Actions and Targets

The ZModeler Brush: Actions and Targets

The ZModeler brush is a whole modeling universe by itself. It contains a vast array of functions that can be applied to multiple Targets, resulting in hundreds of combinations of modeling possibilities within ZBrush.
To make the process easier to understand and not create a restricted set of tools, the ZModeler functions are split into two different elements: the Action and the Target.

  • The Action is the function itself, such as Extrude Move, Bridge or Split.
  • The Target is the element to which the Action will be applied. This can be indi­vidual points, edges or polygon as well as smart compound selections such as borders, PolyGroups, edge loops and more.

Taking the Poly Move Action as an example: The Action contains Targets such as Move Poly, Move All Mesh, Move Brush Radius, Move Curved Island, Move Flat Island, Move Island, Move PolyGroup All, Move PolyGroup Island, etc. (More may also be added in the future.) The same Move Action when applied to points or edges is associated with different Targets, offering even more tools for your modeling process.

It is up to you to define the tool you need for your modeling at the moment by com­bining the desired Action with the best Target.

To display the list of Actions and Targets, you must have the ZModeler brush se­lected and hover over a point, edge, or polygon of a Polymesh 3D model. By right-clicking or pressing the space bar, the ZModeler context pop-up menu will appear, displaying Actions with Targets beneath them.

The displayed Actions and Target will depend upon exactly what the cursor is hover­ing over, with different items being show for points, edges or polygons. If you are looking for a function that you can’t find, it may be because you were not hovering over the cor­rect part of the mesh before opening the ZModeler pop-up menu.