To show hidden mesh in ZBrush, simply press Ctrl + Shift and then click on the canvas away from your model. This action will instantly reveal all previously hidden parts of your mesh.
Revealing Hidden Mesh in ZBrush
Working with hidden geometry is a fundamental aspect of sculpting in ZBrush, allowing you to focus on specific areas of your model without distraction. Whether you accidentally hid a portion or did so intentionally for precision work, bringing back hidden parts is a quick and essential skill.
The Primary Method to Show All Hidden Mesh
The most direct way to reveal all hidden parts of your model is:
- Hold down Ctrl + Shift.
- While holding these keys, click once on an empty area of the canvas (away from your 3D model).
This action will immediately make your entire mesh visible again.
Understanding How Mesh Gets Hidden
To better manage visibility, it's helpful to understand the common methods used to hide mesh:
- Visibility Selection (Ctrl + Shift + Drag):
- Keep Visible: Hold Ctrl + Shift and drag a green selection rectangle over the parts of the model you wish to keep visible. All parts outside this rectangle will be hidden.
- Hide Selected: Hold Ctrl + Shift and drag a green selection rectangle. While still holding
Ctrl + Shift, release only the Shift key. The rectangle will turn red. Drag this red rectangle over the parts you wish to hide.
- Polygroups: You can isolate specific PolyGroups for visibility.
- Ctrl + Shift + Click on a PolyGroup to make only that PolyGroup visible.
- Ctrl + Shift + Click again on the same visible PolyGroup to hide it.
- Ctrl + Shift + Drag away from the model to show all.
- Gizmo 3D Masking: The Gizmo 3D offers options to hide or unhide parts based on a masking selection.
- Clip Brushes: Brushes like
ClipCurveandClipCircleinherently hide or delete mesh outside the clipped area.
Advanced Visibility Control Techniques
For more complex scenarios or when preparing for operations like splitting or deleting, ZBrush offers additional tools:
- Geometry > Modify Topology > Del Hidden:
- After hiding a portion of your mesh, navigate to
Tool > Geometry > Modify Topologyand click Del Hidden. This will permanently delete the hidden geometry, often used before splitting a model into separate SubTools.
- After hiding a portion of your mesh, navigate to
- SubTool Palette Options:
- Split Hidden: In the
Tool > SubToolpalette, you can click Split Hidden to create a new SubTool from the currently hidden parts of your mesh. The visible parts remain in the original SubTool. - Merge Visible/Merge Down: While not directly for showing hidden mesh, these options are crucial for combining visible SubTools, often after you've managed their individual visibilities.
- Split Hidden: In the
Quick Reference for Visibility Shortcuts
| Action | Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Reveal All Hidden Mesh | Ctrl + Shift + Click (on canvas) | Makes all hidden parts of the current SubTool visible. |
| Hide Selection (Green Rect) | Ctrl + Shift + Drag | Hides all mesh outside the selection. |
| Hide Selection (Red Rect) | Ctrl + Shift + Drag, then release Shift | Hides all mesh inside the selection. |
| Isolate PolyGroup | Ctrl + Shift + Click (on PolyGroup) | Shows only the clicked PolyGroup; hides others. |
| Hide Isolated PolyGroup | Ctrl + Shift + Click (on visible PolyGroup) | Hides the clicked PolyGroup; shows others if they were visible. |
| Invert Visibility | Ctrl + Shift + Click + Drag | Inverts the current visibility state (visible becomes hidden, vice versa). |
For more comprehensive information on ZBrush visibility, you can explore the official ZBrush Documentation.
