The Complete Beginner's guide to ZBrush for Games and Film

Name: The Complete Beginner's guide to ZBrush for Games and Film
Rating: 4.0 (61 reviews)

An introduction to digital sculpting for games and film using Pixologic's powerful software ZBrush.

Created by3dmotive LLC

Last updated 4/2017

English

English [Auto],

What you'll learn

By the end of this course, the user should be familiar with the majority of the basic tools needed to understand sculpting inside of ZBrush

Course content

3 sections • 25 lectures • 4h 27m total length

Download Course Files Here!0:06
Introduction0:36
Introduction
Preparing the Mesh 0112:31
Learn to prepare and subdivide a game-ready mesh in ZBrush, using swift loop and chamfer to ensure even topology, and sculpt half before mirroring for low-poly baking.
Preparing the Mesh 0211:44
Learn to prepare a clean, squared-off mesh for sculpting by chamfering edges, padding sections, using symmetry, and non-destructive edit poly workflows to craft a well-subdivided low-poly surface.
Preparing the Mesh 0310:06
Mirror and delete unnecessary mesh sections to create an efficient ready version for import into zebrafish, set origin to zero, and export preserving turbo smooth data for later low-poly sculpting.
ZBrush Interface9:54
learn to configure a beginner-friendly ZBrush interface by adjusting preferences, memory, and viewport, explore brushes, materials, alphas, textures, and plugins, and set up import/export workflows for sculpting.
Workflow Techniques 0117:28
Load the exported model from 3D city Max into the document, organize geometry with poly groups and group split, merge similar parts, and manage subdivision levels to sculpt efficiently.
Workflow Techniques 0211:50
Master subdivision level planning in ZBrush to move topology on lower levels and create clean edges, then use layers and brushes like trim dynamic for non-destructive sculpting and detailing.
Workflow Techniques 0316:43
Bake the completed model to a single layer, then apply surface noise with adjustable scale and strength. Mask by cavity and blend with dynamic brushes for layered sculpting.

Introduction0:41
In part 2 of our Intro to zBrush course, Galen Davis is going to continue on with his catapult model as he walks through the sculpting process of various types of surfaces using the methods introduced in the first part of this course. In addition he's going to be getting a bit into zBrush's layering system as well as some alpha techniques and projection master. Lots of cool stuff here, so don't miss it!
Wood Sculpting 0119:53
Explore practical wood sculpting in ZBrush, using a rotation layer to straighten beams, auto masking with back face masking, noise and trim dynamic for texture, and layered edge work.
Wood Sculpting 0213:06
Learn to sculpt wood grain in ZBrush by laying fine grain with tiny brushes, varying depth and direction across layers. Emphasize edges and realism with lost and found lines.
Wood Sculpting 0313:13
Learn advanced wood sculpting in ZBrush with layered workflows, large cuts, edge variation, and dynamic brush techniques to create weathered, natural textures.
Metal Sculpting19:08
Learn metal sculpting in ZBrush by building edge wear, dents, and texture with trim dynamic and clay brushes, using noise layers and multiple layers for a realistic metal look.
Rock Sculpting 0111:47
Learn rock sculpting in ZBrush by building a rough base, subdividing, and refining edges with trim dynamic and move brushes. Apply unified skin and noise for an even, rock-like surface.
Rock Sculpting 0211:23
Master rock sculpting workflows in zbrush, duplicating and transposing pieces to create unique rock formations, then unify subtools, apply noise, and prepare low-poly skins through decimation and alpha techniques.
Projection Master14:20
Explore Projection Master and alpha techniques in ZBrush to apply wood and leaf textures from photos. Use masking, import options, and stamps to place alphas precisely across surfaces.

Introduction0:39
Explore spotlight and basic texturing tools in ZBrush, learn layered painting techniques for the asset, and discover brush plugins, exporting a high-poly mesh with baked normals.
Base Textures in Photoshop9:04
Learn how to create a unique base wood texture in Photoshop by painting with multiple textures, blending modes, opacity, and cloud layers, then bake and refine.
Base Polypaint Layers11:52
Create a base texture with poly paint and basic color values, then lay in Photoshop image details using spotlight.
Introduction to Spotlight10:16
Learn to import textures into ZBrush Spotlight, apply a base texture to a mesh, and paint with spotlight tools across layers using masking and brush controls.
Painting Metal Textures8:07
Learn to paint realistic metal textures in zbrush by applying a metal base, using masking and poly paint on layers, and preparing exports for bake with x normals.
Baking with xNormal15:32
Master baking workflows in xnormal using a high-poly mesh and cage to produce normal maps, ambient occlusion, and vertex color textures for a low-poly game model.
ZPlugins and Additional Baking17:01
Use decimation master and uv master to create a unified skin low-poly mesh, unwrap uv, and bake normals and occlusion maps from high-poly sculpt.
Bonus Lecture: Further Learning with 3dmotive0:18

Requirements

A beginner level of understanding of 3ds Max or Maya is helpful, but not mandatory
A copy of Pixologic's ZBrush

Description

In this complete beginner's series, Galen Davis covers an introduction to sculpting for games using Pixologic's ZBrush. This series will assume you have an intermediate knowledge of 3ds Max or Maya, but have no experience with ZBrush and are ready to get your hands dirty making assets using one of the leading software tools in the game and film industry.

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

Who this course is for:

First time users of ZBrush
Beginner understanding of 3ds Max or Maya
Beginner understanding of Sub-D or High Poly modeling

The Complete Beginner's guide to ZBrush for Games and Film

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Volume 19 lectures • 1hr 31min

Volume 28 lectures • 1hr 44min

Volume 38 lectures • 1hr 13min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: