ZBrush Tip: Uncrease All Before Posing to Prevent Pinching

Before you pose, bend, or simulate, remove legacy creases to prevent pinching and uneven smoothing.

What it does: Tool > Geometry > Crease > Uncrease All clears all crease flags on the active SubTool. Creases are edge constraints that force sharp corners during subdivision (Dynamic or real). They are excellent for hard-surface control but can sabotage organic deformations and cloth-like smoothing by locking edges and producing kinks.

• When to use it:
  • Preparing characters for posing with Transpose/Transpose Master.
  • Before creating blendshapes/morph targets for facial rigs.
  • Prior to cloth-like relax/smooth passes on garments or soft props.
  • Anytime Dynamic Subdiv or SubDivide with Smt shows stair-stepping or micro-pinches along edges.
• Why it helps:
  • Eliminates edge constraints that resist curvature, resulting in uniform vertex relaxation.
  • Prevents hard creases from “telegraphing” through higher subdivision levels.
  • Reduces the need for excessive smoothing that can erode form.

Practical workflow:

• Duplicate your SubTool (SubTool Master can help) to keep a crisp backup for hard edges.
• Tool > Geometry > Crease > Uncrease All on the working copy.
• If you need partial preservation, adjust CreaseLvl instead of fully removing:
  • Set CreaseLvl to 1–2 so edges stay tight at low levels but naturally relax on higher subdivs.
• Subdivide with Smt on, then lightly Smooth (Shift) or apply Deformation > Smooth/Relax at low intensities.
• Polish by Features (low strength) to even transitions without flattening volumes.
• Re-apply creasing selectively:
  • Crease PG to re-crease by Polygroups where sharpness is still desired.
  • Use ZModeler’s crease by edge/loop for surgical control on hard lines only.

Tips and safeguards:

• Use Layers for deformation tests—sculpt/smooth on a new layer and compare against your backup.
• If topology relied on creases to “fake” support edges, add actual control loops with ZModeler before smoothing.
• After big topology changes (ZRemesher), Project All to recover detail, then Uncrease All again prior to final smoothing.
• Dynamic Subdiv users: Uncrease All affects Dynamic Crease too, ensuring preview matches expected bend behavior.

Pipeline notes:

• For export to rigging apps (Maya, Blender, Houdini), uncreased edges subdivide consistently across DCCs.
• Blendshape workflows benefit from even vertex distribution—no crease-locked artifacts between shapes.

Quick checklist:

• Backup SubTool.
• Uncrease All.
• Subdivide with Smt and gently Smooth/Relax.
• Re-crease only where truly needed.
• Project details if topology changed.

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