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ZBrush Usage Questions
#1

Not sure if this has been suggested before and I apologize if it has or if it is so stupid the only reply I will get is someone suggesting that I stop making suggestions.

I make this because I am getting hesitant to be constantly coming back to this forum asking where certain tools are or functions within sub-palettes that no longer exist in newer upgrades.

I purchased the course on anatomy by Ryan Kingslien and was dismayed to realize that the unwritten prerequisite was a far better working knowledge of where tools and function buttons existed in the GUI than I had. So I went and bought a couple of Kindle books that covered the latest versions of Zbrush. The trouble was that the most recent publications are a couple of years old and a lot of it is now outdated…making it cumbersome to try to find things that no longer exist in the program.

I would look in the online docs and google and you tube and once in a while I would find the answer but the majority of times I ended up having to post my questions here. And every time I did I was quickly and graciously answered with very simple solutions concisely given to me by some very patient folks. But the more I had to ask the more I felt I was using up my welcome and would one day find myself banned from asking further questions.

So I had this thought that it would be a nice addition to the online docs to not remove items from the docs that had been taken out of newer upgrades to the program…but to leave them in with some kind of asterix or something to inform the reader that that function or tool was removed…and maybe why and also what the workaround is to achieve what that tool or function used to achieve.

I know others have said that info is in the What’s new docs. But if the change was made in let’s say version 4R3 then it would not be listed in the What’s new doc for version 4R6.

Anyhow it is just a suggestion. And I do want to take this moment to thank zber2 and Doug and all the others who have so graciously given me their time in helping me hurdle some of my recent stumbling blocks. I cannot thank you enough…and I hope you will not lose patience with me as I doubt those will be the last questions that I have…

…because I was in the middle of trying to find what happened to the detailBrush in Zbrush when the idea of having a “point-to new source” addition to the online docs…so when I put in a search for the tool or brush or function that it would not return a result of “no result was found for your query.”

Thanks again…for your time and for this forum. I would have given up were it not for the help I have received here.

EDIT; Had to put this in. I just queried “detailbrush” in the search block and the only thread that came up was this one.

Attachments

query.jpg

#2

Thanks for your suggestion. I have been thinking for a while that something along those lines would be useful, especially when there are so many tutorials out there for different versions, so I will see what can be done.

As for the detailBrush, I have no idea about that - it’s not familiar at all! Can you say where you saw it referred to?

#3

The “detailBrush” is referred to in Eric Keller’s book, “Introducing Zbrush 3rd Edition” in the 6th chapter (I have the Kindle version so I do not have a page number, only a percentage and Loc Number) where he says it can be used when refining the edges of eyelids and lips and he alternates between the detailBrush, the Smooth brush,and the hPolish brush to create wrinkles around the eyes…and then he shows an example.

detailBrush.jpg

While I have you attention…I could not find the “Tilt Brush” settings that Keller infers is in the Modifiers subpalette within the Brush palette. I could not even find the Modifiers subpalette.

And thank you for affirming my suggestion by mentioning that you have thought about something along those lines. Maybe just putting the name of the tool or function in a different color that represents something that has been changed or removed and then a reference to tool and or function or palette that has taken it’s place or has become the newer alternative to that older tool or method.

Thanks again.

#4

I don’t mind helping you because you always take the time to say thanks, which is something quite a few people on this forum can’t be bothered to do.

About the detailBrush…

I’ve been using ZBrush since 3.1 and I don’t remember seeing “detailBrush”. Maybe it’s a custom brush he created himself earlier in the book? I don’t have the book so I can’t say for sure.

About the Tilt Brush slider…

new-4.JPG

#5

Thanks again zber2. I keep forgetting…maybe my age (hope not)…to look down the list and tend to focus on the open window of the first opened subpalette. Kick me. I do see the “modifier” down the list on the Brush Palette.

Maybe a lot of the users of this forum are too busy and once they get your answers they rush off to try it and forget to come back in the forum to reply. That is something my wife would say. She is a much nicer person than I am!

Hopefully one day they will have an epiphany and realize how lucky they were that folks like you and others here who always seem to be right here to help…often with no thanks. And they will say an inner-belated thank you.

You might be right that Keller created the brush somewhere earlier in the book…but I have going through it very meticulously and slowly. Actually am taking 2 weeks off from the gallery so I can learn Zbrush. Trying to cloister myself off to avoid distractions. I will glance back, or do a search in the kindle program for the words detailBrush.

Thanks again zber2. And don’t lose heart…the Zbrush world is a better place due to the devotion of you and others to be there to guide us all over the hurdles.

BTW - how do you make such professional and nice looking diagrams like the one you have here of the Tilt Brush Slider?

#6

Zber2 you are correct. I did a search in Kindle and the detailBrush was a custom brush…so much for meticulous. Thanks.