week8

Insert Mesh Brush

Insert mesh brushes let use geometry several times. For example, belts, chain mails, wrinkles, etc.

Types:
1. Ibsert Mesh Brush : 1 Mesh
2. Insert Multi-Mesh Brush: Many meshes
3. Curve Insert mesh
4. IMM curve

IMM: insert multi mesh.

When using this brush you have to worry about 3 main things:

Z intensity: controls thickness

Projection strength: controls the wrap surface.

Inbed: controls depth. You can find this slider on Brush menu > modifiers

NEVER make IMM brushes with high poly count. It will make Zbrush slow down or potentially crash.

Using short cut #5 will automatically join the insert mesh with the actual geometry surface you are working with.

If you need to insert several pieces and keep them at the same size press CONTROL when drawing out the piece and it will keep it the same size of the brush.  

If you want to create an Insert mesh brush go to: B (for brushes) press “create insert mesh brush” button below the menu.

To create INSERTMULTUPLE mesh use several subtools to do it. Then you will have a whole menu of all the subtools as insert meshes.

TAPER: On the brush menu > curve modifiers> graph> control taper of the insert mesh brush. Tap over the insert mesh.

IMM
IM - insert mesh

You can turn any tool into a brush.

As you draw it out, it masks everything else. The new meshes remain separate islands.  You still have freedom to change it.

While in transpose, CTRL + tap on the mesh to mask everything else off. (masks PG)


To make an Insert Mesh - B -> Create Insert Mesh ->New

1/ IM are camera Dependent  ( you draw out the way you created it)
2/  Polygon Count (mind the polygon count of the IMM! The IM are all about LOW polycount)
3/ Normals of the polygons you draw the brush out - what direction that polygon is facing
4/ Can't use it on SubDiv levels. (* use it with Dynamic Subdiv levels)


To draw it out at a straight angle(or any other angle), click SHIFT while drawing out an IMM. It will look at the angle the TransPose Line  was at the last time.

Transpose line to be straight, draw it out + SHIFT.

For TransPoseLine to click back to the center of the Mesh, hit the WHITE CIRCLE.Centers based on - Masking
To put the transpose line in the center between two meshes, go off Symmetry, click the White circle.


Polygroups- >  Merge Similar Groups ( looks at amount of polygons and Polygroups it)


* Cube to use - cube in the Train IMM ( it is the 6 faces cube, not the GARBAGE one). Be smart with the Geometry you are using!
Initialize- Cube, all set to 1,  add creases ( Crease all) and voilla you have a 6 sided cube with all creasing.
Make a not Creased Cube as well.


2 ways to create IMM

1st way
- position the way you want to draw it out later on. (* make it snap to the Front) ->Create Insert Multi Mesh Brush. It makes MultiMesh out of all subtools. ( be smart with naming- make it short!!)

tap M to show all multi parts.( all pieces that are attached).
Save the brush! Save as....... But you'll need to reload it every time. If you want, save into folder ZStartup-> Brush Presets.
Name all IMM Brushes starting with IMM in the name. so it'll be called out by I M M shortcut.

2nd way
- Create an IM Brush, then add to it other Brushes by clicking Append.

*Save as Tool, the append if you want to use whatever Mesh you want to make into IMM. Always have it as a separate tool in case you want to change/ alter/ add or delete smth from the Brush,that was create from it.

Making a bolt IMM-

Initialize- align along the Z
Inner Radius
Divisions to 4... leave everything super simple!
then -> Make PolyMesh 3d.

expand with a QMesh the bottom side ( extrude it), crease all edges expt the middle connection.
Change crease to 2, so Dynamic will smooth it (if set at 4), smoothes for level 3 and 4 if you set Crease level to 2. ( Holds the Crease for 2 levels)
+ Modify Topology-> Mesh from Brush ( when you have the screw head IMM selected), move it and scale it.
Merge the 2 subtools, And create the IM Brush

Draw out an IM the same size by Holding the Shift.  CTRL + tap - to set the size of the IM to the size of the Brush. ( right down the size of the brush to be able to reuse it later on)....

CurveTubeBrush

Make a cylinder into a curve tube

Stroke-> Curve Modifiers-> Curve Functons

turn on Curve Mode. You'll see cylinders get dropped. Keep it LOW
 Chang Draw size of the brush-> Cylinders get bigger(so can be changed after the fact).
Red circle Br- you can redraw the curve
Blue- you can adjust the existing one

Bend button off - you can only move the whole curve around.
Snap - snap curve to the surface. When you get close to the surface, itll try snap.
To Accept, tap on the Surface.c (or delete the Curve in the Stroke menue). You can save it, it'll save all the settings

Curve Step - stepping btw the cylinders. (set to 2- drops cylinder, skip 2, etc..it skipps the amount of numbers you've put in)


You can extend the Curve - on the Blue circle mode, get close to the end and draw out when the red stroke appears.
You can fix the ending points by Lock Start, Lock end.

As Line - for straight result


Brush-> Modifiers-> Shows what you are using as mesh. you can change it if you want.

Curve RES - (*8) - for smoother result.

But to be consistent when smoothing, start from scratch. Initialize a cylinder, Divide to 3. ZModeler-> Flat Island, Delete

Create Insert Mesh, Stroke-> Curve Mode. keep the curve
Brush-> Modifiers-> Curve Resolution ("subdevides" the curve).
To Weld the points-  Brush-> Modifiers-> Weld Points.
Then touch the curve to update it, click D to see it in Dynamic.

There are still a whole on the ends. Modify topology -> Close Holes


Brush TriFill // QuardFill
Based on Curve brush as well. It builds a surface inbetween the stroke.

Initialize- QQube, put it in Dynamesh *250 , swith to Curve Snap Surface. You can Draw out curves and pull on curves to get a drapery effect. ( you use the Qube only as a surface to draw on. when you done,- Hide the Qube, Delete hidden). Have Backface Masking on when you want to sculpt on cloth ( Brush-> Masking->Backface masking)
Stroke- Curve Snapping regulates how close you can draw a new curve without affecting the previuos. Curve snapping distanse *5- need to get Super close for it to snap and vice versa.


If you have a brush, you can make it a mesh. Geometry-> Modify Topology-> MeshFromBrush




Tri Polygroup Brush


one PG- beginning
middle PG-get repitted
last PG- the end

Generate a thing and make it a 3 PG. middle piece should be identically repeatable. Make it a TriCurve. In Brush-> Modifiers -> TriParts. ( it should be 3!!!!PG, not more,not less)
Brush, Modifeiers- Weld, up Brush Resolution

Brush-> Modifiers-> Max Bend Angle - how much the curve can curve onto itself


Drag out the Curve Brush, drag it out and click Shift to close the loop