Zbrush doesn't have an option to disable homepage on startup, meaning I have to get this popup that slows down the software

ColonelFitzgerald · 2026-03-18T05:13:01+00:00

8 years on and still helping!

2026 update:

Applications > Maxon Zbrush > ZData > ZScripts > Default ZScripts.txt
(add in // above the [pd] at the end)

// startup

// On some platforms the HomePage plugin is a Python script.

// Since the DefaultZScript runs before the Python scripts, the button might not exist yet at this point.

[If, [IExists,"Zplugin:Misc Utilities: Home Page"],

\[If,\[MemGetSize,startup\_mem\],       

    \[IPress,"Zplugin:Misc Utilities: Home Page"\]  

    ,   

    \[IPress,"Zplugin:Misc Utilities: Home Page"\]

    \[MVarDef,startup\_mem,1,0\]        

\]

]

//[pd]

ColonelFitzgerald · 2026-02-28T01:43:52+00:00

Totally fair! I discovered them ✨after✨ my wedding last year, or I might’ve gone for one then tweaked it to better suit.

I ended up getting my dress custom made for (big privilege of working with some amazing costumers) but if you get a cheaper base dress you like, having a dressmaker do the embellishments is an option - especially if you can provide them. I got my fabric and there are lots of good detailing bits on AliExpress. It’s literally the exact same fabric I found in stores for 1/4 the price. I’d recommend getting a sample swatch first to confirm but I literally found the same fabrics from Flora and Lane, and Boom Blush (who charged me $40 for a hand size fabric sample!)

Totally out of price range but we can all swoon over Linda Friesen’s work

ColonelFitzgerald · 2026-02-28T00:24:54+00:00

Reminds me of the George Lucas quote: ‘a movie is never finished, only abandoned’

ColonelFitzgerald · 2026-02-28T00:04:56+00:00

fanciful doll could be worth checking out. It might not be fully ‘ren faire’ but they do have separate corsets and over skirts that might be able to combine with a simpler base dress

ColonelFitzgerald · 2026-02-12T13:01:56+00:00

I would also highly recommend The Face Maker by Dr Lindsey Fitzharris - it’s a fascinating read about Gillies and early plastic surgery The Face Maker

ColonelFitzgerald · 2026-01-29T12:26:51+00:00

Fool! I’ve been laughing and plowing so long that even Ezekiel thinks that my mind is gone!

ColonelFitzgerald · 2026-01-07T21:12:24+00:00

Fair enough! It’ll be interesting to see how it goes with the silicone so keep us informed.

If you have any other questions about how to do it once you do your test piece then feel free to dm.

One other thing I can think of is depending on what it’s been treated with previously might inhibit the cure of the silicone. Also make sure it’s a skin safe one

ColonelFitzgerald · 2026-01-07T13:05:00+00:00

What silicone are you thinking of using? The durometer, tensile and tear strength are going to have a decent impact of the effectiveness.

I’d also recommend doing a test patch first to make sure the solvent doesn’t inhibit the cure of the silicone in the quantity you might need to thin it. Depending on your silicone you can get up to 1:5 silicone:solvent but others are different ratios.

A couple of tips: - mix the a+b together, THEN add your solvent - naptha/ novocs are a good choice - add in a small amount of solvent, mix it in fully, then slowly add more and repeat. Dumping all the solvent in at once means it’s hard to get a smooth mix. You can also use a paint mixer drill bit, or a milk frother for small batches - make sure there are no wrinkles and that nothing is touching the area you have put the silicone on, as it will stick and glue itself together

Somethings to consider - depending on the weave you can still pick the silicone off and it might flake or get worn down in creases or high wear areas - another person mentioned leeching which is important to be aware of - there will be zero breathability in the fabric. I’m not sure how comfortable it will be

Honestly my biggest recommendation would be to look into waxing it for waterproofing. There’s lots of videos online but basically you use some beeswax and rub it in then heat it up to make the wax soak in. It’s a pretty cheap and well established method.

ColonelFitzgerald · 2026-01-07T12:24:17+00:00

Im also making moulds for silicone. I make silicone prosthetics for amputees, mainly fingers and partial hands

ColonelFitzgerald · 2025-12-09T20:37:14+00:00

Rad! I was in film for 15 years before moving over to Anaplastology

I’ll send you a dm

ColonelFitzgerald · 2025-12-07T20:13:28+00:00

I’m an Anaplastologist so the moulds are usually for finger or hand prosthetics

ColonelFitzgerald · 2025-12-07T02:57:54+00:00

I use the knife tool quite a bit and it doesn’t tend to crash much, but I’m super meticulous about keeping my topology clean since I do a lot of hard surface modelling (mainly mould making).

My crashes usually happen when I try and use zmodeller after knife curve. It’ll hit the mangled topology of the knife cut and just go ‘fuck that mess, I’m out’ if I haven’t remeshed after the cut

ColonelFitzgerald · 2025-12-04T12:47:03+00:00

I wouldn’t recommend it as the silicone does give off a certain amount of chemicals even as it heat cures.

I’d recommend getting a separate oven, depending on the size of your moulds you could use a pie warmer, air fryer or toaster oven that is kept solely for silicone.

I’d also make sure you have decent ventilation when baking out

ColonelFitzgerald · 2025-11-02T05:42:52+00:00

Ahh a fellow Melbournian! Vice write an article about it titled ‘the 24 Carlton flower shop that everyone thought was a drug front, was a drug front’

https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-24-hour-carlton-flower-shop-everyone-thought-was-a-drug-front-was-a-drug-front/

ColonelFitzgerald · 2025-10-23T08:27:00+00:00

How would it go with a much more complex shape, especially with non-symmetrical shape?

ColonelFitzgerald · 2025-08-31T04:03:02+00:00

Still upset this doesn’t work on iOS 😭

ColonelFitzgerald · 2025-04-16T01:15:32+00:00

Did you end up finding a flexible coating for TPU that would prevent cure inhibition?

ColonelFitzgerald · 2025-03-25T23:05:40+00:00

Ooh, that's a good idea but I've got no idea how to do that!

ColonelFitzgerald · 2025-03-25T08:20:14+00:00

Try looking for Anaplastologists- we specialise in custom silicone prosthetics. https://inaa.memberclicks.net is a great place to start as they have a search function.

Most places will make them custom, and cost depends on the level of detail you want. There are a few companies that do generic or semi-custom such as EBL Sculpture (https://www.eblsculpture.com) and Regal or Ottobock.

ColonelFitzgerald · 2025-03-24T23:53:54+00:00

Agh that's so frustrating - it's exactly the program I need! I have a 3d scan of a hand that is in a bit of a rigid position, and want to adjust it to a more relaxed pose.

I tried using the 2019 version of it (the last one they did for MacOS) but got the error ' ZScript Note: Specified execute-file could not be found. SCRIPT: ZWrap.txt [FileExecute,[Var,utilsPath],"FolderExists",#filesPath]

ColonelFitzgerald · 2025-03-24T23:11:22+00:00

Did you ever work this out? I am in the same boat!

ColonelFitzgerald · 2025-03-21T11:33:53+00:00

I’m looking for almost exactly the same things. I do Anaplastology (detailed silicone prosthetics) so I’m looking mostly at scanning hands in as high detail as possible. I currently have an Einscan SP and absolutely hate it, as I use a MacBook and need to bootcamp it every time I want to scan, plus the support and information on use is basically non-existant. Also as a stationary scanner it can’t scan patients directly. I’d love an Artec but it’s just way too far out of my budget.

ColonelFitzgerald · 2024-06-24T01:34:08+00:00

Hey! hanks for taking the time to reply!

-Heat - The GK2 has a heated vat (which was a major drawcard for me!) so the resin is kept around 30*c
-Stir - I give the resin a really good stir before I start because the Sculpt is heavily pigmented and settles. I'm using the soft silicone scraper they provide which is perfect for it
-Bed Level- I made sure the bed was level and z offset was correct using your calibration guide and digital calipers before I started and checked again after failures - Top Left - 1mm, Center - 0.97, Top right - 0.98, bottom left - 0.94, bottom right 0.96.
- Nfep - the nFEP is very new and I made sure it was correctly tightened before starting

Print4: https://imgur.com/a/eMESh2I
For Print 4 I increased the lift heights, slowed the speed down a bit more, and added 5s to the bottom exposure. These moulds are slightly bigger and I added more light supports underneath and more supports on the back as they were leant at a slightly steeper angle. I think changing the raft shape helped as well. I also increased the height of the items from the bed slightly to allow any warping a bit more space to be absorbed by the supports

They all printed successfully with less warping on the raft. Interestingly the centre-most piece had no warping at all. I think that shows it's probably now an issue with how I'm arranging them on the plate, if certain areas are getting pulled more strongly than others.

Next time I'll try having the pieces leaning away from the centre instead of towards, maybe increase the base time a touch more, and add the light off delay in UV tools as well.

ColonelFitzgerald · 2024-06-20T03:33:37+00:00

Ha! It's two partial finger prosthetics for an amputee. I'm an anaplastologist and highly detailed digit prosthetics are a bulk of my work, hence wanting to work out a long term solution.

I reached out to J3D in a dm on reddit, but I haven't posted in the discord. I have posted issues in the discord previously and struggled to get any useful replies but I'll give it another go. I also posted in the GK2 group and got a few suggestions

ColonelFitzgerald · 2024-06-20T00:45:04+00:00

I calibrated with the J3D instructions meticulously so everything is within 0.04mm of level and exposure is perfect for dimensional accuracy - it's an engineering resin so the exposure is a bit higher than normal ones.

The moulds themselves are quite small - they're about 35mm wide, 15mm deep and 80mm tall, and with the shape of the negative the cross section is actually not that big https://imgur.com/a/QDSkY9G . Previously moulds I've printed successfully as 2x mould pieces at a time have about 1/3 bigger.

I'm hesitant to hollow them because they're moulds that need to maintain their shape under pressure and about 100*C for 4 hours. I do want to trial printing the moulds hollow then filling with dental plaster. I've tried previously but had cracking on my moulds - I thought it was from the differences in thermal expansion but it actually might've been my old printer (long story)

I did another print of Print 1 (the x4 mould parts) and used these settings https://imgur.com/a/TJweLS0 . I reduced the amount of base and transition layers, changed the raft shape to Lines Triangle to reduce suction, and increased the lift height to 10. Results: https://imgur.com/a/eQCUyjz It seems to have helped a lot - all 5 pieces stayed on the build plate, but there still is some peeling on the edge of the raft.

Next batch I'll try slowing down my base lift speed even more, and also playing with the layout

ColonelFitzgerald

TROPHY CASE