ZBrush4 R5 Whats New

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ZBrush 4R5 whats new guide

ZBRUSH 4 R5
WHATS NEW DOCUMENTATION
ZBRUSH
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WELCOME
Welcome to the Whats New documentation for ZBrush 4R5. While much of
ZBrush 4R5 is very similar to other releases in the version 4 series, there are quite a
few new features to help make your ZBrushing even more productive and creative. We
hope that the information you fnd here helps you understand the differences between
this release and previous versions of ZBrush.
This document only covers whats new in version 4R5. To learn more about the fea-
tures introduced in previous releases of ZBrush 4, we invite you to read the ZBrush 4
/4R2/4R2b/R3/R4 Whats New Guides, located in your ZBrush installations Documenta-
tion folder.
Youre invited to visit our ZClassroom for a huge database of free high quality movies
explaining all the main features of ZBrush. Here you will also fnd the Artists Spotlight,
where famous 3D Artists explain how they use ZBrush, helping inspire you to create
like the pros.
Dont forget to subscribe for free to our ZBrushCentral community with over 250,000
members to discover tips, view artists creations, locate useful help for all things related
to ZBrush or post your works-in-progress!
We encourage you to regularly visit our ZBrush Blog where you will fnd all the news
related to the ZBrush universe, from the most recent Interview to new plugins or gallery
additions.
ZClassRoom Portal: http://www.pixologic.com/zclassroom/
Artist Spotlight: http://www.pixologic.com/zclassroom/artistspotlight/
ZBrushCentral: http://www.zbrushcentral.com/
ZBlog: http://www.pixologic.com/blog/
Pixologic.com: http://www.pixologic.com
The Pixologic Team
2012-2013 Pixologic, Inc. All rights reserved, Pixologic and the Pixologic logo, ZBrush, and the
ZBrush logo are registered trademarks of Pixologic, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of
their respective owners.
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MAC OS X & WINDOWS VERSION OF ZBRUSH
Instead of the Windows Ctrl key, the Macintosh uses the Command (Apple) Key. This
documentation will always refer to using the Ctrl key name, although it may sometimes
list both as Ctrl/Command. When the Ctrl key is mentioned anywhere in the documenta-
tion a Macintosh user will want to use the Command key instead.
The same is true for the Windows Enter key, which the Macintosh calls Return. When
seeing the Enter key mentioned anywhere in this documentation, a Mac user will want to
use the Return key instead.
The Close/Quit, Hide, Minimize and Maximize buttons are located on the top right in
Windows and at the top left on Mac OS X.
ZBrush 4R5 Documentation - version 1.0
This documentation has been written by Thomas Roussel, Paul Gaboury and Matthew Yetter
For all documentation questions and inquiries, please contact us at thomas@pixologic.com
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I ABOUT ZBRUSH
4R5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
II IMPORTANT NOTICE - ZBRUSH FILES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
III INSTALLATION, UPGRADE & ACTIVATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
1. Minimum requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2. Activation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
3. Deactivation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
4. Activation Troubleshooting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
5. GoZ and ZBrush
4 and ZBrush
4R2->R5. . . . . . . . . . . . 14
6. Un-installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
7. Support Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
IV PANEL LOOPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
1. Panel Loops Workflow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
2. Working with the Full Model or with Visible Polygons . . . . . . 18
3. Panel Loops Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
3.1 Loops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
3.2 Double . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
3.3 Append . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
3.4 Inner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
3.5 Polish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
3.6 Bevel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
3.7 Bevel Profile. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
3.8 Elevation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
3.9 Thickness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
3.10 Ignore Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
V DELETE LOOPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
1. Delete Loops settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
1.1 Angle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
1.2 Aspect Ratio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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1.3 Partial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
1.4 Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
1.5 Align Loops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
VI TOPOLOGY AND GEOMETRY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
1. Polish by Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
2. Polish by PolyGroups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
3. Polish by Crisp Edge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
4. SliceCurve Brush Additions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
5. Size and Position of the Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
6. Improved Frame Mesh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
7. MicroMesh Addition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
8. Blur Option for DynaMesh. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
9. Extract Double . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
10. Split UnMasked and Masked Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
11. Delete by Symmetry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
VII POLYGROUPS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
1. Merge Stray Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
2. Groups by Normals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
3. Crease by PolyGroup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
4. UnCrease by PolyGroup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
VIII SUBTOOLS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
1. Extract Double . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
2. Split UnMasked and Masked Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
IX POSTERIZATION AND CELL SHADING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
1. Posterization of the Curve Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
2. Posterization for Materials and Rendering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
2.1 3D Posterization at Render Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
2.2 2D Posterization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
3. Posterization as a BPR Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
3.1 Edge Detection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
3.2 Ed Exp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
3.3 Ed Ds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
3.4 Ed Radius . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
3.5 E Sense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
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4. Outline of the Model. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
5. BPR other additions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
X QUICK SAVE AND AUTO SAVE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
1. QuickSave File Location and Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
2. QuickSave Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
2.1 Maximum Duration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
2.2 Rest Duration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
2.3 Skip History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
2.4 Max QuickSave Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
2.5 Delete QuickSave Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
XI OTHER ADDITIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
1. Transpose Additions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
2. Brush Size Additions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
3. Render Properties - Vibrant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
4. Selection/Masking Brush Switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
5. Mouse Wheel Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
6. GrabDocAndDepth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
7. See Through Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
XII THANK YOU. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
XIII NOTES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48
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I ABOUT ZBRUSH
4R5
ZBrush 4R5 continues to stabilize ZBrush functionality. Various new features have
also been added to the already large ZBrush toolset.
Before we go into these new ZBrush 4R5 features in depth, here is an overview of
what to expect as the main additions:
Panel Loops: Based on PolyGroups, this feature will transform the selected
model into individual panels with thickness. Alternatively it can extrude panels that are
still welded to the surface with clean borders and bevels, perfect for hard-edge sculpt-
ing.
Delete Loops: Allows you to delete unnecessary edge loops or at higher settings
drastically change the shape of your model. An alternative is Align Loops, which pro-
duces the same visual effect without editing your models topology.
Posterization: ZBrush now supports the posterization (http://en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/Posterization) in various settings such as in the Profle curve. This new option al-
lows you to create posterization in both 2D and 3D for your renders by implementing a
cell shading style. This can even be done after a BPR Render by making adjustments
with the new Posterize Filters.
Improved Frame Mesh: Creates curves based on the PolyGroups, Creased Edg-
es or Outline of any mesh. Use these curves with any curve-based brushes.
Auto Save: ZBrush will now periodically and automatically save your work in a
temporary project fle. It will also auto-save when ZBrush is idle.
QuickSave: This option will save your current model as a Project. This is a save
that will not ask for fle name or location. These fles can be accessed quickly in the new
QuickSave tab of LightBox.
PolyGroup Enhancements: Several functions related to PolyGroups have been
added, including: Groups by Normals, merge StrayGroups to clean your PolyGroups,
Crease by PolyGroup, Uncrease by PolyGroup and a smart Polish by Feature function
to improve your mesh shape without losing volume.
See Through Mode: Makes the entire ZBrush window partially transparent to
see through to other application windows. For example you can display an image in
your web browser rather than loading it into ZBrush and still use it as a reference dur-
ing sculpting!
Dynamic Brush Size: Makes it possible for the brush size to dynamically change
as the model moves closer or further away from the camera. This becomes extremely
helpful when sculpting items such as bolts, alpha pattern, scales, and etc. No matter
the distance the model is from the camera the bolt, alpha pattern and scales will remain
the same size due to the brush dynamically changing.
We look forward to seeing your ZBrush 4R5 creations and comments on our user
forum: ZBrushCentral.com!
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II IMPORTANT NOTICE - ZBRUSH FILES
ZBrush now manages all temporary and confguration fles in a dedicated public fold-
er. On Windows, this is the C:\Users\Public\Documents\ZBrushData folder. For Mac OS
X it is the Users/Public/ZBrushData folder.
The fles stored in this folder include your custom interface hotkey confguration. This
simplifes reinstallation or upgrading ZBrush, since it will not be necessary to frst move
or backup these fles.
Another purpose of this change is to reduce issues with fle permissions which can
affect some installations.
The path of the public ZBrush folder cant be changed.
Another enhancement since ZBrush 4R4 is that it is now possible to change the loca-
tion where ZBrush will write temporary fles when compacting memory. When working
with ZBrush, it is often necessary for the operating system to manage very large amounts
of data with frequent read and write access. (Approximately 4-8 GB of data.) If your
system drive isnt the fastest on your computer, you can set ZBrush to use a different
drive instead. This is done by editing the ZBrushScratchDiskPath.txt fle located in the
C:\Users\Public\Documents\ZBrushData folder on Windows or Users/Public/ZBrushData
folder on Mac OS X.
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III INSTALLATION, UPGRADE & ACTIVATION
This is the useful information that you will need to know when installing ZBrush 4R5
on your computer. This chapter also describes the activation and de-activation process.
1. MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
Recommended:
Operating System: Windows Vista or newer. Mac OS X 10.5 or newer. (32-bits or
64-bits for either platform.)
CPU: Pentium D or newer (or equivalent such as AMD Athlon 64 X2 or newer)
with optional multithreading or hyperthreading capabilities.
6 GB recommended. (ZBrush 4 is a 32-bit application, but can use up to 4 GB of
system RAM.)
Disk Space: 750 MB for ZBrush, plus 16 GB for the scratch disk.
Pen tablet: Wacom or Wacom compatible.
Notes:
The scratch disk may be a different drive from where ZBrush is installed.
Having ZBrush and its scratch disk running on an SSD drive will result in improved perfor-
mance.
Minimum System Requirements:
Operating System: Windows Vista or newer. Mac OS X 10.5 or newer. (32-bits or
64-bits for either platform.)
CPU: P4 or AMD Opteron or Athlon64 Processor. (Must have SSE2 -- Streaming
SIMD Extensions 2. All CPUs from 2006 or later support SSE2.)
RAM: 1024 MB (2048 MB required for working with multi-million-poly models).
Disk Space: 750 MB for ZBrush, plus 8 GB for the scratch disk.
Monitor: 1280x1024 monitor resolution set to 32-bits or Millions of Colors.
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2. ACTIVATION
For new installations of ZBrush 4R5 (not an upgrade) this step must be completed in
order to launch ZBrush successfully.
The single-user ZBrush license allows you to have ZBrush activated on two of your
computers, provided that both copies are not actually used at the same time. For ex-
ample it may be activated on a workstation and a laptop. Please keep in mind that only
one copy of ZBrush should be run at any given time.
Volume licenses allow only the number of activations for which seats have been
purchased.
Floating licenses do not use activation and can ignore this section.
ZBrush activation window.
Launch ZBrush.
From the splash screen, select your desired activation method.
If your computer is connected to the internet (or can be temporarily connected),
use Web Activation. This activation method is faster and more accurate. After ZBrush
has displayed the End User License Agreement window, your web browser will be
opened to a page that requests your serial number, the email address associated with
your account, and a description that you can use to identify this computer should you
ever need to see a list of your activations. Upon submitting this form you will be given
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an activation code. Click the button to select the code, then press Ctrl+C (Windows) or
Cmd+C (Mac) to copy it. Switch back to ZBrush and click the button to Enter Activation
Code. A new window will open with a red text line. Click in that line and press Ctrl+V
(Windows) or Cmd+V (Mac) to paste the activation code. Now press Enter/Return to
complete activation.
The Web activation form
Or
If your computer cannot be connected to the internet, use Phone Activation.
PLEASE NOTE THAT DURING THE WEEK FOLLOWING THE RELEASE OF VER-
SION 4R5, HIGH CALL VOLUME MAY MAKE IT VERY DIFFICULT TO REACH SUP-
PORT FOR PHONE ACTIVATION. After ZBrush has displayed the End User License
Agreement window, a new screen will open with your request code and a phone num-
ber to call. Please have your serial number ready before calling! When you call you will
be asked for your serial number, request code, email address and desired computer
description. An activation code will be created and sent to the email address on record
for your account. If you cannot conveniently check your email, the phone representa-
tive will be able to read the 32-letter activation code to you. To enter your activation
code into ZBrush, click the option to Enter Activation Code. Click in the red text line
within the window that will open, type your activation code and press Enter/Return to
complete your activation.
Instead of calling, you may follow the steps above but write down the request
code that ZBrush gives you. You may then shut down ZBrush. From any computer that
has internet access you can submit a Support ticket at https://support.pixologic.com.
In your ticket, provide the following information: The request code from ZBrush, your
serial number, your email address, and your desired computer description. You should
receive a response to your Support ticket within one business day (often within one or
two hours) containing your activation code. At that point, launch ZBrush and choose
the option to Enter Activation Code. (Note: Do not start a new Phone Activation.)
Click in the red text line within the window that will open, type your activation code and
press Enter/Return to complete your activation.
Once activated, ZBrush will start immediately.
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3. DEACTIVATION
If you plan to move ZBrush to a new computer or if you are going to reinstall your
operating system, you can make everything easier by frst deactivating your current in-
stallation of the software.
To do this, launch ZBrush and go to the Zplugin >> Deactivation menu. There are two
options: Web Deactivation and Manual Deactivation.
The Deactivation plugin in the ZPlugin menu.
Deactivation process:
If your computer has internet connection, use Web Deactivation. This will
launch your browser to a page that asks for the email address associated with your ac-
count. Submit that form and then click the confrmation button to instantly complete your
deactivation of ZBrush.
or
If your computer cannot be connected to the internet, you will need to use Manual
Deactivation. In this case you will be given a deactivation code. You may either call the
number on the screen to deactivate by phone (only available during normal business
hours of 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Pacifc Time, Monday through Friday) or you may submit a
Support ticket at https://support.pixologic.com. Please note that by either method you
will also be required to provide the email address that is associated with the account.
Note:
Once deactivation has been started, it is not possible to stop it. The moment you confrm
your desired deactivation method, ZBrush will shut itself down and will not be able to be restarted
without a new activation. However, the deactivation will not be credited back to your serial number
until you have submitted the Web Deactivation form or contacted Support with your manual deac-
tivation code.
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4. ACTIVATION TROUBLESHOOTING
Activation Failed after entering activation code:
Make sure you are not trying to use your serial number as an activation code.
Serial numbers are 16 characters in length, with both letters and numbers. Activation
codes are longer and have all letters. You will never enter your serial number directly
into ZBrush. It is always used via Web or Phone activation to create an activation code.
Make sure you are not trying to use an outdated activation code. Any time you
install ZBrush you must begin with a new Web or Phone activation to create a new
activation code. Codes from previous activations cannot be reused.
Make sure that your system clock is set to the correct date, including year. If the
date is wrong, activation will fail. After correcting the date you will need to start the
activation process over from the beginning.
Make sure that you are logged into the computer as an administrator when install-
ing and activating ZBrush. After it has been activated it may be run by any user on
that computer, but the initial installation and activation must be done under an admin
account.
(Mac Users) If you launch ZBrush and immediately receive an error message
(such as a virtual memory error) that must be resolved before activation can be done
successfully. This error is typically caused by permissions. For most environments,
simply get info on the ZBrush OSX 4R5 folder. Unlock permissions and then assign
Read & Write permission to the Everyone user group. Next, click the gear icon un-
derneath the users list and choose the option to Apply to Enclosed Items. When the
process completes you should be able to launch ZBrush without an error message and
may then proceed to activation.
If the above troubleshooting items do not resolve your issue, please contact Pixolog-
ic
Support for assistance. Make sure to state from the beginning that you have already
tried activation and it failed. Phone activation uses the same system as Web activation,
so if Web activation failed you will have the same problem with Phone. We need to re-
solve the issue rather than just trying under a different method.
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5. GOZ AND ZBRUSH
4 AND ZBRUSH
4R2->R5
ZBrush 4 and ZBrush 4R2->R5 can be used together with GoZ as main components
are remaining the same, but its not possible to work on the same project between mul-
tiple versions of ZBrush at the same time. Once a fle has been created or saved in a
newer version of ZBrush, it may not be opened by any earlier version.
For example, if you have a fle that youd been working on with ZBrush 4R3 and then
save it using ZBrush 4R5, it will no longer be possible to open it in version 4R3.
GoZ cannot get around this restriction. It can be used to open fles from earlier ver-
sions of ZBrush but it cannot be used to send fles to an earlier version. The only way
to get a fle into an earlier version of ZBrush than it was last saved in is through the OBJ
format.
6. UN-INSTALLATION
This process completely removes ZBrush from your computer.
Un-installation process:
1. In the ZPlugin menu, choose Web Deactivation and proceed with the license de-
activation as explained in a section above. If you do not deactivate prior to un-instal-
lation, the un-installed machine will continue to count against your serial number and
potentially prevent you from reactivating!
2. On Windows, use the Windows Control Panel uninstall utility and follow the steps.
On Mac OS X, simply move the ZBrush folder and the Users/Public/Pixologic folder to
the Trash.
3. Check the location where ZBrush was installed for extra fles which havent been
deleted by the installer. You can delete those folders if you do not intend to use ZBrush
on this computer again.
Note:
With the exception of GoZ, ZBrush doesnt write fles outside its own folder.
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7. SUPPORT REGISTRATION
It is required to have a current Support account at http://support.pixologic.com
in order to receive technical support for ZBrush. This account is free.
Activating an earlier version of ZBrush is not the same as having a registered Support
account. The Support system is an independent platform. It does not use any existing
log-ins that you might have for ZBrushCentral, Cleverbridge or any other ZBrush-related
sites.
If you have not already registered on the Support site:
4. Go to https://support.pixologic.com.
5. Click the Register icon.
6. Enter your email address and whatever password you would like to use for the
Support site. These will become your login info for the future.
7. Fill in your system information. We need this info in order to respond to your sup-
port requests more effciently.
8. Also provide your ZBrush 4x serial number and the Cleverbridge reference num-
ber for your copy of ZBrush. This information identifes you as someone who has ac-
tually purchased a ZBrush license. (If you have upgraded from an earlier version of
ZBrush 4, your serial number will remain unchanged. All versions of ZBrush 4x use the
same serial number.)
9. After you submit the form you will receive a confrmation email at the address
you used to register. Follow the instructions in that email to complete your registration.
If you have already registered on the Support site:
You do not need to change any information.
At any time, you can go to https://support.pixologic.com to view your past tickets or
create a new one.
16
IV PANEL LOOPS
The Panel Loops feature, located in the Tool >> Geometry >> Edge Loop UI group
converts your existing model into a set of separate surfaces (panels) with thickness.
These panels are defned by the different PolyGroups or visible polygons. Various set-
tings alter the fnal result.
This function is similar to the SubTool >> Extract command, except that it converts the
existing model and offers a lot more control over the results.
This new tool is perfect to quickly create complex groups from a models parts, ideal
for hard surface sculpting.
The Panel Loops function will only work on meshes with no subdivision levels.
When Panel Loops are created, ZBrush will automatically assign a PolyGroup for
each edge loop that is indicated by the Loops setting. These PolyGroups are assigned
for the beneft of using the Polish by Feature slider. (See Other Additions)
Panel Loops. By Daniel Bystedt.
17
1. PANEL LOOPS WORKFLOW
The workfow is quite easy and allows you to test various confgurations for transform-
ing your model:
1. On a model, defne multiple PolyGroups. Each of these will later become a
different surface with its own borders. A quick way is to paint a mask, then press-
ing the CTRL+W hotkey (the shortcut for the Tool >> PolyGroups >> Group
Mask Clear Mask function). For a quick demonstration, select the DemoSol-
dier in the LightBox >> Tool menu. This model already has multiple PolyGroups.
An alternative to masking is to hide all polygons that you do not wish to be part of the
Panel Loops.
2. In the Tool >> Geometry >> EdgeLoop UI Group, locate the Panel Loops section.
Within this you will fnd the Polish slider which has a small dot symbol in it. Click this
dot to toggle it solid. Now click the Panel Loops button.
3. The model should now have been split into individual panels based on the Poly-
Groups (or visible polygons). These panels have borders with thickness, and these
have been bridged together as defned by the various settings in the Panel Loops sec-
tion of the UI.
4. To really see this, go to the Tool >> PolyGroups sub-palette and click Auto Groups.
Each part should now have its own PolyGroups. Hide some of the PolyGroups by
Ctrl+Shift+clicking on the mesh or split each PolyGroup into a separate SubTool by
using the Tool >> SubTools >> Split >> Group Split function. You will now be able to
clearly see what the Panel Loops feature created.
Because Panel Loops create different PolyGroups, you can use the various Au-
toMasking settings like the Brush >> Auto Masking >> Mask by PolyGroups to work only
on the frst selected PolyGroup that the brush touches. Or use Topological auto masking
when working on a panel so as to not affect the other groups.
Panel Loops in action. The original model with its PolyGroups is shown at left. The results after
using the Panel Loops function are on the right.
18
2. WORKING WITH THE FULL MODEL OR WITH VISIBLE POLYGONS
Panel Loops work in either of two different ways:
By creating multiple Panel Loops based on the PolyGroups of the current model.
By creating a single or multiple Panel Loops for the visible polygons of the cur-
rent mesh. With this behavior, the mesh will be made fully visible again as soon as the
Panel Loops are created. Any masks will also be inverted. This allows you to modify
the Panel Loops without affecting any other parts of the model.
If Double mode (explained below) isnt enabled, the new Panel Loops will be merged
with the underlying surface rather than creating new parts.
3. PANEL LOOPS SETTINGS
Several settings found in the Tool >> Geometry >> EdgeLoops UI group provide con-
trol over the Panel Loops feature. Those settings are explained below.
The Panel Loops settings.
19
3.1 LOOPS
The Loops slider defnes the number of polygon loops which will be created on the
bridge between the inner and outer surfaces of the panels. The more complex your bevel
shape is (see below), the more loops will be required in your panel edges. Bear in mind
that each loop will increase the polygon count.
3.2 DOUBLE
This mode creates the panels with front and back surfaces. It is enabled by default.
When Double is disabled, the panels are created as beveled sections on the original
surface.
3.3 APPEND
With this enabled, ZBrush doesnt delete the original PolyGroup when the Panel Loop
is created. This mode is very similar to the Tool >> SubTool >> Extract function except
that you have access to advanced bevel and polish options.
The Append options results. At the top, the original polygons in green. At the bottom, the resulting
panels. The bevel curve is show on the right.
The Append function is affected by the Double option. If Double is turned off, the
created Panel Loop is composed of an outer surface and surrounding bevel but no in-
ner surface. In other words, the panel will be a new surface only rather than a volume.
20
Note:
If you wish to convert the Panel Loop mesh to a new SubTool, use the Tool >> SubTool >>
Split >> Split Unmasked Points feature.
3.4 INNER
This mode creates the Panel Loop inside the model rather than outside.
The difference between Inner and a negative Elevation setting (see below) is in the
direction of the beveled edge shape relative to the original surface.
3.5 POLISH
The Polish slider applies a polish effect on the resulting mesh -- especially to the
border of the PolyGroups -- to create clean edges.
Polish has two different options and you can switch between them by clicking on the
small dot at the top right of the slider.
With the dot open the polish will reduce the smoothing of the original surfaces but
may create some overlapping polygons at the bevel location. These can eventually be
smoothed with Polish by Feature. This option can produce sharp points where three or
more PolyGroups intersect.
If the dot is closed ZBrush will round all PolyGoup borders.
3.6 BEVEL
The Bevel slider defnes the size of the bevel between the PolyGroups.
3.7 BEVEL PROFILE
The Bevel Profle curve defnes the shape of the bevel between the inside and out-
side surfaces of the panel.
The left of the curve represents where the bevel connects to the surface (outer por-
tion of the mesh) while the right of the curve is the bevels outermost edge. (Inner portion
of the mesh) The height of the curve then defnes the shape along that length. If the
curve does not reach past the middle point of the curve editor, you will have some empty
space between any panels that are adjacent to each other. Once any dot is placed past
the halfway point of the grid (the fourth square) the bevels will begin to overlap and ap-
pear as if they are connected.
21
3.8 ELEVATION
The Elevation slider defnes the height of the panel relative to the original surface,
letting you specify whether the panels will be raised above the surface or be depressed
below the surface. A negative value will create panels that depress from the original sur-
face while a positive value will create panels that are raised above the original surface.
Note:
The Thickness value and the Bevel value (along with its profle curve) are related. Having a
high value for one setting and a low value for the other can create unexpected results. If the thick-
ness is very low, setting a very high bevel value may create overlapping polygons.
3.9 THICKNESS
This defnes the thickness of the panel, as well as affecting the distance between the
panels.
The Profle Curve can also have an effect on the panel cap. If the curve is closer to
the bottom of the graph, the cap between each panel will be enlarged.
How the Thickness value affects the distance between panels.
3.10 IGNORE GROUPS
If performing a Panel Loop while only a portion of the mesh is visible, this option al-
lows you to keep the current PolyGroups. The advantage of this would be if you wanted
to create additional panel pieces across an already created panel and not have ZBrush
create panels for every PolyGroup.
22
V DELETE LOOPS
The new Delete Loops function analyzes the mesh to fnd edge loops that are not
necessarily needed to contribute to the overall shape of the mesh. It then deletes those
edge loops, based upon user-defned settings.
This function doesnt function based on the silhouette of the model. Instead it ana-
lyzes the curvature of the surfaces. Keep in mind that this feature only works with edge
loops within the topology. It wont work on messy topology such as scan data com-
posed of triangles.
As with most ZBrush functions, mask intensity can be used to modulate the operation
or to completely protect an area.
The original model with 45,000 polygons is on the left. It is shown on the right after Delete Loops
was used to remove unnecessary edges and now has only 16,000 polygons.
1. DELETE LOOPS SETTINGS
The Delete Loops settings can drastically change the appearance of a mesh. Several
combinations can produce interesting shapes which can eventually be reused for other
purposes. One example is to create a base mesh for displacement maps.
23
1.1 ANGLE
The Angle slider defnes the angle tolerance of the deleted loops. Low values will
remove a minimum of loops to keep the curvature very close to the original while higher
values will be more destructive.
1.2 ASPECT RATIO
The Aspect Ratio slider defnes the maximum relative width and height ratio allowed
for each new polygon created by the Delete Loops feature. For example, if this was set to
4 then ZBrush will maintain the polygons height to be no more than four times its width,
regardless of the Angle setting.
In other words, ZBrush will frst analyze the mesh based on the Angle setting to de-
termine where loops should be removed. It will then check to make sure that the new
polygons would not exceed the Aspect Ratio setting. If they do not, the edge loop will be
removed. If they do, the edge loop will be kept.
1.3 PARTIAL
This mode allows the Delete Loops function to analyze partial loops in addition to
completed loops. For example, a DynaMesh will often have partial loops rather than
perfect edge loops, and this setting will allow Delete Loops to work with such a mesh.
1.4 GROUPS
With this setting active, ZBrush will ignore edge loops that defne PolyGroup boundar-
ies.
1.5 ALIGN LOOPS
The function is similar to Delete Loops, except that it will not remove the edge loops.
It analyzes the mesh in the same way but then simply moves the surfaces to match the
shape that would have been established had Delete Loops been pressed instead.
24
The same model comparing the results of Delete Loops (on the left) and Align Loops (on the right).
Note:
Because the Align Loops function doesnt alter the topology, you can produce interesting re-
sults by frst storing a Morph Target and then using Alight Loops. After this you can use the Morph
brush to restore some areas here and there.
25
VI TOPOLOGY AND GEOMETRY
Various enhancements and additions have been made for functions related to the
topology or geometry of your models.
1. POLISH BY FEATURE
Located in the Tool >> Deformation sub-palette, these sliders evaluate the meshs
creased edges or PolyGroups. When applied, ZBrush will polish the whole surface while
maintaining PolyGroup borders or creased edges.
With the small circle toggled closed, ZBrush will maintain the overall shape and vol-
ume of the mesh without shrinking.

With the small circle open, ZBrush will use more aggressive smoothing. You will see
some surface volume changed.
The original mesh is shown on the left. The resulting mesh after using Polish by Feature is shown
on the right.
Note:
As with all other deformations, Polish by Feature can be restricted by masking part of the
model.
26
2. POLISH BY POLYGROUPS
This powerful feature has a modifer setting in the form of a small circle. With the
circle closed, ZBrush will maintain the overall volume of the mesh while polishing based
on the surfaces PolyGroup borders. If the circle is open ZBrush will still polish based on
PolyGroup border but the overall volume will not be maintained and the mesh will likely
contract.
3. POLISH BY CRISP EDGE
This powerful feature has a modifer setting in the form of a small circle. With the
circle closed, ZBrush will maintain the overall volume of the mesh while polishing based
on Creased Edges. If the circle is open ZBrush will still polish based on Creased Edges
but the overall volume will not be maintained.
4. SLICECURVE BRUSH ADDITIONS
The SliceCurve brush can now be used with partially hidden geometry. This is ex-
tremely useful when using Polish by Feature or Polish by PolyGroup. The SliceCurve
brush now also has four Stroke options. You can use the Lasso, Curve, Circle and Rect-
angle strokes.
5. SIZE AND POSITION OF THE TOOL
The Tool >> Geometry sub-palette now has a collection of new sliders to defne the
position and size of the current Tool or SubTool. Unlike the Tool >> Deformation >> Size
and Scale sliders which operate relative to the models current info, these sliders operate
relative to the models original values. They are also persistent and will keep their trans-
formation values, while the settings in the Deformation palette always reset to 0 when
the slider is released.
For example if the XYZ Size slider is at 1 and you adjust it to 2 your model will double
in size. You can later set the slider back to 1 to return to original size. If you were using
the Deformation sliders instead, you would need to use a value of 100 to double the size
and then -50 to return to original size.
27
The model position and size has been affected and the sliders values arent reset.
6. IMPROVED FRAME MESH
Stroke >> Stroke Functions >> Frame Mesh has been improved and can detect the
models PolyGroup borders, Creased edges, and mesh borders (openings).
This addition is important because after using this function to create a set of curves,
you can immediately adjust the settings of any brush with Curve Mode enabled to have
that brushs function be applied to all curves at once. For example, the Curve Tube or
Insert Mesh brushes combined with a curve setting will be applied these new curves.
Frame Mesh creates a curve along each PolyGroup border.
To see this in action, try these steps:
1. Load the Demo Soldier Tool, located in Lightbox >> Tool folder.
2. Click on the Body SubTool eye to hide all other SubTools. (Or use Transform >>
Solo mode.)
28
3. Activate PolyFrame mode. (Shift+F)
4. While pressing Alt+Shift, do a single click on the abdomen PolyGroup (in red/
purple) to hide everything else.
5. Select the CurveMultiTube Brush. (B,C,A hotkeys)
6. Press the Stroke >> Stroke Functions >> Frame Mesh button. You should see a
set of curves appear all around the PolyGroup.
Note:
The Frame Mesh function is enabled only if the active brush has the Curve mode enabled.
7. Set Draw Size to set the overall size of the tubes. (The size is displayed using the
red cursor circles; not the cyan brush icon.)
8. Click on one of the curves. All curves will now have a tube applied and the other
PolyGroups re-appear.
9. Refne the curves or the tube width, if desired.
10. Tap on the mesh to validate the new tubes.
7. MICROMESH ADDITION
Align Edge has been added so that all geometry vertices will be allied in the same
direction. This is extremely useful if you are applying anything that you wish to be facing
the same direction. For example: arrows.
8. BLUR OPTION FOR DYNAMESH
The Tool >> Geometry >> DynaMesh feature has been enhanced with a new Blur
option. If the modifer dot is closed, the Blur slider applies a smoothing on the DynaMesh
while retaining as much of the meshs volume as possible. If this dot is open, the volume
of the mesh will not be maintained.
The default setting is with the dot closed.
29
9. EXTRACT DOUBLE
The Extract function, located in the Tool >> SubTool >> Extract UI Group has a new
option: Double. When this option is disabled, ZBrush will create a new SubTool based on
the mask. The Thickness value defnes the depth of the new extracted model. A nega-
tive Thickness value will cause the extracted mesh to be inside of the support (masked)
model while a positive value will create the extraction on the outside.
When the Double option is enabled, the thickness will be applied on both sides of the
surface, ignoring the positive or negative aspect of the value.
10. SPLIT UNMASKED AND MASKED POINTS
The Tool >> SubTool >> Split >> Split UnMasked Points and Masked Points functions
create a new SubTool based on the masks applied to the current Tool.
It is very useful for creating a new SubTool after inserting a mesh on a model or
quickly creating a Panel Loop based on visible polygons.
11. DELETE BY SYMMETRY
This button found in the Tool >> Geometry >> Modify Topology will delete the oppos-
ing geometry of the selected axis.
Note:
This function is producing the opposite of the Mirror and Weld function.
30
VII POLYGROUPS
PolyGroups are an increasingly important part of the sculpting process, especially for hard
surface sculpting. Several additions have been made to expand your toolset for both creating and
using PolyGroups.
1. MERGE STRAY GROUPS
The Tool >> Polygroups >> Merge Stray Groups function will merge all the isolated
PolyGroups composed of one polygon or which are separated from the closest other
PolyGroup by a single row of polygons.
This functions purpose is to clean the PolyGroups created by automatic functions,
such as PolyGroups from PolyPaint.
On the left, the models original PolyGroups. The same model is shown on the right after Merge
Stray Groups has been used.
2. GROUPS BY NORMALS
The Tool >> Polygroups >> Groups by Normals function creates PolyGroups based
on the models surface curvature. This can be modulated by the Maximum Angle Toler-
ance slider.
31
The model on the left has no PolyGroups. In the middle, PolyGroups were created using Groups
by Normals. On the right, GroupLoops was used.
3. CREASE BY POLYGROUP
The Tool >> Geometry >> Crease PolyGroup (PG) function adds an edge crease
around all visible PolyGroup borders.
To protect PolyGroups from this function, hide them and then apply the function.
4. UNCREASE BY POLYGROUP
The Tool >> Geometry >> UnCrease PolyGroup (PG) function removes the edge
creasing around all visible PolyGroup borders.
To protect PolyGroups from this function, hide them and then apply the function.
32
VIII SUBTOOLS
1. EXTRACT DOUBLE
The Extract function, located in the Tool >> SubTool >> Extract UI Group has a new
option: Double. When this option is disabled, ZBrush will create a new SubTool based on
the mask. The Thickness value defnes the depth of the new extracted model. A nega-
tive Thickness value will cause the extracted mesh to be inside of the support (masked)
model while a positive value will create the extraction on the outside.
When the Double option is enabled, the thickness will be applied on both sides of the
surface, ignoring the positive or negative aspect of the value.
2. SPLIT UNMASKED AND MASKED POINTS
The Tool >> SubTool >> Split >> Split UnMasked Points and Masked Points functions
create a new SubTool based on the masks applied to the current Tool.
It is very useful for creating a new SubTool after inserting a mesh on a model or
quickly creating a Panel Loop based on visible polygons.
33
IX POSTERIZATION AND CELL SHADING
Posterization takes a smooth gradient and converts it to fewer steps with abrupt
changes between them a staircase kind of effect. This was originally done with pho-
tographic processes to make posters, which is where the name of the effect is derived
from.
With additions made to the profle curves, Material Mixer, BPR Filters and a new 3D
Posterize feature you can now easily create a cell shaded render.
Posterization isnt only for BPR renders. It can be applied to any profle curve in
ZBrush. This means that you can add a posterization effect to a brush curve, a brush
alpha or any other place a profle curve is used.
Posterization can also be found in premade settings to make your creative work eas-
ier, such as in the render settings or through the BPR flters.
An example of posterization. Model courtesy of Olivier Milas.
34
1. POSTERIZATION OF THE CURVE SETTINGS
The frst location where you can set posterization is with profle curves of ZBrush.
A couple of new settings have been added which will affect the curve shape: Step and
Strength.
By increasing the Step value, you will create steps in your curve, breaking it into a
number of steps defned by the sliders value.
These steps are modulated by the Strength value. At a value of 1 the angles will be
at their sharpest, giving your curve a perfect staircase effect. Lower values soften the
angles until no stepping if visible at all when Strength reaches its minimum value of zero.
(Technically, the steps are still there but theyve been softened so much as to have no
effect.)
Three different curves and their results.
35
To visualize the effect of posterizing a curve, try the following:
1. Load a 3D model.
2. Select the Skin Shade 4 material from the Material palette (found in the Standard
material group).
3. Open the Material palette and expand the Modifers.
4. You should fnd a list of sliders and curves. Expand the Diffuse Curve.
5. Change the Strength value to 1 and set the Step value to 5.
6. Your model should now show distinct shading colors rather than smooth gradi-
ents.
7. You can also make changes to the Specular curve to alter your cell shading effect.
8. Hit the Shift+R shortcut to perform a BPR render and most clearly see your modi-
fcations.
Note:
If you have a low polygon mesh, posterization of the material can make the low model resolu-
tion really visible. To get the best results, enable Smooth Normal mode in the Render >> Render
Properties sub-palette.
This is just one example of posterization. As mentioned in the introduction of this
chapter, you will fnd the Step and Strength sliders in every ZBrush curve, letting you
posterize a large number of things.
36
2. POSTERIZATION FOR MATERIALS AND RENDERING
The optimized solution for creating a cell shading effect is to alter existing material
curves as described above. This solution may make it somewhat time consuming to frst
defne a material, but it pays off later. ZBrush calculates this level of posterization as a
pre-render effect, before even considering the colors present on the model (as PolyPaint
or texture). This creates a truly 3D posterization which produces great results.
Remember: Once you have created a material you like, you can save it for later use.
2.1 3D POSTERIZATION AT RENDER TIME
As an alternative to individually adjusting your various materials you can do a quick
posterization adjusting the 3D Posterize slider now found in the Render >> Render Prop-
erties sub-palette. Increasing this sliders value will add more steps to your posterization,
reducing the cell shading effect.
The beneft of this solution is that ZBrush uses the surface curvature rather than color
to establish the posterization. So when PolyPaint is applied the posterization will not be
affected. This posterization is done on the top of the existing material, rather than alter-
ing the material itself.
2.2 2D POSTERIZATION
As with render time 3D posterization, you can apply a global posterization to your
materials by using the Material >> Mixer sub-palette and increasing the Steps value
found there.
The Posteriez slider, located in the Material Mixer.
This solution is different from the 3D Posterize found in the Render Properties as it is
applied as a 2D effect such as you would fnd in a photo editing software. In other words,
rather than being taken into account as part of the render, it is applied to the image after
the render has been completed.
Yet it is also different from what you could accomplish in another program because as
a Material Mixer, you can mix several shaders through a posterization value.
This is also where you will fnd the Outline slider. This gives that black outline to the
model that you often see in comic books or cartoons.
37
3. POSTERIZATION AS A BPR FILTER
A model using 3D posterization, along with a background image using a combination of two
posterization BPR Filters.
Posterization can also be applied on top of an existing render through the BPR flters.
This allows the posterization effect to be modulated by all the flter settings like depth,
masking, cavity, etc.
ZBrush has fve different posterization flters based on their intensity. Each has its
own Step (posterize) slider and opacity.
The fve different posterization BPR Filters.
Because a BPR flter is applied to the fnal render, its effect can also be applied to a
2D background image or even the panorama image
38
3.1 EDGE DETECTION
A new control has been added to the flter exponents. You now have the capability to
apply any flter to the edges of the surface. You can use this to simulate an outline of a
model, much like a comic book or cartoon. For example:
1. Select the Paint flter.
2. Turn the Paint slider all the way to 100. The whole image will become grey.
3. Click on the color swatch and select your desired color.
4. Increase EdgeDetection to its maximum value.
You will see that your model now has an outline around the edge using the color you
selected. Now use the following sliders to refne the results.
3.2 ED EXP
This will control the Edge Detection roll off. The higher this value is, the more solid
the outline will be.
3.3 ED DS
With this pressed the flter will be double sided, applied to both sides of the edge.
3.4 ED RADIUS
The Edge Radius adjusts the thickness of the edge flter being applied to the model.
3.5 E SENSE
The Edge Detection Filter Sensitivity slider adjusts how much change in surface is
required for ZBrush to determine that an edge is present.
39
4. OUTLINE OF THE MODEL
Three Outline variations.
In addition to posterization, ZBrush provides an alternative (or supplemental) way to
create the characteristic edge lines visible in cell shading.
In the Material >> Mixer you can fnd the new Outline and Depth settings. These are
located just below the Posterize slider.
The Outline slider defnes the intensity of the outline color, based on the objects
diffuse color.
The Depth slider defnes the detection of breaks in the models curvature in order
to calculate the width of the outline.
These outline settings are also available as BPR flter modulators through the Edge
detection sliders.
40
5. BPR OTHER ADDITIONS
In addition to the Posterize flters and the Edge detection operators, BPR Filters have
another new operator: Noise.
This operator uses Noise Maker that youre already used to from the Tool >> Surface
and the Brush >> Surface sub-palettes. It allows you to apply the noise effect of your
choice to the fnal render. See the Noise Maker documentation for more information
about how to use it to create the noise that this flter then applies.
41
X QUICK SAVE AND AUTO SAVE
ZBrush 4R5 introduces a new feature to help safeguard your work by automatically
saving a Project periodically or whenever ZBrush enters an idle state.
If ZBrush then shuts down for any reason you will be able to restore your work by
loading the temporary fle created by ZBrush.
Because it uses a dedicated project, the Auto Save feature wont overwrite any exist-
ing copies of your project. Any copies that you save manually will be completely separate
from the Auto Save version.
When ZBrush does not have enough disk space to save a Tool or Project the user will
be displayed a warning to free space on the hard drive. This warning will continue until
enough space has been freed up to save the fle.
The Auto Save in progress, displayed at the top of the ZBrush document.
1. QUICKSAVE FILE LOCATION AND BEHAVIOR
The project saved by ZBrush through the QuickSave feature is located in the public
ZBrush folder. On Windows, this is the C:\Users\Public\Documents\ZBrushData\Auto-
Save folder. For Mac OS X it is the Users/Public/ZBrushData/ AutoSave folder. These
fles will begin with QS_ followed by a number sequence which increments with each
QuickSave. You can set the maximum number of QuickSaves that ZBrush will keep by
adjusting the Preferences >> QuickSave >> Max QuickSave Files slider.
QuickSave works different from an AutoSave in that if you press the button ZBrush
will automatically save the Project without asking for a fle name or location. These fles
can be accessed easily through LightBox where there is a new QuickSave tab.
Any QuickSave fle that ends with UH is indicating that this fle has Undo History
saved with the fle.
The default hotkey to QuickSave is 9.
If ZBrush ever crashes, the next time you launch it you will be asked if you wish to
load the saved project.
42
2. QUICKSAVE SETTINGS
QuickSave has two preference settings that you may change to ft your needs. It is
important to take time to consider the potential impact of these settings because saving
a project -- even a temporary copy -- can take some time. This is especially true with
numerous Tools, SubTools, 3D Layers and/or lengthy history data.
The QuickSave preferences, located in the Preferences palette.
These preferences are located in the Preferences >> QuickSave sub-palette.
Note:
Dont forget to store your confguration to save your modifed preferences before quitting
ZBrush. This is done by pressing the Preferences >> Confg >> Store Confg button or using the
Ctrl+Shift+I keyboard shortcut.
2.1 MAXIMUM DURATION
The Maximum Duration slider sets the maximum number of minutes that can elapse
between auto saves. If you do not saved the project yourself within this time, ZBrush will
then do so automatically. Any save, either manual or automatic will reset the timer. This
keeps you from encountering a situation where you save your work only to have to wait
shortly after that while ZBrush performs an Auto Save.
2.2 REST DURATION
The Rest Duration slider defnes the number of minutes that ZBrush needs to be idle
or not in use before it will execute an Auto Save. If you set this value to 1, then ZBrush will
watch for a one minute period of inactivity. If you then leave your computer for a minute
or switch to another application for that length of time, ZBrush will execute an Auto Save.
The Rest Duration setting is totally independent from Maximum Duration. If you save
your work immediately before stepping away from your computer, ZBrush will still do an
Auto Save after the specifed Rest Duration.
43
The Auto Save idle counter is visible at the top of the ZBrush interface, informing you when the
next save will be done. As soon as you do anything in ZBrush this counter will disappear until you
ZBrush returns to an idle state.
2.3 SKIP HISTORY
With this option activated ZBrush will not save the Undo History with either AutoSave
or QuickSave fles.
2.4 MAX QUICKSAVE FILES
This slider will allow you to set the number of saved iterations you would like ZBrush
to QuickSave. By default this is set to 10 but can be adjusted as high as 100. You will be
able to access these saved fles in LigthBox under the new QuickSave tab.
2.5 DELETE QUICKSAVE FILES
When this is pressed ZBrush will delete all QuickSave and AutoSave fles from your
computer. These fles are located in the public ZBrush folder. On Windows, this is the
C:\Users\Public\Documents\ZBrushData\AutoSave folder. For Mac OS X it is the Users/
Public/ZBrushData/ AutoSave folder.
44
XI OTHER ADDITIONS
In addition to the new features discussed elsewhere in this document, ZBrush 4R5
adds various enhancements. These minor additions are listed in this section.
1. TRANSPOSE ADDITIONS
When drawing your Transpose line onto a surface while taping once the Shift key the
axis icon and line will not be snapped to the vertex but will align to the screen working
space.
Note:
You can tap or hold the Shift key to perform the Transpose alignment with the screen working
plane, but keeping the Shift key pressed will add a 15 rotation constraint.
Clicking on the white circle that is at the furthest point of the Transpose line will align
the camera to the Transpose line. This will only rotate the camera to be aligned with the
Transpose line and wont rotate the 3D objects. The camera will be moved to the closest
vertical or horizontal distance of the Transpose Line.
2. BRUSH SIZE ADDITIONS
The stroke will now stay consistent when the Dynamic brush is enabled. This will
dynamically re-size the brush as the Tool is zoomed in and out.
The Brush Size has been increased to 1000. However this can be turned up to 5000
in the Preferences >> Draw >> Max Brush Size. This becomes extremely helpful will
working with a dynamic brush and a physically large Tool. (Ex: An environment piece).
A Dynamic Brush Scale slider has also been added to the Preferences >> Draw sub-
palette. This will serve as a manipulator to the Max Brush Size. This will also come in
handy when dealing with a physically large Tool.
3. RENDER PROPERTIES - VIBRANT
In ZBrush 4R4 Shadows and AO could be set to Vibrant for each individual material.
Now there is a Vibrant slider in the Render Properties that will allow you to control satura-
tion globally from 0 to 100.
45
4. SELECTION/MASKING BRUSH SWITCH
ZBrush now has the capability to switch from the SliceCurve brush to SelectRect by
pressing the Ctrl key after starting to draw out the SliceCurve brush. This will also work
with switching from any Masking brush to the SelectRect brush.
Here are some examples:
With the SliceCurve brush selected, begin drawing a stroke and then press the
Ctrl key. You will switch to the SelectRect brush.
Start with a Masking brush then hold the Ctrl key change to the SelectRect brush.
Start with the SelectRect brush and hold the Ctrl key to change to the SelectLasso
brush.
5. MOUSE WHEEL SUPPORT
ZBrush now supports the mouse wheel for devices that have one. The actions per-
formed by scrolling the mouse wheel up or down can be assigned to various ZBrush
sliders such as Draw Size. To use this feature, assign a hotkey like normal but scroll the
mouse wheel instead of pressing a key command.
Note:
To assign a shortcut, you need to hold Ctrl+Alt while clicking on the item you wish to assign
a new hotkey to. The status bar (below the title bar) will update to tell you that you can assign a
hotkey. Your next keyboard combination will be assigned to that item. Dont forget to save your
hotkeys via the Preferences palette.
6. GRABDOCANDDEPTH
The Texture >> GrabDocAndDepth function creates a new Texture with an alpha
channel. The color channels contain the RGB info from the canvas while the alpha chan-
nel contains the depth information.
Saving this texture as a Photoshop (PSD) fle will keep the alpha channel information
for later use via Photoshops Channels menu. If you save the texture as a PNG fle, the
alpha channel will be mixed with the texture, creating a transparent background. Your
model itself will be partially transparent based on its depth.
7. SEE THROUGH MODE
ZBrush now has a global setting which defnes the transparency of the entire ZBrush
application. This See Through slider, located at the top right of the ZBrush UI allows you
to see the desktop or other windows through the ZBrush window.
46
One example of how this is useful is as an easy and quick way to display image
references. You can use your web browser to fnd a particular reference image and im-
mediately start sculpting against it without the need to frst save the image to your hard
drive and then load it into the ZBrush Grid system.
The See Through in action with an image loaded in a web browser
47
XII THANK YOU
Pixologic
would like to thank everyone who has participated as a beta tester for
ZBrush
4R5.
Happy ZBrushing, and thank you again!

The Pixologic Team
48
XIII NOTES

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