Thanks for the explanation, I see how to do it now with a Zsphere via >Topology - select Topo, then edit topology.
I will check out the curve editable brush with the settings you have suggested.
Thanks again,
Sam.
Firstly thank you for your excellent tutorials.
I need to build a decorative bead around a piece of armor. I have made the bead but I would like to keep the string of beads the same size for most of the curves length but would like to taper it toward the end. much like the ‘tentacle’ in your tutorials but not a constant taper.
is there a way to insert a maker of point on the curve to start the taper other than from the start point?
thank you in advance
Patrick
Mike, thanks for the reply!
Even though, I had some idea how to deal w multiple insert brushes, I have definitively missed a lot hints from your guide so I ended doing a lot of extra steps. Considering that’s now the fastest way to do it that’s really a great great help!
Mike 
I now have another issue with curve settings. I would like to keep them but all the settings get lost in process of converting of subtools to multi insert brush. So each time I have made a new multi brush I have to set the right curve setting for my brushes and then re save it. These settings are important for meshes which are repeating itself like ribbed pipes, hoses etc. It would be just great if you could easily update the multi insert brush (edit, delete or add) without loosing any brush curve settings.
Hi Michael
I don’t have any questions, just wanted to swing by and thank you for making these illuminating tutorials.
Cheers man.
@patrickZbursh
I need to build a decorative bead around a piece of armor. I have made the bead but I would like to keep the string of beads the same size for most of the curves length but would like to taper it toward the end. much like the ‘tentacle’ in your tutorials but not a constant taper.
is there a way to insert a maker of point on the curve to start the taper other than from the start point?
For sure, if I’m understanding the question correctly, make your curve like the one in the attached image to have a taper that isn’t gradual (and if you want it to taper from the other side, drag the curve points from the bottom to the top and vice versa on the opposite side). Remember you can grab the orange circles around any point and pull them in / widen them out to sharpen / soften the curves. You can also add more points to the curve by clicking on the curve, or delete points from the curve by clicking on the point and dragging it out of the curve window.
I would like to keep them but all the settings get lost in process of converting of subtools to multi insert brush. So each time I have made a new multi brush I have to set the right curve setting for my brushes and then re save it. These settings are important for meshes which are repeating itself like ribbed pipes, hoses etc. It would be just great if you could easily update the multi insert brush (edit, delete or add) without loosing any brush curve settings.
Hmmmm…did a little playing around with this. Looks like you can have IMM (insert multi mesh) brushes that have curve modes saved, but it’s saved globally for each of the meshes…if you’re ok with that global setting, if you want to append another shape (say you’ve got a library of pipes with all your curve modes correct and you want to add another type), you should be able to have the brush selected, have the object you want to add (make sure it’s oriented correctly), hit the “create insert mesh” button, and a dialogue window should pop up asking if you want to append this shape. Say yes, and it’ll add that shape and keep your curve settings intact.
However, like I said the curve settings appear to be global, so you can’t mix curve mode brushes with simple insert only brushes. Also, if you want to add bunch of subtool pipes at a time, hitting “create insert multi mesh” won’t bring up the dialogue window asking if you want to append, so you’ll have to do them manually one at a time if you’re appending.
Hope that’s ok :-/ Let me know if you find a more elegant solution!
Thanks Man!
I was able to follow this until the very end. At the end however, you attached the zombie arm to the sphere (I assume it was a dynamesh sphere). Then you ctrl-dragged twice on the background and it fused the two together. I know how ctrl-dragging the background remeshes your dynamesh objects, but mine don’t look like yours did. Mind didn’t add a seperate polygroup loop where the two groups connected (yours added a green loop where the two objects meet). It just looks like when I do it, it doesn’t really do anything.
It also seemed to fuse my seperate polygroups into one polygroup. I clicked the “group” button under dynamesh menu, and that keeps the polygroups intact, but it doesn’t really look like it merges the two objects the same way it does in your video.
Hope that question makes sense.
Please advise.
Thanks!
*edit - Awesome tutorials btw!!! I’m learning a ton! Thanks!
@film_guy01
It wasn’t a dynamesh, it was just a polymesh3D sphere; this workflow allows you to add geometry without having to use dynamesh (they both have their strengths and weaknesses); the steps are:
–drag out a polysphere, make it a polymesh3D
–mask off an area, and hit ctl+w (polygroup masked area / clear mask)
–drag an insert brush (make sure you drag it touching the new polygroup you just made, and make sure there’s 1 and only 1 hole in your insert mesh, for example the hole in the back of the arm; you can use the hcylinder insert brush for another example)
–position your mesh if you need to
–ctl drag once to clear your mask
–ctl drag one more time to have zbrush interpolate the geometry from the hole in your insert mesh to the polygroup you dragged out on
If you keep watching the videos, I explain in more detail when I start creating my insert mesh creature using my zombie bodyparts (I think it’s the next video). Hope that helps, once you get the hang of it, it feels natural!
Thanks!! That seemed to work. Although I swear I was doing that before and it wasn’t working.
Here’s one last question though. Does the mesh you are inserting have to have a hole in it in order for it to connect to your original mesh in a sensible way? Because when I try to insert a cube or a cylinder it connects it in a pretty weird and unhelpful way. The only thing I could think is that it doesn’t know how to connect it logically since there isn’t a hole in it it doesn’t know where to make the connections.
It just uses the new polygroup you create as its joining location… maybe fiddle with that selection for the best attachement?
Well I’ve been fiddling but it still doesn’t seem to be working the way it was in Michael’s video. Here is a picture of what I mean.
Two very simple shapes but it just doesn’t seem like it should be inserting the mesh that way. Am I missing something?
ah; instead of using a cylinder, use the Hcylinder insert mesh–when using this method, your insert mesh needs one (and only one!) hole on it. Drag that out on your polygroup, then ctl-drag twice; it should interpolate the geo correctly. turn off the geometry > smt modifier to have a “harder” transition.
Ah ha! That worked. So it does need to have a hole in it to connect correctly. That’s exactly what I needed to know. Thanks!
Yeah, does the mesh you are inserting have an open end? What you are getting is the imperfect hole at the pole of a closed cylinder. Use the HR cylinder insert brush, click on the new polygroup of your base shape and draw out the open ended cylinder on that group, cntrl swipe, cntrl swipe and bob’s yer uncle.
Thank you very much, that’s would do it! I am kinda surprised that none of the beta testers actually asked for better implementation of such features considering that we are actually talking about asset management. It is bit odd you cannot delete a brush from the set as well.
…or maybe that’s just me talking considering that I have, yet again, another issue to clear up
Curve Snap Surface Brush - Adjusting length resets the curve order
I think there is a problem with Curve Snap Surface Brush because whenever you are adjusting the length of one particular curve (alt - ), the order of all curves gets rearranged. On example, even your curve was created on the first place, every update to the length rearranges that curve to to the last place in the order. The problem is that any change in the order makes your surface twisted.
Cheers!
Ivan
Hi, I was just wondering in the one video you create a ring by drawing out the curve and then holding shift. I can’t seem to get this to work, it just makes the curve a straight line, and the one or two times I have gotten it to “work” it only goes about half way around. Any suggestions?
Who’s saying we didn’t ask?? 
Hi, I was just wondering in the one video you create a ring by drawing out the curve and then holding shift. I can’t seem to get this to work, it just makes the curve a straight line, and the one or two times I have gotten it to “work” it only goes about half way around. Any suggestions?
Depending on the topology of the underlying mesh that you’re trying to make a ring around, it can sometimes have a hard time completing the ring all the way around the mesh, I’ve had that happen too. In fact, on my creature guy, when I tried making a ring around his neck (with the mouth sculpted inwards) I was having a hard time; I had to temporarily store a morph target and sculpt his mouth / neck cavity out for the topology curve drawing to get the curves to successfully go all the way around.
I would say that if you’re going across an axis with symmetry turned on, go ahead and turn symmetry off…and like I said about the mouth / neck cavity example, you can temporarily fill in problem areas of your sculpt if your ring isn’t going all the way around the mesh. Not an ideal solution but I haven’t played with it enough to find a better one. Usually what I use it for is going around simpler shapes (simple rectangular / trapezoid shapes, cylindrical arms / legs / fingers, that sort of thing) and it works 90% of the time. Shoulders can be trickier and the shift + leave mesh technique doesn’t work, usually have to “ring” it manually in those cases.
Yeah, that seemed to work, thanks.
totally posted in the wrong tread
REMOVED …