[{"_id":"show-both-sides-of-a-plane-in-zbrush","title":"How to Show Both Sides of a Plane in Zbrush","description":"By default, only one side of a plane in ZBrush will display. Here's how to show both sides.","thumbnail":"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/codyburleson.com/images/logo-zbrush.svg","created":"2018-10-13T00:00:00.000Z","topics":["zbrush"],"menus":["blog"],"body":"

By default, only one side of a plane in ZBrush will display because the surface normals are facing in only one direction. If you rotate the plane in the workspace, the plane will become invisible when turned to the other side.

To see both sides, go to Tool > Display Properties and click the Double button.

","modified":"2021-05-31T10:49:27.541Z","layoutName":"SidebarRight","subtitle":"","path":["blog"]},{"_id":"change-canvas-background-color-in-zbrush","title":"How to Change Canvas Background Color in ZBrush","description":"Here's how to change the canvas background color in ZBrush.","thumbnail":"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/codyburleson.com/images/logo-zbrush.svg","created":"2018-10-07T00:00:00.000Z","modified":"2021-05-07T15:52:06.173Z","topics":["zbrush"],"menus":["blog"],"body":"

Here’s how to change the canvas background color in ZBrush.

\n\n

In the Document palette, click on the Back button (as shown below). Continue to hold the left mouse button down and drag over any color within the app to select that color. You can drag over the variety of colors in the color picker that is to the left of the canvas, for example. If using a pen, continue to apply pressure while dragging out of the Back button region and onto a color anywhere on the screen.

\n\n

$\"\"$

","layoutName":"SidebarRight","path":["blog"]},{"_id":"use-zbrush-bend-curve-modifier","title":"How to Use the ZBrush Bend Curve Modifier","description":"Here’s how to bend things in ZBrush using the Bend Curve modifier.","thumbnail":"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/codyburleson.com/images/logo-zbrush.svg","created":"2018-10-07T00:00:00.000Z","modified":"2021-05-31T10:51:06.453Z","topics":["zbrush"],"menus":["blog"],"body":"

Here’s how to bend things in ZBrush using the Bend Curve modifier. It's an essential technique that you will likely use a lot in your sculpting.

Take the following cylinder for example…

$\"\"$

Let’s bend it!

Press either W, E, or R for Move, Scale, or Rotate. You can also press the Move, Scale, or Rotate icons in the top toolbar. This brings up the transform gizmo as shown below.

$\"\"$

Press the gear icon, which brings up the Transform Type modal…

$\"\"$

In the Transform Type modal, click the Bend Curve modifier button indicated by the red arrow above. At this point, you may get a message that the mesh is a 3D-Primitive. If so, you’ll need to click the Make PolyMesh3D button in the Tool palette to convert it.

$\"\"$

Drag on the indicated axis cone to change the axis that you wish to bend on. We’ll pull it out one stop to position 2, which is the Y axis. You will see the yellow bend points change.

$\"\"$

Drag the indicated cone to change the number of bend points if you want. Then just drag on the bend points to bend the PolyMesh as desired.

$\"\"$

Notice that you can also drag on the indicated scale or twist cones to scale and/or twist at the selected bend point.

When you’re done bending the PolyMesh to your liking, click the gear icon again and then the Accept button to apply the changes.

","layoutName":"SidebarRight","subtitle":"","path":["blog"]},{"_id":"how-to-apply-texture-in-zbrush","title":"How to Apply Texture in ZBrush","description":"A quick tutorial on how to apply texture to an object in ZBrush.","thumbnail":"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/codyburleson.com/images/logo-zbrush.svg","created":"2018-09-03T00:00:00.000Z","topics":["zbrush"],"menus":["blog"],"body":"

$\"\"$

\n\t\t\n\t\t

A quick tutorial of how to apply a texture to an object in ZBrush.

\n\t\t\n\t\t

For this tutorial, we’ll work with a simple sphere object.

\n\t\t\n\t\t

Start by drawing a Sphere3D onto the canvas and press the T key to go immediately into edit mode.

\n\t\t\n\t\t

$\"\"$

\n\t\t\n\t\t

In the Tool palette, click Make PolyMesh3D.

\n\t\t\n\t\t

In the Tool palette > Texture Map, click the empty texture box (slot).

\n\t\t\n\t\t

$\"\"$

\n\t\t\n\t\t

In the resulting dialog, click Import to find your texture map image, which I’m told must be either PhotoShop PSD, JPEG, or TIFF. You should then see your texture map loaded into the slot and the Texture On button should be selected (on), as shown below.

\n\t\t\n\t\t

$\"\"$

\n\t\t\n\t\t

If you had a dark matcap on the object you will see the texture projected onto that base color, as shown below, which is not really what we want.

\n\t\t\n\t\t

$\"\"$

\n\t\t\n\t\t

To fix this, click the matcap slot…

\n\t\t\n\t\t

$\"\"$

\n\t\t\n\t\t

Pick something whiter; I find that SkinShade4 works well.

\n\t\t\n\t\t

$\"\"$

\n\t\t\n\t\t

Now, the only problem is that the texture is distorted on the object because of the UV mapping. We can adjust this in the Tool palette > UV Map section. In this case, we need only click the Uvb button to apply Uv Box.

\n\t\t\n\t\t

$\"\"$

\n\t\t\n\t\t

You could do various other UV adjustments here depending on your need. Try clicking the Morph UV button to unwrap the selected SubTool into the UV layout; this is a very cool way to see how the UV is actaully laid out on the mesh.

\n\t\t\n\t\t

As you can see below, simply applying the Uv Box was sufficient for this case.

\n\t\t\n\t\t

$\"\"$

","modified":"2021-06-01T04:44:09.659Z","path":["blog"],"layoutName":"SidebarRight","subtitle":""},{"_id":"use-spotlight-to-display-reference-images-in-zbrush","title":"How to Use Spotlight to Display Reference Images in ZBrush","description":"A procedure for using Spotlight to display reference images in ZBrush.","thumbnail":"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/codyburleson.com/images/logo-zbrush.svg","created":"2018-08-20T00:00:00.000Z","modified":"2021-05-07T16:13:12.539Z","topics":["zbrush"],"menus":["blog"],"body":"

Here is a procedure for using Spotlight to display reference images in ZBrush.

\n\n

Import a reference image using Texture > Import.
Once you’ve imported the image, you should see a thumbnail for the image in the Texture palette. Click the image thumbnail to select it.
In the Texture palette, now click the plus/minus icon to add the selected image to Spotlight. The icon looks like this:
\n $\"\"$
Press the comma key (,) to get rid of Lightbox if that pops up. You will see the image imported into the ZBrush workspace. You will also see the Lightbox Dial or wheel with all sorts of options and tools such as scale and opacity.
You can click and drag the image to place it where you want and you can use the Spotlight dial’s tools to set things like scale and opacity.\n
- Tip: ZBrush treats all totally black areas of your image as transparent. You can use this to your advantage to isolate your reference image so that the background (if pure black) falls away.
\n
Go into the Brush palette > Samples and click the button to turn off Spotlight Projection.
Tip: Use SHIFT + Z to show and hide Spotlight. Once Spotlight is shown, press Z to display/hide the Spotlight wheel. Display the spotlight wheel, for example, to move or scale the image, then press Z again to hide the Spotlight dial and drop the image on the canvas, so you can go back to sculpting.

Save and Load Spotlight configuration

If you close your project and reopen it, you will not find all the reference images that you formerly setup in spotlight. In other words, saving a ZBrush project file does not also save the Spotlight configuration.

To save the Spotlight configuration, choose Save Spotlight in the Texture menu / palette.
To load the Spotlight configuration, choose Load Spotlight in the Texture menu / palette.

\n\n

References:

\n\n

Working with Reference images in ZBrush – YouTube

","path":["blog"]},{"_id":"weld-multiple-subtools-in-zbrush","title":"How to Weld Multiple Subtools Together to Make One Tool in ZBrush","description":"How to weld multiple subtools together to create one seamless mesh.","thumbnail":"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/codyburleson.com/images/logo-zbrush.svg","created":"2018-08-04T00:00:00.000Z","modified":"2021-05-07T16:14:26.765Z","topics":["zbrush"],"menus":["blog"],"body":"

If you want to weld multiple subtools together to create one seamless mesh, here’s how…

Supposing that you have two subtools in the Subtool palette.

Turn on Live Boolean (click the Live Boolean button to activate Live Boolean).

Then navigate to Subtool > Boolean and click Make Boolean Mesh.

This will scan through all the subtools in the Subtool pallet, weld them together, and create a new Tool that can now be found in the Tool palette.

This is different than merging subtools in the Subtool palette (using Subtool > Merge > MergeDown, for example). That technique combines the subtools, but does not literally weld the geometry together. If you’ve already got the subtools merged together in this way and you want to weld the geometry together, you can try this approach:

Duplicate detailed subtool
Dynamesh the duplicate to combine meshes into one seamless mesh
Zremesh the new merged mesh to get a clean, lower poly flow
Subdivide the new mesh a few times so it can “hold” the details
Project the initial detailed mesh onto the new clean mesh

","path":["blog"]},{"_id":"female-anatomy-out-of-the-box-in-zbrush","title":"Female Anatomy Out-Of-The-Box in ZBrush","description":"Hidden in ZBrush, there’s a fabulously detailed female anatomy model that comes out-of-the-box.","thumbnail":"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/codyburleson.com/images/logo-zbrush.svg","created":"2018-08-03T00:00:00.000Z","modified":"2021-05-07T16:15:02.559Z","topics":["zbrush"],"menus":["blog"],"body":"

I just learned that there’s a fabulously detailed female anatomy model that comes out-of-the-box with ZBrush. I never took much notice of the tool because it’s thumbnail in the tool palette is just a skeleton, but as it turns out, it’s really much more.

In ZBrush, press , to open the Lightbox and then click on the Tool link.

$\"\"$

Find and open the Ryan_Kingslien_Anatomy_Model.ZTL file with the thumbnail preview of a skeleton. Draw the tool on the canvas and you will see there’s more to it than just a skeleton!

$\"\"$

If you examine the subtool palette, you will also note that the tool is comprised of several subtools with anatomical names for each. This is great for helping you learn the anatomical names of various body parts.

$\"\"$

\n \n

The tool was developed by Ryan Kingslien. \n To learn from this master, check out his YouTube channel or the variety of \n courses offered by his company online, Vertex School.

","path":["blog"]},{"_id":"zbrush-keyboard-shortcuts","title":"ZBrush Keyboard Shortcuts","description":"My notes on ZBrush keyboard shortcuts (hotkeys) and control.","thumbnail":"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/codyburleson.com/images/logo-zbrush.svg","created":"2018-07-04T00:00:00.000Z","modified":"2021-10-15T15:12:34.307Z","topics":["zbrush"],"menus":["blog"],"body":"

My notes on ZBrush keyboard shortcuts (hotkeys) and control. \n This page is derived largely from the ZBrush Online Documentation, by Pixologic, Inc. I have reproduced much of the Keyboard Shortcut documentation here for the purpose of personal study and for adding additional notes that may be helpful to others who are new to the software. Press CTRL + F in your browser to find by keyword or click a link in the table of contents below to jump to a given section.

\n\n

Contents (Jump Navigation)

\n\n

1. General Shortcuts
2. Lightbox and Spotlight
3. Edit mode Navigation\n
- 3.1. Right-Click Navigation
\n
4. Transpose\n
- 4.1. Inner (red/white) ring actions
\n
5. Sculpting and Painting\n
- 5.1. Sculpting Brushes\n
  - 5.1.1. InsertMultiMesh brushes
  - 5.1.2. Changing the Brush hotkeys (pop-up palette)
  \n
- 5.2. Color
- 5.3. Stroke\n
  - 5.3.1. Curves
  \n
- 6. 3D Models\n
  - 6.1. SubTools
  - 6.2. Geometry
  - 6.3. Dynamesh
  - 6.4. HD Geometry
  - 6.5. Masking
  - 6.6. Topological Masking
  - 6.7. Polygroups
  - 6.8. Partial Mesh Visibility & Clip Brushes
  - 6.9. Stencil
  \n
\n

7. ZSpheres\n
- 7.1. Draw mode
- 7.2. Move mode
- 7.3. Scale mode
- 7.4. Rotate mode
\n
8. ZSketch
9. Canvas and 2.5D\n
- 9.1. Document Layers
- 9.2. Markers
- 9.3. Canvas Zoom
\n
10. Timeline\n
- 10.1. Movie
\n
11. Render
12. Custom UI and Configuration
13. ZScripts

\n\n

General shortcuts

\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n

Action	Key(s)
Open Project	`CTRL` + `O`
Save Project	`CTRL` + `S`
Undo	`CTRL` + `Z`
Redo	`SHIFT` + `CTRL` + `Z`
Popup selection (on PC only)	\n \n Tools – `F1` \n Brushes – `F2` \n Strokes – `F3` \n Alphas – `F4` \n Textures – `F5` \n Materials – `F6` (with cursor off canvas area) \n \n
Show QuickMenu	`SPACE` or right-click
Show/hide floating palettes	`TAB`
Show item description (when Popup Info is switched on)	`CTRL` + cursor over item; When Popup Info is switched on.
Show alternative item description	`CTRL` + `ALT` + cursor over item
Assign custom hotkey	`CTRL`+ `ALT` + click on item; Stores hotkeys in Preferences > Hotkeys submenu
Projection Master	`G`

\n\n

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\n\n

Lightbox and Spotlight

\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n

Action	Key(s)
Show/hide Lightbox	`,` (comma key)
load selected item	double-click on Lightbox thumbnail; Texture / Alphas will be loaded into Spotlight if it is active.
Turn on/off Spotlight	\n `SHIFT` + `Z` \n \n If the Spotlight dial does not appear, you may have to first open a previously saved Spotlight (using Texture > Load Spotlight) or add a texture to Spotlight. To add a texture, use the Texture palette to import and/or select a texture, then click the Add To Spotlight button.\n \n
Show/hide Spotlight Dial	\n `Z` \n \n See note above.\n \n

\n\n

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\n\n

Edit Mode Navigation

\n\n

$\"Edit$ With a 3D mesh in Edit mode...

\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n

Action	Key(s)
Free Rotate $\"ZBrush$	Click & drag background
Move $\"ZBrush$	`Alt` + Click & drag background
Constrain to 90-degree rotation	Click + drag, press `SHIFT`
Scale (a.k.a. Zoom3D) $\"ZBrush$	`ALT` + Click, release `ALT`, drag background
Rotate around Z-axis	`SHIFT` + Click, release `SHIFT`, drag

\n\n(For best results turn off RightClick Navigation in the Preferences > Interface menu.)\n\n

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\n\n

Right-Click Navigation

\n\n

Turn on RightClick Navigation in the Preferences > Interface menu.

\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n

Action	Key(s)
Move	`ALT` + right-click & drag (can be over the model)
Scale	`CTRL` + right-click & drag (can be over the model)
Rotate	right-click & drag (can be over the model)

\n\n

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\n\n

Transpose

\n\n

Note: Since ZBrush 4R8, the default transpose line has been replaced with the new Gizmo 3D. To toggle between Gizmo 3D and the transpose line, press Y or click the Gizmo 3D button in the topbar to turn off the 3D Gizmo.

\n\n

With a 3D mesh in Edit mode, press W (Move), E (Scale), or R (Rotate), then\nclick and drag to draw the orange action line.
Click on the mesh to reposition the action line aligned to the surface normal.
To align to an axis, click the end of the red, green or blue axis line.

\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n

Action	Key(s)
Move action line while drawing	Hold `SPACE`
Move action line after drawing	click + drag orange line or center orange ring
Change action line end point position	click + drag orange end ring
Toggle between the Transpose line and Gizmo 3D	`Y`; while in Move, Scale, or Rotate mode

\n\n

Quick tip: in Move/Scale mode, ALT + click + drag on the mesh (not on action line) to move or scale mesh

\n\n

^ Back to top

\n\n

Inner (red/white) ring actions

\n\n

These actions apply to the inner red or white rings of the action\nline. The terms center or end refer to the position on the\nline.

\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n

Action	Key(s)
Move mode – `W`
Move	click + drag center
Duplicate mesh	`CTRL` + click + drag center
Bend mesh	`ALT` + click + drag center or end point
Stretch mesh	drag end point furthest from mesh
Flatten mesh	drag end point next to mesh
Inflate	right-click + drag end ring furthest from mesh
Create Edgeloop & extrude	with partially masked mesh, hold `CTRL` and click + drag center point
Scale – `E`
Scale	click + drag end point in line direction
Scale along axis	click + drag center point
Create Edgeloop and deflate / inflate	with partially masked mesh, hold `CTRL` and click + drag center point
Rotate – `R`
Rotate around end point	click + drag other end point
Rotate around action line	click + drag center
Joint bend	`ALT` + click + drag end point (rotation around same point)

\n\n

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\n\n

Sculpting and Painting

\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n

Action	Key(s)
Draw Size \n $\"\"$ \n	`S`
Focal Shift \n $\"\"$ \n	`O`
RGB Intensity $\"\"$	`I`; note that the Rgb Channel button in the topbar should also be selected for this to have any true effect.
Z Intensity $\"\"$	`U`
Increase Draw Size by set units	`]`; set increment in the Zplugin > Misc Utilities > Brush Increment slider
Decrease Draw Size by set units	`[`; set increment in the Zplugin > Misc Utilities >Brush Increment slider
Edit mode on/off \n $\"Edit$ \n $\"Edit$ \n	`T`
Draw $\"\"$	`Q`
Move $\"\"$	`W`
Scale $\"\"$	`E`
Rotate $\"\"$	`R`
Toggle ZAdd and ZSub $\"\"$	While brushing on a model, hold down `ALT` to toggle from ZAdd to ZSub. \n \n This does not change the state of the ZAdd and ZSub buttons on the toolbar, it changes the behavior of the brush, while sculpting. If ZAdd is selected on the toolbar, then the default behavior when sculpting is additive (adds clay) and then pressing `ALT`, while sculpting, toggles that behavior and makes it substractive (removes clay).\n If ZAdd is selected on the toolbar, then the default behavior when sculpting is substractive and pressing `ALT`, while sculpting, toggles that behavior and makes it additive.\n \n

\n\n

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\n\n

Sculpting Brushes

\n\n

Each brush has its own keyboard shortcut combo. You can learn them by pressing B to bring up the brush\npalette, then a letter like C (to filter by all brushes starting with C), and then the letter\nindicated in the top left of the brush icon in to brush palette. Following are some key combos for some common, but not all, brushes...

\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n

Action	Key Sequence
Show Brush pop-up	`B`
Clay \n $\"\"$ \n	`B` - `C` - `L`
Clay Buildup	`B` - `C` - `B`
ClayLine	`B` - `C` - `L`
ClipCurve	`B` - `C` - `C`
Damien Standard (dam std) \n $\"\"$ \n	`B` - `D` - `S`
Inflate	`B` - `I` - `N`
Move \n $\"\"$ \n	`B` - `M` - `V`
Move Elastic	`B` - `M` - `E`
MPolish	`B` - `M` - `P`
Smooth \n $\"\"$ \n	`B` - `S` - `M`
Spiral	`B` - `S` - `A` to select the brush. \n Hold down `ALT` to spiral in the opposite direction.
Standard Brush \n $\"\"$	`B` - `S` - `T`
TrimDynamic \n $\"\"$ \n	`B` - `T` - `D`
ZModeler	\n `B` - `Z` - `M` to select the brush. \n When using this brush, hover over a point, edge, or face on a PolyMesh3D object and then press `SPACE` to display the ZModeler context menu. \n

\n\n

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\n\n

InsertMultiMesh brushes

\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n

Action	Key(s)
Show all meshes in brush	`M`

\n\n

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\n\n

Changing the Brush hotkeys (pop-up palette)

\n\n

Here is what you have to do:

\n\n

Press B to bring up the brush palette.
Then click or press the letter that you want to narrow down to, in this example press C.
With C selected all you will see is the brushes that start with C. You will see the next letter that selects\nthe brush.
At this point you can hold CTRL + ALT to change the shortcut to whatever you want by\njust clicking on the brush and then click your new shortcut.

\n\n

NOTE: Keep in mind that when you do this ZBrush automatically replaces the shortcut of another brush if you\nselect a shortcut that is already assigned.

\n\n

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\n\n

Color

\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n

Action	Key(s)
Select Color under cursor	`C`
Switch Color	`V`

\n\n

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\n\n

Stroke

\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n

Action	Key(s)
Lazy mouse	`L`; Toggles the lazy mouse mode.
Replay Last Stroke	`1`; This is very handy to use after pressing `CTRL`, and moving a subtool to duplicate it.\n Pressing 1 will create yet another duplicate, moving it the same distance on the same axis as\nbefore. So, this is a great way to create an array of equally spaced duplicates.
Record Stroke	`3`
Replay All Recorded Strokes	`2`

\n\n

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\n\n

Curves

\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n

Action	Key(s)
Smooth curve	`6`
Snapshot curve	`5`
Delete a curve	`ALT` + draw across curve

\n\n

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\n\n

3D Models

\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n

Action	Key(s)
Save Tool	`SHIFT` + `CTRL` + `T`
Frame (Fit Mesh To view)	`F` (You may need to press it twice.)
Dynamic Persp (Perspective Distortion)	`P`
Floor Grid	`SHIFT` + `P`
Activate Symmetry	`X`
Show/hide Polyframe & polygroups	`SHIFT` + `F`
Point Selection Mode	`SHIFT` + `CTRL` + `P`
Set Pivot Point	`CTRL` + `P`
Clear Pivot Point	`SHIFT` + `P`
Snapshot a version to canvas	\n `SHIFT` + `S` \n \n This takes a kind of screenshot of the active tool or subtool and lays it on the canvas. You can then \n move the tool and continue sculpting on it, leaving the snapshot in place. It's handy, for example, in \n comparing changes to the active tool with the snapshot on the canvas. As long as you're in edit mode (not Canvas 2.5D), \n the canvas can be cleared with `CTRL` + `N`, leaving your tool active for continued sculpting.\n \n

\n\n

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\n\n

SubTools

\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n

Action	Key(s)
List all subtools	`N`
Select SubTool	`ALT` + click on SubTool
Frame SubTool	`SHIFT` + `ALT` + click on selected SubTool; Note this option can be set in the Preferences > Edit > Enable Auto\n Center* slider; 0 = off; 1 = Alt + click; 2 = `SHIFT` + `Alt`\n + click*
Toggle Polypaint Colorize	Click on paintbrush icon
Toggle Polypaint Colorize for all SubTools	`SHIFT` + click on paintbrush icon

\n\n

^ Back to top

\n\n

Geometry

\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n

Action	Key(s)
Divide	`CTRL` + `D`
Lower Res	\n `SHIFT` + `D` \n \n If the geometry has subdivision levels, this action steps down one subdivision level lower. \n If the geometry has no subdivision levels and Dynamic Subdiv has been enabled, this action turns it off. You can then use `D` to turn Dynamic Subdiv back on.\n \n
Higher Res	\n `D` \n \n If the geometry has subdivision levels, this action steps up one subdivision level higher. \n This action does not create a new, higher subdivision level. it only cycles up through the higher levels that you've already created using \n Tool > Geometry > Divide. If the geometry has no subdivision levels, this action will give you the option to auto-activate Dynamic Subdiv. \n Enabling Dynamic Subdiv is great when box modeling with the ZModeler brush because you can press `D` to preview (and even work with) the \n divided model. Pressing `SHIFT` + `D` then toggles back to the original state. \n \n
Edge Loop	`CTRL` + `E` (partially hidden mesh)

\n\n

^ Back to top

\n\n

Dynamesh

\n\n

Remesh Dynamesh sculpt – in Edit > Draw mode CTRL + drag Background

\n\n

^ Back to top

\n\n

HD Geometry

\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n

Action	Key(s)
Toggle in/out of HD Sculpting mode	`A` (cursor over mesh)
Render all HD Geometry	`A` (cursor over background)

\n\n

^ Back to top

\n\n

Masking

\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n

Action	Key(s)
View mask	`CTRL` + `H`
Invert mask	`CTRL` + `I`
Mask all	`CTRL` + `A`
Select masking Brush	hold `CTRL` while selecting brush from popup
Paint mask on object (alphas/strokes can be used)	`CTRL` (hold down)
Delete or paint reverse mask	`CTRL` + `ALT` (hold down)
Reverse mask (a.k.a. Flip Mask, Invert Mask)	`CTRL` + click background
Clear mask	`CTRL` + click + drag background
Constant-intensity mask	`CTRL` + click, release `CTRL`, drag (starting off mesh)
Alpha-intensity mask (using MaskPen or MaskRect brush)	`CTRL` + click & drag (select alpha while holding `CTRL`)
Blur mask	`CTRL` + click on mesh; When a mask has been drawn on a mesh, this action blurs (softens) the edges of the mask.
Sharpen mask	`CTRL` + `ALT` + click on mesh

\n\n

^ Back to top

\n\n

Topological Masking

\n\n

in Move, Scale or Rotate mode – CTRL + click + drag the action line on the model

\n\n

^ Back to top

\n\n

Polygroups

\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n

Action	Key(s)
Group Masked and Clear Mask	`CTRL` + `W` (This is super handy! Basically, it turns anything you have masked into a polygroup and then clears the mask. In other words, if you want to turn the currently masked area into a polygroup, press `CTRL` + `W`.)
Make all polygroups into one	`CTRL` + `W` (Applies a single polygroup to the active subtool; if a subtool has several polygroups and you want only one, for example)

\n\n

^ Back to top

\n\n

Partial Mesh Visibility & Clip Brushes

\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n

Action	Key(s)
Select Selection or Clip Brush	hold `SHIFT` + `CTRL` while selecting brush from popup
Show mesh portion	`SHIFT` + `CTRL` + click, release keys & drag (green selection area)
Hide mesh portion	`SHIFT` + `CTRL` + click, release keys & drag – press Alt (red selection area)
Grow mesh portion	`CTRL` + `SHIFT` + `X`
Shrink mesh portion	`CTRL` + `SHIFT` + `S`
Grow all mesh portion	`CTRL` + `SHIFT` + `A`
Outer Ring visibility	`CTRL` + `SHIFT` + `O`
Move selection or clip area	press `SPACE` without releasing mouse/pen
Show entire mesh	`SHIFT` + `CTRL` + click background
Show only selected Polygroup (on fully visible mesh)	`SHIFT` + `CTRL` + click
Hide selected Polygroup (on fully visible mesh)	`SHIFT` + `CTRL` + click twice
Hide selected Polygroup (on partially visible mesh)	`SHIFT` + `CTRL` + click
Reverse visibility	`SHIFT` + `CTRL` + click & drag background
Hide edge loop	with Lasso option selected, `SHIFT` + `CTRL` + click on edge that crosses loop
ClipCurve add soft direction change	press `ALT` once
ClipCurve add sharp direction change	press `ALT` twice
reverse clip area	`ALT` (hold down)

\n\n

^ Back to top

\n\n

Stencil

\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n

Action	Key(s)
Stencil On	`ALT` + `H`
Hide/Show Stencil	`CTRL` + `H`
Coin Controller	`SPACE`

\n\n

^ Back to top

\n\n

ZSpheres

\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n

Action	Key(s)
Preview Adaptive Skin	`A`

\n\n

^ Back to top

\n\n

ZSpheres – Draw mode

\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n

Action	Key(s)
Add a child ZSphere	drag ZSphere
Delete ZSphere	`ALT` + click ZSphere
Add a child ZSphere at same size	click + drag, press `SHIFT`
Add a child ZSphere and scale Link Spheres	click + drag to size new ZSphere, press `CTRL` + drag
Insert ZSphere	click Link-Sphere
Sphere Define magnet/ break meshio	`ALT` + click Link-Sphere (with Tool > Adaptive Skin > Use ClassicSkinning on)

\n\n

^ Back to top

\n\n

ZSpheres – Move mode

\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n

Action	Key(s)
Move ZSphere	drag ZSphere
Pose (Natural-linked move)	drag Link-Sphere
Move Chain	`Alt` + drag Link-Sphere

\n\n

^ Back to top

\n\n

ZSpheres – Scale mode

\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n

Action	Key(s)
Scale Zsphere	drag ZSphere
Inflate/deflate chain	`ALT` + drag Link-Sphere
Scale chain	drag Link-Sphere

\n\n

^ Back to top

\n\n

ZSpheres – Rotate mode

\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n

Action	Key(s)
Spin chain	drag ZSphere
Control twist	`ALT` + drag Link-Sphere
Rotate chain	drag Link-Sphere

\n\n

^ Back to top

\n\n

ZSketch

\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n

Action	Key(s)
Activate ZSketch Edit mode	`SHIFT` + `A` (with a ZSphere armature in Edit mode)
Preview Unified Skin	`A`

\n\n

^ Back to top

\n\n

Canvas and 2.5D

\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n

Action	Key(s)
Reverse 2.5D brush effect	`ALT` (hold down)
Crop And Fill	`SHIFT` + `CTRL` + `F`
Grab Texture From Document	`SHIFT` + `CTRL` + `G`

\n\n

^ Back to top

\n\n

Document Layers

\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n

Action	Key(s)
Clear Layer	`CTRL` + `N`
Fill Layer	`CTRL` + `F`
Bake Layer	`CTRL` + `B`
On Layer thumbnail, toggle all layers on/off	`SHIFT` + CLICK
Select layer on which clicked pixol resides	`~` + click canvas (US) `@` + click canvas (UK)
Move layer contents up/down/sideways (X & Y)	`~` + drag (US) `@` + drag (UK)

\n\n

^ Back to top

\n\n

Markers

\n\n

Markers will only show when Edit is turned off

\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n

Action	Key(s)
Remove Marker	`CTRL` + `M`

\n\n

^ Back to top

\n\n

Canvas Zoom

\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n

Action	Key(s)
Actual Size	`0`
Antialiased Half Size	`CTRL` + `0`
Zoom In	`+` (plus sign)
Zoom Out	`-` (minus sign)

\n\n

^ Back to top

\n\n

Timeline

Action	Key(s)
Place a new key frame	click on the Timeline
Select an existing key frame	click on the key frame dot
Zoom Timeline in/out	click on selected key frame dot
Move selected key frame	click + drag dot to new position (dragging off end will delete)
Store new data in existing key frame	`SHIFT` + `CTRL` + click on the key frame dot
Delete a key frame	click + drag dot off the Timeline
Copy selected key frame	`SHIFT` + click on the Timeline at the point where you want the copy
Copy multiple key frames	`SHIFT` + click on all the key frames dots to be copied, then `SHIFT` + click the\nTimeline (at the point where you want the copies)
Create Transition key frame	`CTRL` + click on an existing key frame dot
Create Rigid key frame	`ALT` + click on an existing key frame dot
Go to Previous Camera key frame	LEFT ARROW
Go to Next Camera key frame	RIGHT ARROW
Play the Timeline	`SHIFT`+click on the Timeline cursor (will play as a loop)
Stop the Timeline playing	`ESC`
Record Timeline as a Movie	`SHIFT` + `CTRL` + click on the Timeline cursor (set the cursor to the start first using the LEFT ARROW)

\n\n

^ Back to top

\n\n

Movie

\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n

Action	Key(s)
Snapshot to Movie	`CTRL` + `SHIFT` + ! (US) `SHIFT` + `CTRL` + PageUp (UK)

\n\n

^ Back to top

\n\n

Render

\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n

Action	Key(s)
Best Preview Render (BPR)	`SHIFT` + `R`
Render All	`SHIFT` + `CTRL` + `R`
Cursor Selective Render	`CTRL` + `R`

\n\n

^ Back to top

\n\n

Custom UI and Configuration

\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n

Action	Key(s)
Move item to custom interface position	`CTRL` + `ALT` + drag (when Enable Customize is on)
Remove item from custom interface position	`CTRL` + `ALT` + drag to Canvas (when Enable Customize is on)
Store Configuration File	`SHIFT` + `CTRL` + `I`
Load User Interface Configuration File	`CTRL` + `L`
Save User Interface Configuration File	`SHIFT` + `CTRL` + `ALT` + `I`

\n\n

^ Back to top

\n\n

ZScripts

\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n

Action	Keys
Load ZScript	`SHIFT` + `CTRL` + `L`
Reload ZScript	`CTRL` + `U`
Show/Hide ZScript window	`H`

\n\n

^ Back to top

\n\n

Reference Resources

\n\n

Shortcuts by Category, ZBrush Online Documentation

","layoutName":"SidebarRight","path":["blog"],"features":[],"ogImage":"","subtitle":""},{"_id":"use-micromesh-in-zbrush","title":"How to Use MicroMesh in ZBrush","description":"A quick procedure for using MicroMesh in ZBrush.","thumbnail":"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/codyburleson.com/images/logo-zbrush.svg","created":"2018-06-03T00:00:00.000Z","topics":["zbrush"],"menus":["blog"],"body":"

A quick procedure for using MicroMesh in ZBrush. I’m sorry for the sloppiness of these notes, but this procedure is just intended to be a quick and simple reminder on how to use the feature.

You have to watch the video first. But I want to turn this into a recipe.

Create a PolyMesh 3D plane: In the Tool palette, select PolyMesh3D > Plane 3D
Tool palette > Initialize > Set both HDivide and VDivide to 5
Tool palette > Click Make PolyMesh 3D
Press CTRL + SHIFT and drag to create a square in the center across the 4 center quads, then hold ALT to turn the selection area red and release. This hides the center, leaving only the outer quads.
Tool palette > Geometry > Modify Topology > Delete Hidden
Transform palette > Activate Symmetry; make sure both X and Y are both turned on
B + M + V to select Move Brush
Move the inner top verts up a bit, and the inner side verts out a bit (making a circular shape with the inside)
File > Save As "Micromesh1.zpr"

$\"\"$

Now clear the canvas and draw a sphere and make into into a PolyMesh3D object

Tool > Geometry > Modify Topology > Click Micro Mesh and select the micro mesh object you previously made.

Render > Render Properties > Turn on Draw MicroMesh (You’ll only get a bunch of dots for the preview)

SHIFT + R to render BPR; you should see the micromesh

If you want, you can divide the mesh if you want more deatil (shrinking the size of each of the Micro Mesh instances that get patterned out on the object)

If you want to turn the BPR into actual geometry, duplicate the subtool (for a backup) and then go Geometry > Convert BPR to Geo.

Now suppose you want to add some thickness.

If we click Divide now, you’ll get little holes because when we converted BPR to Geo the process doesn’t actually weld the micromeshes. So to do an extrude, we need to weld the surface.

Export the subtool as an OBJ; Tool > Export (as .obj)

Now, with the subtool still selected in the subtool palette, go down to the Import tab (not the Import button)

Under Import, change Weld to .001

Click import and select the OBJ file you created. This imports it back into the subtool that you are on, but applies the weld.

Now if you go to geometry and click Divide, you won’t see the little holes that were being made because the mesh is welded now. Undo the Divide operation; this was only to verify.

Subtool > Extract (Set Smooth to 0, and turn off TBorder); Turn thickness to say .01 and click Extract.

This will give you a preview. If you like it, click Accept.

\n\n

References

http://pixologic.com/zclassroom/lesson/micromesh-hood-part-2

","modified":"2021-05-07T16:49:58.004Z","path":["blog"]},{"_id":"create-new-subtool-from-masked-area-in-zbrush","title":"How to Create a New Subtool From a Masked Area in ZBrush","description":"Here's how to extract the mask painted on a subtool to create a whole new subtool from the mask.","thumbnail":"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/codyburleson.com/images/logo-zbrush.svg","created":"2018-05-30T00:00:00.000Z","modified":"2021-06-20T03:55:15.594Z","topics":["zbrush"],"menus":["blog"],"body":"

Mask an area on the model…

\n\n

$\"\"$

\n\n

In the subtool palette, under Extract, set the thickness and options. Note that the Subtool palette is found within the Tool palette (or under the Tool menu), but it may not be displayed or may not have active buttons unless you have a valid PolyMesh3D in the modelling space.

\n\n

$\"\"$

\n\n

Click Extract button, then Accept.

\n\n

A new subtool is generated from the extracted mask…

\n\n

$\"\"$

\n\n

It’s usually a good idea to use ZRemesher on the new subtool afterwards.

\n","path":["blog"],"layoutName":"Default","ogImage":"","subtitle":""},{"_id":"create-polygroup-from-mask-in-zbrush","title":"Create Polygroup From Mask in ZBrush","description":"How to create a new polygroup of a masked area in ZBrush.","thumbnail":"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/codyburleson.com/images/logo-zbrush.svg","created":"2018-05-22T00:00:00.000Z","modified":"2021-06-01T04:44:35.363Z","topics":["zbrush"],"menus":["blog"],"body":"

To create a new polygroup of any masked area, press CTRL + W. Any masked area will be turned into a new polygroup.

Take the following masked object, for example.

$\"\"$

Pressing SHIFT + F puts us in polyframe mode and we can see only one color (one polygroup) with the darker masked area still represented as shown below...

$\"\"$

After pressing CTRL + W, we can see in the image below that what was formerly a masked area has now become a new polygroup. This is evidenced by the fact that the new polygroup is now its own new color in the polyframe mode...

$\"\"$

Note: Pressing CTRL + W is the same as using Tool > Polygroups > Group Masked Clear Mask

There is another technique I’ve witnessed, which is to mask an area and then select Geometry > EdgeLoop > Edgeloop Masked Border, or press CTRL + SHIFT + E. I think this method attempts to create an edge around the mask perimeter based on the EdgeLoop setting.

\n","path":["blog"],"layoutName":"SidebarRight","subtitle":""},{"_id":"notes-on-zbrush-slicecurve-brush","title":"Notes on the ZBrush Slicecurve Brush","description":"My study notes on use of the ZBrush SliceCurve brush.","thumbnail":"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/codyburleson.com/images/logo-zbrush.svg","created":"2018-05-16T00:00:00.000Z","topics":["zbrush"],"menus":["blog"],"body":"

My study notes on use of the ZBrush SliceCurve brush…

\n\n

The SliceCurve brush allows you to slice to define new polygroups by drawing a line with bezier curves.

\n\n

The SliceCurve brush, once selected, is enabled as the active selection tool when you press CTRL + SHIFT.

\n\n

$\"ZBrush$

\n\n

When working with this brush, we’re creating polygroups. So, to be able to see the polygroups, it’s best to be to turn on polygroups before using the brush (SHIFT + F).

\n\n

You probably also want to ensure that Perspective is turned off.

\n\n

If your mesh is a 3D-Primitive, you’ll need to convert it to a PolyMesh3D by pressing the ‘Make PolyMesh3D’ button in the Tool palette.

\n\n

Press the sequence B, S, I to quickly select the SliceCurve brush.

\n\n

As you’re drawing, tap the ALT key to lay a bezier point, which allows you to curve the slice.

\n\n

If you double-tap the ALT key, it will lay down a sharp point, which allows you to put a hard angle on the slice.

\n\n

You can press and hold the SPACE bar to move the entire slice line as a whole.

\n\n

This brush doesn’t use standard symmetry and can’t be used on a mesh with multiple subdivision levels. If you wish to maintain your subdivisions, first use the Freeze Subdivision Levels option located in the Tool > Geometry menu. When you’re done doing your slicing, you can then click Freeze SubDivision Levels again to turn it back off and get your subdivisions back with the new polygroups still on the model. You can establish symmetry by using Mirror and Weld in that same menu.

\n\n

Polygroup Tips:

\n\n

Press CTRL + SHIFT and click on a polygroup to isolate the polygroup, hiding all the others.
CTRL + SHIFT click on an empty area in the canvas to make all the polygroups visible again.

\n\n

References

Slice brushes, ZBrush Docs
POLISH BY FEATURES, ZClassroom

","modified":"2021-06-01T04:47:09.027Z","path":["blog"],"layoutName":"SidebarRight","subtitle":""},{"_id":"how-to-sketch-with-zspheres-in-zbrush","title":"How to Sketch With Zspheres in ZBrush","description":"In sketch mode, you can draw ZSpheres directly on a model. Here's how.","thumbnail":"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/codyburleson.com/images/logo-zbrush.svg","created":"2018-05-05T00:00:00.000Z","topics":["zbrush"],"menus":["blog"],"body":" \n

To start a ZSphere model, select the zsphere tool from the Tool palette (the two-toned red ball) – and draw it on the canvas.

\n\n

$\"\"$

Enter Edit mode by pressing T on the keyboard.

$\"\"$

Press SHIFT + A to enter sketch mode. You’ll then see the two tones of the ZSphere turn to a solid color…

$\"\"$

When sketching with ZSpheres, you can use any material. But notice that there are a few sketch materials in the materials palette.

$\"\"$

I’ll choose the SketchGummyShine.

$\"\"$

Because we’re in sketch mode, all we need to do is click and draw on the model to add more ZSpheres. We can hold the SHIFT key and draw to smooth things back. Remember that you can hit the X key to toggle symmetry mode.

$\"\"$

You can always move ZSphere around by pressing W to activate Move (or press the Move button in the top bar).

$\"\"$

Once you’re done moving ZSpheres, you can click back on Draw.

You can hold down the ALT key and click on ZSpheres to delete them.

Press A to generate an adaptive preview. If you like it, you can go to Subtools palette > Remesh and click ReMesh All.

You might also want to go to Geometry ZRemesher and click the ZRemesher button to lay down a cleaner topology.

\n\n

References

ZSPHERES INTRO

","modified":"2021-05-07T17:53:10.654Z","path":["blog"]},{"_id":"isolate-a-polygroup-in-zbrush","title":"How to Isolate a Polygroup in ZBrush","description":"When you isolate a polygroup in ZBrush, you can then work with it independently. Here's how.","thumbnail":"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/codyburleson.com/images/logo-zbrush.svg","created":"2018-05-05T00:00:00.000Z","modified":"2021-06-02T20:25:17.293Z","topics":["zbrush"],"menus":["blog"],"body":"

When you isolate a polygroup in ZBrush, you can then work with it independently. After isolating one or\n more polygroups, for example, you might want to delete those that are hidden, which you could then do with\n Tool > Geometry > Modify Topology > Del Hidden.

\n\n

First, you’ll want to be in Draw Polyframe mode, so that you can see all all the polygroups. You can\n toggle this mode with SHIFT + F as shown below.

\n\n

$\"Toggle$

\n\n

Hold CTRL + SHIFT and click on a given polygroup to isolate it, hiding all\n the others.

\n\n

\n\n

Hold CTRL + SHIFT and click on an empty place in the canvas to return all\n polygroups to view.

\n\n

If the Select Rect brush is your active brush, you can SHIFT + CLICK and drag\n on the background to reverse the visible polygroups.

\n\n

$\"\"$

\n\n

Selecting more than one polygroup

\n\n

Here’s the procedure for selecting more than one polygroup as described in the ZBrush documentation for polygroups:

\n\n

Press CTRL + SHIFT and click on the mesh where one group is
Invert that selection: press CTRL + SHIFT then click and drag outside of the mesh\n
Press CTRL + SHIFT and click on the other groups you want to select
Invert this selection: press CTRL + SHIFT then drag background

\n","path":["blog"],"layoutName":"SidebarRight","subtitle":""},{"_id":"mirror-polygroup-on-subtool-in-zbrush","title":"How to Mirror a Polygroup on a Subtool in ZBrush","description":"If you want to mirror a polygroup onto the other side of a subtool, follow this procedure.","thumbnail":"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/codyburleson.com/images/logo-zbrush.svg","created":"2018-05-05T00:00:00.000Z","modified":"2021-05-07T17:37:10.826Z","topics":["zbrush"],"menus":["blog"],"body":"

Suppose you have made a polygroup on one side of your subtool (using the SliceCurve brush, for example)…

$\"\"$

If you want to mirror that polygroup onto the other side of the subtool, follow this procedure.

In the Deformation palette, on the Mirror button, select the axis on which to mirror (usually x).

Click the Mirror button. You’ll see the polygroup flip to the other side.

$\"\"$

Now go to the Geometry palette, expand the Modify Topology section, and click the Mirror and Weld button.

The polygroup is then mirrored to the other side as shown below.

$\"\"$

\n","path":["blog"]},{"_id":"about-polygroups-in-zbrush","title":"About Polygroups in ZBrush","description":"My study notes about polygroups in ZBrush.","thumbnail":"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/codyburleson.com/images/logo-zbrush.svg","created":"2018-05-05T00:00:00.000Z","topics":["zbrush"],"menus":["blog"],"body":"

Polygroups allow you to organize a single mesh with visual grouping information. Press SHIFT + F or press the Draw Polyframe button as shown selected in orange below to see the polygroups. Notice that the example image has six different polygroups as depicted with different colors.

\n\t\t

$\"\"$

\n","modified":"2021-05-07T17:52:32.610Z","path":["blog"]},{"_id":"use-auto-masking-by-polygroups-in-zbrush","title":"Use Auto Masking by Polygroups in ZBrush","description":"Now, when you use the move brush, it will only move the polygroup because everything else is auto-masked.","thumbnail":"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/codyburleson.com/images/logo-zbrush.svg","created":"2018-05-05T00:00:00.000Z","topics":["zbrush"],"menus":["blog"],"body":"

In the brush palette, you can go to Auto Masking and set Mask By Polygroups to 100. This will setup an automatic masking so that when you use a brush, it will only affect the polygroup.

To try this, press CTRL and paint a mask on an object.

Press CTRL + W to turn the masked area into a polygroup.

Select the Move brush ( B + M + V )

In the Brush palette, under Auto Masking, set Mask By Polygroups to 100

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Now, when you use the move brush, it will only move the polygroup because everything else is auto-masked.

\n","modified":"2021-06-01T04:49:04.744Z","path":["blog"],"layoutName":"SidebarRight","subtitle":""},{"_id":"create-clothing-in-zbrush-extruding-masked-area","title":"How to Create Clothing in ZBrush by Extruding a Masked Area","description":"This tutorial demonstrates a quick and simple way to create clothing in ZBrush by extruding a polygroup out from a Subtool.","thumbnail":"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/codyburleson.com/images/logo-zbrush.svg","created":"2018-05-05T00:00:00.000Z","modified":"2021-05-07T17:36:24.366Z","topics":["zbrush"],"menus":["blog"],"body":"

This tutorial demonstrates a quick and simple way to create clothing in ZBrush by extruding a polygroup out from a Subtool.

\n\n

Mask an area on the SubTool by holding down CTRL and painting on the Subtool.

$\"\"$

In the Polygroups palette, click > Group Masked

Press CTRL + SHIFT and click the new polygroup to select it.

$\"\"$

Under Geometry, make sure you have no subdivisions; the panel loop feature will not work on models with subdivisions. Remove subdivisions if it has them.

In the Geometry palette, expand the EdgeLoop section.

Click the Append button, which is just to the right of the Panel Loops button. This will create a back-face for your mesh so that you can separate it off and your mesh can have thickness without cutting a hole into the body underneath.

Increase thickness slightly with the Thickness slider. Try 0.02 for thickness, for example.

Click the Panel Loops button to see what you get.

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CTRL + Z to undo an unwanted result and keep adjusting your thickness to what’s desired.

$\"\"$

Now, if you turn on Polyframe mode, you’ll notice that the clothing item is its own new group with another polygroup at the edge(s).

$\"\"$

If you want to get rid of the extra polygroup on the edge(s), you can go to Polygroups palette and click the Auto Groups button.

$\"\"$

You can now CTRL + SHIFT + click on the new polygroup in order to isolate it.

$\"\"$

Go to Subtools palette, expand the Split section, and click the Split Hidden button.

Now the item and the body from which you started are now two separate objects (two separate Subtools)

$\"\"$

\n","path":["blog"]},{"_id":"convert-zbrush-polygroups-into-subtools","title":"How to Convert ZBrush Polygroups Into Subtools","description":"Normally, polygroups display sections of a single mesh. Here's how to convert polygroups into SubTools (multiple different meshes).","thumbnail":"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/codyburleson.com/images/logo-zbrush.svg","created":"2018-05-05T00:00:00.000Z","topics":["zbrush"],"menus":["blog"],"body":"

Normally, polygroups display sections of a single mesh. If you want to convert polygroups into SubTools you\n\t\t\tcan do the following.

\n\t\t

If your model has different elements go to Tool > Polygroups and select Auto Groups. You can then go to\n\t\t\tSubTools > Split and click Groups Split. Groups Split will be disabled unless all polygroups are visible\n\t\t\ton the canvas (press CTRL + SHIFT and click an empty area of the canvas to display\n\t\t\t\tall polygroups).

\n\t\t

When you want to merge all the stuff again just make each SubTool visible and pick SubTool > Merge\n\t\t\t> Merge Visible. ZBrush will create a new tool with all the former SubTools together\n\t\t\tagain. Note that in merge visible you have an option for weld verts.

\n\t\t

Warning: When you merge visible SubTools you will lose sublevels and the merged new tool is created with\n\t\t\t\tevery SubTool at the current level.

\n","modified":"2021-05-07T17:37:56.408Z","path":["blog"]},{"_id":"zbrush-resources-online","title":"ZBrush Resources Online","description":"A list of online resources related to ZBrush.","thumbnail":"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/codyburleson.com/images/logo-zbrush.svg","created":"2018-04-28T00:00:00.000Z","modified":"2021-06-26T17:24:04.894Z","topics":["zbrush"],"menus":["blog"],"body":"

A list of online resources related to ZBrush; updated from time-to-time, whenever I discover something new\n and useful.

\n\n

\n
30 Best Zbrush Tutorials\n and Training\n Videos for Beginners
\n An article that aggregates several good tutorials, the sum of which cover a very broad scope over\n ZBrush features, functionality, and techniques.\n
\n
BadKing
\n BadKing is a free ZBrush resource site specialising in tutorials, 3D modeling, insert multi mesh\n brushes, alpha maps, concept art and more.\n
\n
CREATING A CUSTOM INSERT BRUSH
\n Video, ZBrush Classroom\n
\n
Cubebrush
\n A digital marketplace where you can find several resources (tutorials, models, brushes) pertaining to ZBrush.\n
\n
Danny Mac on Gumroad
\n Stylised 3D character tutorials. Watch and learn. See also: Danny Mac on ArtStation and Danny Mac 3D on\n YouTube.\n
\n
FlippedNormals
\n "The Only Curated CG Marketplace. High-quality training & resources by the world's best\n artists."\n
\n
Gumroad
\n A marketplace where artists give away and sell resources and tutorials. You'll find tons of stuff for and aboutr ZBrush.\n
\n
Pixologic’s Alpha\n Library
\n Pixologic has created a library full of amazing Alpha materials from ZBrush artists who wish to share\n their work with the ZBrush community. This library gives you one unique location to view, download,\n and begin sculpting using any of the alphas found in this library. See what ZBrush can do with your\n alphas. Enjoy the search.\n
\n
Pixologic’s Grid\n Library
\n These images are meant for use with the Grid enhancements in ZBrush 4R4, where they can be applied\n for use as reference during sculpting. After downloading the files to your computer, simply click\n the Draw >> Open button in ZBrush 4R4. More information regarding this feature may be found in\n the ZBrush 4_R4_whats_new.pdf, found in your Documentation folder.\n
\n
Pixologic’s Matcap\n Library
\n Pixologic has created a library full of amazing MatCap materials from ZBrush artists who wish to\n share their work with the ZBrush community. This library gives you one unique location to view,\n download, and begin sculpting with that unique MatCap look that only ZBrush can give you. Enjoy the\n search.\n
\n
Pixologic’s Texture\n Library
\n Pixologic has created a library full of amazing Texture maps from ZBrush artists who wish to share\n their work with the ZBrush community. This library gives you one unique location to view, download,\n and add textures to your creations. See what ZBrush can do with your textures. Enjoy the search.\n
\n
Pixologic’s\n ZClassroom
\n Beginner, intermediate, and advanced video coureses on how to use ZBrush from the software's makers at\n Pixologic.\n
\n
Sculpting the Face with Ryan\n Kingslien –\n Faceware Webinar Series
\n Video, Vimeo\n
\n
Travis\n Davids, Educational Materials and Resources, YouTube
\n Good stuff on rigging and posing your 3D models.\n
\n
YanSculpts\n on YouTube
\n Character Tutorials + more\n
\n
ZBrushCentral
\n Community forum hosted by Pixologic.\n
\n
ZBrushGuides.com
\n Tutorials, guides, videos, and resources from Pablo Munoz, a digital artist based in Melbourne,\n Australia.\n
\n
zbrushtuts
\n Zbrush Tutorials, Art and Breakdowns\n

What am I missing?

If you know of a good ZBrush resource that's missing from my list, please let me know in the comments below.

","path":["blog"],"layoutName":"Default","ogImage":"","subtitle":""},{"_id":"notes-on-zbrush-sculptris-pro","title":"Notes on ZBrush Sculptris Pro","description":"My study notes on the Sculptris Pro features in ZBrush.","thumbnail":"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/codyburleson.com/images/logo-zbrush.svg","created":"2018-04-22T00:00:00.000Z","topics":["zbrush"],"menus":["blog"],"body":"

My study notes on the Sculptris Pro features in ZBrush…

\n\n

The main controls of Sculptris Pro can be found in the Stroke palette…

\n\n

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\n\n

When Sculptris Pro is on, the brush icon is purple.
When Sculptris Pro is off, the brush icon is red.
Most brushes within ZBrush can be used in Sculptris Pro mode, but not all. If Scluptris Pro cannot be turned on, you may have an incompatible brush selected.
Press SHIFT + F to toggle polyframe view; this can help you see how Sculptris Pro is working.
Sculptris Pro allows you to sculpt with more polygons (or tessellation) in a specific area on a mesh.
Changing the brush size to smaller, creates more density (detail of polygons) in the stroke. So, the tessellation that is being added is being controlled by the draw size.\n
- The Adaptive Size button controls this. If you turn Adaptive Size off, you will not get the same amount of tessellation detail in a brush stroke.
\n
The SubDivide Size controls how much tessellation happens.
The UnDivide Ratio controls how much decimation happens.
You can turn OFF Adaptive Size and then manually control the tessellation by adjusting SubDivide Size without changing the draw size.
When you smooth, you decimate (reduce polygons); that’s what the UnDivide Ratio controls.
If you turn off Combined and then smooth, you decimate without tessellating (you only remove polygons to smooth). So, combined allows tessellation and decimation together.
Sculptris Pro works with PolyPaint too! So… you can paint and tesselate at the same time in order to achieve sharper paint strokes.
You cannot use Sculptris Pro mode on a mesh that is partially hidden.

\n\n

Custom Brushes

\n\n

You will also find a Sculptris Pro menu in the Brush palette for every brush. In that menu, each brush that works with Sculptris Pro will have Enable and Use Global selected. Use Global means that it uses what’s defined in the Sculptris Pro Stroke palette, which is global settings. You can uncheck Use Global here (in the brush palette).

\n\n

This is useful for setting tessellation / decimation settings for Sculptris Pro and then Save As to save your brush as a custom brush.

\n\n

For the brush, if you turn off Enable, it will not add tessellation or decimation in Sculptris Pro mode; it will just be used as a normal sculpting brush.

\n\n

Decimation Master

\n\n

Reduce polygon count, while not losing detail, when using Sculpris Pro.

\n\n

ZPlugin > Decimation Master

\n\n

Click on the presets to decimate and change poly count. Decimation is the process of reducing polygon count and vertex points while trying not to lose sculptural detail.

\n\n

So, this is great for optimizing the model as you use Sculptris Pro – decimating (in general), then adding detail (tessellation) where you need it.

\n\n

References

\n\n

\n","modified":"2021-05-07T17:59:13.367Z","path":["blog"]},{"_id":"apply-different-materials-to-subtools-in-zbrush","title":"How to Apply Different Materials to Subtools in ZBrush","description":"Apply different materials to different SubTools in ZBrush with 5 simple steps.","thumbnail":"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/codyburleson.com/images/logo-zbrush.svg","created":"2018-04-22T00:00:00.000Z","topics":["zbrush"],"menus":["blog"],"body":"

Here's how can you apply different materials to different subtools in ZBrush.

Overview

You apply different materials to different SubTools in ZBrush with the following simple steps, which are demonstrated on this page.

Select a Given SubTool
Choose a Material
Select Mrgb to Ensure a Material and Color Fill
Select Color and FillObject
Repeat for Other SubTools

Select a Given SubTool

Select a given SubTool in the Tool > SubTool palette...

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Choose a Material

Click on the Material icon to open the material picker. The Material icon is on the left-hand side of the interface, just above the color picker...

$\"\"$

From the material picker, click to select a desired material from the options. In this example, as shown below, I am selecting the SkinShade4 material...

$\"\"$

Select Mrgb to Ensure a Material and Color Fill

In the next step, we're going to fill the SubTool. However, it is possible to fill the SubTool with only the color from the material (if only Rgb is selected). To ensure that the next operation will fill the Subtool with the material and the color, select Mrgb as shown below.

$\"\"$

Select Color and FillObject

1) Click the Color menu to open the Color palette, 2) choose a desired color in the color picker, then 3) click FillObject. The material and color should be applied to the active SubTool as shown below...

$\"\"$

Repeat for Other SubTools

You can now select another given SubTool under Tool > SubTool and repeat the process.

\n ","modified":"2021-05-07T17:55:21.280Z","layoutName":"SidebarRight","path":["blog"]},{"_id":"how-to-use-live-boolean-in-zbrush","title":"How to Use Live Boolean in ZBrush","description":"Learn to use the real-time boolean operations in ZBrush.","thumbnail":"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/codyburleson.com/images/logo-zbrush.svg","created":"2018-04-22T00:00:00.000Z","modified":"2021-06-02T20:26:10.120Z","topics":["zbrush"],"menus":["blog"],"body":"

Live Boolean allows you to perform real-time boolean operations with subtools in ZBrush.

Click the button to enable “Live Boolean”.

The object you boolean needs to be a polymesh 3d.

In the subtools palette, click “Append” to add a new subtool and choose a primitive such as a sphere.

$\"\"$

At first, the new subtool will have the same bounding box, so, you may not be able to see it. You can click\n move and move the subtool (transform it), until you can see it…

$\"\"$

Now you can use the options for cutting into or intersection…

$\"\"$

Cut into…

$\"\"$

Intersect…

$\"\"$

You can “bake” the result by going to Boolean in the Subtools palette and click “Make Boolean Mesh”. This\n bakes the boolean operation and puts the baked tool into the Tools palette (which you could Append as a new\n subtool into the subtools palette if you want to).

References

Zbrush 4R8: Live Booleans, YouTube\n Video

","path":["blog"],"layoutName":"SidebarRight","subtitle":""},{"_id":"use-fibermesh-in-zbrush","title":"How to Use FiberMesh in ZBrush","description":"A workflow for using FiberMesh to create fur, grass, fibers, weeds and hair in ZBrush.","thumbnail":"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/codyburleson.com/images/logo-zbrush.svg","created":"2018-04-22T00:00:00.000Z","modified":"2021-05-07T17:55:54.472Z","topics":["zbrush"],"menus":["blog"],"body":"

FiberMesh™ is a specialized mesh generation tool in ZBrush that allows you the create fur, grass, fibers, weeds and hair. Unlike the Fiber material, FiberMesh is not a render process. Instead, FiberMesh creates real geometry which can be added to an existing model as a new SubTool. These are my notes taken from early experimentation, which can help beginners understand the basics of using FiberMesh™.

\n\n

Workflow

\n\n

Setup Phase

\n\n

PolyPaint the source model with the colors of your choice. When the fibers are generated, they will (depending on the Fibers settings) draw their coloration from that of the underlying surface.

\n\n

$\"\"$

\n\n

With Colorize on (so the polypaint shows) turn on Tool > FiberMesh > Preview…

\n\n

$\"\"$

\n\n

$\"\"$

\n\n

$\"\"$

\n\n

In the Tool > FiberMesh > Modifiers set the TColor (Tip Colorize) slider to 0 and the BColor (Base Colorize) slider to 1. The fibers should now take on the polypaint color.

\n\n

As the color in the Base Color selector (the icon to the left of the BColor slider) can affect the fibers color set this to black/white, although the BColor setting can be adjusted if you want to tint the fibers. Any BColor setting greater than zero should show the polypaint color.

\n\n

Note: if you change the settings, or turn off Colorize, sometimes you need to move the BColor slider to get the fibers color to update.

\n\n

$\"\"$

\n\n

Draw a Mask (hold down CTRL while painting) to define where you wish to have your fibers grow from on the model.

\n\n

$\"\"$

\n\n

The intensity of the Mask will modulate the density and the length of the fibers. It is advised to change the Mask intensity by modifying the RGB Intensity of the Mask brush and/or by blurring your Mask after it has been drawn. Lower intensity will create a less dense area of fibers with a short length. At full Mask intensity the fibers will take on the full attributes defined in the Tool > Fibers sub-palette. In the image above, I’ve masked the red area where I want the fibers. In the image below, I’ve turned on FiberMesh > Preview and you can see that the fibers now only grow from the masked area.

\n\n

$\"\"$

\n\n

Once the surface’s PolyPaint and Mask have been defined, modify the Fibers settings according to the style you are looking for. Now press the Preview button. Your fibers will appear as a non-editable preview. At this stage, if you move your point of view or orientation of the model, the fibers will disappear until you release your mouse cursor. While in Preview mode, changing any of the Fibers settings will instantaneously update the fibers on your model without the need to cancel your operation and start from scratch.

\n\n

$\"\"$

\n\n

To evaluate your Fiber with complete shading, press the BPR button at the top right of the interface or use the Shift+R hotkey. This will render your FiberMesh so that you can be sure you’re happy with the results before proceeding to the sculpting and styling phase. Picking the right Material is also a key factor in your FiberMesh render.

\n\n

$\"\"$

\n\n

Once you are satisfied with your results, press the Tool > FiberMesh > Accept button to generate your FiberMesh as a new SubTool. You should now be able to see the generated SubTool in the SubTool palette as shown below.

\n\n

$\"\"$

\n\n

You may now repeat the above steps with a different Masked area or different settings. In this way, a single surface can have many different types of Fibers effects.

\n\n

Here, I’ve inverted the mask so that previously masked area becomes unmasked and the previously unmasked area becomes masked…

\n\n

$\"\"$

\n\n

I pressed SHIFT + R for a Best Preview Render and adjusted the Tool > FiberMesh > Coverage until I got something I liked…

\n\n

$\"\"$

\n\n

I then clicked Accept to generate the second SubTool. Now, I have two FiberMesh subtools.

\n\n

Preview…

\n\n

$\"\"$

\n\n

Best Preview Render (BPR)…

\n\n

$\"\"$

\n\n

Once your fibers have been generated, select the resulting SubTool in the Tool > SubTool sub-palette. You may now start using the different sculpting brushes to alter the fibers, including their colors. That is to say, you can move on to the grooming phase of the workflow. But first, you may wish to save your FiberMesh settings to get the same look again at a later date.

\n\n

Save Your FiberMesh Presets

\n\n

By clicking the Save button located at the top of the FiberMesh sub-palette, you can save all the current settings for your FiberMesh Preview so that they can be reused later. Saved presets make an excellent starting point for any new model, saving you time by duplicating a specific “look” that you really liked on an earlier model.

\n\n

To save your current settings, simply click the Save button and select a location of your choice. It is advised to save them in the ZFibersPresets folder located at the root of the ZBrush folder. This allows you to browse through and select from them quickly using LightBox, which now has a FiberMesh section.

\n\n

Grooming Phase

\n\n

ZBrush includes a wide variety of predefined Groom brushes dedicated to FiberMesh sculpting. These allow you to style the FiberMesh to the exact form and aspect that you wish. New settings have also been added to the Brush Palette for these brushes.

\n\n

In addition, all traditional sculpting brushes like Inflate, Pinch, Soft Concrete, Nudge (with the Picker set to Once Origin) and Move can be used to produce interesting results. Be aware that as these brushes were not designed specifically for use with Fibers, they can affect the shape of the fibers and the deformation can become extreme.

\n\n

To restore your fibers to their default width or length (but not position) you can use the new Tool > Morph Target > Morph width slider and Tool > Morph Target > Morph length slider. Please refer to the ZBrush documentation’s Morph Target section for more information.

\n\n

As with a traditional PolyMesh 3D, you can use the Mask brushes to protect certain fibers. A unique feature when Masking fibers is that when the Mask is painted on any portion of a fiber, ZBrush will Mask off the fiber’s entire length.

\n\n

Groom Brushes

\n\n

To complement the FiberMesh feature, there is a series of Groom brushes. These brushes are dedicated to the sculpting of FiberMesh objects. These brushes are derived from traditional sculpting brushes and have their behavior optimized to avoid unexpected results when working with Fibers.

\n\n

FiberMesh Groomed (Preview)…

\n\n

$\"\"$

\n\n

FiberMesh Groomed (BPR)…

\n\n

$\"\"$

\n\n

Some of the groom brushes:

\n\n

Groom Hairtoss – A standard grooming brush that is Mmost useful when sculpting fibersfor moving long hair with a smooth sweeping. This brush is taking advantage of the new Brush>Modifiers>Strength Multiplier which is multiplying the brush strength by what is set in this slider. especially long fibers to create hair. The length of the fiber is preserved when using this brush.
Groomer Strong – Similar to the Groomer brush, but with a stronger effect on the fibersA standard groom brush with no forward or inverse propagation. This brush will influence most of the fiber to be implemented with only the root to be protected.
Groom Blower – Simulates a hair dryer on the fibers by separating the fibers as if they were being blown around by wind.
Groom Clumps – This brush will clump the tips of the fibers together or cause the tips to flare out, depending on the brush modifiers.
Groom Turbulence – Deforms the fibers to have a slight turmoil. This is great to put a little of bit mess to hair.
Groom Fast Lengthen – Deforms and moves your fibers in the direction of your stroke. This brush also changes the length of your fibers without increasing the number of segments.Similar to Groom Lengthen, but produces less accurate deformation. . Use this for “quick and dirty” shaping.
Groom Root Colorize – This brush will only Polypaint the roots of the selected fibers.
GroomerMagnet – Deforms the tip of fibers to assimilate together.
GroomerTwist – Rotates the fibers around the brush, exactly like twisting a lock of hair.
Groom Twist Slow – Similar to the Groomer Twist brush except that it operates more slowly. It is best with low speed strokes.
Groom Hair Ball – Creates a ball-like clump at the tips of the fibers.
Groom Spike – Squeezes the majority of the affected fibers’ lengths together to create spikes.
Groom Spin Knot – Similar to Groom Spike except that the Twist settings in the Brush palette are set to a low rate to create a smoother effect. Great for creating sweeps in the fibers.
Groom Spin Knot Strong – Similar to the Groom Spin Knot brush, but with a stronger effect.

\n\n

References

\n\n

FiberMesh Workflow, ZBrush 4R7 User Guide
FiberMesh Groom Brushes, ZBrush 4R7 User Guide

","path":["blog"]},{"_id":"make-a-zbrush-speed-sculpt-timelapse-video","title":"How to Make a ZBrush Speed Sculpt Timelapse Video","description":"Here’s a procedure to setup ZBrush and record your own speed-sculpt video.","thumbnail":"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/codyburleson.com/images/logo-zbrush.svg","created":"2018-04-22T00:00:00.000Z","modified":"2021-05-07T17:58:03.360Z","topics":["zbrush"],"menus":["blog"],"body":"

A timelapse video, also known as a “Speed Sculpt” video, can exhibit your entire sculpting session in a time-compressed format that’s fascinating to watch and very popular for sharing on video sites like YouTube. Here’s a procedure to setup ZBrush and record such videos. A ZScript, which automates the same procedure is also attached.

Note: You might also be interested in reviewing the video ZBrush – How to Record a Timelapse by Jared Michael, which demonstrates this procedure.

Procedure for Timelapse Recording in ZBrush

Document > New Document
Go to Document menu and turn off Pro, because that constrains the aspect ratio.
In the same spot, set width and height to 1920 x 1080 (a good resolution for sharing on YouTube)
In the same spot, click Resize. This will stretch pixols you may already have on the canvas, so…
Press CTRL + N to clear the document (if necessary).
Draw a new sphere by just clicking and dragging to get a new clay ball (or any SubTool) on the canvas that now has the new resolution.
Slide on the Zoom icon over at right to get the whole canvas in view; that’s the screen space that is going to be recorded.
Select Movie > Doc (if the selection is grayed out, you may have to Delete a movie that’s been started) This is going to record just the document space rather than the entire ZBrush app window.
Movie > Modifiers > Frame Size 1 (sets a 1 to 1 resolution)
Movie > Modifiers > On Mouse (should be selected) / 24 fps (Every time you click, you record 1 second)
Movie > Overlay Image > Opacity: 0
Movie > Title Image > Fade In Time : 0
Movie > Title Image > Fade Out Time: 0
Now, you can activate the Movie > Timelapse button to start recording.
You can click the Pause button to pause.
You can Play whatever you’ve got so far, export, share it with the web, etc.
Click T to go into Edit mode (or click on the Edit mode icon).
Now you can click B for the Brush palette, plus C (clay) and B (build-up) and start whippin’ shit out.

Download the ZScript

You can also download and use the attached ZScript, which automates the procedure above.

Download: cdb-InitSpeedSculptTimelapseRecording.TXT

Since the ZScript is in text format, you can edit the settings in any text editor. To use the script in ZBrush:
Click to open the ZScript menu (palette).
Click Load and browse to select the downloaded script.
Expand the drawer below the canvas at the very bottom of the ZBrush UI.
You should see a Play button, which you can click to execute the script.

Reference Resources

ZBrush – How to Record a Timelapse, Jared Michael

","path":["blog"]},{"_id":"delete-hidden-geometry-in-zbrush","title":"Delete Hidden Geometry in ZBrush","description":"Procedure for deleting hidden geometry in ZBrush and optionally capping open holes.","thumbnail":"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/codyburleson.com/images/logo-zbrush.svg","created":"2018-04-22T00:00:00.000Z","modified":"2021-05-07T18:04:22.802Z","topics":["zbrush"],"menus":["blog"],"body":"

CTRL + SHIFT and drag out a selection to select geometry to hide. The selection area will appear green.
Before releasing the left mouse button, or before lifting the stylus pen, press ALT. The selection area will turn red. You can then release the left mouse button or lift the stylus pen.
In Tools > Geometry > Modify Topology, click Del Hidden.
Optionally, in the same panel, you may click Close Holes to cap open holes.

\n \n\t\t

\n\t\t\t\n\t\t

\n\n\t\t

Related Tips

\n\n\t\t

Show hidden geometry: Press CTRL + SHIFT and then click on empty area of the canvas.
Toggle between hidden/shown geometry (reverse visibility): Press SHIFT + CTRL + Click and drag background.
Show only one given polygroup: Press CTRL + SHIFT and click on the given polygroup.

","layoutName":"SidebarRight","path":["blog"]},{"_id":"rig-a-mesh-with-zspheres-in-zbrush","title":"How to Rig a Mesh With ZSpheres in ZBrush","description":"You can rig an existing mesh with a ZSphere armature, allowing you to pose the mesh by manipulating the underlying armature.","thumbnail":"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/codyburleson.com/images/logo-zbrush.svg","created":"2018-04-22T00:00:00.000Z","modified":"2021-06-23T14:49:29.684Z","topics":["zbrush"],"menus":["blog"],"body":"

You can rig an existing mesh with a ZSphere armature, allowing you to pose the mesh by manipulated the underlying armature.

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To demonstrate, I’m starting with the Julie tool. You can find this model by pressing the comma key ,, selecting the Tools item in the file browser, and choosing Julie.ZTL.

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When you draw Julie onto the canvas, you can see that she has more than one SubTool. You must have more than one subtool to use this method because the Transpose Master plugin will only work when you have more than one subtool active. But, that’s what it’s good for; it enables you to have posing across all of your subtools.

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Go to Zplugin > Transpose Master.
Click the ZSphere Rig button.
Click TPoseMesh.

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This creates a single unified mesh out of all of the subtools. It creates it in x-ray view and it also adds a ZSPhere…

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Make sure that symmetry is on (press X). Use the draw, scale, move, and rotate functions (hotkeys Q, W, E, and R). You can create new ZSpheres by activating the draw function Q and you use these functions to draw out an armature inside the mesh.

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Once you have your armature built, you go to Tool > Rigging and click Bind Mesh…

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You can now click the rotate function R and rotate ZSpheres to bend the model. You can click on Bind Mesh to go back into the mode to continue editing the armature. You can toggle back and forth between editing the armature and binding the mesh to get it right. Use Move and Rotate on the ZSpheres to more and rotate portions of the armature when bound. Press X to toggle symmetry if you want to move only portions without affecting the mirrored side.

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When you’re done posing the model, you can go back to the ZPlugin palette and go to the Transpose Master subpalette and click TPose > SubT. Note that you may want to save your project first as a separate project that you could come back to for continued armature work if you don’t like the results.

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The mesh is transformed and you get back to all your subtools. Here, for example, I set Julie’s legs a little further apart…

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For more, watch the video, Posing Characters in Zbrush using a Zsphere Rig, by Andrew Klein, on YouTube.

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Reference

Posing Characters in Zbrush using a Zsphere Rig, Andrew Klein, YouTube

\n","subtitle":"","path":["blog"],"layoutName":"SidebarRight","ogImage":""},{"_id":"about-zsphere-smoothing-brushes","title":"About ZSphere Smoothing Brushes","description":"Learn to use special ZSphere smoothing brushes when sketching with ZSpheres.","thumbnail":"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/codyburleson.com/images/logo-zbrush.svg","created":"2018-04-22T00:00:00.000Z","topics":["zbrush"],"menus":["blog"],"body":"

When you press SHIFT in ZSketch mode to smooth out the sketch, the default brush is Smooth 1.

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When you get to the ends of a chain of ZSpheres, Smooth 1 will embed and resize the ends, conforming the ends to the underlying model. You can see this demonstrated in the image below.

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If we want to resize the ends of a ZSphere chain without also embedding and conforming them to the underlying form, we can use Smooth 2.

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With Smooth 2, the ends of the ZSphere chain are resized, but not embedded…

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Smooth 3 will simply smooth the chain, but it will not embed or resize the ends.

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Smooth 4 is really good for things like muscles.

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Smooth 4 embeds and resizes the ends of the ZSphere chain, but it also uses a stronger pitch along the length of the ZSphere chain so that you end up with a strong bow towards the center of the chain as shown below.

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In little time, you can flesh out an armature. It’s really fun!

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\n","modified":"2021-05-07T17:54:16.247Z","path":["blog"]},{"_id":"free-zbrush-asset-gamblers-hat","title":"Free ZBrush Asset - Gambler's Hat","description":"Download this free gambler's hat ZBrush tool that I made.","thumbnail":"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/codyburleson.com/images/logo-zbrush.svg","created":"2018-04-22T00:00:00.000Z","topics":["zbrush"],"menus":["blog"],"body":"

Here’s a gambler’s hat ZBrush tool that I made; free to download and use…

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Created April 22, 2018 by Cody Burleson using ZBrush 2018.

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Download: gamblers-hat-001.ZTL

","modified":"2021-05-07T17:56:49.340Z","path":["blog"]},{"_id":"how-to-adjust-zsphere-sketch-depth-in-zbrush","title":"How to Adjust ZSphere Sketch Depth in ZBrush","description":"Learn how to adjust the depth that ZSphere will draw onto a surface.","thumbnail":"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/codyburleson.com/images/logo-zbrush.svg","created":"2018-04-22T00:00:00.000Z","topics":["zbrush"],"menus":["blog"],"body":"

You can adjust the depth that ZSphere will draw onto a surface in the brushes palette under Depth. There, you can adjust the Imbed slider or click the sphere symbol just to the left of the slider and drag it up and down.

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References

SKETCH BRUSH

","modified":"2021-06-01T04:53:31.298Z","path":["blog"],"layoutName":"SidebarRight","subtitle":""},{"_id":"binding-to-a-zsphere-armature","title":"Binding to a ZSphere Armature","description":"How to bind a ZSphere sketch (outer form) to a poseable ZSphere armature (inner skeleton).","thumbnail":"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/codyburleson.com/images/logo-zbrush.svg","created":"2018-04-22T00:00:00.000Z","topics":["zbrush"],"menus":["blog"],"body":"

An armature is like the wire or metal skeleton that a clay sculptor would use to build form upon – or the posable skeleton used under the surface of stop-motion characters in film. With ZSPheres, we can quickly create such armatures. We can then go into ZSphere sketch mode (SHIFT + A) and build up form atop the armature.

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Here, for example, I’ve created a basic armature for a xenomorph (Alien species). Creating such an armature is just a matter of starting with a single ZSphere from the tools palette. You drag on the canvas to create the initial ZSphere. Click to go into Edit mode and then use a combination of Draw, Move, Scale, and Rotate to build out the armature.

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Once you’ve got an armature, you can press SHIFT + A to go into ZSphere sketch mode and paint additional ZSpheres onto the armature to build out form.

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Pressing SHIFT + A to toggle in and out of sketch mode is the equivalent of pressing Edit Sketch button under ZSketch in the Tools palette.

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When not in the sketch mode, we can still pose the armature. But notice that after we’ve painted some ZSpheres onto the armature in sketch mode, reposing the armature does not automatically carry the sketched form we added on top.

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Press SHIFT + A and CTRL + Z to undo this change. We’ll learn how to bind the sketched ZSpheres in a bit. But first, take a look at the ShowSketch button under Tools > ZSketch. Pressing this displays a ghosted view of the form surrounding the armature.

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Now, at this stage, we can also click the Bind button under Tools > ZSketch.

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Now, when we rotate the ZSphere on the shoulder to move the arm, we can see that the form is bound to the armature and moves with it.

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If you continue to sketch in more form with additional ZSpheres in sketch mode, you’ll have to click the Tools > ZSketch > Reset Binding button to get those new ZSpheres bound to the armature for posing.

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The SoftBind slider, beside the Bind button allows us to soften the bind to the underlying armature. The value 0 specifies the hardest bind, while higher values soften the bind, giving a looser transition of the sketched ZSpheres on the underlying armature.

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References

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BINDING

","modified":"2021-05-07T17:59:46.311Z","path":["blog"]},{"_id":"how-to-optimize-a-zsphere-sketch-in-zbrush","title":"How to Optimize a ZSphere Sketch in ZBrush","description":"As you sketch, you add more and more ZSpheres to your canvas. Here's how to remove the ZSpheres that can't be seen.","thumbnail":"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/codyburleson.com/images/logo-zbrush.svg","created":"2018-04-22T00:00:00.000Z","topics":["zbrush"],"menus":["blog"],"body":"

As you sketch, you’re going to be adding more and more ZSpheres to your canvas. You can see just how many ZSpheres you’ve added so far by looking at the Active Points in the top right of the ZSphere interface.

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According to that, I’ve got 58 ZSpheres in my drawing.

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While you’re sketching, you’re actually hiding some of the ZSpheres with new strokes. The ones that are completely hidden can be removed to optimize your canvas. To do this, go to the Tool palette, click the ZSketch pull-down, and click the Optimize button.

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Then, take a look at the ActivePoints count in the top right of the interface again. If you had completely hidden ZSpheres, they should be removed and you should see a reduction in the count.

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References

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OPTIMIZE

","modified":"2021-05-07T17:56:20.987Z","path":["blog"]},{"_id":"7-quintessential-brushes-for-zbrush-beginners","title":"7 Quintessential Brushes for ZBrush Beginners","description":"Here are seven of the most important ZBrush brushes you’ll ever use. Begin your practice with these.","thumbnail":"https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/codyburleson.com/images/logo-zbrush.svg","created":"2017-07-12T00:00:00.000Z","modified":"2021-06-01T14:03:30.364Z","topics":["zbrush"],"menus":["blog"],"body":"

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Standard Brush

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Often overlooked and really great for things like the detail in an ear. This brush is kind of like inflating an area and it is topology dependent. This is very good in its ALT or ZSub form for defining relatively soft inset detail (like shaping around the nostrils of a nose).

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Smooth Brush

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Don’t use early in the process (because it’s pointless). Start with a “design” phase and block-out form with clay-build up, other heavy tools, and move. Then instead of smooth, consider clay brush filling in or adding on rather than digging into the mesh with smooth.

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Move Brush

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Move surface areas (push and pull) to make quick and dramatic changes to the form. A typical sculpting workflow often begins with using the Move brush to create a basic form from sphere or base mesh.

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Tips:

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If you’ve increased your subdivision level, it can help to step back down in the subdivision level to use the Move brush and then step it back up after the move. This ensures that the Move is making a more global change and is done in Tool > SubTool > Geometry (Divide and SDiv slider).
Try changing the Focal Shift (slider at the top of the UI) when using the Move Brush. A negative focal shift will make the surface that’s moved more bulbous and rounded. A positive focal shift will make the moved surface pointy.
Hold down the ALT key while dragging to move along normals.
Click, then hold down the SHIFT key while dragging and the move try to follow the surface.

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Clay Brush

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Add volume (but doesn’t build up a lot of height). This can be used for additive smoothing without removing detail from existing mesh.

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ClayBuildup Brush

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Add volume and can build upwards in height. (Try turning Alpha off for a big build-up that doesn’t have as crisp an edge; it’s the alpha that gives the ClayBuild up brush its square edge.) This brush is topology independent.

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TrimDynamic Brush

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Trim off the model in a planar sort of way; great for simplifying model while keeping key shape (makes it planar). It’s really easy in ZBrush to get too detailed too soon!

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Dam_Standard Brush

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For carving in details (like wrinkles); press alt for relatively sharp ridges. This brush often gives greater results for details because it’s a kind of pinch brush, which pulls geometry towards it as you dig in – resulting in cleaner topology around the area worked. This is not the case for something like the Standard brush. Often, however, if you’re not getting the clean detail you need, you may simply need to increase polygons using Tool > SubTool > Geometry > Divide.

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Reference Resources

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I derived this list of brushes by watching the following tutorial and listening to what the two commentators from FlippedNormals had to say about them as they worked.

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Zbrush Sculpting Tutorial – White Walker from Game of Thrones HD

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","path":["blog"],"layoutName":"SidebarRight","subtitle":""}]

Save and Load Spotlight configuration

References:

General shortcuts

Lightbox and Spotlight

Edit Mode Navigation

Right-Click Navigation

Transpose

Inner (red/white) ring actions

Sculpting and Painting

Sculpting Brushes

InsertMultiMesh brushes

Changing the Brush hotkeys (pop-up palette)

Color

Stroke

Curves

3D Models

SubTools

Geometry

Dynamesh

HD Geometry

Masking

Topological Masking

Polygroups

Partial Mesh Visibility & Clip Brushes

Stencil

ZSpheres

ZSpheres – Draw mode

ZSpheres – Move mode

ZSpheres – Scale mode

ZSpheres – Rotate mode

ZSketch

Canvas and 2.5D

Document Layers

Markers

Canvas Zoom

Timeline

Movie

Render

Custom UI and Configuration

ZScripts

Reference Resources

References

References

References

Selecting more than one polygroup

Travis\n Davids, Educational Materials and Resources, YouTube

What am I missing?

References

Overview

Select a Given SubTool

Choose a Material

Select Mrgb to Ensure a Material and Color Fill

Select Color and FillObject

Repeat for Other SubTools

References

Workflow

Setup Phase

Save Your FiberMesh Presets

Grooming Phase

Groom Brushes

References

Procedure for Timelapse Recording in ZBrush

Download the ZScript

Reference Resources

Related Tips

Reference

References

References

References

Reference Resources

Topic: ZBrush