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Subtool problem: Lower subtool sticking to main subtool

ZBrush Usage Questions
#1

Hello,

I am having a bit of a problem with moving and adjusting individual subtools independent of the top (main) subtool.

For whatever reason, it wants to stay attached or stuck to the primary tool. Because of this, whenever I attempt to move the subtool over to another part of the main model in order to attach it as an appendage, it moves every single subtool in the list - even if I only have one, lower subtool selected! This is very frustrating as all I am essentially doing is dragging the entire document around the window.

This makes attaching things like legs to a central trunk extremely difficult. I have tried using the various types of “move” commands in an effort to find one that only moves the subtool and nothing else. So far, all I can do is nudge the subtool around with the move brush in a very tedious series of steps, or just move everything in the document.

I simply want to attach individual parts to the main object without having to “grow” them from the main tool whenever I want something. What am I doing wrong here?

#2

There are two different “Move” buttons.
Select the “Move” button that Ive marked on the screenshot (the other Move button is doing excatly what youve found out but that is not what you want right now).
Also make sure you are in Edit mode. You can then click on the inner circle and move the SubTool you`ve selected however you want.
Hope that helps. :slight_smile:

[st move.jpg]

PS: Here`s a link for you: http://www.pixologic.com/docs/index.php/Subtools

#3

Actually, I am aware of the two different move functions and what they do independently of eachother. Sorry about that, I should have been more specific.

I tried both move buttons to see if that would resolve it, but neither of them would. I’m not sure why, but I am totally unable to move a subtool independently of the main tool.

I also have Transpose Master and SubTool Master. Neither of those plugins were able to help, either.

I tried to figure out what has been going on for several hours, and this is probably one of the most anomalous behaviors I’ve seen come out of zBrush.

I’m totally baffled.

#4

Actually, I am aware of the two different move functions and what they do independently of eachother. Sorry about that, I should have been more specific.

I tried both move buttons to see if that would resolve it, but neither of them would. I’m not sure why, but I am totally unable to move a subtool independently of the main tool.

I also have Transpose Master and SubTool Master. Neither of those plugins were able to help, either.

I tried to figure out what has been going on for several hours, and this is probably one of the most anomalous behaviors I’ve seen come out of zBrush.

I’m totally baffled.

#5

Are you really sure that youre in Edit mode? If so --sorry, then I really dont know what could be the problem.
If youd post a screenshot and the exact steps youre following maybe others can track down whats going on. Its always hard to guess without more info.

#6

Can you post a screen shot? Make sure you show the interface, with the subtool list open, so we can try and work out what’s happening.

Thanks,

#7

I went ahead and uploaded about 5 screen shots of what I’m doing step-by-step. My goal is to be able to move a polymesh subtool around without the main tool sticking to it - in order to edit fine detail piece by piece or import “limbs,” extensions and all of that sort of thing. ( I have a strict, assembly line-esque workflow.)

Note: The objects in the screenshots are totally arbitrary and simple for the purposes brevity. [Image 1](http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g287/robertsthevile/Screen2.jpg) 1. Used zSpheres to create basic shape, hit "A" and then converted to polymesh to add detail. [Image 2](http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g287/robertsthevile/Screen3.jpg) 2. Opened SubTool tab and clicked on Append, then selected the gear polymesh to add to main tool. [Image 3](http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g287/robertsthevile/Screen4.jpg) 3. The gear mesh loads on top of the main tool, but neither of the move tools will let me move it around without sticking to the whole scene.

Gear subtool is active in subtool palate and is the only polymesh selected under that palate.

[Image 4](http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g287/robertsthevile/Screen5.jpg) 4. Move will only move specific points on the object and not the object itself. [Image 5](http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g287/robertsthevile/Screen6.jpg) 5. The scale button actually scales the entire mesh as a whole, however rotate doesn't function whatsoever.

I’m also having issues with smartresym and symetry features under the deformation panel. Sometimes axis/pivot points will not apply to objects when I want them to, and other times they work just fine. I got around the symmetry problem by just hitting “X” and drawing on the model directly.

I wonder if all of these problems are connected to eachother in some way.

#8

Did you click on the “Make Polymesh 3D” button (-> gear) ? :slight_smile:
If not than this is the problem why you can`t move it.

#9

Unfortunately this isn’t working either.

What happens is when I convert the gear into a poly mesh it removes itself from the subtool drop-down and places itself on an entirely new document. There doesn’t seem to be a way to drop it in with the main tool after it’s been turned into a polymesh. It becomes a stand-alone document or something along those lines, and resides in a totally different subtool menu from the original document. It also won’t allow me to combine the two.

I have no idea what’s up with it, and the entire program has been behaving very strangely lately.

#10

Oops, I also forgot to add that the gear is listed as a polymesh before I even convert it to one. I’m not sure how that works, either.

#11

Its listed as Startup 3D mesh, isnt it?
Im sure theres a reason why the Startup 3D meshes arent editable Polymesh 3D tools right from start but I cant tell you why.
I dont think its behaving strangely. :slight_smile:

Please see here:
http://www.pixologic.com/docs/index.php/Appending_Subtools

Hope that helps.

#12

I’m still having serious problems.

I will go step-by-step once again, following the instructions at the link that you gave me for appending SubTools.

1. Select Tool: PolyMesh3D

First, there isn’t any specific windows expressly labeled “PolyMesh3D” under the tool menu drop down or in the open tool panel on the right. I simply have my original model which had already had been converted to 3DPolymesh (double and triple checked to be sure.) I am forced to assume that they want me to have the active (and only) polymesh tool selected.

2. If you see a screen asking you if you want to Exit edit mode, press Switch then clear the canvas by pressing CTRL+N or Layer: Clear.

I’ve never encountered any dialogue or pop-up that says that.

Also, CTRL+N does nothing and doesn’t even seem to be attached to any shortkey or function for some reason so I went ahead and cleared it manually.

3. Press Tool: Import if you are importing an OBJ or Tool: Load Tool if you are loading a .ZTL

I successfully imported the .OBJ file.

4. Navigate to the model on your system and press OK

The .OBJ came through just fine, but the original/main polymesh has both vanished from the edit window and the subtool menu. I am left with only what I just imported and nothing else.

5. Select your original model in the Tool palette

The main/original model was already present in the edit window without having to do this step, as if it were never cleared to begin with.

6. Draw it on the canvas and enter Edit mode.

Already in edit mode with the main model/tool.

7. To append it to your current model, press Tool: SubTool: Append and choose the new Subtool

.OBJ successfully appended to main model and is listed in the SubTool menu along with the main tool above it.

But of course, and once again, I cannot move or manipulate only the .OBJ that I appended, even when I have only that SubTool selected. The entire model moves about the edit window, stuck to the main model as it usually does.

So, I went ahead and checked to see if I was in edit mode with it, and I was. The only thing that occurs is 3 orange, circular points appear indicating the different pivot and axis points. Moving these does nothing to move my appended .obj. What’s also extremely weird is that I still have all my “Paint” options (brush, alpha etc. - all active, too) even though I am not even in draw mode! I only have EDIT and MOVE buttons pressed, but it still acts as if I am adding to it with my standard brush or something.

It’s also important for me to note that I did make an effort to find a better method or technique to add objects/subtools for further, more detailed editing from my main tool. I decided it would be relatively easier (and faster!) for me to just mask and extract polys into their own subtools and edit them from there. I get as far as getting the extracted polys in their own subtools but the second I click on their subtool zBrush immediately crashes and I lose all of my work. Also, please keep in mind that I am still way, WAY below my maximum number of polys even when I am sub-dividing the different subtools. I carefully watch how many polys I have at any one time so as not to cause slowing or crashing.

zBrush now crashes quite frequently out of nowhere after I started using this method. Sometimes Windows will let me know via prompt that it has to be closed (you know that window: “send” or “don’t send” etc.) and other times, it will completely vanish without any warning, prompt or signs that it is about to crash.While using zBrush and after closing it, my optical mouse – without any explanation – reverses its left and right click functions or becomes completely frozen. I have had to restart many times because of this, and I even had to check to see if it was even plugged into my USB. (I won’t even bother with what it does to my Wacomb tablet) Additionally, on two separate occasions Windows XP shut down/restarted out of nowhere.

In order to help anyone who can figure this out I’ve went ahead included my system specs:

Video Card: GeForce 6150se nForce 430 (All drivers are updated and current)
CPU: AMD Athlon™ 64x2 Dual Core Processor 4200
HD: 230 GB of free space
OS: Windows Professional XP (Updated to most current service pack.)

• zBrush is up to date and current
• No problematic add-ons are installed with zBrush
• Ran a virus check just to be as thorough as possible, and my system turned out to be completely clean.

I could really use some help now as there are new issues that have come up besides the original problem I had with moving subtools (which still doesn’t work.)

I have no idea what to do at this point.

#13

Try this:

  1. Click on the large thumbnail at the top of the Tool palette and then select the Gear3D ztool from the pop-up.

  2. If you have a 3D ztool in Edit mode then it will be replaced by the Gear3D in the canvas (viewport). If you don’t have a model in Edit mode then you’ll need to draw the Gear3D on the canvas, then press ‘T’ on the keyboard to enter Edit mode.

  3. The Gear3D is a ‘parametric object’. This means that its shape can be changed mathematically by using the options in the Tool>Initialize submenu. All the Startup 3D meshes are parametric except for the ZSphere and the PolyMesh3D (Star). In order to sculpt parametric objects they must be converted to polymeshes: press the ‘Make PolyMesh3D’ button at the top of the Tool palette. The Gear3D will be converted to a polymesh. Note that the original Gear3D ztool is still in the Tool palette - the new polymesh version has been swapped with it and is now what you see in Edit mode. If you look in the Tool palette you’ll see it is called PM3D_Gear1 (or similar).

  4. Click on the large thumbnail at the top of the Tool palette and then select the PolyMesh3D ztool (the Star shape). This will replace the PM3D_Gear1 in the canvas.

  5. Open the Tool>SubTool list and press Append. Choose the PM3D_Gear1 ztool from the pop-up.

  6. Click on the new subtool to select it. It will turn lighter in the canvas view. Now Press the Move button (so that both the Edit and Move buttons are now on).

  7. Click on the top part of the PM3D_Gear1 and then drag downwards to draw the orange Action line. Make sure the three orange circles are nicely spaced.

  8. Now place the cursor over the center circle. A white inner circle will appear. Click and drag that - you will be able to move the PM3D_Gear1 away from the Star.

I think you may find it useful to take a look at the video tutorials in the ZClassroom. It’s much easier to get the hang of these things when watching someone else actually do them:

http://www.pixologic.com/zclassroom/homeroom/

HTH,

#14

Thanks, Marcus. That indeed helped.

I also discovered why masking imported .obj models caused zBrush to crash. Apparently the one thing I’ve been doing in common with all of these events was exporting models from Poser 7 and importing them into zBrush for editing. There seem to be some compatibility issues and features that are exported with the Poser 7 figure that do not mix well with the way ZBrush handles .obj files.

I resolved this problem by exporting Poser 7 .obj files, importing them into my copy of XSI and once again exporting the .obj without any of the “added features” Poser 7 tried to attach to them. These very simple .obj files were then imported into zBrush without any problems at all.

Awesome. Thanks, everyone.

I will soon be able to start uploading sketches at long last.

#15

Hi Jason,

I’m glad that helped.

Poser exports OBJs at a very small size which can cause issues in ZBrush. There’s a PoserScaler plugin available at the Download Center (see my signature) which can help with this issue.

For other info on using Poser & ZBrush do a search of ZBC, I think you’ll find there’s quite a lot of useful stuff. For example this thread may be of interest:

http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/showthread.php?t=53850

HTH,

#16

Im so glad to see your problem has been solved. Sorry, I was not able to help you with that. I didnt know all these things. :wink:

#17

You were very helpful.

It turns out I just didn’t know what was going on specifically, and wasn’t really using every option or function that I had available to me. I switch between a lot of applications at once, so I probably got confused.