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How to use the ZProject Brush

ZBrush Usage Questions ZBrush 2022 Usage Questions
#1

I’m trying to use the ZProject brush to get some detail from one mesh onto another. Both are lined up, and if I use “project all” it works well, but I can’t for the life of me figure out how to use the ZProject brush to paint in small areas. I get these chewing gum streaks into infinity.

Sadly the only posts I could find date back to 2007 and ZBrush 3, and apparently this is how it’s supposed to work:

  • import mesh with detail
  • import mesh without
  • append the one with detail
  • switch to the one without detail, select ZProject brush (so far so good)
  • switch to the move tool and apparently see the transpose line
  • click on the model to remove the transpose line
  • everything works

When I switch to the move option, there’s no transpose line for me. If I click on my mesh, it shows up though and doesn’t go away. No matter if I do this or not, I get ugly streaks into infinity. Can you help point me in the right direction? If there are better ways to do this today, please let me know. My current workaround is to use “project all” with a morph target and remove details I don’t need, but that’s not great for every situation.

Thanks!

#2

I’m sure the Zproject brush works fine but I’d suggest using the newer History Recall brush. No need to combine subtools. Mark a History point on your detail mesh, move the target mesh into place and scrub with the History Recall Brush. Projects inwards and outwards automatically depending on the relative position of detail and target mesh surfaces. Projection is camera based so don’t forget to move frequently to ensure you’re looking straight down on the model.

Search Michael Pavlovich YT for History Recall. Here’s the first three hits.

#3

Thank you so much, this is exactly the kind of answer I was looking for! I’ve been used ZBrush for very basic tasks since 2014 and never really delved into the powerful stuff until recently.

Happy New Year!