Carve shape in ZBrush using mask?

G0056

Hi, I'm very new using Zbrush, and I wanted to know if there's a way for carving a shape in a mesh using a mask. For example, I know there's an option called "extract", and with that option I can create a mask on a mesh, and then "extrude" that shape, but I tried using it on a negative value, thinking that I could carve the shape on the mesh, but didn't work, created a lot of artifacts. What's the best way I could do this?

Ghogiel

Depends on the final look of the edges you want.

You could invert the mask and using deformation>inflate or just use transform and move it in. You might want to set up a layer brush and just paint it in a bit with a brush. You might make a mask into a polygroup, clean the border and do something fancy with grouploops and zmodeller to extrude it in. You might turn the mask into an alpha and displace the surface or even boolean into the surface. And probably 10 other things you could do. Zbrush things.

Alex_J

there is so many ways to do this. you can also use the transform widget as well. I usually go for that just because it seems "simpler" to my mind. 

I suggest spending some time with Mike Pavlovich on youtube. He has a number of free tutorials that rapidly show all the different ways to do things in zbrush. You won't remember it all first go but at least gets in your mind what possibilities exist and then you can just google to go and see how exactly later on.

one good rule to keep in mind especially as a beginner is that if you are doing a destructive thing to the mesh, do it on a duplicate.