User FAQ
From ZBrush Info
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Frequently Asked Questions (Introduction)
Brand new June 20th. This FAQ was created by ZBrush users for ZBrush users. Unless otherwise stated, Pixologic is not directly responsible for its content or the answers provided. This means that there may be a margin of error with regards to the accuracy of the answers provided.
This FAQ section is designed as an aid for all ZBrush users, but it's also nice for some of us who find ourselves answering the same frequently asked questions in the Questions & Troubleshooting Forum at ZBrushCentral
All users are invited to provide answers here and it is hoped that knowledgeable users visiting this section will help refine the answers here so that they are clear, concise, and informative.
We will initially simply add questions (and answers) to this FAQ (or provide links to ZBrushCentral threads where a particular topic or issue is discussed), but as it grows, the FAQs will likely be re-organized by topic or split into different subcategories (Subtools, Materials, Retopologizing, etc.)
Are all of these questions really asked frequently?
No, not all of them. But the questions and answers are provided here because they are considered useful and good-to-know. :)
Why are these sections "out of order"?
This FAQ was just created from scratch without any particular idea how it was going to be organized. As new content gets added, it will be re-organized for better flow.
Who has contributed to the FAQ?
In many cases, answers may be taken directly from discussions at ZBrushCentral, and credited wherever possible. If you would like to provide an answer to a FAQ, please feel free to give yourself credit (this comes from Pixologic, as stated in the red box at the very top). All information and time provided to create this resource is greatly appreciated.
Also, you can see who has contributed to this FAQ by clicking the "History" button above.
MISC
When is (feature/plugin/option/patch/update) going to be released?
Covering:
- When is ZMapper going to be released?
- When is Displacement Exporter 3 going to be released?
- When is ZAppLink 3 going to be released?
- When is ZBrush 3 for Mac going to be released?
- When is the next update/patch for ZBrush going to be released?
- And so on...
The most honest and informative answer as to when these will become available is likely, "When it's ready".
With that said, officials at Pixologic have mentioned that the first update to ZB3 will be available by end of June '07 and will likely include or be accompanied (or shortly followed) by Displacement Exporter 3.
Additional plug-ins will be released "when they're ready".
When is ZBrush3 for the Mac going to be released?
ZBrush 2 for the Macintosh was released about 6 months following the windows version, I would think that this will be similar with Z3 (give or take a month or two). Meanwhile, if you can run Windows applications on your Macintosh then you can start using ZBrush 3 now by taking advantage of the free-of-charge access to the Windows version which is available to you as a Macintosh user. - Aurick
What is up with specifically avoiding giving release dates?
One can only speculate with regards to Pixologic and no one really knows if they avoid giving release dates on purpose.
However, release dates have an inherent issue in that they often only provide an artificial time when something is estimated to be ready. They can sometimes be given with some degree of accuracy with things that have been done over and over (such as making movies), but when it comes to creating software, particularly very complex software involving a variety of different systems which all have to play nicely together, providing an artificial release date doesn't always coincide with when a particular feature (or number of features) have been added or a bug (or series of bugs) have been fixed. Because things are so co-dependent, often introducing one feature may adversely affect another. Or even fixing one bug may introduce another. So the only true answer to when something will be released, is "when it's ready".
The other issue with release dates is that they create expectations which can then lead to disappointment. And if a release date is provided, but for whatever reason a piece of software isn't ready to be released, then a company has two obvious choices: 1. Release software that clearly isn't ready and then have to deal with unhappy customers who discover the release isn't everything they expected it to be, or 2. Push back a release date and then have to deal with a lot of unhappy customers because the software they want isn't ready on the day it was "supposed to be". It tends to be a no-win situation.
An alternative to providing release dates is to simply release something when it becomes available. This makes customers happy, because they often weren't expecting whatever it is that was released.
How do I...? Where do I...? What do I...?
If your ZBrush related question starts with something along the lines of "How do I...?", "Where do I...?", "Can I...?" or "What do I...?" and you can't find an answer in the WIKI, the best place to search for an answer (before posting your question) is most likely the Questions & Troubleshooting Forum at ZBrushCentral. There is a nifty little "search" feature that will allow you to search for the answer to your question to make sure it hasn't been answered numerous times already.
While the folks at ZBrushCentral tend to be a very friendly and helpful bunch, asking a question that's already been asked several times before shows that you likely didn't do a search, and can possibly result in a helpful, but potentially sarcastic or offhanded response. After all, except for the actual Pixologic folks, they're just users like you who simply provide answers as a way to be helpful, not out of obligation. And in some cases, you may also simply be referred to this FAQ. So doing a search first will save everyone some time.
Who do I write to make bug reports, suggestions, etc?
Probably the best place to post bug reports or make suggestions is Questions & Troubleshooting Forum. Pixologic has been known to actively read and participate in various threads.
An alternative is to email (support at pixologic.com), though posting to the forums provides the benefit of getting a response (often quickly) from users (or even Pixologic support staff) who are able to provide answers, workarounds, or additional information.
What should I include in my bug report?
You should include anything that will help provide more information about your system and the steps taken to produce the behavior. The more informative you are, the better, and if supplementing your report with screenshots will help, do it. :)
Example of helpful information: Operating system, RAM, detailed steps necessary to produce behavior, screenshots, your ZBrush preferences (Compact Mem setting, MaxPolyPerMesh setting...), object properties (number of polys, subdivisions), number of subtools (and their properties), was your object produced in other software and imported, are you working on a network/saving to network drives, do you have ample amounts of storage space, how much Mem & Free Mem is indicated at the top of your UI...
All of these things may help narrow down the problem.
Will posting/sending a bug report or making a suggestion make a difference?
It might, but Pixologic handles issues based on their own internal set of priorities. They also have a beta testing program in place in which many issues are hammered out. But at least if you post something to the public forum, others may be able to help you or at least discuss the issue.
LEARNING ZBRUSH
Where is the ZBrush 3 documentation?
First, you're reading it. The Wiki is currently the best source for ZBrush 3 documention.
Additionally, ZBrush 3 documention (in both "Practical Guide" and "Reference" flavors) is now available to be downloaded (in pdf format) here:
http://www.zbrush.info/docs/index.php/Downloads
You can also refer to the Practical Guide for ZBrush 2 (many of the same concepts apply).
Will there be a Practical Guide for ZBrush 3?
Yes, there probably will be Practical Guide for ZBrush 3, like there is for ZBrush 2. However, nothing has been officially announced and it is likely that it will simply be announced on the same day that it becomes available. (And some speculate that the WIKI, or parts of the WIKI, will essentially evolve into the ZBrush 3 Practical Guide, but in (preferably) downloadable PDF format).
Interesting to note is an Unleashing ZBrush book written by Matthew Yetter scheduled for release sometime this fall (August or later), but its release is dependent upon all major components and plug-ins for ZBrush being released.
Where can I find resources to help me learn ZBrush as quickly or as effectively as possible?
There are currently a number of resources available (both commercial and free) that will help you pick up ZBrush. While most resources are currently applicable to ZBrush 2, many of the same concepts apply to ZBrush 3.
Here are some of the available resources:
- This WIKI. You are here.
- ZBrushCentral - In fact, the author of this sentence has found one of the best ways to absorb information and learn all the ins and outs of ZBrush has been to actively read (and participate, where possible) the Questions & Troubleshooting Forum Many questions are asked and answered on a daily basis which will help provide further insight into the program. It's a great way to pick up tricks, tips, and techniques, as well as remain aware of any potential issues (and workarounds) that may be popping up for users.
- ZBrushCentral Tutorials Forum
- Gnomonology.com - A commercial resource with digital videos available for download (and no shipping fee).
- 3DTrainer.com - A free training resource in flash movie format. Login and PW, as given at the ZBrushCentral tutorials forum, are both 3dtedu
- Add your ZBrush resource here
SUBTOOLS
How do I apply different materials to different subtools?
http://www.zbrush.info/docs/index.php/Materials_and_SubTools
Also, it's in the WIKI under subtools.
http://www.zbrush.info/wiki/index.php/Subtools#Color_and_Materials_with_SubTools
And if you do a search for "subtools materials" at ZBrushCentral, you'll get a more comprehensive list, but here are a couple threads that should point you in the right direction:
http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/showthread.php?t=45032
http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/showthread.php?t=46550
How do I make my subtools "unshaded" or all one color?
"To make the model entirely one shade, just add another subtool (like a sphere) and shrink/place it so that it can't be seen. With that dummy object selected, everything else will be the same shade." - Aurick
"You can also give each subtool a base color by setting your color swatch to white, selecting each subtool and pressing Color: Fill Object. Repeat for each subtool. This will remove the darkening effect." - Ryan Kingslien
How can I get better control over the thickness of my extracted subtools?
Subtools that are extracted from masks are currently extruded both outward and inward at the same time. The surface of the object from which they are extracted is the middle ground. This may not be ideal in most cases, as clothes or armor intersect the body instead of lay on top of it. The following provide some insight into alternative ways to gain control over your extractions...
"You can set the Extract Thickness slider to 0, do the Extract. You will have a subtool which conforms closely to your mesh. If you want it to conform more closely, use the ZProject brush at this stage. Store a Morph Target. Then use the Deformation:Offset slider [inflate may work better in some cases - ZD] to offset the new subtool to the degree of thickness you want. (You can do two direction simultaneously.) When you're happy, press the Morph Target:Create Diff mesh button and append the result as a new subtool. You should then have a snug fitting extraction of the exact thickness you want. Another thing to try is setting the Extract smooth slider (S Smt) to its lowest settings. That makes the extraction conform better." - Marcus Civis
Andreseloy provides a slightly different approach adjusting layer intensity...
- Mask desired parts of your master model
- Extraction 0
- Storemorph
- Adjust your object with inflat
- Create difference mesh
- Select the new mesh (cloth) add new layer
- Press Intensity to 2 or whatever number you need" - Andreseloy
Is there an alternative to extracting subtools from a mask?
Yes! Another alternative to extracting subtools, and one that provides a great deal of control over both your extracted mesh and its thickness, is the retopology tool. You can easily retopologize only part of a mesh, paying careful attention to your edge flow (if this is important to you), and then append the retopologized piece as a subtool (also controlling its thickness as well) to your original model.
How do you mirror a subtool from one side to the other on a symmetrical mesh?
Answer by Marcus Civis:
- Clone the subtool.
- Append the clone as a new subtool and select it.
- Switch to the highest subdiv and Delete the lower levels.
- Press Tool: Deformation:Mirror, selecting the Axis you want to mirror across.
- Sometimes the normals are flipped when mirroring; in which case press Tool: Display Properties:Flip.
- To get back your subdiv levels, press Tool: Geometry: Reconstruct Subdiv, switch to the lower level and repeat. Note you must 'Enable UVs' for this to work, though you don't have to assign UVs. - Marcus Civis
MATERIALS, TEXTURES, AND POLYPAINTING
Why doesn't the material on my object respond when I alter the lighting in my scene?
MatCap materials do not respond to lighting changes because the lighting is built into the material.
"Any material with the MatCap feature will not react to light except as specified in the Render>Preview Shadows menu" - Aurick
How do I paint something without it appearing to be affected by the properties of the underlying material?
"Outside of "flat" mode/shader, which is absolute color with no depth or lighting, base color will always be influenced by lighting and depth info. The best way to see base color with depth feedback intact is to work in "fast" mode in the render menu, which strips any specular/diffuse/bump/reflective modifiers from the materials, and shows the base colors." - Bingo Jackson (Scott)
How do I create a glass/drool/water material that has transparency?
"Look into the Refract slider in the draw menu. You have to have your RGB intensity set to less than 100 for this to work. Also, the gel shader or jelly bean materials are a good starting point for making a material that looks like water." - WingedOne
"You need to have two document Layers and render with Flatten (in the Render palette) off. But note that if you have subtools there's a bug that can cause a crash when using subtool transparency and more than one document Layer." - Marcus Civis
Help! All of my subtools have turned dark (or some other color)! What happened?
You may have accidentally hit "C" by mistake. 'C' stands for Color (Color Picker). Pressing 'C' selects the color under your cursor and there's a good chance you picked the color of your background (dark by default). You can confirm this by checking the square color swatch in ZB. The selected color is generally white, by default. Just drag it back to white to fix your color issues.
Why does my texture have artifacts when I polypaint and then convert my color to a texture map?
The "smoothness" of your color to texture conversion is dependent upon the resolution of your mesh (number of polygons) and the size of the texture (ie. 1024 x 1024, 2048 x 2048...) you are transferring your polypainting to.
"Think of each pixel as a polygon. If you want to use a texture with a resolution of 1024x1024 you need at least 1.05 million polygons (1024x1024=1048576) If you want to use a low resolution mesh with a high resolution texture, you'll need to use Projection Master. Alternatively, you can subdivide your mesh to the insanely high resolution, use polypaint, then save the texture. From there you can bump back down to your lower resolution, delete higher subdivisions, and apply the texture you saved earlier." - eldee.s
How can I paint a model with pre-made textures like grass, bricks, etc?
Original Question: "How can I go about bringing a model (landscape) into ZBrush 3 and paint pregenerated maps such as grass, bricks, etc. onto it, and then generate a new unwrap with the freshly painted model?"
"There are two ways you can do this. One is by polypainting, which allows you to use textures as part of your sculpting/painting brush. More info on polypainting is in the Wiki.
The other way is using Projection Master. In simplest terms, you do the following:
- Draw the model on the canvas
- Press Projection Master
- For your needs, make sure that only Color is turned on in the options
- Press Drop Now
- Use ZBrush's many tools to paint onto the canvas
- Press Projection Master
- Press Pickup Now
What you painted will be transferred to the model's texture, and the model can now be rotated to a new angle if desired." - Marcus Civis
Help! I've added so many new textures (or materials & alphas) that some go offscreen and I can't grab them. What do I do?
"If you're like me, who likes to throw in everything in one pile, you might put too many alphas/material/texture into the folders, and when you click the palette in ZB, some might appear outside your screen. A tip is to move the offending button to a higher location. Use Ctrl Click-drag to move the alpha button etc. You might have to enable custom UI in preference > CustomUI > Enable Customize" - feureau
Why doesn't my 16-bit (or 32-bit) displacement map look as detailed as what I sculpted?
"Actually, it IS as detailed as what you'd sculpted. It's a 16-bit map. That means that your eye is incapable of seeing all the detail that's there. (Human eyes don't have the ability to distinguish 16-bits' worth of color variations.) So just because the map looks faint doesn't mean that the detail is not present. Your computer is less limited than the eye in this respect." - Aurick
SCULPTING
How do I create sharp edges or wrinkles?
Original question: "How do I create very detailed surfaces and edges? How for example can I create a sharp edged wrinkle? Everytime I use pinch and want to smooth just a little bit the smooth brush works to hard and I got lost of the sharp edge..."
"You can sculpt wrinkles with the lazy mouse and a very fine draw size. Than down the intensity of the Smoothbrush and play around. Second you convert a wrinkle alpha in a stencil so you have a very fine control of the intensity and the style of your wrinkle." - gisugosu
"Have you tried adjusting the intensity of your smooth? By default, it's set to maximum at "100", but it's overall effectiveness is also affected by the density of your mesh. A setting of "100" on a low-res or even mid-res model is overkill. Click smooth, lower the intensity, then go back to one of your other brushes. Then, when you press SHIFT, your smooth effect will reflect the new intensity setting." - Zero Dean
"Use the Layer brush with the Freehand sroke type and you will get fine clean strokes." - Pixolator
When I paint/sculpt with wrapmode on, nothing appears to happen or I get strange results. Why?
The chances are good that you are attempting to use wrapmode with the "freehand" stroke. Try using an alternative stroke type, such as "dots" and your problems using wrapmode will likely go away.
ALPHAS & MASKS/MASKING
How do I apply a square alpha? It's always rounded!
This is currently an issue. No idea whether it will be resolved by the soon-to-be released update. However, there is a somewhat less-than-ideal workaround available.
Please see this thread at ZBrushCentral
Help, my imported 16-bit alphas look all funny in ZBrush! What's up?
ZBrush 3 prefers 16-bit psd files saved in greyscale mode (this is not the same thing as simply having a greyscale image). The chances are good that if your alphas look funny in ZBrush, they were saved in RGB mode.
Another alternative is that your alpha was automatically created using some other software, that it has an alpha channel saved with it. Open up your alpha, remove the alpha channel, make sure it is in greyscale mode, and resave it.
I imported some alphas and saved my UI, but they won't show up when I restart ZBrush, why?
Your alphas must be 16-bit grayscale PSD format. JPGs are not appropriate.
When I sculpt with my 16-bit alphas, which were converted from 8-bit alphas, I see stepping, why?
16-bit images contain more data than 8-bit images. Converting from 8-bit to 16-bit causes your image to be interpolated, but doesn't add data that was never there to begin with (imagine scaling an image by 400%. Scaling doesn't add more detail). In the cases of extreme gradients (from say white to black and everything in between) that were created in 8-bit, this can cause a stepping effect when they are converted to 16-bit.
How do I mask only one side of a very thin (two-sided) object?
"The sculpting brush is drawn as a circle, but is actually a sphere. Anything within the sphere will be effected, unless masked off.
If your thin geometry was derived from a mesh extraction, turning on the polyframe will show that the extracted mesh actually has three groups. (More, if the source model had multiple groups.) There's an outside, sides, and an inside. Combined with the partial mesh visibility tools, it's very easy to hide one side and then mask everything else. You can then unhide the mesh and sculpt without affecting the opposite side." - Aurick
Expanding on Partial Mesh Visibility Tools:
"They allow you to hide parts of the mesh.
- Ctrl+Shift+Drag creates a green bounding box. Anything within that box when you release the mouse button will be visible, and anything not within it will be hidden.
- Doing the above, but releasing Ctrl or Shift during the drag will turn the box red instead. Anything inside the box will be hidden when you release the mouse.
- Ctrl+Shift+Click on a vertex in your model will hide everything except the polygons belonging to that vertex's group.
- If a mesh is already partially hidden, then Ctrl+Shift+Click will hide the polygons belonging to that group.
- Ctrl+Shift+Click on a blank part of the canvas restores full visibility.
- Ctrl+Shift+Drag on a blank part of the canvas without selecting any points within the box will invert visibility.
- Transform>Lasso works like 1 and 2 above, but drags a selection lasso instead of a box.
When dragging selections, ZBrush by default uses a dynamic routine to determine what will be selected. It first looks to see if any complete polygons are within the selection area. If yes, then it will only affect complete polygons. Polygons that are only partially within the selection area will be ignored. If no complete polys are found, then it will affect all polygons that have at least one point in the selection area. You can override the first part of this behavior by turning on Transform>Pt Sel. This tells ZBrush to simply look for points, and affect any polygon that has one or more points in the selection area." - Aurick
Is there a way to save and recall my masked selection?
"I had a utility for ZBrush 2 that let you save [multiple] selection sets. The plugin was called Select-It. It won't work in Z3, though, because buttons have changed names.
Basically, if your model has UV mapping you can paint your mask and then press Tool>Masking>Create Alpha. This will convert the mask into an alpha image, using the UV mapping for the model. Later, you can reselect the alpha and press MaskingMask by Alpha. This will remask the model the same way that it had been to begin with." - Aurick
How do I make new alphas (or textures or materials) I create visible when I startup ZBrush?
If you would like new alphas to be available at start up, place them in the StartUp/Alpha folder (or textures or materials folder). Not to be confused with the Alpha folder located in the ZData folder. (Pixologic states that you should not alter the content of the ZData folder)
ZSPHERES
I created a new subtool by appending a ZSphere, but ZBrush won't allow me to rotate it to adjust the axis?
Original Question:
"I created a new subtool by appending a ZSphere. I can move, scale and build onto the Sphere, but rotating seems to move it. Am I doing something wrong, or does rotating not work? ... I can't seem to get the base sphere to rotate when it is appended as a subtool. Basically, I haven't drawn any children yet. I just want to rotate the base sphere so that the axis is positioned correctly and that things line up for when I draw with symmetry on."
"I don't believe that there is a way to rotate the root ZSphere. There are basically two options.
Option one is to just deal with the ZSphere model having a different axis of symmetry active. This isn't a big deal because ZBrush remembers which axis is active on a subtool basis. So all of your subtools can have one axis active while the ZSpheres can have the other one active and you would never know the difference. The only time it would come into play as something you need to think about is if you have to change symmetry for some reason.
Option two is to rotate all of the subtools that you already have so that the Z axis faces the camera. This is as easy as opening the Tool>Preview and rotating the little window. Hold shift when you get close to the right angle, which will snap it. Then press Tool>Preview>Store. Of course, this isn't necessarily a good option if you need to export the models to another app later on." - Aurick
LAYERS
Help! My layers subpalette is disabled after local subdivision!
"You can prevent this from happening by disabling the layers prior to locally subdividing the mesh. The layer menu will then continue to work correctly. However, your existing layers will no longer be accessible." - Aurick
TRANSPOSE
Can I transpose multiple subtools at once?
No, not at this time. However, there is a plugin available, by GameMaster770 called Make1Mesh which will allow you to combine your subtools into a single mesh, which you can then transpose.
IMPORT/EXPORT & SAVING (Covering Tools, Models, Documents...)
I imported an OBJ from another application and the scale and/or offset has changed! What do I do?
Original Question:
"Problem is when exporting something (eyes for example) to ZB3 to add to a body, ZB3 offset the objects and slightly scales them up. Any ideas how could that be fixed or what I’m doing wrong?
Answer by Aurick:
"The solution is VERY simple.
- Import the body
- Press ToolClone
- Import the eyes
- Select the body
- Append in the eyes
Here's why it works:
Whenever you import a mesh, ZBrush scales it to a specific size in ZBrush units. It also places the object's center point at the object's geometric center. This is all regardless of what scaling or positioning existed in your other app. Every import gets this treatment.
But if you clone your first import, ZBrush looks at the resulting model as a special case. It no longer simply imports a new mesh and scales it as per the previous paragraph. Instead of scaling the new import relative to ZBrush's rules, it scales the new import relative to the original import. So now when you append the subtool, the new model is scaled and placed exactly right relative to the rest of the figure.
One note: This will only work for objects without multiple subdivision levels. So you should do the cloning and importing first thing after importing your model." - Aurick
My object appears inside out (normals flipped) in ZBrush or my other application, what do I do?
Your object most likely appears "inside out" because its normals are flipped. You can correct his in ZBrush by going to Tool > Display Properties > Flip (if your object is composed of different parts, some of which display normally, you'll want to isolate the part that has flipped normals first).
My object is flipped (mirrored) along one of the axis when I import it into ZBrush or into my other application, what do I do?
Go to preferences > import/export > and adjust your import/export settings (buttons like "iFlipX" and "eFlipX").
Can I export an image from ZBrush that has an alpha channel?
There are a lot of reasons why this would be useful, but no, not at this time.
Is there a way to change the default folders away from the C drive to another drive?
Original question: "Anyone know how to change the default folders away from the C drive to another drive (permanently)? I always save my tools to another drive just in case my windows drive decides to fail."
"If Use ZFolders is off, then ZBrush will always default to the last place that you loaded a file from or saved one to.
Another option is to have it on, and place shortcuts in the default folders. The shortcut can point to wherever you want. So when you go to load or save, ZBrush will open the default folder and then you just double-click on the shortcut." - Aurick
"One thing you could do tho is use Svengali's QuickSave plugin [see plugins section below]...you could then set up the model save to save to whatever directory you want and have the bonus of having models you are working on saved incrementally with a press of a button." -Aminuts
RENDERING
I just did a best render. Why do my shadows look all mottled/splotchy (bad)?
Your shadows look splotchy because you need to turn up the number of rays under the Light > Shadow menu and potentially adjust other settings in that menu to get the look you want.
DISPLACEMENT MAPS
Does ZBrush 3 generate 32-bit Displacement Maps?
This is not a part of the core functionality of ZBrush, but the Displacement Exporter 3 plug-in is scheduled to be released alongside or shortly after the patch/update for ZBrush 3 (sometime in June '07).
How do I render (in my 3D application) with displacement maps generated by Displacement Exporter 3?
The answer to this question, as it relates to ZB3, is pending the release of Displacement Exporter 3. Tutorials will likely become available for each of the primary software packages (Maya, 3DS Max, etc).
MOVIES
Can I change my pivot so my turntable rotates around a different location?
Not easily at this time, but a fix and/or plugin is anticipated following the next ZBrush 3 update.
TIPS, TRICKS, AND PERFORMANCE BOOSTS
What are some things I can do to increase my ZBrush performance or work with more polys?
- You can disable UVs by going to Tool > Texture > Disable UV
- If your object has an "inside" which will not be visible, consider deleting those polygons.
- You can manage much higher polygon count by splitting the mesh into subtools. Just remember you cannot transpose multiple subtools at once.
- Add more tips here... :)
INTERFACE AND BACKGROUND
How do I get rid of the background gradient?
See the Range, Center, and Rate controls in the Document Palette.
(added by Slosh) To make the gradient permanently go away when starting ZBrush3, adjust the Range, Center, and Rate sliders in the Document Palette, then save your CustomUI by going to Pref:Config:Store Config. This would also be a good time to change the background color of your default document if you want to.
How do I create a 2D background in ZBrush 3?
"To create a 2D background, select the Flat Color material and choose Layer>Fill. You can now use all of ZBrush's 2D, 2.5D and even 3D tools to paint on the canvas. Just keep Zadd turned off, and you'll paint exclusively in 2D even if a 3D tool is what's selected." - Aurick
ZBRUSH PLUG-INS, MACROS, AND USEFUL ADD-ONS
Is there a good place to find plug-ins for ZBrush 3?
Look at the User Plug-ins and Pixologic Plug-ins pages.
ZBRUSH 3 WORKFLOW ISSUES & WORKAROUNDS (IF AVAILABLE)
Is there a place that documents ZBrush 3 workflow issues and workarounds?
Yes, see the ZBrush 3 Workflow Issues page.
OTHER
Is ZBrush 3 64-Bit software?
ZBrush 3 is compiled for 32 bit, but is 64-Bit compatible.
I added more RAM to my machine that had 2GB, but it made no difference. Why?
"Unless your operating system is a 64-bit version of Windows adding that extra GB of RAM did pretty much nothing. 32-bit versions of Windows only make a maximum of 2 GB of RAM available to any application. So you still can't set Compact Mem higher than 2000 and the MaxPolysPerMesh needs to be kept at something appropriate to 2 GB.
The only exception to this is if you use the \3GB switch in Windows, which is actually unsupported by Microsoft because it's known to be problematic.
Believe it or not, I've seen some users have worse performance after adding 3 or 4 GB of RAM" - Aurick
ZBRUSHCENTRAL
How do I make my images show up as thumbnails in the 2nd (bottom) row?
Write post Upload Image or File (opens window) Then select "add image to post" (which adds the code to your post), close window Make sure the image code is where you want it in your post Hit submit... should work.
Keep in mind that only the first of a series of images being attached to a post get a thumbnail. So if you attach 3, only the first one will get a thumb.
Why didn't my image show up in the 2nd (bottom) row?
There are a couple possibilities. However, the first is there is currently a bug with image uploads that removes the image identification numbers from the links to your images in your post (if you hit "place this image in post" button) if you preview your post before you hit submit. Uploading another image before hitting submit will correct this. Or you can simply not preview your post before hitting submit.
How do I post an image without having it show up in the bottom row thumbnails?
ATN is the code to use instead of ATT. It means "ATtachment - No thumbnail" as opposed to ATT which is "ATtachment - with Thumbnail" - Aurick
How do I get my image to show up in the top row?
You have to create a really really good image, an awesome sculpt, or provide something of major benefit to most ZBrush users (such as a movie demonstrating a professional or near professional command of the software).
