ZBrushCentral

Questions about base meshes/workflow and Zbrush camera

ZBrush Usage Questions
#1

Hello,

Is there an advantage to creating your base mesh in Zbrush instead of Maya? Also is it better to create and detail the model before posing it, or to pose the base mesh and model from there? I was thinking of creating a Zspheres pose, then exporting to Maya for further editing and then back to Zbrush for details.

Also is there an easier way to control the Zbrush camera? Coming from a Maya background, in my opinion the Zbrush camera feels harder to control. For example, in Maya you can select a poly face, and then toggle the camera to zoom in and frame it. Also, you have Orthogonal views and a grid for size referencing. The zoom and rotation in Zbrush cameras is another thing I’m adjusting to. Just curious how other Maya artists have transitioned to Zbrush and if there are tools/tips to help.

Thanks.

sv17

#2

It might depend on what you wish to model. I can see zbrush offering a lot of speed when it comes to just diving in and creating something, especially if you’re familiar to it’s toolset. A typical basemesh done in an external app like Maya or Softimage can still have some advantages though. It might boil down to what you’re faster with for the given task.

Camera wise, holding shift when rotating will snap it, allowing you to quickly get your front/side/top/etc views. Hit p to toggle perspective off, and you’ll have your orthographic view.

The newer versions of zbrush also include floor grids (and grids on other axis which can be toggled) if you’d like to have them for help orient yourself. http://www.pixologic.com/docs/index.php/Floor_Grid_and_Axes