
Explore rapid blockout with the building blocks cube approach to construct horse and rider, refine with plating, array mesh, creases, and edge wear, then finalize in Keyshot.
Learn how to extract high poly data from a low poly blockout using a creasing workflow, bevels, dynamic subdivision, and dynamesh to create a cohesive armor plating design.
Master zbrush posing by creating polygroups with lasso and masking, then mirror and weld to craft dynamic, asymmetrical control points for limbs and riders without rigging.
Explore using live boolean and 3D alphas in ZBrush to quickly add mechanical detailing to platings, including placement, projection strength, and symmetry considerations for cohesive blockouts.
Hey everyone,
In this tutorial, we’ll go through the process of creating a mechanical design—from exploring the form and gesture in 3D using simple boxes, to adding final materials and details in KeyShot. This workflow is one of my favorites because it allows for quick ideation while staying flexible enough for larger, more detailed projects. For this piece, I challenged myself to complete it within a day to see how much could be achieved with these techniques—but this isn’t about rushing. The workflow is meant to be fun, efficient, and adaptable to your own pace.
Whether you’re looking to refine your workflow, understand mechanical design better, or are new to ZBrush and curious about the process, this tutorial offers something for every level. While some tools are ZBrush-specific, the principles and techniques are universal and can be applied in other software like Blender or Maya.
What’s included:
3.5 hours of fully voiced, edited footage (from a 12-hour project).
Custom brushes: IMM Blockout, IMM Labels, and IMM Details.
A drag-and-drop KeyShot material for final materials with realistic grunge and fingerprints.
My ZBrush UI and hotkeys, with a guide to the most important shortcuts.
The tutorial is now available—hope to see you there!