ZBrushCentral

Any way to merge files?

ZBrush Usage Questions
#1

Hi,

Wondering if this is possible. Yesterday, after all these years, I finally got around to using the Layers panel to create face morphs. Well I did a series of 7 of these and saved them all out according to face area like Brow, Nose, Lips etc. So now in order to create some face morphs using all of them wondering if it’s possible to merge these 7 files (one at a time of course) to create on huge face morph file.

Please let me know. If not I guess I’ll load up each file and save each morph out as an OBJ and reimport.

Thanks so much!

#2

Not sure why you would export the layers as separate files. You can merge layers by:

  1. Turning on all layers and selecting the top layer.
  2. Pressing Tool>Layers>Merge Down.

You’d have to use this method to re-import the files (as GoZ or OBJ files) - create a new layer for each file and import while record mode is on.

HTH,
Marcus

#3

I think you misunderstood me. I have 7 separate ZTL files, each file contains a set of layers with morphs, each file is for different areas of the face. In Photoshop you can MERGE other PS files with the one you have open. I was hoping for something like that in ZBrush but I’ve not been able to find anything like that. It’s OK!

#4

Hi @RAMWolff

If all you want is for the ZTL files to occupy the same project file, then it’s just a matter of loading the individual files into your scene and saving out the ZPR (file> Save as).

I think what you’re asking is how to transfer the layers from one mesh (subtool) to another subtool, so that all that all the morphs are layers of the same subtool. Please correct me if I’m not understanding.

This is possible, but it’s going to require a bit of labor. There are a couple ways to go about this.

  1. If the topology is the same across all the ztl files, export out the morph geometry as an obj at the level of subdivision you’ll be creating the target layer. Create a new layer on your target mesh at the same level of subdivision as the OBJ, and import it while the layer is in recording mode.

  2. If the topology is different but the meshes occupy the same space, you can append the morph to the target tool, and project the detail from it onto the target mesh with an active layer in recording mode. This won’t work for meshes with substantially different poses, but may be adequate to capture different facial expressions as long as the difference from the base mesh isn’t too extreme.

#5

Well as it turned out after all that work that the vertices are different. I’m working in Poser right now and they don’t have unimesh implemented yet so Poser can be a little bit of a PITA when it comes to morphing outside the program and bring it in so the best way, for now, as I’m finding out, is to use the GoZ bridge and do it like that. SO I guess my need to merge all those documents is not all the important any more! LOL

To add so saving as a ZPR rather than a ZTL will allow me to merge files or no?

I hope at some point Pixologic will allow to directly merge files in an update, it would be a useful tool to have!

#6

Saving a ZPR saves ALL ZTLs loaded into the session in the same file. They’ll still be separate tools, though. If you want to transfer subtools from one tool to another, you’ll have to use the append or insert functions.

More information about saving your work in ZBrush can be found in the documentation.

#7

Thank you. I’ll bookmark that page! :grin: