Learn to Sculpt a Stylized Character for Games with ZBrush

Name: Learn to Sculpt a Stylized Character for Games with ZBrush
Rating: 4.2 (41 reviews)

In this intermediate course, we will learn to 3d sculpt a High Resolution character asset for film and games!

Created by3dmotive LLC

Last updated 9/2016

English

English [Auto],

What you'll learn

Digitally Sculpt a 3d character using ZBrush for Games or Film
Understand the basics of modeling a 3d character using ZBrush
Understand the basic pipeline for digital sculpting for CG, film, and game
Greaty improve your workflow with ZBrush with multiple tips and tricks used in sculpting this character

Course content

3 sections • 38 lectures • 4h 7m total length

Introduction1:14
Learn stylized character sculpting for games with ZBrush, starting from a base mesh to sculpt head geometry and the rest of the body, emphasizing stylization and simplified anatomy.
Tools Introduction3:00
Learn to customize ZBrush materials with a plugin, use essential brushes for blocking and refinement, and leverage see-through view and lighting tweaks to guide character proportions.
Reference Images in ZBrush1:11
Blocking in the Main Body Forms4:51
Block in the main body forms using primitive spheres to establish proportions for a stylized character in ZBrush, then refine with a neck cylinder, trapezius, and shoulder adjustments.
Blocking in the Head7:28
Block the head in ZBrush with move brush and clay buildup, keeping a low-res dynamesh for quick iteration, then refine anatomy and facial shapes before detailing the rest.
Blocking Continued4:47
Refine head size and adjust the neck, chest, abdomen, ribcage, pelvis, and hands to improve proportions, then block in arms and legs to finalize the stylized character silhouette.
Blocking in the Limbs6:12
Block in the limbs, refine proportions in perspective, and build armor pieces—shoulder pads, bracers, belts, and boots—for our characters in ZBrush.
Clothing Block in5:30
Block in armor and clothing, adjust proportions and silhouettes, and create modular pieces for baking normal maps and inclusion maps.
Torso Sculpt Block In4:09
Learn to sculpt a torso block for a stylized game character in ZBrush, building pecs, rib cage, and neck with dynamic planes and torso extraction under the shoulder pads.
Extracting the Shirt5:35
Extract the shirt by masking and isolating front and back areas, then dynamically refine a new geometry piece and adjust the silhouette as you prepare shoulder pads.
Creating a Quick Collar6:46
Learn to block in a quick collar for a stylized game character in ZBrush by using primitives, cylinders and cubes, mirroring, clipping, and local symmetry for clean fit.
Shoulder-pad, Belt, and Outro4:19
Block a stylized game character in ZBrush using primitives for shoulder pads and a belt, refine proportions, and prepare a base mesh for future sculpting of the head and details.

Introduction0:40
Sculpt the head with anatomy-informed stylization in real time, building strong forms that drive the rest of the model. Prepare for later hair details and the next module.
Head Block In Refresher8:12
Block in basic head geometry with symmetry, refine the jaw and neck, and sculpt eyes, cheekbones, brows, nose, mouth, and ears to establish a solid silhouette before higher resolution.
Sculpting 01 - Neck and Eyes Block In6:00
Block in the neck and eyes on the head using dynamesh and dynamic topology, then append and position eyeball spheres with symmetry to plan accurate angles and anatomy.
Sculpting 02 - Jaw, Cheeks, and Brow9:19
Define the jaw, cheeks, and brow to convey a big tough bruiser, shaping a strong jawline, eye socket mass, and forehead volume with clay build up and move brush.
Sculpting 03 - Noses, Eyes, and Mouth8:29
Learn to sculpt a stylized character for games in ZBrush by shaping noses, eyes, and mouth, refining cartilage structure, and using clay buildup and move brush for dynamic, expressive features.
Setting up Sub-Divisions1:15
Set up subdivision levels in ZBrush by subdividing and projecting, then hide the original skull to compare edits, enabling changes to major forms without sacrificing high-res details.
Sculpting 04 - Defining the Face8:37
Refine the face in ZBrush by shaping the nose, eyes, cheeks, and beard, adjusting loops and planes with clay buildup and dynamic trim for expressive, sculpted anatomy.
Sculpting 05 - Eyes and Brows9:29
Refine the eyes and brows to convey character, adjusting eyelid overlap, brow shape, and facial mass across subdivision levels while watching silhouette and storytelling.
Sculpting 06 - Blocking in the Ears2:37
Block in the ears for a stylized character in ZBrush, avoiding overly anatomical detail, adjust mass with the standard brush, and knock back shaping to match the model's overall style.
Hair 01 - Block-In8:59
Experiment with multiple hair silhouettes in ZBrush, sculpting hair using brushes, Dynamix, and symmetry to explore mohawk, braids, and beard integration for a stylized character.
Sculpting 07 - Tweaking the Face4:49
Refine the face to match the concept by turning the eyes, inflating the eye and lip areas, and adding mass under the mouth using a mask for a scar notch.
Hair 02 - Beard Block In4:00
Block in a stylized beard using clay build up in ZBrush, aligning with reference images to create flowing braids and a believable beard for a game character.
Hair 03 - Sculpting the Hair9:44
Learn to sculpt a flowing Mohawk for a stylized game character by building hair from loose pieces, duplicating, rotating, inflating for volume, and refining with higher subdivision for motion.
Hair Refinement - Timelapse15:03
Refine hair in a stylized ZBrush sculpt timelapse using clay buildup and standard brush to weave flowing strands, balance symmetry with animation readiness, and plan for painting with normal maps.
Conclusion2:04
Sculpt a stylized character by detailing hair and painting for normal map variance, with the braid flowing into the face. Plan armor, clothing, and UV alignment for the next module.

Introduction0:50
Learn to sculpt a stylized game character in ZBrush by modeling clothing and armor pieces in a modular workflow, reusing components to speed up the overall modeling process.
Sculpting Basic Anatomy10:54
Block and sculpt basic anatomy, including rib cage, pelvis, and trapezius, refine proportions for a dynamic silhouette with arms and legs, and use placeholder hands while planning armor.
Sculpting the Hands4:52
Learn to sculpt stylized hands in ZBrush by building fingers from cubes, duplicating them, using Dynamesh, and refining anatomy, knuckle lines, palm space, and non-destructive workflows.
Sculpting Boots and Pants 0120:30
Explore sculpting heavy armor pieces for a stylized game character in ZBrush, starting with shoulder pads and bracers, and using cylinders, Dynamix, masking, clipping, and symmetry for clean, proportional results.
Sculpting the Gloves4:02
Duplicate the hand mesh, turn it into gloves with cuffs, using masking, dynamesh, and subdivision; refine folds and threading with smooth and standard brushes and lazy mouse.
Sculpting Boots and Pants 0214:33
design and refine stylized boots and pants for a game character, using references, dynamesh shaping, and exploring sandals with fur and compression folds.
Sculpting Bracers and Sleeves9:40
Learn to sculpt a right-arm bracer and sleeves in ZBrush using DynaMesh, mirror weld, and a trim dynamic brush, add fur, adjust scale, and create stylized folds around a belt.
Sculpting the Torso 0117:07
Learn to shape a stylized torso in ZBrush by building a tunic over a shirt, attaching a coat, adding sleeves and belt, and detailing seams, folds, and mass with symmetry.
Sculpting the Torso 029:00
Refine the torso by adjusting top shapes, adding a front belt and buckle, and cleanly integrating collar and shirt details with bevels, clipping, and dynamic brushes to sharpen the silhouette.
Conclusion1:34
Conclude the modeling module by refining a stylized game character through cube-based sculpting, pushing geometry with a standard tool to maintain a strong silhouette from all angles.
Bonus Lecture: Further Learning with 3dmotive0:18

Requirements

Pixologic's ZBrush sculpting software
A basic understanding of 3d and game art

Description

In this intermediate level course, instructor Ryan Ribot will be focusing on sculpting a High Resolution character asset using ZBrush. The focus of this course will include sculpting processes, stylized anatomy, modularity, and basic design fundamentals to create a stylized character model. Not only will we dive heavily into the anatomy of the character by ensuring that the form is sound and accurate, but we'll cover each and every aspect of the armor creation one-by-one from head to toe. By the end of this course you should have a strong understanding of the steps towards creating your own high quality ZBrush models. If you've been looking for a complete crash course in learning to sculpt digital characters using ZBrush, this course is for you!

(Students - please look under Section 1 / Lecture 1 downloads for the source files associated with the lesson.)

More about the Instructor:

An adopted son of San Francisco and the Academy of Art University, Ryan Ribot lives a small apartment with 3 cats and a Wacom. Currently working as a texture artist and character modeler with Telltale Games, Ryan spends most of his time painting and sculpting. ZBrush, Photoshop, and Maya are like breathing to him, and he is always looking to share his knowledge. Ryan has been teaching for several years, and is experienced as both an instructor and an industry professional.

Who this course is for:

Intermediate to Advanced users of ZBrush wanting to learn the character sculpting pipeline
This course is not intended for absolute beginners, though you don't need to be a power-ZBrush user either

Learn to Sculpt a Stylized Character for Games with ZBrush

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Anatomy of our Character and Blocking in the Major Forms12 lectures • 55min

Detail Sculpting the Head15 lectures • 1hr 39min

Sculpting the Armor and Accessories11 lectures • 1hr 33min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: