Bas, is there a possibility of getting a script showing the creation of the grass. I tried to duplicate today, but ran into all kinds of problems. Any help is appreciated. Thanks.
Here is the script how to make the grass. The last part of the script went wrong, the part showing how to place the grass on a plane. Just make a plane in perspctive position and select the grass. When placing it you can rotate and scale it.
Basgrass.zip (85.3 KB)
Thanks, now I get it! It runs kind of strange for me though. I get parts of the model stuff all over the screen. It looks like the preview blew up and there are just stray polygons everywhere. I got the same thing on another computer I was working with earlier today when I tried it on my own. I will post a picture possibly to show you what I mean. Thanks again for the speedy response.
GREAT work and a GREAT explanation of how you did it, even I was able to grasp it, which means you explain very well! 
My brain is having a meltdown. This should be working, but I’ll be darned if I can get it to work. I am hoping to make some grass for a project, and I have tried the method described. When I do a preview and move things around to make the grass thinner and then go back to the sphere model to position, things are fine. When I go back to preview, my grass has exploded and I have polygons everywhere. The model just goes haywire. When I run the script, the same thing happens. I don’t get it. Any ideas besides giving up.
Thanks again for the assistance.
Merchen, You can download the grass I used here:
http://web.inter.nl.net/users/bmazur/Grass.zip
The texture is atached here.
Let me know if you can use it.
Regards, BasGrass.zip (42.1 KB)
Ok, is there something wrong with my program or something? Is it my video card? Here is what I get when I preview the grass. It looks like a bunch of dancing worms. 
??? 
I can’t figure out what is going on. Thanks for the assist once again Bas.
You forget to set the preview!! 
Adaptive skin > preview
That is my preview. That is why I am so confused. Why is my program flaking out?
DMerchen I don’t know what is going on there. Strange… Here is mine.
Do you use ZB 2.0? Maybe you have to reinstall?
Attachments
I’m guessing that one of three things is happening:
A) You’re forgetting to set Tool>Adaptive Skin>Density to 1 before flattening the blades.
B) You’re forgetting to flatten the blades. 
C) You’re using the Density slider to change subdivision levels rather than setting it to the highest level that you need and then using the Geometry menu to change levels.
Incidentally, here’s a really easy way to flatten the blades: Activate the mesh preview and then look at Tool>Preview to see which axis is which. In the ZScript example, the blades need to be flattened on the Y axis. So you simply do a Tool>Deformation>Size Y at about -98. Voila! Instant thin mesh without having to painstakingly move individual points.
Yes, you can use Deformations on a Preview mesh!
Aurick, the blades are flat already. I shaped it in the original file. When you download the grass, open it as a Ztool and place it, it looks like my last picture.
Well, I got something to work at least. Thanks Matthew for the tip. It definitely comes in handy for this type of thing. Here is my try at grass. I have way to many blades bent over, but it’s a start anyway. I had to create a ZSphere object, preview, flatten, pose and the save several different poses. Then I took the saved poses and multimark them then adjusted. This is definitely the long way. The problem I ran into when I flattened was when I tried to rotate them to create the network of blades. They didn’t rotate. I got them positioned but they were all oriented the same direction. I will have to try further tests. This is the biggest challenge for me to date, trying to make some silly grass.:o
DMerchen, it looks less ‘wormy’ now! I still cannot understand why you got the ‘worms’ form the grass I made. Have succes!!!
I apologize to everyone for boring you with these grass pictures. I did figure out the ZSphere grass method. Well, at least I figured out a work around. It’s all in the steps and order they are done. For me anyway. Here is the last picture of grass from me. Thanks to all of those who helped. Crits?
P.S. Bas, I’m still not sure about that one either. If it looks right on your computer, why would it change on mine
The grass has been downloaded 19 times, I should like to know from the other 18 if they have the same problems like DMerchen.
--------Hey, I really like your model of the thistle and I’m
currently trying to model a thistle too. I was wondering
if you would share the script file (if it exists). If not
then would you give me a pointer on how you go about
the needles that poke out of the thistle ball.
Thank you so much. Cheers, -TomLong74------------------
Tom, here is some explaination how I did this thistle. There is no script but I show the steps I made. Succes with your thistle. It is a lot of work!
I was afraid that this was the way you did it. I had started
this method and thought there had to be a better way. I
guess I should get going on it.
Thanks for the info and images.
Cheers,
-TL74
For this I’d bail out to another modeler. I did something similar in XSI in about 30 seconds. get sphere, taper sphere, select poly’s, inset, bevel, extrude, translate… done.
Cheers
LemonNado
PS: Of course you do not end up with a single object then and it’s not a ZSphere either… And it looks rather fabricated compared to your great model…
Very nice work bas thanks for your expertise. Needs to be in the top row for sure…