Sculpting in ZBrush made simple: explore powerful modeling and character creation techniques used for VFX, games, and 3D printing
Description
Jumpstart your sculpting career by learning the industry's most effective modeling and sculpting tools used by professionals to create AAA-quality characters, props, and lifelike portraits Key Features Master the basics of ZBrush through practical projects in this illustrated guide Explore organic modeling, concept sculpting, and character creation workflows Discover tools and techniques employed by professionals from the games, VFX and collectibles industries Purchase of the print or Kindle book includes a free PDF eBook Book Description Embark on a creative journey with ZBrush, the leading software for creating characters, creatures, and props in films, games, and 3D printing. This guide will take you through its powerful yet user-friendly workflows, allowing you to explore its dynamic organic sculpting, painting, and hard-surface modeling tools. The first part of this book is dedicated to helping you become familiar with ZBrush's user interface and learning the very basics, from sculpting brushes and painting the model with Polypaint to setting up lights and rendering images. You'll also create a demon bust with the help of ZBrush's concept sculpting tool, DynaMesh. In the second part, you'll get to grips with the creation of a humanoid character that is optimized for 3D printing. Focusing on anatomy, poly-modeling, and preparing the model for 3D printing, you'll acquire the skills essential for sculptors. The final part delves into portrait sculpting, where you'll learn everything from basic facial anatomy to hair creation with FiberMesh. By the end of this book, you'll have developed the expertise necessary to succeed in the ever-evolving world of 3D character modeling, complemented by portfolio and social media tips for showcasing your standout work. What you will learn Enhance your sculpting skills to craft a variety of organic and hard surface objects Create humanoid characters, focusing on basic anatomy and proportions Explore sculpting techniques for intricate details in human heads and hair Sculpt objects such as armor, clothing, and accessories Create custom brushes to enhance your sculpting workflow Develop skills in detailing and surfacing to add texture and depth to your sculpts Use Polypaint and Materials to add color and enhance your sculptures Render and export your sculpts to share them with others Who this book is for This book is for 3D artists, digital sculptors, modelers, and anyone looking to learn the ZBrush software. It's a valuable resource for professionals switching to ZBrush or looking to broaden their skill set. While prior ZBrush experience and artistic abilities will prove beneficial, they're not prerequisites to understand the content covered. The book covers common and essential ZBrush workflows, making it ideal for both beginner and intermediate artists looking to explore the extensive capabilities of ZBrush.
Table of Contents
From the eBook - [First edition].
Cover
Copyright
Contributors
Table of Contents
Preface
Part 1: The Adventure Begins: Sculpting in ZBrush
Chapter 1: Getting Started with ZBrush
Technical requirements
Loading models, navigation, and creating your first sculpture
Loading a starting model
Navigating around your sculpture
Creating your first sculpture
Exploring and customizing the ZBrush UI
Exploring the menus and palettes
Setting some useful preferences
Creating your custom ZBrush UI
Understanding ZBrush file types
ZTools (.ztl)
ZProjects (.zpr)
ZDocs (.zbr)
Summary
Further reading
Chapter 2: Sculpting a Demon Bust with DynaMesh
Technical requirements
Concept sculpting with DynaMesh
Understanding concept sculpting
Introducing DynaMesh
Sculpting a demon bust
Gathering references for your sculpture
Blocking out the demon
Entering DynaMesh mode
Using hotkeys to access brushes
Sculpting tips
Adding horns
Adding teeth
Adding eyes
Fixing bad DynaMesh results
Exploring character art and design principles
Design principles in the demon bust sculpture
Summary
Chapter 3: Exploring the Gizmo, PolyGroups, and Masking
Technical requirements
Managing your 3D model
Subtools
Symmetry mode
Using the Gizmo to move objects
Understanding PolyGroups
Using the Selection and Masking tools
Selection
Masking
Posing a character with Masking and Gizmo tools
Summary
Chapter 4: Exploring Brushes and Alphas
Technical requirements
Learning about brushes
Accessing brushes
Exploring important brushes
Exploring brush modes
Exploring brush properties
Making smoother strokes with LazyMouse
Learning about Alphas
Modifying your Alphas
Creating our own Alpha for the demon bust
Creating your own custom brushes
Summary.
Chapter 5: Creating an Optimized Mesh Using ZRemesher and ZProject
Technical requirements
Creating new topology with ZRemesher
Facial topology
Overview of the ZRemesher settings
Adding subdivision levels and transferring detail using ZProject
Subdividing meshes
Transferring detail between meshes with ZProject
Adding detail to the demon bust
Eyes
Forehead
Lips
Horns
Teeth
Scar
Summary
Chapter 6: Texturing Your Sculpture with Materials, Polypaint, and UVs
Technical requirements
Exploring ZBrush's Materials
Standard Materials versus MatCap Materials
Selecting and applying materials
Adjusting material modifiers
Saving and exporting materials
Adding color to your model with Polypaint
What is Polypaint?
Exploring Polypaint techniques and tips
Creating UVs and exporting textures
What are UVs and why do they matter?
Creating UVs with UV Master
Exporting textures using the Multi Map Exporter plugin
Summary
Chapter 7: Lighting and Rendering Your Model
Technical requirements
Managing lights in ZBrush
Adjusting the lighting in ZBrush
Exploring cinematography and lighting terminology
Rendering in ZBrush
Preparing for rendering
Creating BPR renders
Creating turntable videos
Summary
Part 2: Creating Characters from Scratch: A Comprehensive Guide
Chapter 8: Sculpting Human Anatomy
Technical requirements
Preparing anatomy references
Gathering references
Loading resources
Blocking out the anatomy
Starting with the skeleton
Adjusting the skeleton
Correcting the base mesh
Refining the anatomy
Useful brushes for anatomy sculpting
Sculpting the upper body
Sculpting the lower body
Sculpting hands and feet
Adding fat deposits
Finalizing the sculpture's anatomy
Posing your model
Adding asymmetry.
Working on the transitions of shapes
Summary
Chapter 9: Creating Costumes, Armor, and Accessories with Classic Modeling Techniques
Technical requirements
Creating simple costume pieces using the ZModeler brush and primitive shapes
Skirt and hip cloth
Straps
Arm armor
Metal ring
Shoes
Spear
Shoulder armor
Helmet
Creating complex costume pieces using DynaMesh, IMM brushes, and kitbashing
Creating shoulder armor
Creating a helmet
Adding detail to the costume pieces
Metal
Leather and fabrics
Wood
Summary
Chapter 10: Preparing and Exporting Our Model for 3D Printing
Technical requirements
Creating watertight models and troubleshooting errors
Using Decimation Master to reduce your meshes' polycount
Checking your mesh for holes and errors
Checking the mesh volume
Fixing a tool that is not watertight
Merging and cutting your model
Merging meshes
Cutting a model
Adding keys, scaling, and exporting your model
Creating a key model
Scaling and exporting your model
Summary
Part 3: Sculpting a Female Head: Tips and Techniques
Chapter 11: Sculpting a Female Head
Technical requirements
Blocking out the head
Starting points for blocking out the head
Using the Head planes blocking-out method
Refining the head
Eyes and eyelids
Nose
Lips
Ears
Forehead
Cheeks and nasolabial fold
Chin and jaw
Neck
Adding a pose and facial expression
Reviewing tips for sculpting likeness
Choosing a likeness subject
Finding references
Sculpting a likeness
Avoiding beginner sculpting mistakes
Summary
Chapter 12: Adding Skin Detail, Sculpting Hair, and Using FiberMesh
Technical requirements
Applying skin detail using NoiseMaker, brushes, and Alphas
Projecting 3D scan details.
Applying tileable skin textures with NoiseMaker
Adding detail around the eyes
Detailing the forehead
Adding pores to the cheeks and nasolabial folds
Creating the detail of the lips
Creating the skin detail of the neck
Finalizing the skin detail with imperfections and surface variation
Sculpting hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes with brushes
Sculpting the hair with basic brushes
Creating hair with an IMM Curve brush
Sculpting the eyebrows
Adding eyelashes
Sculpting hair with FiberMesh
FiberMesh modifiers
Grooming FiberMesh brushes
Creating a hairstyle
Exporting FiberMesh as curves
Summary
Chapter 13: Building a Portfolio and Leveraging Social Media
Picking your subjects
Can it generate attention?
Does it showcase key skills?
Is it easy, fast, and fun to create?
Presenting your artwork
Picking the thumbnail
Adding images
Adding videos
Showcasing key skills
Linking your social media
Sharing your art on social media
ArtStation
Instagram
Facebook groups
Additional platforms
Summary
Index
Other Books You May Enjoy.
Staff View
Loading Staff View.