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ZBrush Cheat Sheet

MarcusCivis — Mon, 14 May 2012 14:38:55 GMT

Summary:

[[Image:CheatSheet-pic.jpg]]

'''[http://www.pixologic.com/docs/images/3/39/ZBrush_Cheat_Sheet.pdf ZBrush Cheat Sheet PDF of common actions and hotkeys - Click here]'''

Welcome To ZBrush 4R3

MarcusCivis — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 16:46:37 GMT

Summary:

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[[Image:4R3-Intro.jpg]]

''Model courtesy of Olivier Drion''

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This documentation will tell you all about the changes introduced in '''ZBrush 4R3'''. While much of ZBrush 4R3 is very similar to version 4R2, there are quite a few new features to help make your ZBrushing even more productive and creative. We hope that the information you find here helps you understand the differences between this release and previous versions of ZBrush.

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You’re 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 find the Artists Spotlight,
where famous 3D Artists explain how they use ZBrush, helping inspire you to create like the pros.

Additionally, new online documentation with extra information beyond what is included in this document will be available a few weeks after the release of ZBrush 4R2. Please
stay tuned to www.pixologic.com for the announcement!

Don’t forget to subscribe for free to our ZBrushCentral community with over 300,000 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 find all the news related to the ZBrush universe, from the most recent Interview to new plugins or gallery
additions.

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[http://www.pixologic.com/zclassroom/ ZClassroom]

[http://www.pixologic.com/zclassroom/artistspotlight/ Artist Spotlight]

[http://www.zbrushcentral.com/ ZBrushCentral]

[http://www.pixologic.com/blog/ ZBlog]

[http://www.pixologic.com Pixologic.com]

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To find out about upgrading and installation for ZBrush 4R3 see [[Installation, Upgrade and Activation]]

To find out about new features see [[ZBrush 4R3 - Table of Contents]]

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We hope you enjoy ZBrush 4R3!

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Back to : [[ZBrush 4R3 - Table of Contents|What's New in ZBrush 4R3 - Table of Contents]]

Other Improvements

MarcusCivis — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 16:32:08 GMT

Summary: /* User Interface Changes: Magnify Glass */

==BPR to Geometry==

This new function, located in the Tool >> Geometry palette is meant for use with the MicroMesh and FiberMesh features. It allows you to convert what you see in your BPR render to actual geometry which may then be sculpted, exported to other programs or used to create a vector displacement map.

To convert a MicroMesh or FiberMesh, simply click the Convert BPR to Geo button. ZBrush will automatically use all settings that would normally create a BPR render to instead calculate actual geometry. This will be added as a new SubTool.

[[Image:Other01.jpg]]

''The converted MicroMesh with edited geometry and PolyPaint.''

Please keep in mind that this operation can generate many millions of polygons at once – possibly more than your computer can handle.

''Note: Don’t forget that you can temporarily hide parts of an object or a set of fibers to make your BRP to Geometry operation easier.''

==Spin Edge==

This command, located in the Tool >> Geometry sub-palette rotates the visible vertex points. This operation is really useful to adjust the orientation of a MicroMesh. It is also useful when you need to adjust the Root and Tip Anisotropic results or the HTangent and VTangent of a FiberMesh.

If you don’t have a MicroMesh preview on the polygons, you won’t be able to see the result of this operation.

[[Image:Other02.jpg]]

''The top right polygon has been rotated using Spin Edge.''

''Note: You can temporarily hide polygons to only spin the visible ones.''

==Improved Shadows with FiberMesh and MicroMesh==

BPR shadows have been improved to support texture transparency applied to a MicroMesh or FiberMesh. This results in a more accurate and natural-looking render.

==Open EXR File Format==

ZBrush now supports the Open EXR file format when exporting textures. This file format is strongly recommended when working with 32-bit maps as its file size is a lot lower than for 32-bit TIF files.

==Micromesh Location and Preview==

The MicroMesh function is now found in the Tool >> Geometry sub-palette rather than Display Properties.

The MicroMesh preview has been improved to support PolyPainting color as well as better control over the model’s preview dots density.

==Auto Update==
ZBrush now incorporates an Auto Update system on both Windows and Mac OSX. At your request, this feature checks with the Pixologic servers to see if a new upgrade is available for ZBrush or one of its components such as plugins, GoZ or documentation.

You can start an update check in two ways:

*Execute the ZUpgrader.exe (.app for Mac users) file located at the root of the ZBrush folder. This will walk you through the steps to check for an update and apply it if one is available.
*Execute the Auto-Update plugin from within ZBrush. This checks to see if an update is available. If one is, ZBrush will ask if you wish to launch the Auto Update process. If you say yes, will quit and the update will begin downloading.

Notes:

*ZBrush won’t automatically check for updates. Please run the updater from time to time to see if any updates are available.

*Your computer must be connected to the internet for the Auto Updater to work.

*While ZBrush can be running while checking for an update, it must not be running while an update is being downloaded and applied.

==User Interface Changes: Collapsable Sub-Palette Sections==
To help with User Interface (UI) organization, sub-palettes have now been broken into sections called UI Groups. These sections can be collapsed simply by clicking the divider line at the top of the section. This will hide everything within that section, replacing it with a description of the elements within that section. To expand the section again, simply click its title.
Not only do collapsed UI Groups help prevent clutter, their names can help you find specific options more quickly and easily.

[[Image:Other03.jpg]]

''The UI group separator and below, collapsed groups.''

Shift+clicking on a UI Group name or separator will expand or collapse all UI Groups in that sub-palette.
''Note: At this time, when customizing the UI it is not possible to create your own UI Groups.''

==User Interface Changes: Magnify Glass==

This new option is located in its own section of the Preferences palette. It displays a magnifying glass which moves with your cursor, enlarging everything (including interface elements) within its area.

This addition is very useful for artists recording video ZBrush tutorials, whether through ZBrush’s native movie recording features or via an external recording application.

It’s also of use for people who have trouble reading some of the interface text, especially at high display resolution settings.

[[Image:Other04.jpg]]

''The magnify Glass in action''

There are a number of settings that you should be familiar with. All are found in the Preferences >> Magnify Glass sub-palette:

*MagnifyGlass: Toggles the feature on and off. The default hotkey for this is M, but can be changed like any other hotkey.

*Radius: Defines the size of the magnifying glass circle.

*Zoom: Defines the how strongly items within the magnifying glass circle will be enlarged.

*Curvature: Changes the amount of refraction within the magnifying glass circle. It’s simply a visual effect that mimics real-world lenses.

*Fade: Increasing this slider value causes the edges of the magnifying glass to become partially transparent. Higher values cause the fade effect to extend farther in from the border of the magnifying glass.

*Shadow: Darkens the edge of the fade area to produce an internal shadow at the edges of the magnify glass. This helps add to the illusion that the magnifying glass is a real lens. This setting has no effect if Fade is set to 0.

*GColor: Defines the tint of the lens by coloring the Shadow.

*Frame: Defines the width of the outline at the outer border of the magnifying glass.

*FColor: Defines the color of the Frame border.

*Magnify Curve: Allows you to adjust the strength of the Curvature effect from the border (at the left) to the center (at the right). This Curve has no effect if the Curvature slider is set to 0.

*Opacity Curve: This Curve operates the same way as for Magnify Curve, but affects the strength of the Shadow across the radius of the magnifying glass. It has no effect if the Shadow slider is set to 0.

FiberMesh Enhancements

MarcusCivis — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 16:15:52 GMT

Summary: [[FiberMesh Enhancements]] moved to [[FiberMesh™ Enhancements]]

[[Image:Fibers01.jpg]]

''Several Fibers generated with the new settings.''

Introduced in ZBrush 4R2b, FiberMesh changed the way you create fibers, hairs, grass and other “growing” models. You will discover that several new enhancements and additions have been made in ZBrush 4R3 to expand the possibilities for what can be achieved in your FiberMesh creations!

==FiberMesh Presets==

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.

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.

[[Image:Fibers02.jpg]]

''The FiberMesh presets in LightBox.''

Instead of LightBox you can of course use the Tool >> FiberMesh >> Open button.

==Revolve==

[[Image:Fibers03.jpg]]

''The Revolve Curve in action.''

This new setting allows you to create curling Fibers in just a few clicks with high control over their shape. This is accomplished through two settings:

*Revolve Rate: Defines the amount of rotation applied to the Fiber.

*Revolve Radius: Uses a curve to define where the rotation effect will be applied. A linear curve from the bottom left to the top right will create a Fiber where the revolve effect is applied most strongly at the tip and not at all at the root. See the section below for more information about curves.

==Working with Curves Profiles==

To provide more control over your settings and more variant possibilities, several FiberMesh parameters now have a curve editor. This editor operates in exactly the same manner as for all other curves in ZBrush.

When used with Fibers, all curve profiles correspond with the root at the left side and the tip at the right side. Strength goes from 0 at the bottom to 100% at the top.

===Length Profile===

This curve affects how the segments along the fibers will be propagated. The default curve will generate a constant length for each segment. Modifying the curve can do such things as concentrating the segments at the Fiber’s root or tip.
This setting can affect the result of other settings. For example, if you wish to have a Revolve setting concentrated at the tip of your Fibers, you would want to have more segments there than at the root.

===Width Profile===

This curve affects the width along your curve, letting you creating custom profiles.

[[Image:Fibers04.jpg]]

''An example of how Width Curve affects Fibers.''

''Note: Because of this addition, the Root/Tip Scale and Flare settings are redundant and have been removed.''

===Revolve Radius===

This curve defines the where the Revolve effect will take place along the Fiber length. Please refer to the Revolve section, above.

===Gravity Profile===

This curve controls how the gravity will impact the Fiber along its length.

===Color Profile===

This curve defines where the root and tip colors will be applied along the Fiber length.

==Texture Selector==

In addition to the textures which can be applied manually through the Tool >> Texture Map sub-palette, you can now directly apply a texture in preview mode. This allows you to see how the Fibers will look with your texture even before you’ve converted them to a FiberMesh object.

[[Image:Fibers05.jpg]]

''Frenchy Pilou like texture applied on the fibers.''

There are several parameters associated with this feature:

*Max Size: Defines the maximum width and height of your texture in pixels. If you select a texture with a higher value, ZBrush will warn you and ask if you wish to proceed. You may cancel by pressing No. If you say Yes, ZBrush will automatically resize the texture before applying it to the Fibers. For memory management and faster processing, it is recommended to use the smallest possible texture size that will still retain an acceptable level of detail.

*Horizontal Tile: This slider sets how many times the texture will be repeated across the width of the Fibers.

*Vertical Tile: This slider sets how many times the texture will be repeated along the length of the Fibers.

*Transparent Mode: When enabled, pure black pixels within the texture will become transparent.

''Note: Only pure black (0,0,0) is seen as transparent. Anything even slightly different from that (such as 0,1,0) will be rendered as color. For this reason, it is recommended to not use antialiasing in your image editor when creating textures that will have transparent regions. ZBrush can then antialias the edges for you at render time. See Antialiased Mode, below.''

*Antialiased Mode: This option helps remove “jaggies” from edges within the texture. It is especially useful in conjunction with Transparent mode (above), since it will result in clean edges on the visible surfaces.

==Exporting FiberMesh as Guides==

ZBrush can now export your sculpted FiberMesh object as guide curves to be used with the Hair and Fur system in the software of your choice.

ZBrush can export native modo, Maya and LightWave files, OBJ files with curves for applications which support them, as well as FMG (FiberMeshGuide; a dedicated file format for the developers who would like to create an importer).

Before exporting, it is important to set the PRE Visualization slider to the percentage of Fibers that you will need as guides. When you click the Export Curve button, ZBrush will display statistics about the number of exported guides.

[[Image:Fibers06.jpg]]

''The PRE Viz slider, which defines the number of exported curves and the Export Curves button.''

For optimum results, it is advised to switch to Fast Preview mode and set the PRE Visualization slider value before exporting your guides.

==Exporting FiberMesh as Vector Displacement==

Instead of exporting your Fibers as guides, an alternative is to export your Fibers as a vector displacement map. This is especially useful when your Fibers have settings affecting their width and form, as those values cannot be exported with guides and so would need to be reconstructed in your other application.

[[Image:Fibers07.jpg]]

When exporting your fibers as a vector displacement map, ZBrush will export an OBJ file and a vector displacement map corresponding to the extrusion of the Fibers.

The OBJ file is composed of one polygon per Fiber root. The texture file then has the information needed to give the Fibers their correct shape when rendered in a program that supports vector displacement maps.
Please read the Vector Displacement Map chapter of this document to learn more about the Tangent and 32-bit modes.

NoiseMaker plugin

MarcusCivis — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 16:07:28 GMT

Summary:

[[Image:Noise01.jpg]]

''Some Noise samples, generated through the NoiseMaker plugin.''

First, some history:

Surface Noise was first introduced in ZBrush 3.5 and provided a way to display procedural effects on the surface of your model. Enhancements in subsequent releases provided many new ways to generate the surface noise as well as the ability to convert this noise into actual geometry.

Because this noise is procedural, you can apply advanced modifications to both topology and PolyPaint without altering your current model. However, at any time you can convert the rendered effect into actual geometry and/or PolyPaint – either on the entire model or to specific portions using Masks to protect the rest of the surface.

ZBrush 4R3 introduces the NoiseMaker Plugin. This adds a full set of powerful noise generators to the existing NoiseMaker functions from ZBrush 4R2. The key difference to the noise created by NoiseMaker is that it is being generated in 3D instead of 2D.

Most of these generators have common and specific settings, which produce almost instantaneous visual results. The workflow for using Surface Noise is the same as from ZBrush 4R2 except that you can now replace the default noise with one that is generated by the NoisePlug settings.

==NoiseMaker Mask Mixing==

It is now possible to mix two different scales and intensities of the same noise on an object. This is done using the Mask capabilities of ZBrush by first painting a Mask area where you wish to alter the scale of the noise. After opening the NoiseMaker interface, modify the two new settings:

*Magnify by Mask slider: Changes the scale of the current noise within the Mask area.

*Strength by Mask slider: Changes the intensity of the current noise within the Mask area.

By default, the result of these modifications won’t be visible until you change the Strength by Mask setting. Revert this value before validating if you don’t wish to change the Strength value.

This new capability is helpful when you wish to hide visible changes on your surface when using the mesh UV’s or simply to add some variation across your model surface.

[[Image:Noise02.jpg]]

''Different variations of a noise, defined by different Mask intensity values.''

==NoiseMaker Interface and Workflow==

To open the noise Plugin, open the NoiseMaker interface by clicking Tool >> Surface >> Noise. Now click the NoisePlug-In button, which will open a new floating window.

The NoiseMaker Plugin is composed of three main elements:

*The list of Noise Generators, located on the left of the interface.

*The Noise Generator settings in the center of the interface.

*The common settings for each Noise Generator, at the bottom of the window.

The basic workflow is to select your desired Noise Generator from the list, then modify the settings. The noise will be updated in real-time in the NoiseMaker preview window. If needed, changing the common controls settings will globally affect the Noise applied to your model.

''Note: It’s recommended to turn up the Strength settings all the way to 0.5 or -0.5 before clicking on the NoisePlug-In button. This will help you see the real-time interaction with the various noises. After closing the Plugin window you can then adjust the Strength to finalize the noise effect.''

[[Image:Noise03.jpg]]

''The NoiseMaker plugin interface.''

When done, close the NoiseMaker Plugin. You can now also use the various settings in the NoiseMaker preview window to further adjust and refine the applied noise.
If you need to modify the Noise such as by switching to a different Generator or altering the common settings you will need to get back to the NoisePlug-in by disabling it and then enabling it again. This last operation won’t change the current settings; it will simply reopen the plug-in interface so that you can modify those settings.

==Mixing Colors==

The Noise generators can blend your model’s PolyPaint with colors defined in the NoiseMaker preview window. If you wish to mix two colors, you must first set the base color on your model by filling it via the Color >> Fill Object command.

==NoiseMaker Plugin Common Controls==

[[Image:Noise04.jpg]]

''The common controls''

Each Noise that is generated has common Offset, Angle and Scale settings along the X, Y, and Z axis which affect how the noise will be applied to the model. Alter these settings to change the scale, orientation and position of the noise relative to the model’s surface.
Please remember that the selected projection method (defined in the ZBrush’s NoiseMaker preview window as 3D or UVs) can cause the same Noise type to produce very different results.
The Interactive Update button (enabled by default) makes your changes visible in real-time in the preview window. If a noise Generator requires too much computing time you can disable this option to speed up your workflow.

==Procedural Generator Description==

This section provides a list of all 3D generators available in the plug-in, with a short description and the overview of their main settings. Be aware that all generators have common settings like Offset, Angle and Scale.

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'''Brick'''

The Brick generator creates bricks by defining the size of a single brick (Width, Height and Depth settings), combined with the distance between each brick (Mortar Thickness setting).

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'''Camouflage'''

The Camouflage generator creates a random pattern similar to military camouflage. It does this by using a Frequency setting to change the random aspect, modulated by a Threshold slider which changes the transition between the areas. (At Threshold 0, it displays the Surface setting color and at 1, the ZBrush front color. The color settings are based on a grey scale adjustment.)
The colors can be swapped or modulated by changing the base and the Layer 1 and 2 sliders.

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'''Checkerboard'''

The Checkboard generator creates a regular checker pattern. Each square can be subdivided into smaller squares by modifying the Depth slider.
Enabling the Colors Randomize setting lets you apply a random color on each square by using the ZBrush front color combined with the active color of the Surface settings. This can be further refined by changing the Variability slider.

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'''Cheetah'''

The Cheetah generator simulates the cheetah fur pattern with irregular spots. The shapes of these spots can be altered through the Spot slider.

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'''Corrugated'''

The Corrugated generator creates constant rings around the model with different styles available, from smoothed borders to one-sided sharp borders.

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'''Dents'''

The Dents generator simulates a corrosion-like effect on the surface, perfect for old metal surfaces.

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'''Erosion'''

The Erosion generator produces a result which is close to the Dents generator except that it focuses on edges rather than surfaces.

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'''FBM'''

The FBM generator applies a global noise over the model. The Detail value affects the density of the effect.

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'''Gradient'''

The Gradient generator creates a linear gradient over the mesh in the direction defined by the X, Y and/or Z button.

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'''Granite'''

The Granite generator simulates the real-world granite material. The effect is modulated by the number of Octaves to create the amount of detail while the Frequency setting defines detail density.

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'''Grid'''

The Grid generator creates a grid on the top of the model where the Randomize button affects the intensity of the colors applied to the tiles.

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'''HexTile'''

HexTile creates hexagonal tiles. The Randomize, Minimum and Maximum settings can affect the color of both the mortar and the tiles.

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'''Houndstooth'''

The Houndstooth provides a set of different patterns like Chevron, Onyx or Sherlock. To change the orientation of these patterns, use the Angle sliders located in the Common Controls.

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'''Nested Shapes'''

Similar to the Houndstooth generator, Nested Shapes applies large scale patterns like Square, Tube, Cube or Sphere to your model, modulated by the Thickness slider.

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'''Perlin Noise'''

The Perlin Noise generator produces one of the most used and famous noise effects for your model. It can be used to create a large array of results. Increasing the Octave settings will produce high detail noise for your geometry’s deformations.

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'''Plaid'''

The Plaid generator simulates the pattern of fabrics, composed mainly of a set of vertical and horizontal lines. Their Frequency can be modified, as can their colors.

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'''Psychedelic'''

The Psychedelic generator creates a random pattern similar to the metallic elements found in some large floor plates.

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'''Scales'''

The Scales generator creates patterns based on scales and offers you a great control over its color aspect.

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'''Simple Marble'''

The Simplex generator creates a very basic noise with very few irregularities. It is modulated by the Detail setting.

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'''Simplex'''

The Simplex generator creates a very basic noise with very few irregularities. It is modulated by the Detail setting.

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'''Snake Skin'''

Similar to the Scales generator, Snake Skin simulates the scales found on serpents. It offers great control over the scales’ colors. To make the scales look natural, apply some Scale Variability and especially some Amplitude.

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'''Speckled Stone'''

The Speckled Stone generator simulates small flakes within polished rock. It will produce a low level noise which is perfect when you want an effect that is only slightly visible.

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'''Spheres'''

The Spheres generator creates random circle dots on your model with the option to Hollow them.

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'''Spiral'''

The Spiral generator applies stripes over your model in a spiral pattern. The Spiral Rate setting controls the amount of bend in these stripes.

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'''Stripes'''

The Stripes generator applies straight lines over your model. The effect can be modulated by different styles like a Perlin Noise, Triangle Shapes and more.

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'''Turbulence'''

The Turbulence generator creates an irregular noise with an important depth for both deformation and colors. This noise is perfect as a sculpting basis for wall details and more.

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'''Voronoi'''

The Voronoi generator recreates a pattern similar to microscopic organic cells. The style can be drastically changed through the Type and Method settings.

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'''Voronoi Tiles'''

The Voronoi Tiles generator simulates irregular patterns based on the Voronoi algorithm to produce effects like cracked and pitted pavement.

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'''Weave'''

The Weave generator lets you use an over/under woven pattern. It is really useful for fabrics, plastic items or specific materials like carbon fibers. The specific effect is achieved by changing the Pattern style. It includes several color settings which give control for fine tuning for your patterns, whether they will be used for texture or mesh modification.

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'''Wood'''

The Wood generator recreates the grain of sliced wood. It can be modulated mainly by the Amplitude slider which creates irregular rings.
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'''ZigZag'''

The ZigZag generator creates an oblique set of rectangles for a zig-zag pattern. The Randomize color mode adds extra rectangles between the main zig-zag patterns.

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==Changes and additions in NoiseMaker==

===3D Navigation in the Surface Noise Interface===
The standard ZBrush 3D navigation and right-click navigation options have been added to the default NoiseMaker interface. Also, simple buttons have been added in the corners to help with 3D navigation if you are not used to ZBrush’s standard 3D navigation.

===Noise Alpha Texture Thumbnail===
When loading an Alpha as a NoiseMaker pattern in the editor, a thumbnail preview is now displayed in the bottom left of the interface window.

Vector Displacement Maps

MarcusCivis — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 16:02:10 GMT

Summary: /* Vector Displacement Map Options */

[[Image:4R3-Intro.jpg]]

''Model courtesy of Olivier Drion.''

In addition to traditional Displacement and Normal Map creation, ZBrush 4R3 introduces the option to create Vector Displacement maps.

This map type provides the best of both worlds and helps your other software’s rendering engine recreate all the fine details originally found in your sculpture.

==About the Vector Displacement Maps==

To understand Vector Displacement, it is important to have a solid grasp of how traditional Displacement maps work.

When creating a displacement maps, ZBrush compares your model’s currently selected subdivision level with the details of its highest level. It then calculates a map that represents the differences between the two levels, capturing the details of the high-level sculpt.

Displacement maps are generated as a grayscale image that uses the black-to-white intensity variations to push the rendered surface in or pull it out, effectively changing the silhouette of the model. It is important to note that this deformation is always along the point’s surface normal – perpendicular to the model’s surface.

Normal maps do not move rendered points. Instead, these maps alter the surface normal, using RGB color values to tell the rendering engine how to change the way light reacts to the surface. They create the illusion of fully 3D detail within the silhouette of the model but cannot actually deform the surface’s shape.

Normal maps render extremely quickly and work best with high resolution details. Displacement maps take longer to render, but are the only way to reproduce details that change the shape of the model. Many artists find it useful to create a normal map for the highest resolution details and a separate displacement map for medium resolution details. This combination combines the shape changes of a displacement map with the speed of a normal map.

Most of the time, displacement and/or normal maps are enough to reproduce your high resolution mesh with all its details. But there are a number of scenarios where traditional maps can’t accurately reproduce the ZBrush model’s surface. One of the best examples is a simple mushroom: If your base mesh is a 4 sided polygon and your finished sculpt is a nice mushroom, a displacement map will only accurately reproduce the mushroom’s cap. The stem would look like an extrusion from the cap’s outer edges.

In short, displacement maps are useless for any type of surface change that is not perpendicular to the base mesh’s polygons.

Vector displacement incorporates elements of a normal map by using RGB colors to add a directional value to each of the map’s pixels. Like other difference maps, it compares the model’s current subdivision level with its highest level, but because of the vector value it can move the rendered surface to perfectly match the high resolution sculpt.

[[Image:Mushroom.jpg]]

''Above is the sculpted mushroom, rendered with a vector displacement maps and a “traditional” displacement map''

Not all rendering engines support vector displacement maps. If your rendering engine is one that does, we recommend using them as they will produce the most accurate results.

As with displacement maps, you can create 16-bit maps (which need an additional factor value to render your sculpt accurately), or 32-bit maps (which effectively have the factor value baked in). Of course, if your rendering engine supports 32-bit maps it is best to work with that format.

==Diagnostic File for the Perfect Export Settings==

Bear in mind that vector displacement maps are not yet standardized within the industry. Each rendering engine approaches them in a different way, and can execute the various render steps in a different order. As a result, a map that works perfectly in one rendering engine will likely produce an inaccurate render in other engines. You will need to experiment to find the correct combination of color order and direction for your pipeline.

There are 48 possible combinations of export settings located in the Import Export Preferences, such as NormalMapFlipX or NormalMapFlipYZ

[[Image:Disp01.jpg]]

''The Flip and Switch options, located in the Preferences >> Import-Export palette.''

To avoid you having to manually testing all these different combinations, ZBrush has an option to Creates diagnostic files based on your export settings in the Tool >> Vector Displacement Map sub-palette. These diagnostic files are comprised of an OBJ file, a diffuse map and the generated vector displacement map.

[[Image:Disp02.jpg]]

''The Diagnostic file, rendered in modo from Luxology. Notice the 1st square with the perfect sphere, even if some UVs seams are visible.''

All you need to do is load all the OBJ file into your favorite 3D package and create a material in which you import the vector displacement map and the diffuse map. Now render the 3D model to see a grid with floating 3D shapes in front of a numerated checker. One of the shapes should be a perfect sphere while the others are degenerated models or non-spherical shapes.

''Note: You only need to worry about how perfectly spherical each shape is. Your result may have UV seams visible or some polygon artifacts, but that doesn’t matter for the diagnostic test.''

Beneath each shape is a number. Note the number found beneath the perfect sphere shape. Then you simply need to return to ZBrush and set Preferences >> Importexport >> FlipAndSwitch as well as Tangent FlipAndSwitch to this value. For example, if you are creating a World map for use in Maya 2012 you would see the sphere to be over the number 7 and that is what you would set ZBrush’s FlipAndSwitch slider to. Now save your settings by clicking Preferences >> Config >> Store Config. Alternatively, use the Ctrl+Shift+I (Cmd+Shift+I for Mac) keyboard shortcut.

Once your Importexport sliders have been set for your target application and saved, all of your vector displacement maps will export correctly for that particular renderer.

Here are the settings for a few external applications:

*Maya 2012: 7 FlipandSwitch for a World map.

*Modo 501 SP6: 1 TangentFlipandSwitch for a Tangent map.

*3DSMAX 2012: 7 FlipandSwitch for a World map.

==UV Seams and Vector Displacement Maps==

As with normal maps, vector displacements are really sensitive to UV seams. Depending on your settings and target application, these seams may be more or less visible. Unfortunately, this problem can’t be avoided. As powerful as vector displacement maps are, they do mix the negative aspects of displacement maps and normal maps.

The best practice is to carefully place your UV seams on areas which will be hidden (or at least less visible) in the final render.

==16-bits and 32-bits Vector Maps==

Just like with traditional displacement maps, ZBrush can produce 16-bit and 32-bit vector displacement maps. The main advantage of 32-bit maps is that you don’t need to enter a depth factor to producing an accurately displaced render. This means less effort for an even more accurate result.

[[Image:Disp03.jpg]]

''The information provided by ZBrush when generating a 16-bit map with its factor value.''

Due to their increased accuracy and reduced effort, most rendering engines now support the 32-bit mode. If it is at all possible for you to do so, we recommend using this mode.
ZBrush can export vector displacement maps in the RGB TIFF and OpenEXR file formats. OpenEXR is advised for most applications, including Luxology modo or Autodesk Maya and 3DSMax.

==Vector Displacement Map Workflow==

As with the generation of traditional displacement and normal maps, ZBrush must compare the low resolution and high resolution levels of a model to calculate the differences between them. ZBrush then creates a map of these differences, using the object’s UVs.
Before generating your vector displacement maps, follow these steps:

1. Make sure that your model has more than one level of subdivision and UVs.

2. Go to the lowest level of subdivision.

3. Define your UV Map size in the Tool >> UV Map sub-palette.

4. Use the Tool >> Vector Displacement Map sub-palette to set the options of your choice for the map’s depth, mode and smoothing options.

5. Click the Create and Export Vector Displacement Map button to generate and export your map.

6. For 16-bit maps: Upon export, ZBrush will display the map’s depth factor in the progress bar near the top left of the interface. Please write this number down for use in your shader settings in the rendering application. (If you are creating a 32-bit map, this value will always be 1.)

7. Export your base mesh model as an OBJ file or use GoZ to export it to your application of choice. Either way, you can now set up your materials.

Note:
GoZ doesn’t support vector displacement maps at this time. This means that you must manually add the map to your existing shader and adjust its corresponding options.

==Vector Displacement Map Options==

Vector Displacement maps have only few options which can impact the final result. These settings are quite important, however, and may dramatically improve the compatibility with your target rendering solution.

[[Image:Disp04.jpg]]

''The Vector Displacement Map sub-palette, located in the Tool palette.''

===Vector Displacement Tangent / World===

The vd Tangent option sets how the vector displacement map is computed – whether it’s based on the normal of the polygons or based on the world axis. With it turned on, ZBrush will create a Tangent map. Turned off will produce a World map.

Because animated objects are in motion relative to the world coordinate system, Tangent mode must be used any time your model will be animated. World mode is suitable for static (non-animated) renders.

===Vector Displacement 32-Bits /16-Bits===

The vd 32Bit mode defines the depth of the computed map and of course, its accuracy. With the vd 32Bit button activated, ZBrush will generate a 32-Bit map. With this button deactivated ZBrush will generate a 16-bit map. In this latter case it is important to note the alpha depth factor value which will be displayed at the top of the interface once the map has been created.

The benefit of 32-bit maps is that you don’t need to set a depth value in your render engine to produce accurate results.

Please refer to the 16-bit and 32-bit Vector Maps section above.

===Vector Displacement Smooth UV===

When turned on, the vd SUV option smooths the model’s UVs when producing the displacement map. This option should be enabled if your rendering engine uses smoothed UVs.

===Vector Displacement Surface Normals===

The vd SNormals option smooths the low resolution model’s surface normals and results in a smoother map.

===Create and Export Vector Displacement Map===

The CreateAndExport VDMap button will take all other settings into account to compute your vector displacement map. It will open a system window asking you for your file name and the location where you wish to save it.

You will have the option to save the map as a TIFF file or Open EXR.

===Create Diagnostic Files===

This operation will generate a set of diagnostic files, useful to determine the correct Preferences settings for your vector displacement maps when rendered in your particular target application. These files will be created based upon the other settings in the Vector Displacement Map sub-palette.

Please refer to the Diagnostic File for the Perfect Export Settings section (above) for more information.

===Vector Displacement Flip Options===

These options, located in the Preferences >> Importexport sub-palette have a huge impact on the result of your render. They define whether the axis vectors are flipped or not. Please refer to the Diagnostic File section above.

Auto Update

MarcusCivis — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 15:54:48 GMT

Summary:

ZBrush now includes an auto update system which at your request will check with the Pixologic servers to see if a new update is available.

This will support a variety of updates: those to upgrade ZBrush itself, the release of a new plugin, changes to existing plugins, GoZ upgrades, documentation changes, etc.

This process is initiated manually and is voluntary. It is recommended that you run it from time to time to see if a new update is available.

==Auto Update In Action==

The auto update is a separate application named ZUpgrader.exe (.app for Mac users), located at the root of your ZBrush folder.

This program can be executed by itself and when you wish to check for a new update or upgrade. Simply double-click it to run it.

An installer-like window will open. From there, simply follow the steps to check for any available updates. The application will tell you whether or not something is available for download.

*If no update is available, the software will automatically quit.

*If an update is available, the software will start the download. When the update has finished downloading, it will be launched automatically.

The update installer is similar to the ZBrush full install process. Just follow the steps to install the new components. The auto updater will automatically place all files in their proper locations. When installation is finished the updater will close and you can launch ZBrush to enjoy the new features or changes.

You will also find the update as a new program in the root of your ZBrush folder. You can keep it for future use or simply delete it. We recommend that you keep the most recent update and delete any older ones.

''Note: Each new update will include all items since the most recent ZBrush version release. This means that if you’ve just installed ZBrush you will not need to download multiple updates – a single download will be all that’s necessary to bring your installation up to date.''

==Auto Update Within ZBrush==

The auto update process can be executed within ZBrush via the Auto Update plugin located in the ZPlugins palette.

[[Image:Example.jpg]]

''The Auto Update button in the ZPlugin palette.''

When checking for an update, ZBrush will notify you whether or not a new update is available. You will then have the choice of continuing to use ZBrush or quitting ZBrush to run the auto update as described in the section above.

[[Image:Example.jpg]]

''An update is available. Continue working and update later or quit ZBrush to install immediately.''

''Note: It is not possible to run ZBrush while updating.''

FiberMesh UVs

MarcusCivis — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:29:54 GMT

Summary: [[FiberMesh UVs]] moved to [[FiberMesh™ UVs]]

Once your Fibers have been generated as a FiberMesh it is possible to generate UVs. The same UV map will be assigned to each individual Fiber, allowing you to apply a texture to all of them. This provides additional possibilities for the look and style of your Fibers, especially when using them to create complex plants.

Due to the large amount of memory required for these UVs, this feature isn’t automatic.

Even though it’s the same map for all Fibers, these UVs must still be associated with the individual vertices. When you have hundreds of thousands of Fibers (usually with many polygons each), that can become an exponentially large amount of data!

[[Image:Fibers-UVs.jpg]]

''On the left, the original fibers. In the middle, creating the Fibers UVs and selecting a texture. On the right, the final result.''

Follow these steps to create UV’s for your Fibers and apply a texture to them:

1. Create your Fibers. For the memory reasons explained above, try to use a low Max Fiber setting.

2. By default, ZBrush will advise you to use Preview mode. In order to preview textures, however, it is not recommended to use this mode.

3. Once your FiberMesh has been created, select its SubTool.

4. Go to the Tool >> UV Map sub-palette and click on FiberUV to generate the mapping. Your UVs will automatically be “per Fiber” which means that all Fibers will share the same UVs. This button is enabled only when a SubTool composed of Fibers is selected.

''Note: If the button is grayed out while having a SubTool composed of Fibers selected in the SubTool sub-palette, it’s because you have modified the Fibers topology and transformed them to a default Polymesh3D. Operations like Slice Curve or applying a subdivision-level transformation to the FiberMesh topology will cause this to happen.''

5. In the Tool >> Texture Map sub-palette, select the texture of your choice.

''Note: You can use a texture with pure black color to define transparency. The Fibers will be rendered corresponding to this transparency information. Keep in mind, however, that the transparent portions of the Fibers will still cast shadows just as if they didn’t have transparency.''

Updating to ZBrush 4R2b

MarcusCivis — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:43:21 GMT

Summary:

{{Important|Note: The Upgrade portions of these instructions only apply to users who are upgrading from an earlier version of ZBrush. People for whom 4R2b is an original purchase should skip to the “Activation Process” section.}}

ZBrush 4R2b is provided as an updater for users who already have ZBrush 4R2 installed.

If you currently have ZBrush 4 or an earlier version you will need to upgrade to version 4R2 before you will be able to update to 4R2b. To do this, please submit a Support ticket at https://support.pixologic.com. Be sure to include your purchase and/or license information so that we may locate your account and upgrade you in a timely manner. After upgrading to 4R2 you will then be able to use the 4R2b updater.

For information about upgrading to ZBrush 4R2 see [[Updating to ZBrush 4R2]]

ZBrush 4R2b also includes enhancements to the activation system. Because of this, it is highly recommended that you deactivate version 4R2 prior to installing the update. To do this, launch ZBrush and click the Zplugin >> Deactivation >> Web Deactivation button and then enter your account’s email address in the web page that will open.

{{Important|Note: Failure to deactivate 4R2 prior to updating to 4R2b will cause 4R2b to count as an additional activation against your serial number and may require you to contact Pixologic Support before you will be able to successfully activate 4R2b.}}

The upgrade process will automatically add and remove files within your existing installation of ZBrush in order to transform your ZBrush 4R2 to a fresh new ZBrush 4R2b.

Original files created by you will not be affected, but if you modified a legacy file of ZBrush 4R2 (such as a default brush setting which has been saved to overwrite the original brush it was created from) the update to version 4R2b will revert that item to its original default settings. This applies to Brushes, MatCaps, Alphas, default Project files and of course your customer User Interface settings.

Please '''BACKUP ALL OF YOUR CUSTOM ITEMS''' before updating. This may be done simply by making a copy of your ZBrush 4R2 folder.

==Upgrade process on Windows==

*If you are using ZBrush 4.0 (or earlier), you must upgrade it to 4R2 before updating to ZBrush 4R2b.
*Deactivate your copy of ZBrush 4R2 by launching it and clicking Zplugin >> Deactivation >> Web Deactivation. This will launch your web browser to a page that asks for the email address associated with your account. Submitting that information and then confirming the deactivation will remove this computer from your activation list so that the machine won’t be counted twice after activating 4R2b.
*Quit ZBrush 4R2 if it is already running.
*Make a backup copy of your ZBrush 4R2 folder.
*Put the “ZBrush 4R2 upgrader.exe” file in the root folder of your ZBrush application. (If you installed 4R2 using the default settings, you will place the updater in the C:\ Program Files (x86)\Pixologic\ZBrush 4R2 folder.)
*Run the ZBrush 4R2 upgrader.exe application and follow the instructions. Be sure to read the information windows as they appear.
*When the process is done, you can delete the updater or save it for your archives.
*Run ZBrush and proceed with its activation. Please read the “Re-Activation” chapter below for more information regarding this process.
*As a precaution, the updater will create a Backup folder within the ZBrush 4R2b folder. This folder will contain a copy of all files which have been removed or replaced by the process. After running ZBrush 4R2b for a few days without issues you can safely delete this folder and its contents. But if you find that you need to revert any legacy files, you will find them here.

==Upgrade process on Mac OSX==

*If you are using ZBrush 4.0 (or earlier), you must upgrade it to 4R2 before updating to ZBrush 4R2b.
*Deactivate your copy of ZBrush 4R2 by launching it and clicking Zplugin >> Deactivation >> Web Deactivation. This will launch your web browser to a page that asks for the email address associated with your account. Submitting that information and then confirming the deactivation will remove this computer from your activation list so that the machine won’t be counted twice after activating 4R2b.
*Quit ZBrush 4R2 if it is already running.
*Make a backup copy of your ZBrush OSX 4R2 folder.
*If the ZBrush OSX 4R2 folder has been moved to another location than the default Mac OSX Applications folder, please temporarily move it back to its default location. (Applications/ZBrush 4R2 OSX/)
*Execute the ZBrush 4R2b Upgrader.pkg file. Read the information windows as they appear and follow their instructions.
*When the process is done, you can delete the updater or save it for your archives.
*Run ZBrush and proceed with its activation. Please read the “Re-Activation” chapter below for more information regarding this process.

Other Improvements and Additions

MarcusCivis — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:12:07 GMT

Summary: /* Masks Based on Polygroups */

==Morph target==

Tool >> Morph Target >> Morph Width and Height: Revert the width or the height of the current model, but not its length. The effect is dependent upon the value of the corresponding sliders.
These settings have mainly been added to benefit the FiberMesh feature and FiberMesh objects automatically have a Morph target created when the FiberMesh is accepted

==Export images and textures as JPG files==

ZBrush 4R2b introduces the ability to export using the JPG format. Previously, it was only possible to export images using the non-destructive BMP or PSD file formats. While these formats retain all image data, they’re also very large files and cannot easily be posted online or sent via email. This previously meant having to use a third party application to convert the image if you wanted to (for example) share your creation on ZBrushCentral.

When you decide to export an image (via Document >> Export or Texture >> Export) a new exporter window allows you to select the JPG format. If you choose this format the window will give you options to select a compression amount and preview the results. It will also display the estimated final file size.
This new exporter also allows you to crop your image by manipulating the corresponding sliders or by dragging the red circles in the corners of the cropped region. ZBrush will only export the area within the red circles.

If you wish to navigate, you can simply click and drag on the image to pan it inside the window. The image will always display the final render at 100% scale.

==Visible Symmetry Center==

The Visible Symmetry Center mode, locate in the Transform palette allows you work using the local symmetrical axis of whatever portion of the object is currently visible. It doesn’t matter whether or not the visible portion is centered on the world axis.
Keep in mind that this symmetry mode is based on the center of the visible object’s bounding box and doesn’t use Topological Symmetry. As a result, it can have unexpected behavior or only provide approximate symmetry if the visible area is not symmetrical to begin with.

==Preferences==

Automode has been added to the Preferences >> Performance sub-palette. This will automatically set the Multithread step value to provide the best setting as a wrong value can have a negative impact on your ZBrush performance.

==Masks Based on Polygroups==

Polygroups can be masked by Ctrl+clicking when Edit Move, Scale or Rotate mode is selected (when the Transpose action line is available). All but the clicked polygroup will be masked. Ctrl+click the background to reverse the mask. When masking a polygroup in this way, the generated Mask will be applied to the entire polygroup at 100% intensity. In previous versions of ZBrush, the border of the polygroup was only Masked at 50%.

==Stored Ambient Occlusion and Shadows Information==

In ZBrush 4R2, shadow and Ambient Occlusion information were stored only as long as the model position and orientation remained unchanged. This let you re-render much more quickly, but the data was lost if you needed to move the model for any reason (or did so accidentally).
The computing solution is stored in a way that lets the data be reused even if you move the model, so long as the model is returned to its exact original position prior to rendering.
This means that if you use the Timeline to store your model position, do a render and then change the model position as needed. When you are ready to re-render, simply click the keyframe again to put your model back in its original position. Now when you render, the previously calculated shadows and/or AO will be reused.

==Preview of Mesh Extract before validation==
When using Tool >> SubTool >> Extract the model now instantly creates a preview of the resulting mesh. You can then click the Accept button to finalize the extraction and create a new SubTool, or you can adjust the settings as necessary.

This change allows you tweak the Extract settings and values at will without the need to delete the created SubTool and start over.

==Perspective improvement==

If you disable Local mode and zoom into your model, ZBrush will keep the current perspective settings. This is different from the default perspective calculation in which ZBrush will visually adjust the camera to the model as you scale it. In simple terms:

*Under the old behavior, ZBrush will attempt to avoid camera clipping by adjusting the perspective on the fly.
*With the new setting, ZBrush will not adjust perspective as the model is scaled, which allows you to go inside the model if you zoom close to your object.
*'''Auto Adjust Distance:''' This setting allows the camera to adjust perspective in order to avoid clipping. Disable to make use of the new behavior.

New BPR Filters

MarcusCivis — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:06:17 GMT

Summary:

[[Image:BPR-filters-new.jpg]]

ZBrush 4R2b introduces new BPR Filters, located in the Render >> BPR Filters sub-palette. These new settings bring new real-time effects to your rendering. They allow you to create high quality images by compositing more and more filters as a post-render effect. This means you do not need to perform render after render as you try new things.

These filters work the same way you’re already familiar with from ZBrush4R2.''' If you are unfamiliar with them please read the [[BPR Filters]] page.'''

The BPR Filters now have 12 slots which can each host a single filter. This allows you to create thousands of advanced render effects simply by combining up to twelve individual filters. You can also put the same filter in multiple slots with different settings.

==New Filters==

The list below details the new filters added in this ZBrush release:
*'''Negative''': With the color patch set to mid-grey and a strength setting close to 1, this filter adjusts your render to look more like a film negative.
*'''Gamma:''' Applies an exponential of the color intensity. It lightens the overall image without washing out detail.
*'''Additive:''' Offsets all colors in the image to be brighter or darker by an equal amount.
*'''Paint:''' Applies the selected color from the patch over the BPR render. Combined with the Mask and Fresnel settings, it can produce non-photorealistic rendering (NPR).
*'''Contrast User Color''': Allows you to modulate the contrast of the render using the Color information defined with the color patch available below the Strength slider. This color will be added with the colors from the final render. A darker color will create a much more contrasted render and lighter color will provide less contrast.
For better results you can mix this contrast with the Mask modulator.
*'''Contrast Auto Color:''' Similar to the Contrast User Color, but ZBrush will find the best color from the final render.
*'''Contrast Auto Gray:''' Similar to the Contrast User Color, but the contrast will use a neutral grey. This results in a neutral colored contrast.

==BPR Filters Operators==

In addition to the new filters, ZBrush 4R2b introduces new Operators which are able to mix your BPR filters togethers.
*'''Red, Green and Blue Components''': Display only the red, blue or green component channels of the image.
*'''Depth Slider''': Use this slider to determine how strong the filters are applied relative to the depth of each pixel within the rendered image.
*'''Depth A and B:''' These sliders modulate the Depth operator to let you define the starting and ending point of the render depth. Depth A defines where the filter will begin to affect the image with a slow exponent and Depth B represents where the filter will be applied at 100% intensity.

''Note:These slider values are easily set simply by clicking one and then dragging your cursor over your render to pick a point in the image that has the desired A or B depth value.''

*'''Depth Exponent:''' This controls falloff between Depth A and Depth B. The higher the value the more harsh the transition will be from Depth A to Depth B. Lower values will have a slow, soft transition.
*'''Cavity:''' Applies the current filter to the portions of the render detected as being surface cavities. This is similar to the way a MatCap can use cavities to display two different shaders. The Cavity filter can be modulated by the cavity radius detection and sensibility detection, which can drastically change the transition across the surface’s geometry.

[[Image:Render-example02.jpg]]

''The evolution of a BPR Filters render, from top left to bottom right: The original render, a paint-over modulated by a Fresnel setting, followed with Contrast by User Color, then Cavity detection and finally, a Sharpen Filter. Image courtesy of Ryan Kingslien.''

Rendering and Materials

MarcusCivis — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:57:47 GMT

Summary:

[[Image:Render-example.jpg]]

ZBrush 4R2b provides several major enhancements to your final render through new BPR Filters settings, new enhancements to the material mixer and new global settings which will directly affect the overall render.

==Mixer: By Cavity==

The Material >> Mixer now integrates a Cavity setting that will mix the selected material with the previous material(s) based on the model’s surface cavity. This is somewhat similar to the Cavity detection feature for MatCap materials but can work with any material. Like all Mixer operators, it can be combined with an Exponential setting.

==Global Shadow Strength==

This slider, located in the Render >> BPR Shadow sub-palette allows you to adjust the amount of shadow being applied to your entire model without needing to change the Material >> Environment >> Shadow slider settings separately for each material used.

Keep in mind that this slider is an exponent to all Material >> Environment >> Shadow slider settings so that you can adjust that value separately for various materials to fine tune the shadows as necessary. For example, if one of your materials’ Environment Shadow is set at 100 but then you move the Global Shadow Strength to 0.50 then only 50% of the 100 value will be used on the material.

==Global Ambient Occlusion Strength==

This slider, located in the Render >> BPR Ao sub-palette affects the amount of Ambient Occlusion applied to the entire model without the need to change each shader’s Material >> Environment >> Ao slider setting. This works exponentially in the same way as explained for Global Shadow Strength above but affects AO instead.

==Global Ambient / Diffuse / Specular==

The three sliders Global Ambient, Diffuse and Specular, located in the Render >> Render Properties sub-palette let you define at render time the amount of specular, ambient and diffuse information you wish to apply to your final render.
Unlike a BPR filter, to observe the result of changing these settings you must do a new render.

By using these sliders, you can easily execute several render passes which each only have the ambient, color or specular information of the final render.

==New BPR Filters==

For new filters for BPR see [[New BPR Filters]].

Working with your Model

MarcusCivis — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:55:48 GMT

Summary:

==UnClip==

[[Image:Unclip.jpg]]

''The new unclip feature will allow a quick way to add detail along an irregular surface.''

The UnClip action cancels the most recent Clip action that has been generated by a Clip Brush. However, it retains any sculpting details added to the surface after the Clip was made.

It is very useful to add details or accurate strokes on a clean surface that was temporarily flattened by a Clip brush. Once these details have been added, using UnClip will restore the surface to its curved shape and move the new details to match.

The UnClip feature can be found with all other Clip brush options the Brush>>Clip Brush Modifiers sub-palette. You can also access this sub-palette by pressing CTRL+Spacebar, which will pop up a floating menu.

==Group Mask and Group UnMasked==

In addition to the existing Tool >> Polygroup >> From Masking function from earlier versions of ZBrush, it is now possible to use the Tool >> Polygroups >> Group Mask function to create a unique polygroup based on the existing Mask drawn on the model.

The original From Masking function replaces the existing polygroups with a set of new ones. The Group Masked function just adds a new created polygroup.

The Group UnMasked function has the same behavior except that a polygroup is created based on the non-Masked areas of the model.

==Edgeloop Mask Border==

[[Image:Edgeloop-border.jpg]]

The Tool >> Geometry >> Edgeloop Mask Border creates an edge loop on the boundary of the existing Mask. This will also create a new polygroup within the Mask area.

The topology generated by this operation is similar to the one created by the Slice brush introduced in ZBrush 4R2. The difference is that the Slice brush was created to cut all the way through a volume while Edgeloop Mask Border operates on any portion of a surface.

Masking - new features

MarcusCivis — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:53:10 GMT

Summary: /* Shrink and Extend Mask */

==Masking by Surface Smoothness==

The Tool >> Masking >> Mask by Surface Smoothness feature creates a Mask based on the object curvature. This is similar to the way the new TransPose Smart Masking operation works.
Before pressing the Mask by Smoothness button, define the Range and Falloff sliders settings. The Falloff setting defines the intensity of the Mask based on the surface curvature while the Range will define how this Mask will spread across the surface.

[[Image:Mask-by-surface.jpg]]

''At the top, the original mesh. At the bottom, the result of the Mask by Surface Smoothness operation, showing how easy it becomes to select chamfer-like areas.''

With the Range set higher the Mask will cover more of the surface from any point where ZBrush determines that the surface calls for a Mask. A lower setting will keep the Mask closer to edges where the surface changes.

If Falloff is set lower then there will be more of a blur to the Mask along the surface change. If the slider is higher the Mask will be sharper along the surface change.

==Fiber Mask==

When a FiberMesh is created ZBrush will automatically assign Masking to the root of each fiber. This automatic Masking is controlled by the Brush >> Auto Masking >> Auto Mask FiberMesh button discussed earlier in the documentation.

This new Tool >> Masking >> FiberMask will allow you to use the curve seen in the image below to Mask off any part of the fibers. With the curve representing the root to tip from left to right, you can create any combination of Masking on the fibers.

[[Image:Masked-fibers.jpg]]

''On the left, some fibers have been masked. On the right, they have then been locally UnMasked based on the Curve setting.''

Use the FiberUnmask to specify central soft masking of the fibers.

''Note: Remember that when you make a mask on fibers the entire fiber is masked out.''

Once the curve is set, click the FiberMask button for ZBrush to apply the Mask. The FiberMask button will invert any Mask that you may have. Below are examples of Masks you can generate based on the graph.

[[Image:Masking-curve.jpg]]

''Masking Curve allows you to control how the Fibers are masked. From left to right: Mask everything but the Fiber root, Mask only the middle of the Fiber, Mask only the tip of the Fiber.''

==Shrink and Extend Mask==

[[Image:Grow-mask-menu.jpg]]

The Tool >> Masking >> Shrink and Extend Mask functions are similar to the previous Blur and Sharpen Mask functions, except that :
*The Extend function will add a blurred Mask around the existing outline of the Mask, thus extending it. The part of the model that is already fully Masked will remain fully Masked.
*The Shrink function will soften the Mask around the existing outline of the Masked area without affecting the non-Masked portions of the model.
*The Blur function on the other affects Masked and non-Masked areas equally. It softens the edges of the Mask by averaging. As a result, portions of the Mask become more softly Masked while the area immediately next to it also becomes lightly Masked.

Simply put both of these new commands do not affect the existing Mask (Extend) OR un-Masked (Shrink) areas of the model. They only extend the corresponding Masked or non-Masked area.
The CTRL+Click and CTRL+ALT+Click shortcuts are now assigned to the Extend and Shrink Mask functions rather than to the Blur and Sharpen Mask functions.

==Transpose Smart Masking==

Please see [[Transpose - new features]] page.

Alphas - new features

MarcusCivis — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:43:48 GMT

Summary:

Alphas are grayscale image patterns which form the core of your Sculpting brushes. ZBrush 4R2b introduces several new additions which make the creation of fine details more powerful.

==Surface Mode==
This new Alpha >> Alpha mode automatically defines the best middle grey value of your alpha. It allows you to add your details from the alpha without destroying details already on the surface.

==Seamless Slider==
By changing the Alpha >> Seamless slider, ZBrush will transform the selected Alpha to a seamless pattern. A high value will make large changes to the alpha to make it seamless while a low value will create minor changes.

Depending on the complexity of your alpha, you may need to increase or decrease this value. Most alphas require a unique setting for best results.

''Note: The Seamless operation fits perfectly with the usage of the Stroke >> Roll mode, combined with the Stroke >> Lazy Mouse settings.''

==Create from Noisemaker==
ZBrush can now generate procedural alphas using the NoiseMaker Plugin. Clicking on the Create from Noisemaker Button (located in the Alpha >> Create sub-palette) opens the NoiseMaker window and allows you to its powerful features to create a specialized brush for your needs.

When done, ZBrush will automatically convert the noise pattern to a grayscale alpha.

The Alpha resolution must be defined before using NoiseMaker. This is done with the Width and Height sliders, located in the Alpha >> Create sub-palette.

==Alpha with TransPose to Create Masks==

When using the TransPose action line together with the Move, Rotate or Scale mode, you can now select an Alpha from the Alpha palette (or its selector located to the left of the canvas in the default user interface). Holding the Ctrl key then applies the selected Alpha to the TransPose Action Line. The Alpha image appears between the two controls points at opposite ends of the Action Line to create a Mask.

When increasing the size of the TransPose line, the Mask will keep it proportional size. Decreasing the size of the TransPose line will apply a non-uniform deformation.

You can combine different Masks in the same action. You do this by holding the Shift key to add a Mask to the previous created one. Like all Masking operations, you can also use the ALT key to unMask. In this case it will have the effect of subtracting the new Alpha pattern from the existing Mask.

Transpose - new features

MarcusCivis — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:39:21 GMT

Summary:

==Transpose Curve Deformation==

The TransPose Action Line can now bend only the portion of your surface that is located between the two furthest circles of the action line.

Begin by applying an Action line. Make sure that you are in Move mode. Next, hold the ALT key and drag the Action Line’s center circle to bend surface. While moving your cursor the Action Line will be temporarily hidden so that you can clearly visually see and control the deformation.

[[Image:Transpose-deform.jpg]]

''Quickly deform your models with the TransPose line. The deformation is controlled by the position of the TransPose line and its Curve settings.''

The deformation is modulated by the Brush curve settings, located in the Brush palette.

==Transpose Smart Masking==

The TransPose Smart Masking feature must be selected in the Brush palette and doesn’t have the same behavior as the default TransPose Action Line as it is used to create a Mask based on the object’s curvature.

[[Image:Transpose-mask.jpg]]

''Smart Masking easily detects areas of the model by analyzing its surface.''

To use it, simply hold the Ctrl key while dragging the Action Line. A short TransPose line will have a low detection of the surface’s curvature, perfect for small areas and complex shapes. A long TransPose line will have a higher tolerance, making it the best solution for large areas with distinct borders.

You can combine different Masks in the same action by pressing the Shift key to add a Mask to the previously created one. Like with all Mask operations, you can use the ALT key to unMask the existing Mask.

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'''Note about TransPose brushes:'''

''When selecting a new TransPose Brush mode (like TransPose Smart) it becomes the default TransPose mode and will be reactivated any time you return to TransPose until such time as you select a new TransPose Brush mode.''

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AutoMask FiberMesh

MarcusCivis — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:37:10 GMT

Summary:

The '''Brush >> Auto Masking >> AutoMask FiberMesh''' button allows your brush to control a specific segment of each fiber that will be affected by the brush as you sculpt or paint. The curve below this button allows you to control how the Auto auto-Mask will be applied to the individual fibers.

[[Image:Automasking.jpg]]

''The Auto Masking menu in the Brush palette''

Bottom to top represents Mask intensity. Left to right is the span of the fiber from root (at left) to tip (at right). There is no end to the control you have by using this curve with Groom Brushes to work with your fibers.

''Note: Auto Masking does not actually paint a Mask on your model. Instead, it treats the mesh within your brush radius as if it has already been Masked based upon the Auto Masking settings.''

Brush Twist settings

MarcusCivis — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:36:13 GMT

Summary:

The Twist settings go beyond brush orientation to add a set of extra control to the spin aspect of your brushes. These settings are primarily for the Groom brushes, but several new brushes do use these features. Simply put, they allow the movement of points around the center of your brush. Use the Twist Rate, Centrifugal, and Radius settings to achieve various results.

[[Image:Twist-menu.jpg]]

''The Twist menu in the Brush palette''

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'''Twist Rate'''

Affects how fast the twist will orbit around your brush when applying a stroke to the surface.

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'''Centrifugal'''

Determines how much of the surface will be pulled or pushed as the twisting is happening.

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'''Radius'''

Controls the falloff of the twist rate.

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New Brushes for general Sculpting

MarcusCivis — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:34:07 GMT

Summary:

In addition to the Groom Brushes, ZBrush 4R2b introduces several new brushes which are based on new settings and functionalities.

'''Spiral'''

Creates a spinning stroke in a Fold style. Press the ALT key to reverse the direction of the spin.

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'''Fold'''

Creates fold-like strokes over your model. Using a low Z intensity value combined with pen tablet pressure can create a smoothly folded result.

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'''Layered Pattern'''

Applies an Alpha pattern on the model without affecting its depth.

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'''CurveMultiLathe and MultiTube'''

These two Curves are similar to the Curve Lathe and Curve Tube brushes, except that you can create multiple lathes or tubes at the same time. You can keep editing each created object Curve to edit the shape, until such time as you use another brush or perform another action on your model.

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Brush FiberMesh settings

MarcusCivis — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:33:13 GMT

Summary:

All sculpting brushes can be made “Fiber Aware” so that the fiber attributes that were originally set are maintained. To make any brush “Fiber Aware”, modify the settings described below. These settings are found in the Brush >> FiberMesh sub-palette. These settings also make it possible to only affect the roots or the tips of the fibers.

[[Image:Brush-fibermesh-menu.jpg]]

''The FiberMesh menu in the Brush palette''

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'''Preserve Length:''' This setting preserves the length of your fibers during styling. A value of 100 fully preserves the fiber length while a lower value allows the fibers to become longer as they’re styled.

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'''Forward Propagation:''' Affects the fiber root and propagates any adjustment along the fiber without affecting the tip.

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'''Inverse Propagation:''' Affects the fiber tip and propagates any adjustment backwards along the fiber without affecting the root.

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'''Stiffness:''' Tries to keep the fibers from breaking up in order to maintain straightness. Higher settings will be more resistant to fiber bending.

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'''Springiness:''' Subtly tries to bring the fiber back to its original position while maintaining stiffness. Only active when Stiffness is turned on.

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'''Front Collision DetectionTolerance:''' Helps prevent fibers from breaking through the visible SubTools during sculpting. Imagine it as a force field that surrounds the visible SubTools. The slider value defines how many screen pixels thick this force field will be. So a value of 10 would allow you to come quite close to the surface if zoomed in close to the model but will keep the fibers progressively farther away the more you zoom out.

This setting is enabled by default with all the brushes. It is a global setting, which means that turning it off for one brush turns it off for all.

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'''Front Collision Variations:''' Will maintain a variation in the fibers when being edited to have less of an overlapping of the fibers. This will work in conjunction with the Front Collision Tolerance.

''Note: It is important to remember that this setting is FRONT collision detection, only. In other words, the fibers can only sense the portion of your surface that is visible to the camera. As a result, this feature does not support symmetry.''

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New Brushes and Brush Settings

MarcusCivis — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:33:02 GMT

Summary:

New Groom Brushes

MarcusCivis — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:30:43 GMT

Summary:

To complement the new FiberMesh feature, ZBrush 4R2b introduces 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.

[[Image:Groom-brushes.jpg]]

{{break}}

Below is a list of some new Groom brushes but ZBrush includes many more of them.

''Note about the Groom Brushes: Some brushes such as Groom Spike work best by using a large Draw size brush and first accumulating fiber within the brush before moving it in the desired direction. This allows you to more readily groom the fibers in the desired direction.''

{{break}}

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'''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.

[[Image:Groom01.jpg]]

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'''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.

[[Image:Groom02.jpg]]

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'''Groom Blower'''

Simulates a hair dryer on the fibers by separating the fibers as if they were being blown around by wind.

[[Image:Groom03.jpg]]

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'''Groom Clumps'''

This brush will clump the tips of the fibers together or cause the tips to flare out, depending on the brush modifiers.

[[Image:Groom04.jpg]]

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'''Groom Turbulence'''

Deforms the fibers to have a slight turmoil. This is great to put a little of bit mess to hair.

[[Image:Groom05.jpg]]

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'''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.

[[Image:Groom06.jpg]]

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'''Groom Root Colorize'''

This brush will only Polypaint the roots of the selected fibers.

[[Image:Groom07.jpg]]

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'''GroomerMagnet'''

Deforms the tip of fibers to assimilate together.

[[Image:Groom08.jpg]]

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'''GroomerTwist'''

Rotates the fibers around the brush, exactly like twisting a lock of hair.

[[Image:Groom09.jpg]]

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'''Groom Twist Slow'''

Similar to the Groomer Twist brush except that it operates more slowly. It is best with low speed strokes.

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'''Groom Hair Ball'''

Creates a ball-like clump at the tips of the fibers.

[[Image:Groom10.jpg]]

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'''Groom Hair Ball Strong'''

Similar to the Groom Hair Ball, but with a stronger effect.

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'''Groom Spike'''

Squeezes the majority of the affected fibers’ lengths together to create spikes.

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'''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.

[[Image:Groom11.jpg]]

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'''Groom Spin Knot Strong'''

Similar to the Groom Spin Knot brush, but with a stronger effect.

[[Image:Groom12.jpg]]

MicroMesh

MarcusCivis — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:25:41 GMT

Summary:

MicroMesh is a BPR render feature which allows you to replace a FiberMesh object’s fibers or the individual polygons of an object with another 3D model. In other words, a model’s Fibers or separate polygons are rendered as if they were actually instances of the selected 3D model.

This solution is a great way to create rich renders with more details very quickly and easily. For example, you could put individual feathers on a bird or scales on a lizard.

==About MicroMesh==

MicroMesh replaces a predefined PolyMesh3D model at render time through the BPR render. The predefined PolyMesh3D will replace all single polygons with itself when a BPR render is executed. To do this you need to select a model to use as your MicroMesh by clicking Tool >> Display Properties >> Select MicroMesh.

[[Image:Display-menu.jpg]]

''The MicroMesh selector, located in the Tool >> Display Properties sub-palette.''

{{break}}

As soon as the MicroMesh is selected, a preview will appear on each polygon of your current SubTool. This MicroMesh will replace all polygons at render time. The preview will allow you to have an idea of how your MicroMesh will render before doing your BPR render.

The orientation of the MicroMesh is defined by the pivot point position and orientation defined for the inserted model in the Tool >> Preview sub-palette. The size and orientation relative to the support surface are then modulated by the support mesh polygon size and orientation.

*Use the Tool palette to select the model that will be inserted as a MicroMesh.
*Use the Tool >> Preview to set the model’s pivot point and orientation.
*Use the Tool palette to select the model that will receive the MicroMesh.
*Use Tool >> Display Properties >> Select MicroMesh to choose the model from step 1.

To get an understanding of how your MicroMesh will be viewed relative to a polygon we recommend temporarily appending the Plane3D to your defined MicroMesh in Step 1 above. Use this to evaluate if the MicroMesh will be clipped by any one polygon. You can then delete the Plane3D SubTool so that you’re ready to move to step 2.

The MicroMesh feature will replace every polygon of any standard mesh. However, when using MicroMesh with a FiberMesh object, the MicroMesh will be stretched along the individual fiber regardless of the number of segments that are in each fiber.

To protect portions of your model from the MicroMesh you will need to split the object into separate SubTools.

To instruct BPR to render your MicroMesh you must enable the Draw SubMesh option, located in the Render >> Render Properties sub-palette.

Note:
MicroMesh can’t be generated as real geometry. It is only visible at render time through BPR. This is because the total polygon count from converting a MicroMesh into actual geometry would very easily exceed what ZBrush or your computer is capable of handling.

==Millions of Polygons==

It is important to keep in mind that a MicroMesh can be instanced hundreds or thousands of times on your surface. Depending on the polycount of the support mesh and the number of polygons in the MicroMesh, rendering can take some time. For example, if you apply a MicroMesh with just 1,000 polygons on a FiberMesh containing only 10,000 fibers the rendered result will be 10 million polygons! Be mindful of this as is quite easy to reach billons of polygons at render time when using the MicroMesh feature!

On a non-FiberMesh, as mentioned above, an instance of the MicroMesh will replace every single polygon in the selected mesh. If you load the default Cube project, the base mesh is already 24,500 polygons. That means that a MicroMesh would be applied to the cube is 24,500. Multiply this by the number of polygons in the selected MicroMesh to determine the final number of polygons ZBrush will need to render. In this case, that same MicroMesh with just 1,000 polygons would result in a render of over 24 million polygons.

==MicroMesh Workflow==

The first step before using the MicroMesh is to have two 3D objects: the MicroMesh itself, and the mesh which will be replaced by the MicroMesh. Both items must be PolyMesh 3D objects. (You cannot use parametric objects, DynaMesh, ZSpheres or other object generators as a MicroMesh, although you can convert such objects to PolyMesh 3D and then use them as a MicroMesh.)

''Note: ZBrush will automatically convert a Primitive 3D to a Polymesh3D when selected as the MicroMesh.''

The MicroMesh support object can be a single model or one of its SubTools. Several SubTools can have the a MicroMesh however, the MicroMesh itself cannot have multiple SubTools. If you wish to use a model with multiple SubTools as a MicroMesh you will need to first merge its SubTools.

Select the support SubTool which will have its polygons replaced by a MicroMesh at render time.

Go to Tool >> Display Properties and click on the Select MicroMesh button. A selection window will appear, allowing you to select the 3D object that will become the MicroMesh.

ZBrush displays a preview of the MicroMesh on the selected SubTool. This allows you to evaluate if any changes need to be made to the MicroMesh (such as proportion or shape) so that it will fit the result you are looking for.

Before rendering, you must enable the MicroMesh feature by activating the Render >> Render Properties >> Draw SubMesh option.

Do your BPR render by clicking the Render >> BPR Render button or using the Shift+R hotkey.

When render computation is complete, your support mesh will be replaced by the FiberMesh model.

''Note: The MicroMesh model can be saved in the ZBrush Project (ZPR) or the ZTool (ZTL) file.''

[[Image:Micromesh.jpg]]

''In the left image you can see that any polygon can be substituted with another mesh (MicroMesh). The image on the right shows how you can use FiberMesh with a MicroMesh and how the MicroMesh is then stretched along the individual fibers.''

[[Image:Micromesh02.jpg]]

''On the left, the support mesh for the MicroMesh, where all polygons will be replaced by the selected model (shown in the middle). The figure on the right shows the resulting render with the duplicated model.''

Additional information about FiberMesh

MarcusCivis — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:21:57 GMT

Summary:

[[Image:Grooming-examples.jpg]]

''Some examples of a FiberMesh created with the default settings and then sculpted using different Groom Brushes.''

Several brushes are “fiber aware”, which means that they have a dedicated default behavior when used on a FiberMesh. By using a fiber aware brush you ensure that the attributes your Fiber was originally created with will be maintained. The exception is if you use a Groom brush that is designed to alter Fiber parameters such as how the Groom Length brush is meant to lengthen the Fibers.

The Smooth Brush will reduce Fiber size, only affecting its thickness.

The Mask brushes work on the full Fiber and propagate along it. It’s is helpful to protect groups of Fibers to shape them more accurately or even simply PolyPainting them.

Each “classic” sculpting brush can become “fiber aware” by enabling the settings located in the Brush >> FiberMesh sub-palette. Please refer to the corresponding chapter for more information about these settings.
For your most common needs when modifying Fibers, simply use the Groom series of brushes as they were designed specifically to work with Fibers.

''Note: The Groom brushes are mainly traditional brushes with Brush >> FiberMesh settings enabled.''

When Fibers are created and accepted, ZBrush stores a Morph Target. This allows you to use the various Morph settings to alter or revert your fibers. It also allows you to use the Morph brush to selectively revert the sculpting on your Fiber shapes.

When Solo mode is enabled ZBrush will only display the FiberMesh together with its underlying support surface.
When a FiberMesh preview is accepted, the created SubTool will be inserted just below the supported mesh SubTool rather than at the bottom of the SubTool list.

*[[About FiberMesh™]]
*[[FiberMesh™ Workflow]]
*[[FiberMesh™ UVs]]
*[[FiberMesh™ menu settings]]

FiberMesh menu settings

MarcusCivis — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:21:05 GMT

Summary:

FibersMesh fibers are composed of several settings which affect their shape, form and distribution. Most settings have an additional “variation” slider which will add some randomness to the corresponding setting in order to avoid a “too perfect” look in your fibers.

[[Image:Fibermesh-menu.jpg]]

''The FiberMesh menu in the Tool palette''

{{break}}

'''Preview:''' By clicking on the Preview button, ZBrush will generate a temporary FiberMesh based on the current settings, explained below. While in this state you can change your Fibers settings and see the results updated in real-time. You may also generate a render with BPR to evaluate your final result. While Preview is active, rotating or moving the model will temporarily hide the fibers until you release the mouse button. Changing your support model’s topology, Masking or PolyPainting information will disable the Preview. The fibers will disappear until you press Preview again. To completely turn off the fibers that are being displayed click on Preview again.

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'''Accept:''' Generates the FiberMesh as a SubTool of to the support mesh. At this stage, the fibers will become a SubTool which may now be sculpted, styled and painted. Except for the BPR render options for fibers all other The Fibers sub-palette settings will not affect a FiberMesh once it has been converted to a SubTool. These settings only work in Preview mode.

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'''Max Fibers:''' Defines the maximum number of fibers generated. ZBrush will populate your model based on the other settings below. Values are in thousands of fibers.

''Note: A human head typically has between 80,000 and 140,000 hairs, depending on hair color, thickness and baldness.''

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'''By Mask:''' Defines how strongly the Mask influences where fibers are to be created. The higher this slider, the more ZBrush will use the Mask as a guide to populateing fibers. If there is a less intense Mask on your surface then ZBrush will populate fewer fibers with a shorter length. This slider’s effect is also calculated with the By Area slider so that the two sliders complement each other.

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'''By Area:''' Defines the fibers based on the underlining mesh topology. Fibers on large polygons will be longer and thicker than fibers on smaller polygons. This feature is important because it also considers the shape of the FiberMesh support surface and produces more natural fibers on models with orientation variations and breaks in the shape.

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'''Imbed:''' Defines if the root of the fiber will be directly on the underlying surface, hovering right above the underlying surface or imbedded deeper into the surface. This latter result is useful if you create your fibers on a low resolution surface and later will be subdividing the support mesh (causing it to contract slightly). Imbedding the fibers will ensure that they remain “attached” to the surface rather than end up floating above it.

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'''Length:''' Defines the overall length of the fibers. The individual length of each fiber is then modulated by the Mask intensity and the By Area slider settings.
Coverage: Increases or decreases the density width of the Fibers.

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'''Flare:''' Locally increases or decreases the width of the each Fiber so that it has a wider tip or root. The position of the Flare is determined by Flare Center (below).

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'''Flare Center:''' Defines the location of the Flare on the individual fibers. A positive value will increase the size of the tip while a negative value increases the size of the fiber’s root.

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'''Flare Exponential:''' Defines how the Flare progresses along the segments making up the length of the Fiber. A low value will define a fast progression of the Flare while a higher value will Flare progress more gradually along a greater portion of the fiber’s length.

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'''Scale Root and Scale Tip:''' Adjust the scale of the corresponding part of the fiber. These settings can be combined with the Flare settings above, giving you more control over the shape of the fibers.
Slim: Defines the ratio between the width and height of the fiber section. Negative values flatten the fiber’s width while positive values flatten its depth.
Twist: Applies a twist effect to each individual fiber.

''Note: The Twist setting gives a better specular look when combined with the Anisotropic settings. When using Fibers to create hair, it’s advised to use a little bit of Twist when possible to improve the visual appearance.''

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'''Gravity:''' Causes the ends of the fibers to droop. The direction of the gravity is controlled by position of the model relative to the canvas’ working plane. For example, if you loaded the DemoHead.ZTL facing down with the top of his toward the camera the fibers direction will be dropping toward the front of the face.

''Note: It’s important to first set your model’s orientation before setting or updating the Gravity value.''

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'''Horizontal and Vertical Tangent:''' Alters the direction of the fiber by changing the Normal value of the support mesh in a vertical or horizontal direction. These settings are primarily used for generating fibers on top of a FiberMesh SubTool. Both settings can be helpful to create feather-like fibers by combining a fiber on the top of an existing FiberMesh. As this setting uses the polygon and the vertex order of the support mesh, it works better with FiberMesh objects than on normal meshes.

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'''Clumps:''' Attracts the tips of fibers together when grown from the same support polygon. Moving this slider to a negative value will separate the tips more such as with hair plugs.

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'''Base Color:''' Colors the base of the fibers using the color selected in the corresponding color patch to the slider’s left.

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'''Tip Color:''' Colors the tip of the fibers using the color selected in the corresponding color patch to the slider’s left.

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'''Morph Target Guided:''' Generates Fibers by comparing the current state of your tool to a previously stored morph target.

1. Select your Tool or SubTool.

2. Store the Morph Target by clicking on Tool >> Morph Target >> StoreMT.

3. Create sculptural change.

4. Click Tool >> Morph Target >> Switch.

5. Activate the FiberMesh Preview using Tool >> FiberMesh >> Preview.

6. Click the Morph Target Guided button. ZBrush will generate Fibers by calculating

the difference between your model’s current state and the Morph Target.

[[Image:morph-target-guide.jpg]]

''The Morph Target Guided function in action''

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'''Profile:''' Defines the number of sides for each fiber. The default value is 1 which will create a strip of one sided flat polygon(s). Increasing the value to 3 or 4 will create a triangle shaped fiber that is capped off at the end. Increasing this value to higher numbers will create rounded fiber sections, but it will also drastically increase the FiberMesh polygon count.

When the value is adjusted higher than 1, ZBrush will warn you that you can alternately use the BPR Sides setting located in the Fibers sub-palette to increase the number of sides at render time rather than having to work with a high number of polygons during sculpting. We recommend keeping this value at 1 and use the BPR Render options when creating fibers that are intended for hair, fur, fabrics for clothing, and etc. Only use Profile when you’re going to be exporting your FiberMesh.

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'''Segments:''' Defines the number of segments along each fiber’s length. (Number of polygons per fiber per side.) A high value will create smoother angles but will also increase the total polygon count.

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'''Fast Preview:''' This allows you to modify and sculpt the fibers with more ease as ZBrush will only display the overall shape of the each fiber.

''Note: Some settings like Flaring are not visible when in Fast Preview mode.

The Fast preview mode isn’t restricted to the current Fiber preview, but to the selected FiberMesh SubTool after its creation.''

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'''Preview Fiber Visibility (PRE Vis):''' Defines the number in percentage of fibers to display when the Fast Preview mode is enabled.
Root and Tip Anisotropic: The Anisotropic value affects the surface normal of the root of the fiber or its tip. Increasing the values will producing a more natural looking fibers. When these values are raised the normals of the fiber will follow the path which allows the normals to lay flat on top of each other.

''Note: Some settings like Flaring are not visible when in Fast Preview mode.

Unlike other Fibers settings, Fast Preview mode isn’t restricted to the current Fiber preview. It is instead applied to the selected FiberMesh SubTool after creation.''

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'''Preview Fiber Visibility (PRE Vis):''' Defines the percentage of fibers to display when the Fast Preview mode is enabled. This can be used to speed up performance while working with your FiberMesh. Fibers that are invisible due to the Pre Vis value will still be affected by sculpting and painting.

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'''Root and Tip Anisotropic:''' The Anisotropic value affects the surface normal of the root of the fiber or of its tip. Increasing these values will produce more natural-looking fibers. When these values are increased, the normals of the fiber will follow a path that allows them to lay flat on top of each other.

''Note: These settings are different than the material Anisotropic settings as they affect the geometry surface aspect itself. As a result, you don’t need to change this setting in the Material settings. It is important to consider this point as some materials like MatCaps don’t have Anisotropic settings.''

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'''Subdivision:''' Defines the number of times each fiber should be subdivided at render time. This operation subdivides the fiber in the same manner as traditional subdivision smoothing and makes the fibers look more natural.

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'''Sides:''' Defines the number of sides that each fiber will have when rendered. This setting is only available when the Profile slider value was set to 1 at the time the fibers were created.

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'''Radius:''' Increases the radius of the fibers when they are rendered, giving them volume without needing to increase the amount of actual geometry.

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*[[About FiberMesh™]]
*[[FiberMesh™ Workflow]]
*[[FiberMesh™ UVs]]
*[[Additional information about FiberMesh™]]

FiberMesh Workflow

MarcusCivis — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:20:16 GMT

Summary: [[FiberMesh Workflow]] moved to [[FiberMesh™ Workflow]]

'''Fibers''' must be generated on a mesh surface. They cannot simply be created out of empty space. Before generating your fibers, you must prepare the model that the fibers will be grown from. There are two main elements to this and of course, the Fibers settings:

*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.

''Note: The fibers can only use PolyPaint information. They cannot use the color information from a texture. You would need to convert your texture to PolyPaint to use it for FiberMesh color information.''

*Draw a Mask to define where you wish to have your fibers grow from on the model. 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.

''Note:When modifying a Mask brush setting, you must hold down the CTRL key while changing its setting. Otherwise, you will affect the current sculpting brush settings instead of the Mask brush.''

''For better fibers distribution and overall best results, it is recommended to generate your model’s fibers in several passes. This will let you have better control over the results than if you try to generate all your fibers at once.''

*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.
*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.
*Once you are satisfied with your results, press the Accept button to generate your FiberMesh as a new SubTool.
*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.

''Note: 3D brushes cannot be used on the preview fibers. You must click the Accept button in order to use any 3D brush with the FiberMesh feature. When Accept is pressed ZBrush will create a new FiberMesh SubTool that is ready for sculpting and detailing.''

[[Image:color-fibers.jpg]]

''An example of using a texture-based Mask a PolyPaint to generate colorful fibers.''

*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.
*ZBrush 4R2b 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. (See the New Brushes section of this document.)
*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.
*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 this document’s Morph Target section for more information.
*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.

About FiberMesh

MarcusCivis — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:19:06 GMT

Summary:

[[Image:Z-fibers.jpg]]

ZBrush 4R2b brings a new specialized mesh generation tool: FiberMesh™. You may already be familiar with the Fiber material from previous versions of ZBrush. FiberMesh is different because it is not a render process. Instead, FiberMesh creates real geometry on the fly which is added to the existing model as a new SubTool.

You will find FiberMesh in the Tool >> Fibers sub-palette.

Depending on your settings within the Fibers sub-palette, you can generate totally different shapes for fibers, hair, fur and even vegetation. Thanks to these fibers being a real geometry, you then have the ability to sculpt your hairs with ZBrush’s powerful feature set. This includes the default sculpting brushes, Masks, TransPose, etc. as well as being able to paint them through the PolyPaint system. ZBrush 4R2b also introduces a number of “Groom” brushes designed specifically for use with the FiberMesh feature.

Of course, because these fibers are real geometry, they are also able to be exported to your application of your choice. Export the fiber geometry with or without UVs where each fiber will allow a texture to be applied to the individual fibers.

FiberMesh geometry is optimized for performance which and includes specific attributes which let thethat allows the ZBrush groom sculpting brushes know that they are being used on a FiberMesh. Any 3D brush can be adjusted to edit fibers with new settings available in the Brush Palette. However, if you do something that changes the topology -- like slicing the fibers or adding subdivision levels – ZBrush converts the FiberMesh into a classic PolyMesh3D. From that point forward, the sculpting brushes will behave exactly like they would for any normal mesh object.

*[[FiberMesh™ Workflow]]
*[[FiberMesh™ menu settings]]
*[[FiberMesh™ UVs]]
*[[Additional information about FiberMesh™]]

FiberMesh

MarcusCivis — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:18:20 GMT

Summary: [[FiberMesh]] moved to [[FiberMesh™]]

[[Image:Z-fibers.jpg]]

ZBrush 4R2b brings a new specialized mesh generation tool: FiberMesh. You may already be familiar with the Fiber material from previous versions of ZBrush. FiberMesh is different because it is not a render process. Instead, FiberMesh creates real geometry on the fly which is added to the existing model as a new SubTool.

*[[About FiberMesh]]
*[[FiberMesh Workflow]]
*[[FiberMesh menu settings]]
*[[FiberMesh UVs]]
*[[Additional information about FiberMesh]]

ZBrush 4R2b - Table of Contents

MarcusCivis — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:07:27 GMT

Summary:

*{{TOC1|[[Welcome To ZBrush 4R3]]}}
**[[Note for users of ZBrush 4]]
**[[ZBrush 4R2 Shortcuts|Keyboard Shortcuts]]
**[[ZBrush Cheat Sheet]]
**[[ZBrush4R2 FAQ|FAQ - How do I...?]]
**[[ZBrush 4R2 Installation and Activation|Installation, Upgrade and Activation]]
***[[Activation and Re-Activation]]
***[[Updating to ZBrush 4R2b]]
***[[Installation, Updating and Licensing FAQ]]
**[[Modifying your Installation]]
**[[GoZ with ZBrush 4 and ZBrush 4R2|GoZ with ZBrush 4 and ZBrush 4R2b]]
**[[Uninstalling ZBrush 4R2b]]
**[[Support Registration]]
*{{TOC1|Getting Started with ZBrush}}
**[[Welcome to ZBrush]]
**[[Finding your way around]]
**[[Basic Concepts]]
**[[Your first creature creation]]
**[[Exploring further and getting help]]
*{{TOC1|New Features in ZBrush4R3}}
**[[FiberMesh™ Enhancements]]
**[[Vector Displacement Maps]]
**[[NoiseMaker plugin]]
**[[Auto Update]]
**[[Other Improvements]]
*{{TOC1|Features introduced in ZBrush4R2b}}
**[[FiberMesh™]]
**[[MicroMesh]]
**[[New Brushes and Brush Settings]]
**[[Transpose - new features]]
**[[Alphas - new features]]
**[[Masking - new features]]
**[[Working with your Model]]
**[[Rendering and Materials]]
**[[Other Improvements and Additions]]
*{{TOC1|Features introduced in ZBrush4R2}}
**[[Dynamesh]]
**[[Insert Mesh Functions]]
**[[Curve Mode]]
**[[Transpose Additions]]
**[[Clay Polish]]
**[[Surface and Noisemaker]]
**[[New Brushes]]
**[[Render Improvements]]
**[[LightCap™]]
**[[Background]]
**[[Wax Modifier]]
**[[BPR Material and Shader Enhancements]]
**[[MatCap™ Enhancements]]
**[[BPR Filters]]
**[[Additional Functions and Changes]]
*{{TOC1|[[ZBrush 4 Features]]}}
**[[Overview of Features]]
**[[Note for Previous Users|Note for Users of Previous Versions]]
**[[ZBrush Projects]]
**[[ShadowBox]]
**[[New Brushes, Settings and Behaviors]]
**[[Stroke]]
**[[SubTools]]
**[[ZBrush4 3D Layers|3D Layers]]
**[[ZBrush4 Transpose|Transpose]]
**[[GoZ]]
**[[Spotlight and Light Box]]
***[[File browsing with Light Box]]
***[[Working with Spotlight]]
***[[Spotlight functions]]
**[[Timeline]]
**[[ZBrush4 Materials|Materials]]
**[[Best Preview Render]]
**[[Mannequins]]
**[[ZBrush4 Other Additions|Other Additions]]
*{{TOC1|[[Features introduced in ZBrush 3.5]]}}
**[[ZSpheres II]]
**[[ZSketch]]
***[[ZSketching Methods]]
***[[ZSketch Brushes]]
***[[ZSketch Tips and Tricks]]
**[[QuickSketch]]
**[[Mechanical Sculpting]]
***[[Planar Brushes]]
***[[Trim Brushes]]
**[[Remeshing]]
**[[Unified Skin]]
**[[Polygroups and Masking]]
**[[Surface Noise]]
**[[Brush Modifications]]
**[[New Texture and UVs Management]]
***[[UV Mapping]]
***[[Texture Maps]]
***[[Displacement Maps in 4|Displacement Maps]]
***[[Normal Maps in 4|Normal Maps]]
***[[Ambient Occlusion Masking]]
**[[Other Additions]]
***[[Groups Loops]]
***[[3D Navigation]]
***[[Auto Groups with Uvs]]
***[[Floor Grid and Axes]]
***[[Mirror And Weld]]
***[[Gradiant Polypainting]]
***[[Merge SubTools and Weld]]
***[[Perspective]]
***[[Quick Pick]]
*{{TOC1|[[Tips and Tricks]]}}
**[[Tips and Tricks|General Tips and Tricks]]
**[[Tips and Tricks from ZBrush Artists]]
*{{TOC1|[[ZBrush 4R2 Plugins]]}}
**[[Plugin Installation|General Instructions for Installing Plugins]]
**[[UV Master]]
**[[ZAppLink|ZAppLink]]
**[[Multi Map Exporter]]
**[[Decimation Master]]
**[[3D Print Exporter]]
**[[PaintStop]]
**[[Transpose Master]]
**[[SubTool_Master|SubTool Master]]
**[[Adjust Draw Size/Focal Shift/Z Intensity]]

Installation and Updating FAQ

MarcusCivis — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 14:08:18 GMT

Summary: [[Installation and Updating FAQ]] moved to [[Installation, Updating and Licensing FAQ]]

{{break}}

==What do I do if I don’t get my upgrade email?==
A: It may take as long as a week for all upgrade emails to be sent out. Your email will be coming from Cleverbridge. Please keep an eye on your spam filter or junk mail folder in case it gets blocked from your inbox. If you do not receive the upgrade email by end of business on September 27, please submit a ticket at http://support.pixologic.com. We will be able to have the instructions resent to you at that time. Please do not contact Cleverbridge or Pixologic Support prior to that as they will not be able to assist with such inquiries until October 1.

==On Windows, first launching ZBrush gives a message to restart the program as an administrator.==
A: Simply right-click on the desktop shortcut for ZBrush 4R2 (or on the ZBrush 4R2 executable in the folder where it was installed) and choose “Run as Administrator” from the context menu.

==On Mac, first launching ZBrush gives a virtual memory error message.==
A: User permissions are preventing ZBrush from writing to its own folders. Get info on the ZBrush 4R2 folder and change the user permissions to Read & Write. Also click the gear beneath the user groups and choose the option to “Apply to Contained Items”.

==Web Activation doesn’t launch my browser.==
A: First, ensure that your browser is not already running with the window minimized or behind ZBrush. (For Windows you can Alt+Tab to see if the browser window is open and switch to it. For Mac, click your browser icon on the Dock.) If your browser was open but did not update to the activation page, close it and restart ZBrush so that you can try Web Activation again. If your browser was not already open and did not launch when choosing Web Activation, close ZBrush and launch your browser. Navigate to the Pixologic home page. Leave it open while you restart ZBrush and try Web Activation again. The web page should now update to the activation page. If none of these options work, you will need to do a Phone Activation instead.

==Web Activation tells me that "The serial number does not match."==
A: When the system processes your request it checks the serial number that you entered against the email address you entered and then compares that to what is in the activation system. You will get this error if either the email address or serial number has been typed incorrectly. Please double-check both and try again. When entering the serial number, be aware that some letters and numbers look very similar. (S and 5, for example or 2 and Z) Make sure that you're not mistakenly entering the wrong one. If you continue to receive this error after ensuring that both the email address and serial number were entered correctly, please submit a Support ticket.

==Web Activation tells me that “ZBrush has already been activated on this machine.”==
A: Simply click the button to request a copy of the activation key. An activation code will be created.

=="There was an error emailing your activation key. Please try again"==
A: Wait about 5 minutes and try Web Activation again. Due to high server demand it may be necessary to try several times. We're doing everything possible to optimize server loads but there are occasionally bursts when too many people are attempting to activate at the same time.

==Web Activation accepts my information but then takes me to an error message about “this page is only for users…”==
A: First, try downloading and installing ZBrush 4R2 again. Sometimes a download or installation can be corrupted and results in this error. If that does not resolve the issue, Windows users need to right-click on the ZBrush 4R2 shortcut or executable and choose Properties. Go to the Compatibility tab and make sure that all options are disabled. Compatibility mode prevents ZBrush from being activated (and will break an activated version). If you still receive this error after following these steps, please submit a Support ticket.

==I get an activation code, but after entering it into ZBrush nothing happens.==
A: Press Enter (for Windows) or Return (for Mac). If the activation code window remains open after that, press Esc to return to the main activation window. Now select "Enter Activation Code" and paste the code in the new window that will open. Press Enter/Return. If this still doesn't resolve the issue, you will need to uninstall ZBrush 4R2, delete its folder then install and activate again.

==I enter the activation code, but get a message that “Activation Failed”.==
A: Exit ZBrush and check your system clock to ensure that it is set to the correct date (Day, Month and Year). Also, if you have antivirus software running please temporarily disable it. Some such programs prevent successful activation. Now launch ZBrush and go through Web Activation again to get a new activation code. If the new activation code is also rejected, please submit a Support ticket.

==My company has floating licenses. What do we do?==
A: Separate upgrade instructions email notification will be sent to the person in charge of your floating license management. This will take place no later than Monday the 26th. If you receive an email for ZBrush 4R2 with a serial number in it, please DO NOT install it. Doing so could interfere with the distribution of your floating licenses. We will make every effort to avoid sending the node-locked instructions to you, but there is always a chance that some incorrect emails will sneak through.

==Selling Your License==
It is Pixologic’s sincerest hope that you will use and enjoy ZBrush for a long time to come. However, we do understand that circumstances occasionally force a user to sell his license or desire to give it to someone else. We will work with you to make this possible.

Do not give your serial number away! Doing so will not actually transfer the license to the new user. To transfer your license, submit a ticket at [https://support.pixologic.com https://support.pixologic.com] for instructions. Please note that only the original license holder may initiate a license transfer. The recipient cannot do this.

Please note that there is a $49.99 fee to transfer license ownership.

{{break}}
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Back to : [[What's New in ZBrush 4R2|What's New in ZBrush 4R2 - Table of Contents]]

Note for users of ZBrush 4

MarcusCivis — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 10:38:29 GMT

Summary:

If you are upgrading from ZBrush 4, there are a few changes that you will want to know about:

* The '''ShadowBox''' button has been moved to the Geometry menu in the Tool palette.
* The '''Zoom''' palette has been removed. Buttons for zooming the canvas are now located in the Document palette.
* The '''Spotlight''' buttons ('''Turn On Spotlight''' and '''Add To Spotlight'''), no longer appear in the Texture pop-up. They are still available in the main Texture palette.
* The '''Enable Customize''' button is now located in the Preferences > Config menu.
* The '''Brush''' palette has been reorganized so as to simplify brush selection. Any brush that no longer appears in the Brush pop-up can be loaded through Lightbox.
* '''Lightbox''' has been reorganized with subfolders. For example, the Brush tab now has folders for '''Clay''', '''Curve''', '''Deco''' and so on.
*'''Shift+Alt+click''' on selected SubTool is the default to frame that SubTool (''Note this option can be set in the '''Preferences > Edit > Enable Auto Center''' slider; 0 = off; 1 = Alt+click; 2 = Shift+Alt+click'')
* The '''WWW search features in LightBox''' don't work at the moment. The companies that we use to gather the search results from are currently updating their remote search protocols. We will not be able to update the WWW search features until this has been done. No ETA is possible at this time.

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Back to : [[What's New in ZBrush 4R2|What's New in ZBrush 4R2 - Table of Contents]]

Installation, Upgrade and Activation

MarcusCivis — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 17:36:14 GMT

Summary:

You will need this information when installing ZBrush on your computer. The new activation and de-activation process is also described.

==SystemRequirements==
===Recommended System Requirements===

OS: Windows XP SP2 or newer, 32 bits or 64 bits. (ZBrush 4 is a 32-bit application, but can use up to 4 GB of system RAM)
CPU: Pentium D or newer (or equivalent such as AMD Athlon 64 X2 or newer) with optional multithreading or hyperthreading capabilities.
RAM: 2048MB recommended for working with multi-million-polys.
Monitor: 1280x1024 monitor resolution set to Millions of Colors.
Pen tablet: Wacom or Wacom compatible.

===Minimum System Requirements===

OS: Windows XP SP2.
CPU: P4 or AMD Opteron or Athlon64 Processor (Must have SSE2 : Streaming SIMD Extensions 2).
RAM: 1024MB. (2048 MB recommended)
Monitor: 1024x768 monitor resolution set to Millions of Colors.

==Installation==

After purchasing ZBrush 4 through our web store (powered by Cleverbridge) or when receiving your upgrade to it a serial number and a download link will be provided to you. '''Save this information for your records!''' You will need your serial number any time you install ZBrush 4.

After purchasing or upgrading to ZBrush 4 on our Cleverbridge web store, a serial number and a download link will be provided. Be sure to save this information to your records.
After downloading the ZBrush installer file, double-click on it to run the Install Wizard and follow the onscreen steps. You will be given the option of a Complete or Custom installation. Choose Custom if you wish to choose your own location for the installation, or decide on which plugins to include.
When the installation process is finished, double-click on the ZBrush shortcut created on the desktop or launch it through the Program files > Pixologic > ZBrush.exe.
{{break}}
{{Important|Note: If ZBrush displays a windows error on first launch, please install the vcredist_x86_VS2008_sp1.exe located in the TroubleshootHelp folder. It may also be necessary to disable DEP as described in the text file found in the TroubleshootHelp folder. Please, check that a “vmem” folder is available on the root of ZBrush 4 folder, and also a “TempFiles” folder in the ZStartup folder. These steps should only be necessary in exceptional circumstances.}}

{{break}}
In order to use ZBrush it must be Activated.

To learn about Activation see [[Activation and Re-Activation]]

To learn about updating an earlier version of ZBrush see here [[Updating to ZBrush 4]]

To learn about Support Registration see [[Support Registration]]