Getting Started in ZBrush: an Introduction to Digital Sculpting and Illustration

327 Pages·2014·19.94 MB·English

by  Johnson

Getting Started in ZBrush
Getting Started in ZBrush
An Introduction to Digital Sculpting and Illustration
Greg Johnson
First published 2014
by Focal Press
70 Blanchard Road, Suite 402, Burlington, MA 01803
and by Focal Press
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
Focal Press is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2014 Taylor & Francis
The right of Greg Johnson to be identified as the author of this work has been
asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and
Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in
any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter
invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or
retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Notices
Knowledge and best practice in this field are constantly changing. As new research
and experience broaden our understanding, changes in research methods,
professional practices, or medical treatment may become necessary.
Practitioners and researchers must always rely on their own experience and
knowledge in evaluating and using any information, methods, compounds, or
experiments described herein. In using such information or methods they should be
mindful of their own safety and the safety of others, including parties for whom they
have a professional responsibility.
Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are
used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data application submitted
ISBN: 978-0-415-70514-1 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-88996-2 (ebk)
To my wife Penny – for her inexhaustible patience.
Contents
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Chapter 1: Introduction
Overview
Professional practices
Creativity
Reference material
Copyright
Publicizing your work
Resources
Learning process
Chapter 2: Interface
Buying and installing ZBrush
Interface layout
Menus
Conventions and mouse buttons
Controls
Interface
Help and shortcuts
Concepts
2D, 3D, and 2.5D, as well as bit depth
Pixel
Pixol
Working with the canvas and documents
Saving your work
Organizing files and paths
Additional help
Chapter 3: The Basics
Working with 3D ZTools
Saving your 3D work
Chapter 4: Modeling a Head
Symmetry
DynaMesh
Subdivision
Working with files
Chapter 5: Brushes, Materials, and Painting
Brushes
Different strokes
Brush alpha
Brush stroke
Problems and fixes
Chapter 6: The Dragon’s Head
Helpful tidbits
Making a mouth
Creating eyes
Teeth
Tongue
Chapter 7: Creating the Wings Using Shadowbox and ZSketch
Shadowbox
ZSketch
Refine the wing
Chapter 8: Making the Dragon’s Body
Introducing ZSpheres
Using ZSpheres
Flattening the bottom
Adding secondary features
Tertiary details
Adding claws with the IMM brush
Wings
Chapter 9: UVs and Masking
Masking
Masking palette
Mask by cavity
Mask by smoothness
Mask peaks and valleys
Masks by color
Mask ambient occlusion
Understanding UVs
Map projections
Creating UVs in ZBrush
Saving masks
Applying masks
Chapter 10: Painting the Dragon
Adding a material
Approach to painting
Painting using masks
Using Decimation Master to reduce the size of your model
Chapter 11: Creating the Collar Using Insert Mesh
The collar part
Decorations
Chapter 12: Recoloring the Model
The why
The how: Re-UVing the model
Creating and adjusting the color texture map
Applying the modified texture map to the model
Chapter 13: Making a Fire Hydrant
Centerpiece
Top and bottom flange
Making the cap
Top bolt
Water spouts
Creating the other spouts
Adding the spout tips
Bottom detail section
Band cutouts
Subtractive DynaMesh
Cap cutouts
Adding bolts
Chapter 14: The Base-Stand
Making the base
Creating the ground plane
Adding a wood texture
Texturing the ground
Chapter 15: Grass
Chapter 16: Combining It All
Loading and merging
Decimating subtools
Chapter 17: Posing the Dragon
Principles of posing
Posing techniques
Chapter 18: Painting the Fire Hydrant
Principles of texturing
Reference material
Weathering
LightBox
SpotLight
ZAppLink
Chapter 19: Polishing the Model
Saving the file
Changing the eyes
Posing the tongue
Chapter 20: Lighting
Adding lights
High-key and low-key lighting
Three-point lighting
Chapter 21: Rendering
Setup
Rendering process
Document.Export and the BPR RenderPass
Creating a variety of looks
Generating masks for illustration
Chapter 22: Compositing