ZBrushCentral

Problem using Projection Master

ZBrush Usage Questions
#1

I just started using Projection Master. I’m trying to paint a fur texture onto a model. I’m using a FreeHand stroke. However, I find myself painting a sequence of fur-textured, overlapping squares. That’s what I would expect from the DragRect stroke. I would like to paint the texture with a stroke that allows me to get into corners, paint around curves, etc.

I tried to use a stencil instead of Projection Master, but my FreeHand stroke still comes out as a sequence of overlapping squares. Is there a way to control this?

Thanks,
DocPit

#2

In the Stroke menu you’ll find options for Roll and Roll Dist. If you load a tileable texture into your brush and turn on Roll, instead of overlapping “stamps” you’ll get the texture following direction of your stroke. Roll Dist will allow you to control the frequency of the tiling. You don’t need to be in Projection Master for this method, you can polypaint as normal. For best results you may want to turn up Stabilize Direction in the Brush -> Samples menu, and avoid sharp angles in your stroke.

If the texture doesn’t tile or you just want to project a single image across the surface, try loading the texture into Spotlight, aligning it there then taking a freehand brush with no alpha or texture applied to it and painting it onto the surface that way. This is similar to using a Stencil. Again, this can be done outside Projection Master.

#3

It sounds as if you have no alpha selected. Select a nice fuzzy circle alpha and all should be well.

#4

Marcus,

Thanks for your response. I do have an alpha selected.

Based on what I’m seeing in the Digital Tutors videos I’ve been following, the alpha is the texture. Vis-a-vis the videos: I import a .jpg, make a texture, and, from the texture, make an alpha. That alpha is a square image (a tile?). So, when I paint with it, I get a series of squares. I’m getting better results following InternetFriend’s advice about modifying the stroke. (Thank you.) But the stroke is still a series of sequential tiles. So, if my texture is my alpha, how can I select a soft, circular alpha without losing the texture? I’m obviously confused.

Also, in the Projection Master documentation (http://www.pixologic.com/docs/index.php/Projection_Master), there is this reference: "In general, you will get the best results with Projection Master when, before “dropping” your model, you scale it first so that the area of a visible polygon is approximately equal to the area of a pixol on the canvas…You can get a better idea of how this works in ( Precision Texturing by Matthew Yetter). " I’d like to be able to read more about that, but the link is dead (404 error). Is there a way to get to it?

DocPit

#5

Most of Digital Tutors’ zBrush texturing training is for version 3.1, before Spotlight was introduced. Watch Working with Spotlight before going any further with them.

I forgot to mention, when painting with the Roll function turned on, you should increase your Focal Shift until those squares fade out.

What I mean by a tile is a texture that has been edited so it repeats without seams. Trying to use the Roll function with a plain photograph source will give you bad results; you will see exactly where it repeats. Making tiling textures is a skill in itself.

Roll brushes are still only for making small textured strokes, I can’t repeat enough how useful Spotlight is for projecting textures onto a sculpt.

#6

Just want to thank you for the tip about Spotlight. I’ve been experimenting with it, and it’s great. Especially for a new member, you sure know your stuff! Thanks, again.