ZBrushCentral

Suggestion/queery Make bandages with Zspheres

ZBrush Usage Questions
#1

Just a queery;

I love using zspheres and one way I thought would be a good use for them is making wrapping (bandages and straps, belts and all that ropy flat stuff)

I know there is a work around, make the zsphere rope wrap then export that skin into a 3d program, remove all but 1 of the rings and shell/extrude it) but that needs a lot of tweaking and external support.

It would be much faster and with better results to just have a setting in adaptive skin for thickness x,y so we can make non uniform widths of our zsphere skins. The best part is, no external program!

What also would be amazing is replacing the adaptive skin with another mesh, like a modular chain mesh. (I have used zsphere rigging for chains but increasing there length always became an issue)

thanks!

Also I’m guessing these new retopo tools may also be an option, but like all 3D stuff, they probably wont work over multiple subtools and have the added flexibility of the Zspheres.

#2

http://www.zbrushcentral.com/showthread.php?170167-Insert-Multi-Mesh-Repository

#3

Heya!

I’ve been playing around with the IMM curves function, and while it may be cool for adding floating ribbons and stuff, I just can’t get the control I get from Zsheres.
There are some things I do like about it, the whole random mesh distribution and all that.

I cant wrap the curve around thing objects. It just freaks out even with max bend angle set to max and stroke points set low (though that messes up my mesh when I set the stroke like that)
I cant rotate the curve.

Trying to sort out the curve by pulling the curve (bending it) it really awkward. I cant use that function to straighten my curve out.

it spins and rotates out of my control. I have to pull the curve a long way for it to unfurl itself or to fix any problems in the curve like kinks.

I cant vary the width on the IMM along the curve. So I have the same width strap over the entire thing.

If there is a way to convert zspheres to curves, that would be a nice work around.

Right now after many hours of working with the IMM curve, I find it to be extremely awkward. I feel I have little control and wrapping the curve around things to make straps can work, and sometimes it just throws a wobbly and pops out, ruining y wrap around effect.

I want to like it, but it seems to be more trouble than its worth.