ZBrush for Jewelry Designers: Understanding ZBrush Geometry

This chapter introduces the series, what its about, and what you can expect to learn. I have designed the series to demystify the many options available to you as a jewelry designer using ZBrush. Every project presents its own unique set of problems, the solutions are often a combination of several different approaches. Getting a handle of the difference between subdivision surfaces, parametric 3D objects, Dynamesh, decimation and so on is the first step in mastering the software. This chapter gives you a small taste of how these different approach using the violin model I created as an example.

This chapter explains parametric 3D objects which is the original type of surfaces that has been part of ZBrush since the beginning. I demonstrate how to select a parametric 3D object from the library, how to use the settings in the initialize subpalette to establish a basic shape, and how to convert it into a sculpt able 3D Polymesh.

Subdivision surfaces are the most commonly used type of 3D object in ZBrush. In this video I show how to start a Subdivision surface, how to add, delete, and edit levels of subdivision, and how to take advantage of levels of subdivision while you sculpt your digital jewelry.

A short video that demonstrates how to maintain volume of a surface when subdividing.

This video introduces the ZModeler brush and how it is used to create and edit polygon meshes. This is an essential tool that you'll use often when designing castable models in ZBrush.

This video shows how to use the ZModeler brush layout a polyloop of polygon faces to match a reference image on the grid. This is a common technique and is especially useful for creating a base mesh for pendants, earrings, and other castable surfaces.

Dynamesh is a special type of dynamic surface that is ideal for sculpting organic surfaces. It can be used to fuse meshes together. Dynamesh is crucial for making water tight surfaces that can be exported to printing software and printed. This video gives an overview of how to work with Dynamesh for sculpting castable prints.

Dynamesh can create problem areas in a surface that can be hard to resolve when you want to make a water tight surface. This video offers some tips based on my own workflow that can help you solve these issues when creating a complex piece. I demonstrate how to use the insert mesh brushes to fill in holes or to create holes when needed.

This video is an overview of ZRemesher showing how you can use it to quickly re-toplogize your models. It is often used together with Dynmaesh and is another essential part of the jewelry sculpting process in ZBrush. In this demonstration I use the body of the violin model as an example.

Projection in ZBrush is a technique that allows you to "shrink-wrap" a surface to one or more other subtools or to the undo history of your surface. This is how you bring detail back into a model after using ZRemesher, Dynamesh, or the ZModeler brush, to retopologize a model. It usually involves some clean-up using the sculpting brushes after projection. I show some of the techniques I use to project woodgrain and other details back on to the violin body. While Projection is not a type of surface it is an essential tool for working with the different types of meshes in ZBrush.

This video shows how to use the ZProject brush to project detail from one or more subtools on to your surface in a limited area. Great for fixing small details that may have been lost in the projection process.

Decimation is the process of reducing the number of points in a model while preserving as much of the detail as possible. Its an essential part of the digital jewelry sculpting workflow when preparing the sculpt for 3D printing. This chapter goes over the  Decimation master plug in using the violin model as an example.

This video demonstrates how the Sculptris Pro model works and gives an overview of the control. This mode allows you to locally tesselate and decimate a surface using the sculpting brushes meaning you can dial detail in on very specific parts of a model. I also demonstrate Tomas Wittelsbach's technique of using Sculptis Pro with the History Recall brush to restore detail to a model in specific areas after the model has been decimated.

Morph Targets and 3D Layers are very similar and have a wide variety of uses in ZBrush. This video shows you how they work and gives and overview of the controls. 3D Layers are especially useful when sizing rings. I discuss a technique developed by Tomas Wittelsbach in this video and also how to use the Morph Brush to clean up areas of your model.

ZBrush's Live Boolean feature makes it easy to set up boolean operations - a way to combine, subtract, or intersect two or more subtools - in order to make complex designs. This video shows you how to set up and execute a boolean operation as well as some tips on how to use subtool folders to make the process easier to use.

Remesher is an older feature that can make a single simplified skin from one or more subtools. It is similar to Dynamesh but not quite as robust. In some situations it can be useful for solving problems. This video shows you how it works.

Insert Mesh Brushes are a convenient way to interactively combine geometry to make complex designs. Its very easy to create your own insert mesh brushes from your own models. This video shows you how.

This video shows some of the techniques I use for filling in holes and spaces using Insert Mesh Brushes and Dynamesh. This is a very useful approach when trying to make a complex surface water tight for 3D printing.

This video shows how the Nanomesh system allows you to create instances of your models and then arrange them on the faces of a polygon mesh. This is a fast way to develop complex models and also a lot of fun to play with.

This video explains what Dynamic Subdivisions are and how they can be used to preview high resolution versions of your model with having to actually subdivide it. 

Micropoly is another type of instancing that is related to Dynamic Subdivisions. A great way to make weaves and other repetitive patterns and you can use your own custom models as the instanced object. 

Arraymesh is yet another instancing tool that is perfect for creating eternity bands and other designs using repeating patterns. Its very easy to use, powerful, and comes with a number of presets. This video gives you an overview of how it works.

Fibermesh is generally used to create hair and fur effects in ZBrush. For the most part it is not immediately useful in jewelry design but it can be utilized for some special sculpting effects. In this video I give a quick run down of how it works.

ZSpheres are unique to ZBrush and have lots of interesting potential especially when creating human figures that you might want to incorporate into a jewelry piece. ZSpheres are used to build a network of balls that act as an armature. The armature can then be converted into a sculpt able polymesh. This video shows how ZSphere work and some tips on how to make the process of using ZSpheres easier. I also demonstrate how ZSketch works which is a great way to create organic shapes such as twisted roots and tree limbs.

This video shows two tips for making ZSphere armatures which will make learning ZSpheres easier.

Alpha to Mesh is a very simple way to create a model from a black and white 2 dimensional image. This video shows how this works.

Vector files (SVG) are a common way to create images and are used widely among digital artists for creating patterns. ZBrush has a plug in whihc allows you to import the files and extrude them into 3D models. In addition working with 3D text is very easy in ZBrush. This video shows how to work with both of these entities within ZBrush.

A quick wrap of video with some tips on how to go forward after learning about all the different approaches to creating meshes in ZBrush and incorporating them into your own person workflow for digital jewelry design.