ZBrushCentral

ZBrush - "New Feature and Workflow Suggestions"

ZBrush Usage Questions
#1

INTRODUCTION
I know the user interface gets a bad wrap from a lot of people but I think it has more to do with the long winded way ZBrush makes you perform tasks that should be more intuitive. IMO it takes many, many steps to do something in ZBrush when it could be done much faster and simpler. Below are my suggestions that I feel would make working in ZBrush faster and much more fun and intuitive.

Please read my suggestions with an open mind and remember these are just one users ideas as to how to improve things. Let me know what you think.

REALTIME 3D
• Having to press “T” and then select “Make Polymesh 3D” just to be able to rotate around a 3D object seems redundant. Get rid of this method. Why not allow users to choose in their “Preferences” whether they want to work in 3D mode or 2D mode so when you open ZBrush you could immediately be in the mode you want. If it was set to 3D mode then you would immediately be able to rotate the model in 3D without having to Press “T” and then press “Make Polymesh 3D”.

PAINT ANYTIME
• Having to drop and pickup models just to be able to paint them is just another step that wastes a lot of time and IMO is not needed. Why not be able to just pick up a brush and paint in real time at any time like in Mudbox and 3DCoat?

PAINT IN REALTIME 3D
• You cannot rotate around your model while painting on it. Why not? This seems like a must have feature.

EXPORTABLE UV MAPS
• It would be great if you could export a UV FLAT map or Pelt map map (I’m not talking Zapplink) that you could open in an image editor like Photoshop and work on. Any changes made in the image editor would automatically update in ZBrush once the file was saved in the image editor.

OBJECTS SAVED AS SEPARATE LAYERS ON IMPORT
• IMO there are a lot of the quirky things you have to do to use “Subtools”. Why not simplify the whole thing.

If I create an OBJ in another 3D application with multiple objects (body, eyes, helmet, goggles, spear etc.) ZBrush should be able to import the object and each part (body, eyes, helmet, goggles, spear etc.) would be saved to a separate layer. Each layer should be able to be sculpted and painted on separately. Like Photoshop. Right now ZBrush makes you jump through hoops to get this done.

UI (USER INTERFACE)
• I don’t mind the UI except for the large amount of text buttons scattered at the top of the UI. Please standardize the UI and make it more organized.

#2


You can. It’s called PolyPaint. The instructions for how to do this are at www.pixologic.com/docs. You can’t use Tools because Tools are pixol-based. But you can use any of the brushes found in the Brush palette, complete with textures and alphas. You can also sculpt and paint simultaneously.

Again, it’s called PolyPaint and it’s very easy to do. You don’t even need UV’s assigned yet, and can actually change UV’s at any time without losing all the time you’ve already spent texturing.

If you export your model so that each part is a different polygroup, then after importing your model into ZBrush simply press Tool>SubTool>GrpSplit. Presto! Your model is now separate subtools for each part.

Or you can export your figure as individual OBJ files, then use SubTool Master to import the whole lot of them at once, automatically assigning them to separate SubTools.


It’s very easy to customize the interface, just about any way you want it. Check out the Interface Customization section at www.pixologic.com/docs. You can even set up different interfaces for specific tasks, and quickly switch between them via the UI switching buttons found in the title bar.

#3

Thanks Aurick, First let me say I am appreciative of all your work helping us here in the forum. You are doing a great job :slight_smile:

Regarding my post above, I understand ZBrush can do some of the things I mentioned above, but I think you missed my point. What I am really saying is that ZBrush takes the Long way around the problem and I was wanting to know if there are any plans by Pixologic to change some of the workflow to make it easier and faster to get things done. A LOT of people find the steps to getting things done in ZBrush to be quite backwards and the steps don’t make a lot of sense. Let’s face it you can enter Mudbox and work in it without ever having read any documentation, but that’s not the case with ZBrush.

I hope there will be steps taken by the Pixo team to look at reworking ZBrush and changing the way ZBrush does things.

Take Painting for example. You said it can easily be done above, but I think it could be a whole lot easier. Why do we have to “Drop” and “Pick up” the model just to paint it? Sure maybe it has to do with the whole 2D & 3D thing, but why not change this so it more fluid?

Another example is REALTIME 3D
• Having to press “T” and then select “Make Polymesh 3D” just to be able to rotate around a 3D object seems redundant. Get rid of this method. Why not allow users to choose in their “Preferences” whether they want to work in 3D mode or 2D mode so when you open ZBrush you could immediately be in the mode you want. If it was set to 3D mode then you would immediately be able to rotate the model in 3D without having to Press “T” and then press “Make Polymesh 3D”.

These are just ideas that would make working in ZBrush so much better. I like the straight forward and uncomplicated way Mudbox allows you to do things. I am hoping Pixologic adopts some of the simplicity of Mudbox.

Thanks :slight_smile:

#4

you talk about dropping and picking up, you can do almost all your texture painting using polypaint without ever entering Projection Master now.
Also why not just make a startup macro that draws a 3d model on the canvas and enters edit mode, then clears the canvas. i have one it does all this and more and takes about a second and i just press it when i startup, no sweat, and then every model i load after that is already in edit mode.
makepolymesh3d is usually to go from a parametric object to a true poly model.
lastly, i disagree with you about mudbox, its more confusing to me when i first opened it than zbrush ever was.

#5

WOW! talk about picky… jeeeez.

trust me, if you take the time to learn the ZBrush workflow just once (which i can tell you haven't started to do)--just once--you won't forget it, and it is very logical and convenient. once you get your training wheels off you won't forget how to ride this bike. the great thing about it, which also might make it confusing at first, is that ZBrush allows you to change just about anything about a model at anytime without having to start completely over, hence the seemingly awkward workflow. you can pick your own workflow... and if you mess up, it's not the end of the world; that's the miracle of Z. there's no set worklow. if you want to work effeciently you may do so... if you want to just wing it, you can do that, too.

you can also remove the text at the top by pressing the Menus button in the top, far right and save your UI config.

the only time you have to use the Make Polymesh 3D is when working with Primitives that you no longer want to use the procedural primitive deformations on and want to begin sculpting. You don’t have to use it for imported objects. Very simple.

there are a few bugs and glitches, but the workflow is in the correct place. give'r a spin.

in fact, i can’t imagine them making it much easier, but they do with each release.

#6

Hey take it easy inverted, everyone doesn’t have to agree with you on the UI being “logical and convenient” which I disagree. I case you didn’t notice, the most commented reason for people not using ZBrush is the quirky UI.

Yes I am working on learning and will hopefully like the UI, but I am only making suggestions. :)

#7

apologies. just trying to match your passion :wink:

#8

No Problem :wink:

#9

Hey, what about a feature where you can paint multiple channels like Diffuse (Which can be already done with polypainting), Specular (you can see the changes in the specular shine in real time) i had to make a matcap material to do this type of visualisation. Other than that I am content with the current Zbrush features

#10

I think that would be a great idea! :slight_smile: