Day 5 part 3

Introduction to Zbrush Digital Tutors

Using Textures

– the Texture menu contains ways to bring new textures into the project; Import allows you to load textures from the computer while Lightbox > Texture lets you pick textures that are already in Lightbox: Double-click to make a texture the active one.

Use the texture menu to import texture files from your pc or lightbox.

– To apply a texture to a model a texture map must be created, and there are several ways to do that using the Tool and Texture menus:

– Texture has settings to define the resolution of a new texture map.

– Tool > Texture Map allows you to create a new texture map for each subtool. Texture maps can be created from polypainting, masking or UV groups.

The tool and texture menus contain several ways to create new texture maps.

– Tool > Polypaint > Polypaint from Texture applies polypainting to the model based on the texture map. The higher the subdivision level the more accurately the polypainting will be applied.

a model can be polypainted from an applied texture map.

– once polypainted the texture can be cleaned up on the model, hiding any seams or modifying to create a new texture map that is better suited to the 3D model.

– If you now try to recreate a texture map from the new polypainting it won’t work if the model doesn’t have a UV map applied. To create a UV map go to the lowest subdivision level then go to Tool > UV Map where you can set the size of the new UV map and choose how it’s created. PUVTiles is the most accurate method.

To create a texture map form polypainting the model needs a UV map.

– Tool > Texture Map > Clone Txtr copies the texture map to the texture palette where it can be painted with or exported using Texture > Export.

Texture maps can be exported as PSDs for editing in photoshop.

– Dragrect brush with a texture can be used for eg adding stickers and decals to a model.

Day 2

Introduction to Zbrush Digital Tutors

Basics of creating Geometry

– To view a wireframe on the mesh, tranform > PolyF or Shift + F or PolyF button on the right shelf.

Different ways to enable a polyframe

–Primitives can’t be sculpted but can be transformed while in edit mode. To see options go to tool > Initialize which will display options relating to that primitive eg initial size and resolution.

Initialize settings can be used to modify primitives before converting to polymesh for editing.

– Coverage is what angle the primitive is filled to in degrees.

– TaperTop and InnerRadius can turn a Cylinder into a hollowed flat cone.

– Twist can turn a Ring into a ribbed pipe.

– SweepProfile can create some interesting curves which are further modified in the Initialize palette.

–Helix3D can be used to create eg suspension springs that vary along the length.

– Gear3D has a lot of options and can create very intricate shapes and features for other models.

– Lightbox (,) is where you can find imported tools, projects, materials, alphas and brushes.

– if a tutorial uses a non-standard sculpting brush it will likely be found in lightbox eg TrimHole.

Lightbox provides quick access to lots of important items.