first name your project).
it seems a very odd omission in a program as sophisticated as zbrush not to have a Save function!
When I say “Incremental Saving” I’m talking about saving multiple copies as I go.
Example:
Now, over the course of 1 hour, I have saved 3 copies of my project. If for some reason ProjectName003 crashes and is not recoverable, I can go back to ProjectName002 and continue working from there instead of starting over from scratch. Or, if I’m not happy with the way ProjectName003 is turning out, I can scrap it, go back to ProjectName002 and start again from there.
Ah. Ok. That makes sense. I guess I just use history to deal with anything I’m not happy with
For the most part, yes, I use history to step back if I don’t like something too. But I have had files become corrupted before, in other programs, to the point that they were unrecoverable. So working incrementally has saved me from having to start over and redo hours or days worth of work.
As to the question of why there’s no “Save” command in ZBrush, I can’t give you any definitive answer. I can only assume that they want you to save incrementally rather than just work on one file only.
From the ZBrush documentation:
Expert Tip: Please get in a habit of saving your work often and incrementally. ZBrush is a very demanding application, pushing huge amounts of data. Computers are not perfect and even a slight error can create problems such as corrupt files that cannot be reloaded. Saving your work every hour or so will prevent losing a lot of time and effort should the unthinkable happen. To be as safe as possible, it is also recommended to save under a different name each time so as to maintain three or more increments just in case something goes wrong with one of the saves, corrupting it. Although ZBrush does have an auto-save (see below) it is best not to rely on it as the only means of saving your work.
My understanding from reading the opening post, is that SophieW is just saying that the convenience of “Save” is often better than “Save As”.
I’m sure a ZScript could probably be written to perform a “Save” command. I’m not much of a programmer though and don’t have any experience with scripting in ZBrush. And I don’t have a need for such a function since I prefer using “SaveAs”, but maybe someone else might be able to create such a script.
@dillster - yes, you have it exactly. It just seems like an odd omission, so I assume it must be deliberate. Maybe for the reason Cad64 gives