Book Image

Sculpting in ZBrush Made Simple

By : Lukas Kutschera
Book Image

Sculpting in ZBrush Made Simple

By: Lukas Kutschera

Overview of this book

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.
Table of Contents (19 chapters)
Free Chapter
1
Part 1: The Adventure Begins: Sculpting in ZBrush
9
Part 2: Creating Characters from Scratch: A Comprehensive Guide
13
Part 3: Sculpting a Female Head: Tips and Techniques

Merging and cutting your model

Before starting with the actual process, you need to decide what the best way to merge and split your model will be. These are some things to take into consideration:

  • Consider the size of the printer that you will be using and the size of the object that you want to print. Splitting the model into smaller pieces will allow you to print larger objects, even with a smaller printer.
  • Think about overhangs in your model. Some parts will require the printer to create significant support structures, which wastes a lot of material and slows down the printing process. Splitting a model in these critical areas helps to reduce this:
Figure 10.14 – Areas that have a lot of overhangs

Figure 10.14 – Areas that have a lot of overhangs

  • Following on from the previous point, you can split the model where the cut is hidden or less obvious. This could be in an area where different elements meet, such as the beginning of a clothing piece or a piece of armor covering...