Introducing ZBrush 3rd Edition

Introducing ZBrush 3rd Edition

by
Released June 2012
Publisher(s): Sybex
ISBN: 9781118330463

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Book description

Learn ZBrush inside and out with this updated new edition

Get totally comfortable sculpting in a digital environment with the latest edition of this bestselling beginner's guide to ZBrush. Fully updated for the newest version of the software, ZBrush 4R3, this book dispels any fears you might have about the difficulty of using ZBrush and soon has you creating realistic, cartoon, and organic models with flair. Learn all the essentials, as you complete fun tutorials on painting, meshes, organic scripting, hard surface sculpting, lighting, rendering, and more.

  • Introduces you to ZBrush, the sculpting software that lets you create digital art with a fine-art feel, which you can transfer into Maya or other 3D applications

  • Covers painting, meshes, organic sculpting, hard surface sculpting, textures, lighting, rendering, working with other 3D applications, and scripting

  • Walks you through a series of fun and engaging tutorials where you can start creating your own work, including human, cartoon, and organic models

  • Fully updated for the newest version of ZBrush, ZBrush 4R3, including full coverage of its robust rendering tools

  • Includes a DVD with helpful video examples and files to help you complete the tutorials

Design remarkably realistic creatures, people, and objects with ZBrush and the new edition of this top-selling guide.

The DVD is not included as part of the e-book file, but is available for download after purchase.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Contents
  3. Foreword
  4. Introduction
  5. Chapter 1: Digital Art Basics
    1. An Introduction to ZBrush
    2. Understanding Digital Images
      1. Anatomy of a Pixel
      2. Vector Images
    3. Understanding Resolution
      1. Screen Resolution
      2. Document Resolution
      3. Image Resolution
    4. Understanding 3D Space
      1. Anatomy of a Polygon
      2. Pixols versus Pixels
      3. Being a Digital Artist
    5. Resources
  6. Chapter 2: Understanding the ZBrush Interface
    1. The Zen of ZBrush
      1. The ZBrush Canvas
      2. Light Box
      3. The ZBrush Shelves
      4. Navigating the ZBrush Canvas
    2. Trays and Palettes
    3. The Title Bar
    4. Summary
  7. Chapter 3: Basic Digital Sculpting
    1. Digital Clay
      1. Using the Sculpting Brushes to Create a Dragon’s Head
      2. Using the Smooth Brush
      3. Defining Forms with the Standard and Clay Brushes
    2. Working with Dynamic Levels of Subdivision
    3. Creating a Sculpting Topology with Dynamesh
      1. Using Dynamesh on the Dragon’s Head Model
      2. Editing Your Design
      3. Refining the Surface with Polish Brushes
    4. Masking
      1. Mask Controls
      2. Editing the Mask
      3. Mask Pen Stroke Types
    5. Insert Brushes
      1. Using the InsertSphere Brush to Add Eyes
      2. Creating Teeth Using Parametric 3D Objects
      3. Bending the Tooth Using Deformations
      4. Using the Insert Brush to Add the Tooth to the Dragon
      5. Using the Transpose Brush to Position the Tooth
      6. Duplicating the Teeth Using Transpose
      7. Adding Horns to the Dragon Head
    6. Summary
  8. Chapter 4: Polymesh Editing
    1. Selection Brushes
      1. Selecting Parts of the Dragon’s Head
      2. Masking Selections
    2. Polygroups
      1. Arranging a Face into Polygroups
      2. Creating a Polygroup for the Eyelids
      3. Using Morph Target to Create Polygroups
    3. Polygroups and Dynamesh
      1. Using the SliceCurve Brush to Create Polygroups
      2. Masking by Polygroups
    4. Working with Subtools
      1. The SubTool Subpalette
      2. SubTool Master and Transpose Master Plug-Ins
    5. ZSpheres
      1. ZSphere Basics
      2. Skin ZSpheres
      3. Adaptive Skinning
      4. Creating a Body for the Dragon Using ZSpheres
      5. Adding ZSphere Legs and a Tail
      6. Skinning the ZSphere Dragon Body
      7. Merging the Head and Body
    6. ZSketching with ZSpheres
      1. Creating a ZSketch
      2. Previewing the Unified Skin
      3. Adding Details
      4. Binding and Posing the ZSketch
      5. Creating a Unified Mesh
      6. Sculpting the ZSketch
    7. Summary
  9. Chapter 5: ShadowBox and Clip Brushes
    1. ShadowBox
      1. Creating a ShadowBox
      2. The ShadowBox Tool
      3. Using Reference Images in ShadowBox
    2. Create the Car Body in ShadowBox
      1. Using the MaskCurve Brush
      2. Using the MaskCircle Brush
      3. Creating the Top View of the Hot Rod
      4. Using the MaskLasso Brush to Create Windows
      5. Using Radial Symmetry in ShadowBox
      6. Using Alpha Textures within ShadowBox
    3. MatchMaker Brush
    4. Clip Brushes
      1. Clip Brush Basics
      2. Using the ClipCircle Brush
      3. Creating a Tire Using Clip Brushes
      4. Brush Radius and PolyGroup Clip Brush Options
      5. Using the ClipCurve Brush
      6. Refining the Car Body Using Clip Brushes
      7. Clipping at an Angle
      8. Refining the Windows Using Clip Brushes
      9. Dynamesh and ClayPolish
      10. Creating a Space for the Interior of the Car
    5. Summary
  10. Chapter 6: Advanced ZSphere Techniques
    1. Retopologizing a Character
      1. ZSphere Retopology
      2. Previewing the New Topology as You Work
      3. Converting the Retopology Cage to an Adaptive Mesh
    2. Projection
      1. Projecting a Retopologized Surface
    3. Deforming a Mesh with ZSpheres
      1. Binding a Mesh with ZSpheres
      2. Deforming Multiple Subtools with Transpose Master
      3. Posing Characters with ZSpheres and Transpose Master
    4. Mannequins
      1. Posing a Mannequin
      2. Creating a Multicharacter Scene
      3. Editing a Mannequin
      4. Converting the Mannequin into a Mesh
    5. Curve Brushes
      1. Curve Mode
      2. CurveTube Brush
      3. Creating Wings with the CurveSurface Brush
    6. Summary
  11. Chapter 7: Advanced Brush Techniques
    1. Brush Customization
    2. Designing a Brush
      1. LazyMouse
      2. Saving Your Custom Brush Preset
      3. Using the Brush Modifier Slider
      4. Tablet Pressure Settings
      5. Creating a Custom Brush Icon
      6. Using the detailBrush
    3. Alpha Textures
      1. Creating an Alpha in Photoshop
      2. Creating an Alpha in ZBrush
      3. Alpha Roll
      4. Editing an Alpha
      5. Tilt
      6. Spin Alphas
    4. Brush Effects
      1. Trails
      2. Elasticity
      3. Noise
    5. Hard Surface Detail Brushes
      1. Planar Brushes
      2. Brush Depth
      3. Depth Masking
      4. The Picker Palette
      5. Curve Stroke Type
      6. Combining Settings
  12. Chapter 8: Polypainting and SpotLight
    1. Polypainting
      1. Polypainting Basics
      2. Secondary Color
      3. Color Blending
      4. Blurring Strokes
      5. Filling an Object with Color
      6. Using Brush Texture
      7. Polypainting and Subdivisions
    2. Polypainting Techniques
      1. Creating a Base Coat
      2. Creating Color Zones
      3. Painting a Mottling Pass
      4. Painting Subsurface Details
      5. Using Cavity Masking
      6. Using Ambient Occlusion Masking
      7. Painting Surface Details
    3. Image Editing with SpotLight
      1. Opening and Closing SpotLight
      2. Transforming Images
      3. SpotLight Functions
    4. SpotLight Projection
      1. Projecting an Image
      2. Pinning the Projection to the Brush
      3. Blending Images Together Using Fade
      4. Sculpting with SpotLight
      5. Symmetrical Projection
      6. Sculpting References in SpotLight
    5. Painting with Curves
      1. Using Curve Mode with Polypaint
      2. Creating a Design
    6. Summary
  13. Chapter 9: FiberMesh, Materials, and Rendering
    1. FiberMesh
      1. FiberMesh Preview Settings
      2. Creating the Hair Mesh
      3. Styling FiberMesh
      4. Lengthening the Hair
    2. Rendering Basics
      1. Render Modes
    3. Standard Lighting
      1. The Light Palette
      2. Light Types
      3. The Light Intensity Curve
      4. Shadows
    4. Advanced Lighting with LightCap
      1. The LightCap Interface
      2. LightCap Settings
      3. LightCap Alphas
      4. Using a Background Image
      5. Saving LightCap Files
    5. Material Basics
      1. Material Shaders
      2. Copying and Pasting Shaders
      3. Saving Materials
      4. Downloading Materials
    6. Designing Materials
      1. Understanding MatCap Materials
      2. Editing a MatCap Material
    7. Painting Materials
      1. Polypainting Materials
      2. The Shader Mixer
    8. BPR Rendering Techniques
      1. Subpixel Anti-Aliasing Quality
      2. Ambient Occlusion
      3. Subtool Transparency
      4. Wax Preview
      5. Subsurface Scattering
      6. Rendering Hair
      7. BPR Render Filters
    9. ZBrush and Photoshop
      1. Document Size and Background
      2. Render Passes
      3. Creating a Specular Pass
    10. Summary
  14. Chapter 10: Surface Noise, Layers, and the ZBrush Timeline
    1. Surface Noise
      1. Making Some Noise
      2. Applying the Noise to Your Mesh
      3. Using an Image to Make Noise
    2. Morph Targets
      1. Storing a Morph Target
      2. Switching Targets
      3. Deleting a Morph Target
      4. Using the Morph Brush
    3. Using 3D Layers
      1. The Layers Subpalette
      2. Layer Record Mode
      3. Layer Strength
      4. Baking Layers
    4. Polypaint Layers
      1. Creating Polypaint Layers
      2. Creating Texture Maps
    5. The ZBrush Timeline
      1. The Movie Palette
      2. The Timeline
      3. Animating Layers
      4. Recording and Exporting Movies
      5. Contact Points
    6. Summary
  15. Appendix: About the Companion DVD
    1. What You’ll Find on the DVD
      1. Chapter Files
    2. System Requirements
    3. Using the DVD
    4. Troubleshooting
    5. Customer Care
  16. Index
  17. Gallery
  18. Bonus Content 1: GoZ
    1. Modeling with GoZ
      1. Sending a Model from ZBrush to Maya
      2. Sending a Mesh from Maya to ZBrush
      3. Changing the Topology in Maya
    2. Creating Texture Maps in ZBrush
      1. Using UV Texture Coordinates
      2. Creating a Color Texture Map
      3. Creating Normal and Displacement Maps
      4. Using GoZ to Send the Maps to Maya
  19. Bonus Content 2: ZScripts and ZPlugins
    1. Using ZScript
      1. Using Quick Sketch
      2. Recording a ZScript
      3. Loading and Running Your ZScript
    2. Using Projection Master
      1. Sculpting a Surface in Projection Master
    3. Using ZPlugins
      1. Installing a ZPlugin
      2. UV Master
      3. Control Painting UVs
      4. PaintStop
      5. 3D Print Exporter
      6. Decimation Master
      7. ZAppLink 3

Product information

  • Title: Introducing ZBrush 3rd Edition
  • Author(s):
  • Release date: June 2012
  • Publisher(s): Sybex
  • ISBN: 9781118330463