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 4 part 2

Introduction to Zbrush Digital Tutors

Basic Polypainting

– Polypainting is colouring a mesh using the polygons rather than a UV-based texture map. Polypainted models can be used to create texture maps, but for high-resolution maps a high-polygon model is required.

– Polypainting uses the same brushes as sculpting, but ZAdd and ZSub should be switched off and the RGB channel switched on.

Polypainting is usually started by switching the Zadd/Zsub buttons off and enabling the Rgb channel, once a base colour has been chosen.

– If you try to choose a colour now the whole mesh will change. To start polypainting properly, select Colour > FillObject. The mesh now has a colour applied and new colours can be selected for polypainting.

USe the FillObject button to set the base colour on the model, allowing for polypainting to proceed.

– Colour can be combined with strokes and alphas to get different paint effects.

Colour and brushes can be combined with strokes and alphas for many different effects.

– to pick a colour from the model, LMB + Drag from the colour palette onto the model. The cursor will change to the Pick symbol.

– Use DragRect stroke with alphas to draw coloured instances of that alpha.

Use the Dragrect stroke to precisely place coloured alphas.

– Rgb Intensity slider determines the strength of the polypainting colour. A higher intensity builds up colour more quickly.

– Sculpting and polypainting can be done at the same time, eg for sculpting boils and pimples.

Use Zadd/Zsub in conjunction with polypainting to sculpt and colour detail in one go.

Day 3

Introduction to Zbrush Digital Tutors

Setting up reference images

– These steps are specific to this model:

– draw a cylinder primitive

-in the Initialize palette set X and Y size to 20

– in the Deformation palette rotate by 90 degrees in the X axis

– subdivide several time

– Make PolyMesh3D

Preparing the start of the model.

– under the Draw Menu there is a palette specifically for grids and reference maps. Options include which faces to assign Maps to (Front-Back, Left-Right, Up-Down), and an option for using one Map for both planes (one).

buttons for assigning reference images to different planes around the model.

– Map1 / Map2 brings up the texture palette to select an image.

– If the image you wish to use isn’t in the texture palette, go to Texture > Import and the images will be available next time you click on Map1 / Map2. Other options are enabled once a Map is loaded.

Once an image is imported it can be applied to any of the reference map buttons.

– Draw > Snap > Snap to Mesh snaps the reference map to the size of the mesh on the canvas.

Snap to Mesh makes the reference image the size of the mesh on the canvas.

– Draw > (F-B/U-D/L-R) > Adjust allows for changing the reference map’s colour, contrast and cropping.

reference maps can be cropped and adjusted within Zbrush.

– To make the reference map visible through the mesh use Draw > Fill Mode 1 / 2 / 3, or the Front button.

Use the fill mode slider to change how visible the reference map is during sculpting.

– once reference maps have been set they can be all switched off at the same time using the floor button on the right shelf.

– Reference images can be created from a model using Draw > Snapshot to Grid, which creates a texture map for each of the six planes.

Use the Snapshot to Grid button to create reference images from a 3D model.