ZBRUSH

PixolMoving a menu to one of the side or lower panels within ZBrush using the small docking icon. Useful when customizing your menu items and interface.

DockingMoving a menu to one of the side or lower panels within ZBrush using the small docking icon. Useful when customizing your menu items and interface. In turn, if you click on this handle while the menu his docked, then you will remove that menu from the interface (the menu will still be located in its original position along the top).

Lightbox (,)Before we get into the main interface of ZBrush, take note of the menu called the LightBox that automatically loads up when ZBrush is started. Here is where you can use some of ZBrush's pre-made objects (called tools), projects, and find uses for a wide range of other things such as textures, grids, and alphas—among the many things to choose from in this menu. Most of the stuff you create in ZBrush can be added to the LightBox menu folders

Preferences > Config menu and hit the Restore Standard UI button. This will restore the interface to its default settings.

90 percent of all the features within ZBrush. Though there are many menu items around the entire interface, all of those features are found in one of the menus listed here. Clicking on the menu name will open up that menu you selected. The menus are listed in alphabetical order.

, created by Pixologic Inc., is a digital sculpting program that combines 3D / 2.5D modeling, texturing, and painting. It is a program that uses brush-based sculpting, which allows the artist to quickly add high-resolution detail to models. These highly detailed models can contain millions of polygons that can be used for games, movies, or commercial production and animation. Think of it as being like using digital clay on the computer that can be tweaked and adjusted like the real thing. Unlike traditional clay sculpting though, you have the ability to undo, duplicate, and manage your model in ways that you cannot achieve in traditional sculpting.

Here is where you can use some of ZBrush's pre-made objects (called tools), projects, and find uses for a wide range of other things such as textures, grids, and alphas—among the many things to choose from in this menu. Most of the stuff you create in ZBrush can be added to the LightBox menu folders, which we will explore in further detail later.

Note: If you are seeing more Stroke types here (Radial, Grid, Line, Conic, etc), then your model is still in 2.5D mode. These additional strokes are not activated when in Edit mode (3D mode - T)

Edit Mode

2D, 3D, and two and a half (or 2.5D) mode. 2.5D mode is represented by pixols, which is geometry that is a flat like a 2D image, but has depth information. Each pixol contains information in the X, Y, and Z (depth) values.

You cannot rotate around a 2.5D image like you can a 3D object. But you can make a screen capture in ZBrush (what's called an alpha grab, or grab doc) that allows you to store the pixol's depth information. In this class, we will get into the 2.5D canvas in a later module when we create alphas and other useful map techniques.2.5 length and width but it also has depth. Alpha can create different orientation and brushes can create smudges. Not 3d but does respond to light.

Rotating and constraining an object: While rotating hold the Shift key. Your object will snap to the closest view (front, back, top, bottom, side, etc.).

Translate the object: Hold Alt and drag on the canvas.

Zoom: While performing translation (drag and holding Alt), quickly let go of Alt and you will zoom in and out. This may take awhile to get used to, but after a few tries you should be very comfortable zooming in and out.

You can also hold right-mouse and Control to zoom in and out. The preferred method though is to use the Alt key so your fingers hardly move when navigating.