Modifiers

The Material > Modifiers sub-palette provides a vast variety of ways to customize the effects of the selected material. Most effects determine how the material interacts with light. Some materials are organized with different sets of modifiers within multiple Shaders; click the active Shader buttons to access them. All shaders and their effects are combined when rendering the material.

Material > Modifiers sub-palette

Material > Modifiers sub-palette

The Reflection Exposure, Reflection Gamma, Reflection Fresnel and Reflection Blur sliders, when combined with the Environment Reflection slider, give you more control when working with a background image. See below for information.

CopySH

Copy Shader. This button allows you to make a copy of a single shader channel (S1, S2, S3, or S4), and paste that into another shader channel‚ either in the same or a different material. You cannot paste into a nonactive channel, but by copying and pasting a material with all four channels active, and then pasting into the copy, you can create any combination of shader channels you like.

PasteSH

Paste Shader a previously copied shader. You cannot paste into a nonactive channel, but by copying and pasting a material with all four channels active, and then pasting into the copy, you can create any combination of shader channels you like.

S1 – S4

The Shader channels. Material Shaders are groups of modifiers which customize the effects of a material. Some materials provide more than one Shader; click the active Shader buttons to access them. All shaders and their effects are combined when rendering the material. To work with more than one shader channel you must select (or copy and paste) a material with several channels.

Ambient

The Ambient slider determines how much ambient light is rendered within this material shader. Ambient light has no source and is unshaded; an Ambient value of 100 renders this shader’s effects with full, unshaded color.

Diffuse

The Diffuse slider determines how much of the material’s overall shading is created by light sources. The Diffuse slider’s effect makes the material brightest where the object faces a light directly, combining the object’s color with the color of the light.

DiffuseCurve

The Diffuse Curve defines the illumination falloff of this shader’s Diffuse attribute. The left side of the curve defines the intensity of Diffuse light where the object faces away from a light; the right side defines the intensity where the object faces toward a light.

Specular

The Specular slider determines this shader’s ‘shininess’ by determining the intensity of ‘hot spots’ where light sources strike the object’s surface. Normally, the Specular attribute renders the light sources’ colors at the specified intensity, taking precedence over the object’s underlying color. This color can be changed using the Metalicity and Colorize Specular sliders below. The ‘hot spots’ on the object’s surface do not face the light sources directly, instead they face a point halfway between the light sources and you the viewer.

SpecularCurve

The Specular Curve defines the shape of ‘hot spots’ created by this shader’s Specular attribute. The left side of the curve defines the intensity of the Specular hot spot where the object faces away from a light; the right side defines the intensity where the object faces toward a light.

Transparency

The Transparency slider determines this shader’s transparency. There are a few rules for creating transparent materials. First, Flatten Layers (in the Render palette) must be turned off to enable transparent effects. Second, items on the same layer as the transparent material are not displayed. The Transparency slider can be set to a positive or negative value. If positive, transparency is based on whether the surface faces you the viewer, or faces a right angle from you. If negative, transparency is based on the object’s color or texture lightness, including any Noise if defined in this material.

TransCurve

The Transparency Curve defines the transparency of different areas of the object. The top of the curve represents complete transparency. If the Transparency slider is positive, the left side of the curve defines the transparency of the object at its edges (where the surface faces a right angle from you the viewer). The right side of the curve defines its transparency where the surface directly faces you the viewer. If the Transparency slider is negative, the left side of the curve defines the transparency in black (darkest) areas of the object’s color or texture; the right side defines its transparency in white (brightest) areas.

Reflectivity

The Reflectivity slider determines this shader’s internal reflectivity. This slider’s effect is to cause areas of the surface to reflect a chosen texture, selected by the Material Texture picker, below. The Reflectivity slider can be set to a positive or negative value. Like the Transparency slider, positive values determine the reflection based on whether the surface faces you the viewer, or faces a right angle from you (at the object’s edges). Negative values determine the reflection based on the object’s color or texture lightness, including any Noise if defined in this material.

ReflectCurve

The Reflectivity Curve defines the strength of this shader’s internal reflection in different areas of the object. If the Reflectivity slider is positive, the left side of the curve defines its reflectivity at its edges (where the surface faces a right angle from you the viewer). The right side of the curve defines its reflectivity where the surface directly faces you the viewer. If the Reflectivity slider is negative, the left side of the curve defines the reflectivity in black (darkest) areas of the object’s color or texture; the right side defines its reflectivity in white (brightest) areas.

Metalicity

The Metalicity slider affects the color of the Specular light attribute. Normally, Specular light is rendered with the colors of the light sources. This slider causes Specular light to be rendered with the underlying object color, thus making the material appear more metallic. This slider’s value determines the amount of the color which mixes with the light color; if 100%, Specular light becomes the underlying color at its brightest.

Noise

The Noise slider adds a mottled effect to thie material by creating a random pattern of lights and darks. The Noise slider can be set to positive or negative values, providing two different kinds of noise effects.

NoiseCurve

The Noise Curve defines the shape of the noise effect. The top of the curve represents non-dark values, and the bottom represents dark values. The left and right portions of the curve correspond to values used in internal calculations. Create radically different effects by changing the shape of the curve — sharp zigzags or smooth S-shapes.

Noise Radius

The Noise Radius slider determines the size of the grains created by the Noise slider. If this slider is set to small values, the noise effect resembles video static; at large values, the noise effect defines large, random blotches.

Color Bump

The Color Bump slider creates a bumpy appearance in this shader’s effects. This bumpiness is based on the object’s color or texture lightness, combined with any Noise if defined in this material. If this slider has a negative value, lighter areas appear to be raised higher than darker areas; if positive, the opposite is true.

Gel Shading

The Gel Shading slider can be 0, 1 or 2. If 1 or 2, the material takes on a translucent appearance and the effect of the Diffuse Slider and Diffuse Curve are reversed.

Env.Reflection

The Environmental Reflection slider determines the strength of this shader’s environmental reflection. Different from its Reflectivity attribute, this effect is applied uniformly to the entire surface. Environmental Reflection is only viewed in Best Render or BPR mode. In the Render palette, you can specify several different kinds of environment attributes which are reflected in any material with this slider set higher than 0. The kinds of reflected environments are: color only, selected texture, or the entire canvas (applied as a complete picture, so items may appear to be reflecting themselves).

Colorize Diffuse

The Colorize Diffuse slider affects the color of Diffuse shading, and uses the color chosen in the Diffuse Color picker, below. The effect of this slider is to apply the chosen color in Diffuse shading attributes, taking precedence over the underlying color and light sources’ colors.

Colorize Specular

The Colorize Specular slider affects the color of Specular highlights, and uses the color chosen in the Specular Color picker, below. The effect of this slider is to apply the chosen color to Specular highlights, taking precedence over the light sources’ colors. This slider has no effect if the chosen color is darker than the colors underlying the Specular highlight.

High Dynamic Range

The High Dynamic Range slider intensifies all lighting effects in this shader. All shader values are multiplied by the number in this slider, so its minimum value is 1.

Colorize Ambient

The Colorize Ambient slider affects the color of Ambient shading, and uses the color chosen in the Ambient Color picker, below. The effect of this slider is to apply the chosen color in Ambient shading attributes, taking precedence over the underlying color and light sources’ colors.

AnisotropicDiffuse

The Anisotripic Diffuse slider shifts the material’s diffuse shading across its surface. It modifies the effect of the Diffuse slider, so it has no effect if the Diffuse slider is 0. A value of 0 disables this effect; a value of 1 means the diffuse shading is completely shifted (areas facing light sources are darkest).

AnisotropicSpecular

The Anisotripic Specular slider shifts the materials’s specular highlighting across its surface. It modifies the effect of the Specular slider, so it has no effect if the Specular slider is 0. A value of 0 disables this effect; a value of 1 means the specular highlighting is completely shifted.

CavityIntensity

The Cavity Intensity slider sets the intensity of cavity shading, from -1000 to 1000. Cavity shading is a good way to create distressed-depth effects, without having to apply multiple material shaders.
Cavity shading is performed only in Best Render mode.

CavityRadius

The Cavity Radius slider sets the cavity-rendering distance, from -7 to 7.

CavityColorize

The Cavity Colorize slider affects the color of cavity shading, and uses the color chosen in the Cavity Color picker, below. Cavity shading is a good way to create distressed-depth effects, without having to apply multiple material shaders.
Cavity shading is performed only in Best Render mode.

CavityDiffuse

The Cavity Diffuse slider adjusts the effect of the Diffuse slider in cavities. Values range from -1 to 1; positive values increase cavity diffuse shading and negative values decrease it.

CavitySpecular

The Cavity Specular slider adjusts the effect of the Specular slider in cavities. Values range from -1 to 1; positive values increase cavity specular highlighting and negative values decrease it.

CanvasBump

The Canvas Bump slider, determines the intensity of this material’s canvas-bump effect. This effect adds bumpiness according to the Surface Bump Alpha, chosen from the popup below. This bumpiness is always applied perpendicular to the canvas, so peaks and valleys are extruded toward you, the viewer. The alpha can be repeated as a tiled pattern using the Canvas Bump Scale slider, below.

CanvasBump Scale

The Canvas Bump Scale slider determines the size of the alpha chosen for this material’s Canvas Bump. The alpha is repeated horizontally and vertically across the canvas wherever this material is applied, as a tiled pattern. If this slider’s value is 1, each pattern tile is the actual-size alpha. If higher, more pattern tiles are applied (and each tile is shrunk); If lower, fewer tiles are applied (and each tile is enlarged). To apply one instance of the alpha tile, top to bottom, divide the alpha’s height by the document’s height, and enter the result in this slider.

Occluded Ambient

The Occluded Ambient slider affects the ambient quality of the material.

Vivid

Vivid

PhongBlinn Specular

The PhongBlinn Specular slider which will let you change the type of specular. At 0, you have a full Phong specular and at 100, you have a full Blinn specular. The Blinn specular provide a more realistic specular for skin materials.

Reflection Exposure

By adjusting the Reflection Exposure slider’s setting you will increase or decrease the lighting information in the background that is reflected on the 3D model. This slider’s effect is most apparent when using LightCaps from a background image.

Reflection Gamma

The Reflection Gamma slider lets you change the Gamma information present in the reflection by increasing or decreasing the contrast between the high and low values within the background image’s reflection. Darker parts of the image can be brightened or darkened even more relative to the brighter parts of the image. This slider’s effect is most apparent when using LightCaps from a background image.

Reflection Fresnel

The reflection Fresnel slider lets you define the location of the reflection on the model depending based upon the angle of the surface relative to the camera. This makes it possible to have reflections only on the front of the model or only to the side. You will thus be able to create different types of surfaces, from organic to metallic. The Environment Reflection slider must have a value higher than 0. This slider’s effect is most apparent when using LightCaps from a background image.

Reflection Blur

The Reflection Blur slider allows you to blur the surface’s reflection of the background image.

Dif

The Diffuse Color picker selects the color which is used by the Colorize Diffuse slider, above. To select a color, you can click once to choose the Main color, or click this picker and drag to any other part of the ZBrush canvas or interface.

Spec

The Specular Color picker selects the color which is used by the Colorize Specular slider, above. To select a color, you can click once to choose the Main color, or click this picker and drag to any other part of the ZBrush canvas or interface.

Ambi

The Ambient Color picker selects the color which is used by the Colorize Ambient slider, above. To select a color, you can click once to choose the Main color, or click this picker and drag to any other part of the ZBrush canvas or interface.

Cavi

The Cavity Color picker selects the color which is used by the Colorize Cavity slider, above. To select a color, you can click once to choose the Main color, or click this picker and drag to any other part of the ZBrush canvas or interface.

Material Texture 1 – 3

The Material Texture popup selects the texture which is used for certain shader effects, including Reflectivity. When used with MatCap materials the Material Texture contains the material map. A material map is a texture map with one or two spheres rendered to represent shading information from all viewable angles. If two spheres are present the sphere on the left represents A (raised) surfaces and the sphere on the right represents B (recessed surfaces).

Surface Bump

The Surface Bump Alpha popup selects the alpha which is used for the Canvas Bump property. This property is defined by the Canvas Bump slider, above.

Channel Descriptors

The Channel Descriptors currently don’t do anything.

 


Reference Guide > Material > Modifiers