ZBrushCentral

Bending A Tube Or Object????? Need Help.....

ZBrush Artworks
#1

:slight_smile: 'Evening all…I’m sure this subject has been discussed before, but I’ve tried everything to bend an object - (let’s say a tube) into the shape of an “L” or a “U” with unsuccessful results. In most 3D programs I’ve used in the past, this is not a problem. But being that ZBrush is not your everyday 3D program I’m lost??? When I’ve tried to use the directions in the manual or any other place I can find information on doing this task, I get results like a “C” instead of a “L” & instead of a “U” I get a “Horseshoe”. I would like to be able - if possible in ZBrush - to smoothly bend a tube or object in the center or where ever & have the two ends be strait. I hope I explained so some can understand??? :confused: Anyway…if some kind soul or “Pixolator” could explain, maybe in the form of a tutorial, the procedures of accomplishing this I would be forever greatful. Thanks in advance for any help & have Z good one… :cool: Mark.

#2

Hi Kruzr :slight_smile:

You may have seen this tutorial previously… (If you did see it and it is not what you are looking for then let me know)

You can deform a Cylinder3D or a Ring3D in order to get the shape that you need. Such as the Z in this image

The Z was modeled from a single Cylinder object.

To create a “bended cylinder” choose either the Cylinder3D tool or the Ring3D tool (choose the one that is closer to the shape that you want to create)

[img]http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads0/user_image-987835342bjj.jpg[/img]

When using a Cylinder3D…

  1. Select the Cylinder3D tool.
  2. We would need to edit the 3D object by using the Edit-Move mode. An important point to consider is that the default Cylinder is a ‘thick’ object and it will be difficult to push/pull parts of the object while trying to keep a consistent thickness throughout the length of the object. In order to make it easier to achieve that, we will re-initialize the object to be very thin. To do that, you need to set the Tool.Modifiers.Initialize.XSize and YSize to 1.
  3. We would need to have enough polygons in the 3D object in order to allow for nice and smooth curves. To do that, we need to increase the Tool.Modifiers.Initialize.HDivide and VDivide to 128. If needed, the Radial Coverage can be reduced in order to produce an open-ended curve.
  4. Now we have an object that is ready to be edited. Draw the object in the canvas, and enter edit mode. Use the Edit MOVE mode in order to pull and reshape the object till you get the desired result. (Note: Pulling the curve a short distance in several small steps will yield a better result than pulling the curve a long distance in a single step.)
  5. In order to increase the thickness of this thin object, we will be using the Tool.Modifiers.Deformation.Inflat action, but before we do that, we need to apply Tool.Modifiers.deformation.Smooth several times (3-4 times) in order to improve the smoothness of the about-to-be-inflated object. After smoothing the object, we need to apply the inflate action and if all done properly, you should have a nicely curved object.

When using a Ring3D…

  1. Select the Ring3D tool.
  2. We would need to edit the 3D object by using the Edit-Move mode. An important point to consider is that the default Ring3D is a ‘thick’ object and it will be difficult to push/pull parts of the object while trying to keep a consistent thickness throughout the length of the object. In order to make it easier to achieve that, we will re-initialize the object to be very thin. To do that, we need to set the Tool.Modifiers.Initialize.SRadius to zero.
  3. We would need to have enough polygons in the 3D object in order to allow for nice and smooth curves. To do that, we need to increase the Tool.Modifiers.Initialize.SDivide and LDivide to 128.
  4. Now we have an object that is ready to be edited. Draw the object in the canvas, and enter edit mode. Use the Edit MOVE mode in order to pull and reshape the object till you get the desired result. (Note: Pulling the curve a short distance in several small steps will yield a better result than pulling the curve a long distance in a single step.) [BR]5. In order to increase the thickness of this thin object, we will be using the Tool.Modifiers.Deformation.Inflat action, but before we do that, we need to apply Tool.Modifiers.deformation.Smooth several times (3-4 times) in order to improve the smoothness of the about-to-be-inflated object. After smoothing the object, we need to apply the inflate action and if all done properly, you should have a nicely curved and thick object.

I hope that you’ll find this helpful :slight_smile:

-Pixolator