ZBrushCentral

Rotation data of subtools accessable? (Geometry > Position)

ZBrush Usage Questions
#1

Hello,
I can adjust position of subtools in Geometry > Position.
But how about Rotation?

I wanted exactly orient subtools in space.
Example, when I imported from Maya an OBJ with new orientation and want the old subtools give the same orientation/rotation.
With “position” I can take the same values for old subtools, but there is no field for rotation.

Thanks

#2

“Tool > Deformation > Rotate” . Select X, Y or Z then click on slider for red box to enter numerical values in degrees.

#3

These values aren‘t absolute values, they are just a tool to rotate numerical and always show 0 by default.
I want to see the rotation orientation of the tool and match with other subtools.
(Like transformation values in Maya and all other 3D packages of the world)

Thanks

#4

I see what you mean now. You want to know what angle they are already set to. I found it odd too that in" Tool > Geometry" there is Position and Size but no Rotation values indicated. You should submit a ticket to support to request this feature.

1 Like
#5

Rotation has no absolute value for 3D models because a computer can’t determine what is “front”.

#6

So it only needs a simple definition:
0 0 0 degree is, where at the creation event is the +Z direction.

#7

Yes, indeed, that could be done. But it would only have relevance within ZBrush. The Position/Scale values are derived from the imported file (or for adjustment of the file on export). OBJ etc. don’t carry any rotation data. (FBX does but only in the context of animation.)

If you want to make a suggestion for a new feature the way to do it is to submit a ticket to Pixologic Support. That way the developers are sure to see it.

#8

I already wrote the suggestion to the support. They will have a look…

So far I know, anyway all zbrush transformation values are only helpful inside zBrush. But maybe this is even easier for rotation. 000 needs only to be defined in the same way like Maya does, maybe with Y-up as reference.

Let me tell, how I successfully could use existing transform data:

  • 1 week before I imported a mesh from Maya, sculpted in zBrush and exported it again as OBJ to Maya.
    Result: positions still match perfect
  • in Maya I needed to move the environment. Then I exported (just to have the new position) the mesh again from Maya and imported in zBrush.
    Result: Yes, the transformation values from Maya and zBrush have nothing to do with each other. But when I only looked at zBrush and compare the subtools, then I could see the position of the old subtool, which was different from position of the re-imported subtool.
  • So I took the position values of the re-imported Maya-subtool and put the same values in all the old subtools.
    Result: Now even the old subtools match perfect to the new position in Maya :slight_smile:
  • It means: Whatever zBrush is assigning for position, because that is translated and written into the OBJ file at export, then I will of course get the same values back after reimport in zBrush. And theses values help to perfect align objects in zBrush.

Furthermore: It should be much easier with rotation than with size or position, because only size and position were affected by the typical downscaling at import in zBrush.
But when zBrush at import reads existing rotation data in the OBJ and just fills those in „Geometry > position > rotation“, then you already got perfect data.
(This all does not affect the orientation of the mesh, it only tells where the pivot is looking at the moment).
So as far as I understand, it is easy to adapt and write out rotation data.
Only size and position do not match with other applications.

#9

Just wanted to mention a small bug with layers I found, after I changed subtool position:
After I corrected the subtool position in “geometry > position” and toggled an pre-existing layer (blendshape), then the position is set back to the old position.
So the layers had to be baked all… this is maybe a bug.

#10

Bugs, like feature requests, must be submitted to Pixologic Support if you’d like them to receive any technical attention. These are just the community boards, largely populated by other users like yourself. We don’t develop the program.