Day 7

Introduction to Zbrush Digital Tutors

Mesh Creation Dynamesh

– Dynamesh is a way of modelling that protects the geometry from the stretching effect making large scale changes to a model can have.

– To enable dynamesh have an active tool and go to Tool > Geometry > Dynamesh.

– When dynamesh is enabled, at any time during sculpting Ctrl + Drag off the model and the geometry will be recalculated to give an optimal mesh.

Dynamesh allows for re-skinning a model with a new, optimised mesh at any time using Ctrl + drag.

– depending on the severity of the distorted polygons, the model may need smoothing after dynameshing.

– dynamesh can be used in conjunction with InsertMesh brushes by creating a single unified skin after the new mesh is inserted.

Dynamesh can be used with the InsertMesh brushes to unify a model.

– Tool > Geometry >Dynamesh > Groups makes the dynamesh tool work by polygroups. If a mesh is split into separate polygroups then dynameshed each group can be moved and manipulated separately, before dynameshing the whole model once more.

Dynamesh used with groups active splits the model by polygroup when dynameshed, allowing for chunks of model to be manipulated before skinning the whole model once more.

– Tool > Geometry > Dynamesh > Create Shell can be used with a subtractive mesh to create a shell with an opening based on the inserted mesh. To activate it, hold Alt while drawing (or enable ZAdd) the InsertMesh, then click Create Shell. The model will be hollowed out with a thickness determined by the Thickness slider, with the opening cut by the inserted mesh.

Dynamesh can be used in conjunction with subtractive meshes to create hollow shells.

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 4

Introduction to Zbrush Digital Tutors

Basic Sculpting

– Sculpting Brushes can be found in the top left of the Left Shelf, or by pressing B.

– Specific brushes can be selected by pressing the first letter of the brush name followed by a specific letter eg to select ClayTubes press B > C > T.

Sculpting brushes can be found in the brush palette or by pressing specific letter combinations.

– The red rings represent the Draw Size and Focal Shift of the brush, and can be modified using the Draw Size and Focal Shift Sliders. The Draw Size Slider can also be brought up at the cursor position using S, the Focal Shift Slider using O.

– A Focal Shift of 0 will produce a very sharp edged result.

The cursor shows the draw size and focal shift, and can be modified by using sliders or the hotkey S and O.

– the ZAdd and ZSub buttons change between raising or lowering the mesh when sculpting. Holding Alt + LMB will switch between modes.

– the Z Intensity Slider controls the strength of the brush.

ZAdd and ZSub control what happens when sculpting, while the Z Intensity slider controls the strength of the brush.

– By default Shift + LMB is the Smooth Brush which can be used to blend sculpting. Other brushes can also be set to the Shift modifier.

Hold shift to activate the sculpting-smoothing brush, which smooths geometry.

– The Move Brush works by clicking and dragging geometry in or out. It is good for quickly reshaping a mesh but can lead to undesirable geometry if not careful.

The move brush can quickly reshape a model.

– Symmetry can be turned on using Transform > Activate Symmetry. Specific Axes can be selected using the X Y Z buttons or the X, Y and Z keys. Symmetry can be axial or radial (use the RadialCount Slider to vary how many instances are sculpted).

Radial and axial symmetry can be switched on to sculpt multiple areas of the mesh at the same time.

– RMB brings up a Quick Menu with many common commands and sliders.

RMB brings up a quick menu with easy access to most of the common drawing and sculpting commands.

– Strokes and Alphas can be combined with sculpting brushes to get different results:

– Dots and Freehand produce similar continuous results.

– Spray and ColourSpray apply randomised instances of the brush and alpha.

– DragRect and DragDot allow for precise positioning of alphas on the mesh.

Strokes and alphas can be combined with sculpting brushes to get different effects.

Day 1 Part 3

Introduction to Zbrush Digital Tutors

Pixols and the 2.5D canvas

– a pixol is a pixel that contains colour, depth, and material information.

– open the tool quick menu to select 2.5D brushes. 2.5D brushes can have strokes and alphas applied to them like sculpting brushes.

open the tool quick menu to see the 2.5D brushes.

– pixols can be tranformed using the Move, Scale and Rotate buttons. Select Draw to continue drawing in 2.5D.

Pixols drawn on the canvas can be transformed using the move, scale and rotate tools

– use EraserBrush to remove pixols from the canvas.

Use the EraserBrush to remove pixols from the canvas.

– materials and colours can be changed during the drawing to overwrite pixols already on the canvas.

the material and colour applied to the pixols can be changed during the drawing.

– disable Zadd / Zsub during the drawing to avoid adding depth to pixols already on the canvas, only painting with colour and / or material.

– Mrgb allows for changing colour and material of pixols on the canvas without affecting depth.

–RGB allows for changing colour of pixols on the canvas without affecting depth or material.

– Mrgb / RGB buttons can be disabled entirely to allow drawing depth without affecting the colour or material of the pixols.

Use combinations of ZAdd/Zsub, Mrgb and RGB options to draw with different depth, colour and material affects.

– Document > Save As saves the canvas out as an image, not a 3D model.

– SnakeHookBrush allows for dragging out tendrils with depth.

– FibreBrush allows for covering pixols in fibres / hair

Other brushes can be combined to get interesting 2.5D effects

– SphereBrush always paints with a perfectly round edge, which can be made larger with more pen pressure or larger strokes.

The SphereBrush with different strokes.

– AlphaBrush draws in the shape of the current Alpha at a single depth until a new stroke is started.

– Smudge brush can be used to smear pixols around on the canvas. Combining different strokes and alphas will give different effects.

Different effects using the Smudge Brush with different strokes and alphas.

– Hook Brush can be used to pull pixols out. LMB + Anti-clockwise spirals shrinks the pixols, while LMB + Clockwise spirals enlarges them. Hook Brush can be combined with alphas for different effects.

The effects of the Hook Brush using spiral gestures and alphas.