[zbrush] Help with custom alphas

JordanLeigh

I'm trying to recreate the effect of this armour where the sort of 'scales' overlap each other row by row.

http://www.essentialnormanconquest.com/images/osehncimages/osehnc14101.JPG

I have made a custom alpha and managed to get the shape and step correct but I can't get that overlap appearance. When I try to over lap my alphas =I can see the other row through the new ones I just created



Any ideas on how I could achieve that overlapping look?

JordanLeigh

Anyone?

electricsauce

Inset multi mesh brush brush might work better for that.

JordanLeigh

Gave that I try as well, here are my results





Looks good but how would I change it so that it is tight to the mesh rather than lifting off? Would they need to be angled?

Also is there a way to make them into a separate sub tool or so I can go back and edit there position once placed?

CheeseOnToast

Use a tiling alpha with the noisemaker plugin (tool>surface>noise). You'll need to have decent UVs on your model if it's anything more complicated than a plane.

JordanLeigh

Not to sure how to do that? Could you explain it a little?

arcitecht

You'll want your alpha to be a few overlapping scales that tile nicely (somewhat like that image you linked). Then you can use uv master to give your model uvs. Go to surface>noise and in the bottom left corner of the pop up theres a button you click to add an alpha. Set it to UV and play around with the settings till it looks good.

CheeseOnToast

I posted a bit more about it in this thread http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=109538&highlight=noisemaker

Hopefully that'll get you started.

cryrid

Would they need to be angled?

There is an option to project the shape onto the underlaying surface, but you probably wont want the tiles to bend too much.

Also is there a way to make them into a separate sub tool or so I can go back and edit there position once placed?

Since they are separate islands, you can use the Auto polygroup feature to instantly turn each scale into its own polygroup. There's also the similar feature, which would group similar shapes in case you wanted them all in the same group.

electricsauce

This is probably old, but I found this as well for the noisemaker:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DVdcMVtJFY"]Novedge Webinar #45: Taking a Closer Look into ZBrush4R3 - YouTube[/ame]

at around 40:00

JordanLeigh

Cheers for all the replies guys. I'll make sure to give them a go and post how I get on also seen something about a 3ds max modifier that you flatten the mesh and place it over and it makes the scales into the shape of your mesh. Can't remember it's name now though but it's in some of the threads on here

seth.

you are thinking slideknit I asume? http://cghub.com/scripts/view/79/

theres an example of its use here: http://www.polycount.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1115091&postcount=156

JordanLeigh

Yehh that's it! Looks pretty cool, but I'm not to sure on how to use it.
Any good tutorials anybody knows of?