1. #1
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    Default Sculptris Pro - tips, tricks & warnings

    As an old Sculptris fart, I am in love with Sculptris Pro.


    There are things to know and to obey, and I would love to see what you have to contribute as well.
    What about those beta tester folks?
    Here are my experiences. Remember! I am new to Sculptris Pro as well


    Tip #1 "Basics"
    Watch the demo video. http://pixologic.com/zclassroom/less...-sculptris-pro
    You really should take at least the ten minutes for first video.

    The video explains how Sculptris Pro works.
    To explain from my old Sculptris point of view:

    In the Stroke menu you find the Sculptris Pro tool.
    As far as I understood: If you switch off "Adaptive Size", and "Combined" you are almost at old sculptris mode.

    The difference to sculptris: Instead of density silder, you have two sliders.
    "SubDivide Size" which was density for tesselation
    "UnDivide Ratio" for decimation. Sculptris had an reduce brush.
    "Adaptive Size" Switches the connection to Brush size & tesselation on and off .
    "Combined" combines the result of the two sliders "SubDivide Size" AND "UnDivide Ratio" in one stroke.


    So, whatever you do as your first steps in Sculptris Pro, if you want to understand what's going on, switch on (SHIFT+F) Polyframe!

    Another nice source for better understanding:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-_rGsSbtZE
    Thanks DominiekDR for these Videos and thanks Erik for posting it here.

    Tip #2 "SP works relative to model size"
    "SubDivide Size" & "UnDivide Ratio" are working relatively to world space so to say.
    The bigger the model the less it will be decimated by smoothing with "UnDivide Ratio 3" i.e.

    Sometimes it is a good Idea to scale your model back into "workspace", something like the default sphere i.e.
    Be careful if you use Tool / Deformation / Unify.
    This can cause a massive step in scaling. So next stroke with Sculptris Pro can cause some very unexpected results. Remember SubDivide & UnDivide numbers are relative to world space. If Unfiy will scale your model ten times down, Undivide Ratio effect will be ten times bigger - crunch...mesh gone

    Tip #3 "Snake Hook as Move brush"
    Use Snake Hook brush as move brush.
    Best with "Adaptive size" and "combined" off. Maybe decrease focal shift. Maybe deactivate "dynamic" if you want to move everything at once with a huge brush.

    What I really loved in sculptris, is the drag function. In Sculptris Pro we have the Snake Hook which can do this job as well.
    But sometimes it is a good idea to switch adaptive size off and combined off as well, as a relative big brush will crunches away your geometry - remember combined = divide & subdivide in one stroke / adaptive size looks for brush size, big brush.

    This can be also helpful for creating smooth = dense tentacles. But watch your poly count!!!!

    This is my first try on a move brush which works somehow like sculptris drag brush
    SnakeMove.zip
    Watch out! In brush menu / Sculptris Pro "Use Global" is switched off. That means it won't be affected by the SP settings in Stroke menu.... For changing this brush, you have to go into the Brush menu SP settings.

    If you mask a part of your mesh and make the snake move brush multiple times bigger than the part you want to move, you can move it without, or almost without distortion and dynamic tessellation.


    Tip #4 "Inflate brush possibly crash"
    Be careful with the inflate brush!!
    It was a bastard in sculptris and crashed zBrush several times as well already. It creates a lot of intersections in seconds. Too much for zBrush.


    Tip #5 "History eats disk spce"
    If you don't need the history, switch it off before saving!!!
    The history saves the complete model for each step, as tessellation creates a new model on each stroke.
    In numbers from my experience:
    Without history 8MB, with history 3GB!!!!


    Tip #6 "Symmetry intersections can cause problems"
    Be aware of intersection when sculpting with symmetry with Snake sphere.
    It is not as sensitive as the inflate brush, but if your strokes crosses the 0 koordinate and hits the brush from "other side" , I had a crash.


    Tip #7 "Sometimes less is more"
    If you look for a more consistent behaviour while doing the basic forms, switch adaptive size and combined off.
    Now, you only have to watch the two sliders of Subdivide and UnDivide and your mesh relative size to workspace to keep tessellation consistent.
    Pixologic really improved the functionality of old Sculptris but sometimes too much functions are too much.

    Tip #8 "Normal Smoothing"
    A beauty tip If you are fed up in seeing triangulation, but don't want to increase polycount go to render / render properties and switch "smoothNormal" on.
    Now on BPR Render it will be at least smoothed.

    Tip #9 "Add geometry with smoothing"
    If you want to increase the tessellation on a part without any other action, you can use smooth, with "combined" on "Adaptive" off and small subdivide size.

    Tip #10 "Tessimate"
    Use "non destructive" ?? "tessimate" to find a good overall density, to smooth out triangles.

    Tip #11 "Use Decimation master
    Use decimation master, specially if you have run into memory problems.
    Try the new presets, they don't need pre-processing and are due to this faster.

    To adjust memory allowed to be used by Sculptris Pro, you can do this in preferences.
    I've never done that and have no background knowledge about this.
    Per default MaxSculptrisPolygons is 3,5 million polys. on my system. Under Preferences / Mem / MaxSculptrisPolygons it is set on 5?? maybe some math fun


    Tip #12 "slide brush is magic"
    One more! Play with slide brush for anything like wings, tails, fins ... Hmmmmm



    Tip #13 "Z intensity on 0 for dividing or decimation only - depending on brush size"
    So cool...and logical. If you haven't watched second video under first basics, here in isolated form:
    Tip from DominiekDR. Thanks for posting them here, Erik.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyWvD6kwAsg


    Tip #14 "Use trails to control Snake Hook thickness over length"

    I discovered today that if you increase trails under brush/modifiers you'll get constant thickness over length.
    Fingers are much easier done this way.



    Tip #15 Remesh by Union
    Glenn Petterson shows a nice trick to weld intersections together without changing overall topology. Same technique is said to work for IMM brushes.
    https://youtu.be/R3PgI5TasOg?t=125

    Thanks to jubala to bring this up again.


    I'll try to keep those hot and easy to add stuff updated in first post, but can't add everything to keep it clear and doable for me- So keep on reading! The collection is growing much faster than I was hoping for!

  2. #2

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    This was a really helpful list, and a fantastic move brush alternative - thanks!

    And yes, I can confirm that inflate pretty much tanks the program right away.

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    Default Thanks!!

    Nice compilation of advices... Very useful for a better start at the new Sculptris Age!!!
    "Everyone is born a genius, but the process of living de-geniuses them" (R. Buckminster Fuller)

    Thank you for visiting
    my site!!

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    I am happy that it is useful.


    boozy floozie posted some nice tips as well. From a completely different point of view - saying:
    "Avoid the temptation to get stuck in Sculptris Pro mode...... "

    Read the complete thing at his lovely gallery:
    http://www.zbrushcentral.com/showthr...=1#post1230115

    Very true - even though you could stay with Sculptris Pro, it does not necessarily makes always sense. In my opinion you can go all the way for concepts and 3D print, and for the rest you can go back to subdivisions via zremesher and reproject quite easily But sometimes Sculptris Pro would be simply not effective. It's there to give you creative freedom, use it exactly for that, and switch to other tools as soon as you stuck.

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    Dearest Knacki,
    here is a brush that is good for volume sketching - basically the snakehook with the mod turned down.
    It works like a move brush that can sculpt with good control as well as add early detail - even tight details iffin ya wanna.
    Rather than having too turn down zadd to change areas of resolution I find that just dabbing an area (but not pulling) with Adaptive switched off at a chosen subdivide size works just as well and is far quicker.


    SnakeHook_VolumeSketcher.ZBP.zip


    Use Adaptive to pull out volumes at brush size resolutions.
    Switch off Adaptive and Combine to work from existing resolution areas .
    Switch off Adaptive and dab at a chosen subdivide sizes to change resolution without pulling out form.

    NB: if you wish to create an altogether faster/harder resonse to this brush playing with Brush>Modifiers>Strength Multiplier will help.

    Here's a quick and mucky sketch created in moments using this single brush - a time quicker than I could have used the move brush to place in even the primary shape using traditional zbrush methods.



    As a finally in closing , a much overlooked brush that truly comes in to it's own in Sculpris Pro I find is the Spherical Brush. I'd urge folks to give it a spin in Sculptris Pro mode.

    Yours etc,
    Boozy
    ......Nobody tries to be lah-di-dah or uppity--There's a cup-o'-tea for all.

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    Thumbs up

    Many thanks for sharing these valuable tips, Knacki, much appreciated.

    Maybe this might be of some help too: I've made a blog post with a number of ZBrush Preferences tips.

    Kind regards,

    Metin
    visualization • illustration • 3D design — metinseven.nl

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    DominiekDR has created three video tuts on Sculptris resolution that are well worth watching:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyWvD6kwAsg

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-_rGsSbtZE

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QA5pUXAycqM

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    Thumbs up

    Dank je, Erik.
    visualization • illustration • 3D design — metinseven.nl

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    Polypaint Color Blending Using SnakeHook Brushes
    Brush Menu>Tablet Pressure>RGB Intensity >change the curve to change the color blend between the new surface you are creating and the existing surface you are pulling out from.

    Also like traditional brushes - if you use just rgb (and not add) by pressing alt you can switch between foreground and secondary color. By engaging zadd +rgb you will switch both color and whether it cuts in or is a positive. You can get some nice painterly effects this way - almost like impasto oils.
    ......Nobody tries to be lah-di-dah or uppity--There's a cup-o'-tea for all.

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    Brushes for Sculptris Pro Mode that I've been tinkering with.
    Try them out see if any appeal.

    SculptrisPro_ZBC.zip
    ......Nobody tries to be lah-di-dah or uppity--There's a cup-o'-tea for all.

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    Made a test with tentacles and a default dynamesh 128 sphere.
    Results can be very different.



    It#s really worth to adjust settings before doing tentacles. After, you spent time and nerves to get tentacles with too low resolution right.
    Remember, no one forces you to not use curve brushes instead (elastic and Liquid are killer functions!) . You can dynamesh it together, if you want to have one mesh. And you can even dynamesh in high resolution and decimate with decimation master later and keep on working. Welcome to the world of triangles.

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    Knacki, I tried your SnakeMove brush (in the latest version of ZB2018) and all I got was a disappearing mesh. Even with 'use global' turned off, the mesh would disappear. 'Frame mesh' did nothing and sometimes even undo wouldn't bring the mesh back. I don't know the source of the problem because I started with a very basic polymesh sphere.

    I might try some of the other brushes on the thread, though. Hopefully, they won't have the same issue.

    Paul
    (mix_mash)

    PS: Thank you for this guide. It is actually quite awesome. Yes, I am an old Sculptris fart like you...
    Last edited by mix_mash; 04-04-18 at 08:17 PM. Reason: Had to add the PS...
    My Renderosity Store - 3d props and 2d stuff
    My OLD Youtube Tutes - for Zbrush and other cg progs

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    @mix-mash
    That sounds wired.
    Basicly the only explanation I got is, that your base sphere was relatively too small.
    -Did you try the regular brushes on same mesh?
    -Try the dynamesh 128 sphere with the brush. (I used this one - so we are on same scale)
    -Per default, the "use Global" function is already turned off in the SnakeMove brush. This is also wired.

    Even though I never would say that I am without mistakes - I wouldn't search for the mistake you described in the brushes.

    If you got it working, try to play with regular snake hook and trails like I added as Tip #14 yesterday.
    Cool stuff.
    This snakemove brush is no magic at all, btw.
    You can do that quickly, and maybe even much better for your needs as well.
    I just quickly compared the regular move brush with the snake hook brush and tried to eliminate most differences.

    Btw. have seen the videos Erik posted. Smooth brush with Z intensity on 0 to add geometry...pfff.

    What a wonderful sculpting world we live in!!!

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    The default inflate brush in Sculptris Pro mode will actually grow continually according to the surface normals with repeating circular strokes. This is a great way to build out geometry.

    Shane Olson’s inflate brush - available by subscribing to his newsletter https://www.3dcharacterworkshop.com/) makes a great compliment to the default ZBrush inflate brush as it swells/ puffs out more like inflate’s standard behaviour with quad based meshes.
    Of note Shane’s Polish brush (a variant on the SK_TrimPolish brush) behaves much better in Sculptris Pro mode than the default HPolish so if you're building your own UI for Sculptris Pro work be sure to include those two brushes.

    Adding the Decimation Master Preset shortcuts in your User Interface is a great time saver for quickly decimating when your mesh scenes become overly heavy. Make sure you also include the ‘Use and keep powlypaint’ option in the Ui (found within the decimation master plugin ) to keep your polypaint work when decimating. Polypaint integrity depends on mesh density so find a compromise within the preset defaults that will maintain your paint work well.

    Building a purpose built UI for Sculptris Pro is essential to get the most out of it's functions quickly.

    Of interest, it is not neccessary to turn zadd down to 0 just to modify mesh resolutions without changing surface- a simple dabbing stroke will do the same whether in smooth mode or sculpt mode without changing the surface other than of course changing the resolution. NB:If your brush has lazymouse set (press 'L' to switch this off) this may effect it's ability to change resolution this way with a dabbing stroke.

    If you find that you cannot make a brush that is meant to work with Sculptris Pro mode function in Sculptris Pro mode - check that you have backface masking (Brush menu>auto masking>BackFaceMask)switched off for that brush.


    Out of all the brushes I have found that the clay brush behaviour shows the most difference between quad sculpting and sculpting in Sculptris Pro. The clay brush when quad sculpting with a low zadd had a lovely facility for filling and smoothing through forms. Now I find that using a ClayBuildUp variant , ClaySoft variant or a brush such as Sakaki's SK_ClayFill or a variant thereof such as Shane Olson’s Fill brush will do the same work. Shane's variation has a nice polishing effect - If you turn up Stabilize Orientation and Preserve Edge in Brush >Samples you can save a varaint of this brush that will polish and fill close to the edge of neighbouring forms . To this end I also found that saving a brush variant (not global) of the Smooth Direction brush is very useful

    Sakaki's SK_ClayFill and SK_TrimPolish can be found here
    ......Nobody tries to be lah-di-dah or uppity--There's a cup-o'-tea for all.

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    Thumbs up

    Many thanks for the additional tips, Mark. I'm also a fan of the Sakaki brushes. SK_ClayFill is an essential part of my brush arsenal.

    By the way, the AccuCurve function also seems to disable Sculptris Pro mode.
    visualization • illustration • 3D design — metinseven.nl

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