Class VDM Brushes
Based off of some of your sketches I created for you a few VDM brushes to help get you started. You can download it here.
This week we be covering various ways to create your mesh. Then we’ll continue with looking at brushes of various types. We’ll finish off with reviewing ways to document your artistic process.
I have listed the action items at the bottom of the page for what needs to be done this week. Week four, will cover more features with demos on tools and our projects.
Polygroups
ShadowBox
When using Shadowbox, ZBrush gives you the ability to generate geometry by masking on a x, y, or z plane. This is a great way to create your base geometry to fit in line more with the object that you are going to be sculpting.
This series of videos from ZBrush Classrooms will cover the basics for getting started and how to get the most out of ShadowBox.
Brushes Continued
Morph Brush
The Morph Brush, which allows you to morph, blend, and refine your creations with precision and flexibility. This versatile tool excels in seamlessly altering the geometry between 2 states of the 3D object while preserving intricate details.
The Morph Brush works to control how you manage the surface allowing you to govern your results between one snapshot of your model and another with intuitive control. By harnessing this tool, artists can seamlessly blend different sculpting, minor touch ups, and painting techniques, ensuring a seamless and natural process of your designs.
This video by Abe Leal takes you through the setup to get the most out of the brush, as well as practical use cases.
IMM Brushes Overview
When it comes to 3D modeling in ZBrush, the use of multi mesh brushes can be essential for creating intricate details and complex designs. Whether you're sculpting organic forms or crafting hard surface objects, understanding the application of multi mesh brushes can significantly enhance your workflow and the quality of your work.
This week, we will explore the versatile nature of multi mesh brushes within ZBrush, uncovering their utilization in both organic and hard surface 3D modeling. From manipulating and building intricate organic form to constructing precise hard surface designs, we will delve into the techniques and best practices associated with the use of multi mesh brushes. Watch this comprehensive overview by Michael Pavlovich to start you off.
Insert Multi Mesh Brushes (IMMs)
Curve Insert Meshes
Insert Mesh Case Study 1
Medical Visualization with Art and Technology
This 3D scene depicts the delicate positioning of a trocar in the abdomen, illustrating a crucial step in surgical access for a medical procedure. In this video I show my process for creating small intestines using a custom curve insert brush I created to fill in the foreground of my shot. ZSpheres were used to create the large intestines and the abdominal wall was extracted from a default ztool of a female model that has come standard with ZBrush for years.
Take note: While the representation fits the scene and the accuracy of the surgical step it expresses, the anatomical model is far from accurate. Just like a Hollywood set, what matters most is what is seen through the camera.
Insert Mesh Case Study 2
Insert Meshes for Building Quick Mechanical Form.
In this video I use a brush containing a collection of hard surface mechanical object. I use these IMMs to build up the mech parts of the hand from the inside out.
Take note: The mesh is built to look believable visually rather than mechanically functional. For concepting its better to aim for making to object tetris together to look like it could work. Producing function for every design we create would not only slow us down but takes us away from the role of being an artist and closer to that of an engineer.
Documenting Your Process
By now you should be already documenting your process beyond the project files that you are creating. In the next series of tools we are looking at, we will review several options at your disposal with ZBrush and other 3rd party options for capturing your progress.
It’s important to become aware of these tools. At this point however, we can skim through these options. over the course of the class we will delve further into how to work with these in greater detail. Don’t feel overwelled if this seems like a lot.
Character Strips
Character Strips are used to create various views of your model to be exported into photoshop. All this with just the click of a button once your angles are all set. The process from here is automatic and can be overridden as you advance with your creations.
Once your image has automatically opened with in your Photoshop, it will contain to layers, the background gradient with silhouette cutouts of your models, and a second layer of your model in the various angles you had previously set up.
Setup:
Draw a model on the canvas and enter edit mode.
Set Tool: Geometry: SDiv to the highest level.
Position the model to its front view.
Press Document: ZAppLink Properties: Front
Position the model to its right view.
Press Document: ZAppLink Properties: Right
Repeat steps 5 and 6 for all the other views you want to be part of your character strip.
Press Document: ZAppLink Properties: Make Character Sheet.
Note: The first time that you are using this feature, you may need to identify where your Photoshop executable file is located on your system.
Turntables
Turntables give you the ability to add motion to your presentation and can help you to communicate your ideas with minimal effort on set up.
Go to the movie pallet to find your turntable options.
Setup:
Doc your Movie Menu to to the side menu doc of ZBrush.
Select Menu > Doc and in most cases you will want to select Large”
Go to Menu > Modifiers > Spin Cycles and select 1 for one spin cycle rotation. Many of the programs used to play this video may have the option to loop your turntable giving you a seamless replay of your turntable video;
Go to Menu > Overlay Image and turn off the ZBrush logo if necessary by changing the opacity slider to 1
Go to Go to Menu > Title Image to alter the title information that is seen at the beginning and end of you video. Adjust the fade time on both the “Fade In” and “Fade Out” option found here.
Here are two examples of turntable for you to see. Both of these were done with Redshift activated prior to generating the turntables.
Undo History Movies
You can create a movie from your model’s undo history.
While sculpting with ZBrush, you are always turning around your model, zooming in and out or changing the model’s position to focus on a portion of your model. Simply playing back a recording of your sculpting session can be awkward to watch due to all these movements. The Undo History feature has controls to overcome this and make your recordings more enjoyable for viewers.
ZBrush has several actions and options located in the Movie palette and Movie > Modifiers sub-palette to alter movements to create smooth movies.
The Animation Timeline
The Timeline adds more power to the sculpting and painting processes. One of the main purposes is to allow you to create better presentations of your 3D models or work with more accuracy on your Morphs and Blend Shapes by being able to animate them.
Redshift
Redshift is a high-performance production-quality renderer that supports biased rendering techniques for incredibly fast noise-free renders. With Redshift, you can get the rendering performance of a small render farm from your existing workstation, saving you time and money, and unleashing your creative potential.
Render directly inside ZBrush using the Redshift renderer. Create stunning renders using the new Redshift materials – glass, metal, reflections, subsurface scattering, shadow-catchers.
BPR
BPR gives you the opportunity to render a Best Preview Render that includes several different render pass and post filter effects ability to create with you 3D sculpts.
The main BPR controls, including the BPR button, are at the top of the Render > BPR RenderPass sub-palette. The BPR button and SPix slider are also at the top right of the default UI.
NPR
ZBrush artist: Vahid Ahmadi
NPR rendering gives you the ability's to take your 3D form and give it a hand drawn look. With this feature you can quickly create supporting documentation to help Show you process or use for a projects final Output.
OBS
To get started with OBS is easy and quick regardless or your operating system. OBS is light and powerful reliably running in the background of your system while you work. It can be used for streaming to all of your channels or simply record your screen as needed
Let’s Begin our Creature
Starting the Model
Remember the basics. Work with your large shapes first. As you work out your form, start to ask yourself questions about your creatures. Consider the environment, how would this creature’s ecosystem affect it’s behavior and appearance.
Bellow shows my process for how I get started with creating a creature using ZSpheres and then transition into Dynamesh.
Real Time Demo
Demo with Commentary
Horizon
Week 3 Recap
This week we covered:
ShadowBox
Snapshot3D
Morph Brush
IMM Brushes
Customize existing IMMs
Creating your own
Curve IMM Brushes
Curve IMM Brushes
Character Strips
Turntables
Undo History Movies
The Animation Timeline
Redshift at a glance. (We’ll learn more in depth in week 12)
BPR at a glance. (We’ll learn more in depth in week 12)
NPR at a glance. (We’ll learn more in depth in week 12)
OBS at a glance. (We’ll learn more in depth in week 12)
Week 3 Action Items
Here is a list of what needs to be done this week
Email me your refined sketches of your creatures
Build a reference board of creatures that represent aspects of your creature.
Pending design approval, start blocking out your creature with ZSpheres. Once you’ve completed your block out convert to polygons and start sculpting your creature.
Apply your VDMs where they may be useful.
Watch my process for getting started here.
WEEK 4 PREVIEW
Next week we will be covering Deformation Sliders, Gizmo Deformers, Slime Bridge, Thick Skin, Surface NoiseMaker, and a Photogrammetry Demo. We’ll take a look at how you’re progressing and discuss any corrections that might be needed.