ZBrush - Best way to achieve a paint knife effect?

tanka

Hey Guys,

I've been wondering this for quite some time, but do any ZBrush pros have any thoughts on the easiest way to achieve a paint knife effect on a sculpt?

If you don't know what I mean, check out this:
http://i01.i.aliimg.com/wsphoto/v0/683379753/100-hand-paint-modern-palette-knife-textured-font-b-sea-b-font-oil-font-b-painting.jpg

Or even this cake buttercream:
http://www.portuguesegirlcooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Holiday-Spice-cake-with-Egg-nog-Buttercream.jpg

Is it possible to create an alpha/brush that would flatten, and push the excess to the side? Or is this the kind of thing that you would have to do by hand?

Thoughts?

JustMeSR

I don't think it's possible without any knowledge of coding, however you can easily replicate that effect using masks.

Bartalon

You might want to look into the Alpha Roll feature.

leleuxart

Using a tiling alpha with the recessed areas and the buildup on the sides with a Trim or Flatten brush may work too. Try using the same alpha on a different brush and just add to the mesh. Even more so if you use a Morph Target and clean it up after.

Also I believe the word "impasto" would apply, at least to the painting.

Edit: Saw this link. Someone was collecting a few images of impastoed paint.

tanka

I'm still looking into the brushes, but if all else fails, masking does work pretty well.. here is a quick buttercream thing I did..