Zbrush: Hard surface help
polycounter lvl 12
Hi all, I have never used Zbrush before and would like to know the best possible way to learn fast hard suface modelling for game assets, like some of Gears 3 assets. My aim is to focus only on hard surface, industrial design and sci fi theme.
So far Zbrush Central has basic stuff and I dont plan to pay yet
for training.
So far Zbrush Central has basic stuff and I dont plan to pay yet
for training.
Replies
There are tons of resources on the web. If you want to do mech stuff in Zbrush I suggest you get the Eat3D tutorials.
Anyhow, here is what I had typed.
-Masking and Inflate are you best friends.
-Second best friends are Morphs and Layers.
-Don't stick to one mesh, just like in real-life, HD objects are layered (EI: the grip of the gun should have the cover-grip, screws, etc in different mesh's) use that to your advantage.
-Polish brush = surface flatten and cleanup.
-Dynamesh + Add/Sub poly function.
The only real tutorials I advice from HD is the 2 from eat3D.
Ye "Really"
As I said hard surface industrial design stuff and not organic apparantley lot of free stuff is organic and the hard surface stuff is locked down tight. Few good vids on youtube that just show what they made.
I think the safest bet is youtube: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=hard+surface+zbrush&oq=hard+surface+zbrush&aq=f&aqi=g1&aql=&gs_sm=s&gs_upl=39l61l0l13452l3l1l0l0l0l0l177l177l0.1l1l0
Anything by Ryan Kingsley, Mike Jensen, Jesse Sandifer should be gold. Also, look up for anything related to Shadowbox, and in R2 clip, dynamesh and clips.
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Ace-Angel, Thanks again I ll have a look on those too. Cheers.
Zbrush can help for the blocking out stage, but if you want to be serious about hard surface modeling you'll have to learn how to do it with proper polygons and subdivision. The examples you mention (Gears3, industrial design, sci fi props) rely much much more on regular modeling than on zbrushing. It's true that there are some zbrush techniques that can help, as highlighted by the Eat3D DVDs. But in the long run and in within realistic production constraints you will quickly realize that there are no workarounds - polygon modeling is where it's at.
Zbrush hard surface also has a tendency to go in a "direction of its own", making it hard to follow a locked concept provided by a concept artist. (the Eat3d DVD show that quite obviously).
I would recommend you to get familiar enough with Zbrush to create clean-ish hardsurface sketches in it, and then retopo that to get a real clean subdivision-friendly mesh from there.
But as usual, instead of asking abstract questions I would rather recommend you to post WIP pictures of what you are currently trying to achieve. That is how you will get the best (pro) critiques and advice.
This. You ask ridiculous questions and you will get ridiculous answers. We ARE a forum of professionals, but why post here, wasting time, when the answers were easily found through a search? If you're wanting some more specific as Pior mentioned, post images and be more in depth in describing what you want to achieve.
Ofcourse i will post WIP once i will start, for now its about where to start from
But ty to those who actually understood what i was looking for and helped me.
Not every1 learn by showing what they do and get a specific advice on the place where they get stuck, well atleast I dont want to learn this way cause I have seen first hand where it leads to.....some people who do this and get contract for project (or job in industry) and client ask for something specific and than they realise they dont know how it (software) acutally works and just fill help forums (not Poly in specific) like Autocad, Area and likes of them asking people to do the job for them.
The point I was making is that you came here, posting a thread about a problem that was easily solvable within 20 seconds of searching on Google. Instead, you wasted time coming here, posting a question and waiting for answers. In that time, you could have already had your answer and been working on art. You learn a lot more by practicing than asking a question and waiting for a response.
If you truly get stuck on something that's really difficult, please by all means ask for help. But there are a lot of resources on Google and on our very own wiki that could have answered your question easily. That's all I'm saying.
The main point was that all good stuff that google show is for buy from sites people mentioned here or is mostly free organic creature based, apparantley people love making monsters with Z alot than some Industrial Design elements.
Also I think its about time we all chill out enjoy holidays and Xmas. Cheers.
Edit: I forgot this older Projection-Master series might even be helpful for some hard-surface things as well.
The hard surface stuff is still relatively new in zbrush, only being refines more in the last few versions, and some would still find it lacking compared to subdivision modeling.
BTW are you starting with z brush? I have done the same, and after aquiring a bread and butter modeling program I was allitel confused becasue I was comparing functions with z brush. Ive been told personaly i should start with a modeling standard program Maya/3ds max before z brush.
happy holidays!
Don't worry, it wont happen that way. All you need is :
- Beginner polygon modeling knowledge for subdivision (Max, Maya, XSI - The Johan of Arc tutorials should be enough to cover it);
- Basic zbrush skills to make rough blockout models (Zbrush or Mudbox. The Angler Fish video was enough to cover all the Zbrush basics back in the days of Zbrush2, and Mudbox requires no tutorial because it's so easy to use anyways);
- A good knowledge of a retopolgy tool like Topogun to tie it all together (there are many videos on the TG website).
All this can be learned rather quickly, with good tuts and DVDs and advice from a place like Polycount whenever you're stuck. (Topogun in about a day ; Zbrush and/or Mudbox in about a week ; and Max's editpoly in a week or two).
Everything else comes from your artistic eye... and this takes the longest time to train. So get started now, practice a lot of traditional drawing to train your eye and show your stuff! That's all there is to it really.
Art knowledge first, digital imagery programs second. Many beginners don't believe or refuse to accept it, but that's the truth. Take a badass traditionnal sculptor, teach him/her some Max and Zbrush basics, and you'll get badass CG art under a week. Take an art noob and teach him or her the same programs - you'll get years of crappy plasticky models and no progress whatsoever
It dont count as a advice....
lol no i am not Starting with Zbrush. In this mean World being humble not always work you have to b tough and have a voice to share your point of view.
hpy holidays to u too man and all
I love that Beta testing link Cryrid, That will do alot in the long run. Ty
here check my sketchbook and C&C welcome, that is if you like to spare ur time. cheers
http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=92440
I have too problem finding tutorials, Google for it. But the only one i have is CGnuggets, $10 per month, both EAT3D tutorials from Mike.