Subtools

From ZBrush Info

Subtools permit a single (logical) mesh to be treated as many independent objects. Like polygroups, they split a single model into several different components, but the emphasis on subtools is allowing you to work with each component as if it were a separate mesh.

SubTools provides a visual outliner of the different parts in your model and increases your polygon count. However, once you have split your mesh into SubTools they will remain individual parts and treated as different elements. If you need your mesh to be treated as one surface consider using HD Geometry and PolyGroups instead of SubTools. Keep in mind that HD Geometry does not translate into displacement maps at this time.

SubTools increase your polygon count by allowing each SubTool to have as many polygons as your system can handle. For example, if your system can handle 8 million polygons for one SubTool you can have a model equal to 32 million polygons by having 4 SubTools of 8 million polygons each.

So, how do we create SubTools? There are 3 ways:

• Appending
• Splitting
• Extracting

To Learn About Appending Subtools Click Here.

To Learn About GrpSplit: Splitting Your Mesh Into Subtools Click Here.

To Learn About Tips For Working With Subtools Click Here.