Hither is a guide on how to employ an Insert Mesh Curve castor. This is substantially but an Insert Mesh brush with an added curve modifying functionalities into it.

When an Insert Mesh turns into an Insert Mesh Curve brush, it volition allow you to create repeating objects across a bend with each brushstroke.

Default Insert Mesh Curves

Zbrush already comes with Insert Mesh Curves brushes that you can already use. Printing 'b' to display the castor palette and expect for some of these IMM brushes:

  • CurveMultiTube
  • CurveStrapSnap
  • CurveTube
  • InsertCylndrExt
  • IMM Curve
  • IMM Army Bend

If yous select one of those IMM brushes, press 'm' on the keyboard to access the other available meshes.

Turning an Insert Mesh into Insert Mesh Curve

Bold you've already created your Insert Mesh and desire to turn that Insert Mesh into an Insert Mesh Curve castor,

  • Look for that Insert Mesh you created in the brush palette and select information technology.
  • In the Stroke carte, open up the Curve, Bend Functions and Curve Modifiers sub palettes past Shift+clicking their names to open them all at the same time (Clicking on the name without pressing Shift opens a sub palette simply closes the rest).
These are the iii sub palettes (constitute in Stroke carte) you need to open when working with Insert Mesh Curves. (Shift+Click each sub palette to open them all together)
  • With an Insert Mesh castor selected, become to Stroke>Curve and press Bend Style push button to activate it.
  • The selected Insert Mesh is at present converted into an Insert Mesh Curve brush. This volition at present let you to draw the actively selected Insert Mesh forth a curve

Manipulating Insert Mesh Bend

To adjust the size of the Insert Mesh Curve castor:

  • Hover away from the object you're working on until the brush size turns red. Adjusting the castor size when it's blue in colour adjusts the size of the influence of the castor. Then with the brush size red in color, go to Draw Size slider Draw>Draw Size or past pressing hotkey 's'.
The blue brush size color controls the size of its influence on the bend.
The red brush size color controls the Insert Mesh size. Hover away from the object to turn the brush colour to red. Press 'due south' to display the Draw Size slider.
  • With a different Draw Size, click on the Insert Mesh Curve to update the Insert Mesh Bend.
With a bigger brush size, clicking on the curve updates the size of the Insert Mesh Curve.
  • As an selection, you can choose to turn the Dynamic button located right adjacent to the Describe>Draw Size slider on and off by double-clicking information technology.

To extend the length of the Insert Mesh Curve,

  • Hover over on either stop of the Insert Mesh Bend until y'all see a ruby line indicating a cue to extend the curve.
  • Pull the scarlet line to extend the length of the bend.

To replace or switch an Insert Mesh Curve geometry with another geometry within the same IMM castor,

  • With an active IMM bend selected, press 'm' to display other items within an IMM castor.
  • Select another IMM brush.
  • With a new IMM castor selected, click or tap on an actively drawn IMM curve to update the Insert Mesh Curve.

To wrap effectually the Insert Mesh Curve on a geometry,

  • Click-drag a brushstroke starting from the surface towards the document.
  • As the brushstroke reaches the document, printing 'Shift' (still belongings the click).
  • The stroke volition indicate wrapping on a surface.
  • Release the hold.

Curve (options)

Asline– An Insert Mesh Curve castor with Asline enabled volition draw curves on a straight line when fatigued on the sruface.

CurveStep– The CurveStep slider determines the spacing of the Insert Mesh along the curve. Higher value equates to bigger spacing and vice versa.

Curve– When enabled, this button will allow you to edit the shape of the curve by dragging the points of the curve. When disabled, dragging the Insert mesh curve volition move the curve only volition not alter its shape.

Snap– Moving the curve with Snap enabled volition snap to the closest object.

Lock Beginning– Locks the movement from the starting point of the curve only when the other end of the curve is moved effectually.

Lock End– Locks the move from the endpoint of the curve only when the starting point is moved around.

Note on the Lock Showtime and Lock Terminate: When both buttons of these buttons are enabled, click-dragging on either end volition still move the curve. Yous should click-drag but on the main trunk of the curve to see the upshot.

Elastic – Pulling the points on the Insert Mesh Curve with this selection enabled volition lengthen the bend while adding geometry in between the Insert Mesh Curve. Pulling back points from the stop of the curve will do the opposite. Additional options:

  • Holding 'Ctrl' while click-dragging along the curve will twist the geometry along the curve. The blue-colored castor size indicator determines the scope of the areas that will become twisted.
  • Click and hold on whatsoever points forth the curve then press 'Shift' while click-dragging along the curve to smoothen that bend.

Liquid– This substantially does the aforementioned thing as the Rubberband except that this pick creates a more wavy await on the bend when points are pulled. The Elastic pick creates an angular look when points are pulled.

Curve Functions (options)

Delete– Deletes the bend on a previously drawn Insert Mesh Curve and bakes the mesh on the surface where information technology's fatigued. Clicking the surface where the Insert Mesh Curve is drawn does the same thing.

SnapShot– Leaves behind a duplicate of the most recently drawn Insert Mesh Bend on the surface. Click-dragging on active Insert Mesh Curve away from its location with Curve and Snap buttons disabled will brand this more obvious.

Smoothen– This button applies a smoothing function (per click) to an already drawn Insert Mesh Curve on a surface. You lot can too use the Curve Smoothness slider to achieve this purpose.

Frame Mesh– Applies the Insert Mesh Curve on depending on which buttons are enabled: Border , Polygroups , Creased Edges). Hither are the steps to use take when using this option:

An example of a model with Pucker, Polygroup and Border
  1. Click Frame Mesh.
  2. This puts a curve around the open edges (if Border: enabled) it finds in a geometry.
  3. Select an Insert Mesh Bend or IMM brush of your option.
  4. With an Insert Mesh Bend brush selected, click on the bend. This will apply the Insert Mesh Curve brush on the curve.
Pressing Frame Mesh button with Border, Polygroups and, Crease enabled.

The same Frame Mesh action will utilise whether it finds a Polygroup or Creased Edges (equally dictated past the Border, Polygroups and Creased Edges buttons).

Bend Modifiers (options)

Size – When this button is enabled, it volition give you the capacity to give your Insert Mesh Bend size variation along the curve using the Curve Falloff graph. Ideally used for tapering the curve.

Curve Falloff – Enable the Size button to brand this piece of work. To use the Bend Falloff:

  • Click on the curve to add together edit points. To remove the edit points, click the points and drag all the way to the edges of the graph.
  • fh and fv correspond to flip horizontal and flip vertical.
  • Click Reset to set to default settings.

CurveEditRadius – This slider adjusts the Blue-Colored Depict Size. The aforementioned function as when pressing 's' to display the Draw Size slider.

CurveEditFocalShift – Adjusts the Focal Shift of the Blueish-Colored Draw Size.

CurveSnapDistance – Employ this slider to detect how far the castor needs to exist on either cease of the curve before it allows you to go on extending the curve on either end.

CurveProjectionRange – This slider determines how much it should conform to the surface information technology'south fatigued onto.

Brush Modifiers (options)

Apply the Brush>Modifiers settings in addition to the settings found under Stroke>Bend, Stroke>Curve Functions and Stroke>Curve Modifiers to manipulate Insert Mesh Bend.

Here are some of the of import settings to take note of:

Strength Multiplier– Setting this to a high value will draw a thicker InsertMesh Curve and vice versa.

Weld Points– Merges the vertices of the repeating meshes as it is drawn onto the surface.

Bend Res– Another choice you can employ to control the transition of the repeating meshes forth the bend. The higher the value the closer the repeating meshes are to each other.

Max Curve Angle – Set this value to zero to prevent the InsertMesh Curve from getting inside itself when fatigued on the surface. The higher the value, the more it bends to become into itself when fatigued onto the surface.