ZBrushCentral

Problem with a deformation of a 3D mesh

ZBrush Usage Questions
#1

I wanted to do the following:

Draw a 3D Ring.

Go to Transform mode.

Go to Tool>Initialize>Coverage and set Coverage to 100 to get a section of the ring.

I found that, initially, moving the deformer setting (Coverage) from 360 to 100 had no effect. After fiddling for awhile, resetting to 360, then resetting again to 100, I got the desired result. I have no idea why.

In Introducing ZBrush, Eric Keller writes: “In some cases, deformations work better on a polymesh 3D tool than with a parametric 3D mesh. Sometimes the deformation will conflict with the initialize settings and the results can be unpredictable. With some experience and experimentation you’ll learn when you need to convert a parametric tool to a polymesh before using a deformer” (p89).

For me, at least, that “explanation” isn’t particularly helpful. Rather than stumbling around for some indefinite period of time, I would like to understand what would cause deformations (manipulating parameters) not to work as expected with a tool that is, by definition, a parametric 3D mesh. Any help would be much appreciated.

DocPit

#2

The problem is that you’re confusing Deformations with Initialize settings.

Each is in a different menu within the Tool palette.

Initialize settings only apply to parametric objects. These set up the math from which those shapes are defined. From there you need to convert the model to a Polymesh to make the model editable on more than a very basic level. (However, because parametric models are derived from mathematic formulae, this is the only time during which certain masking options like Grid, Row and Column are available.

Deformations can be used on any model. The easiest way to understand each deformation is to hold Ctrl while you mouse over them in the menu.

Put another way, Initialize settings define a shape while Deformations transform the shape.

#3

aurick,

I understood the basic difference between “initialize” and “deform” although your explanation provided a deeper understanding. Thank you. However, with respect to my post, the real problems are here:

  1. I found that, initially, moving the deformer setting (Coverage) from 360 to 100 had no effect. After fiddling for awhile, resetting to 360, then resetting again to 100, I got the desired result. I have no idea why.

and here

  1. In Introducing ZBrush, Eric Keller writes: “…Sometimes the deformation will conflict with the initialize settings and the results can be unpredictable."

Unpredictable is not good. I’m trying to understand why my moving the deformer setting had no effect. It would be helpful if I could find an example of how deformation settings might conflict with initialize settings, as Keller suggests. Or is there some other possible explanation for why my resetting Coverage from 360 to 100 had no effect?

#4

1) I cannot duplicate what you describe. Which version of ZBrush are you using? Have you installed ZStartup items such as plugins that were not released by Pixologic?

  1. Coverage is NOT a deformer setting. It’s an Initialize setting. Keller is talking about how sometimes settings in the Initialize menu will create problems with certain items in the Deformation menu. (He could have phrased the paragraph to say this better.) But that’s not what you’re experiencing. You’re experiencing a problem with an Initialize setting. You have not even touched a deformer according to your workflow, and even if you did altering an Initialize setting immediately resets the primitive to a mathematical state, undoing all deformations that have been performed on it. Therefore that paragraph that you’re laboring over is a red herring in this issue.
#5

I see what you mean. Yes, I am confusing the two.

What I find so frustrating is that I’ll encounter a problem, find a workaround (sometimes, just closing the document and reopening it), I muddle ahead, but I haven’t learned anything. As a novice, I don’t mess with the settings, so I have no idea why something that was not working suddenly is working when I simply close and reopen a document. It may just be that learning ZBrush (3.5rc3) is messy, and I like to keep my learning process as orderly as possible. Ain’t life a b!#@h!

Thanks very much for your patient explanations. Your help is much appreciated.

DocPit