Ready, Set, Render!

[Pixolator]

Hi:)


I have recently posted several alpha-test images in this thread (http://www.zbrushcentral.com/showthread.php?161537-ZBrush-4R2-ZClassroom-Movies.-Update-11/page7) and was asked to post a breakdown of the steps required to achieve similar renders in Z4R2.


Thanks to the enhancements to BPR, LightCap™ and BPR Filters in Z4R2, you are now able to achieve higher quality renders quite easily (and faster than previously possible). Furthermore, in Z4R2 the rendering engine has been updated to a full 32 bits per channel pipeline; this includes all the shaders and MatCaps. The new MatCaps are now able to process the 96 bits per pixel maps that are generated by LightCap. These maps (diffuse and specular) are composed of 32 bits per channel and are therefore far superior to any 8 bits per channel imported images.


Here are a few quick Z4R2 test renders of imported car mesh…
276865
276864
276863
276862





As can be seen in the movie below, the 'studio lights' setup for these renders is quite simple...
<IFRAME height=616 src="http://www.pixologic.com/zbrush/zbrush4r2/tut-13-1024.html" frameBorder=0 width=1034></IFRAME>
To learn how to quickly assign polygroups to a muti-parts imported mesh, see the MERGE SIMILAR movie in here (http://www.zbrushcentral.com/showthread.php?161537-ZBrush-4R2-ZClassroom-Movies.-Update-11).





00:02 Import model.
00:05 Select MatCap™ Red Wax.
00:07 Set 'Cavity Transition' to zero.
00:08 Set 'Cavity Detection' to zero.
00:09 Press 'CopySH'.
00:10 Select material 'DoubleShade1'.
00:11 Select 'S2'.
00:12 Press 'PasteSH'.
00:13 Adjust basic values of Shader 0.
00:18 Selecting Shader 1, the MatCap shader which we are about to create with LightCap.
00:25 Set 'Render/RenderProperties/Details' to 3.
The above step is important when creating fine LightCap maps, especially when using detailed alpha-based lights. When using simple LightCap lights, a lower value will suffice.
This value represents the size of the maps that ZBrush creates: 1=512x512, 2=1024x1024, 3=2048x2048
00:28 Adding lights to LightCap. Each is assigned a square alpha and with H and V tiling.
00:30 Selecting the "Specular" mode to view the reflections generated by the added lights.
You may adjust the MatCap 'Cavity Transition' value to allow for more or less specularity.
-1=Diffuse only, 1=Specular Only, other values will produce a blend of the Diffuse and Specular maps (orbs).
01:07 Adjusting Shader 1 Mixer. Pressing 'Black'.
01:21 Setting 'Fresnel' to 95 and "F Exp" to 1.2.
01:23 Setting blend mode to 'Overlay'.
You may want to also experiment with other blend modes.
01:28 Activating 'Render/Render Properties/Smooth Normals' and 'Render/Render Properties/Transparent'. Adjusting "BPR Transparency" values.
You need to press the 'Tool/Display Properties/BPR Transparent' button for each subtool which you want to be rendered as transparent.
02:00 Adjusting 'Light/Distance'. This sets the relative distance of the lights which in turn controls the reflections.
02:17 A test BPR render.
02:25 Adjust Matcap shader 'Depth' value which controls the reflections.
02:28 Done!





Even though it only takes a few minutes to produce high quality renders, be warned that you may find yourself (as I did) enjoying the accessibility and flexibility of BPR and spending more time tweaking the renders until you achieve the perfect beauty shot.:)


Please feel free to share with us your shiny hard-surface Z4R2 beauty renders, and of course any tip or trick that you discover will be appreciated by all:)

-Pixolator

[ZWolf]

Beautiful Pixolator!

[EricShawn]

Wow! Thanks, so exciting to see this post. Fantastic renders, especially considering it is a scanline render.

I still think that if Zbrush were to ever add a real Raytracing renderer on a par with Modo, complete with radiosity, GI, and the whole nine yards, it would be the biggest selling 3d application in history. It would be unstoppable, there'd be no reason to use any other package for most needs (except for animation).

PLEASE think about adding Raytracing!

[HipoPapi]

Woooooooooow that turntable at the end blew my mind. Huhu and I am first to comment. Great job pixolator. I always thought the animation futures in zbrush ware useless,
but with so much rendering power I might have to learn to do some basic animation in zbrush. Go zbrush go

[phrenzy84]

Revolution after revolution.

Its amazing how far this tool has come along.

Its the equivalent of the pencil or written word. Anything that can be imagined can be created and now rendered.

I would love some skin BPR guides.

[gpepper]

I have to say that is is so great !!I love where your are going guys !

[Drakelot]

Most impressive lights, mats, reflex and video ... WOW

[axisis]

"THE BUGATTI VEYRON SUPER SPORT CAN DO 0-60 IN 2.5 SEC...WHAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!":D
:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D
I so want a Bugatti veyron, just to try and max to its top speed.

I guess you chose the fastest production car in the world to show that Zbrush is very fast at rendering, Am I right?

Was that Veyron created in Zbrush?!! Impresive, that must of taken ages. =]

[Bas Mazur]

Pooooooh, amazing!!!

[pabgo]

sexy

[Nattawat_OBBI]

Beautiful render...........Thank you zbrush 4r2 :tu:

[testure]

turned out really nice!

[KrakenCMT]

Holy shizzle, that's gorgeous! Now off to play!

[Pi(x)el]

I've no need to play videogames... I have Zbrush 4 R2!!...

It's a fantastic program for work and play!

[idlemind]

very cool, you know im just a hobbyist but seeing that car and assuming you built it in zbrush really crushes the car im building. that really floored me I hope I can get that good eventually. nice tute!

[Lowk3y]

What the hell? Deletes 3ds Max Why would you do this to me? LOL just kidding, SUPER job on everything being done. With all of these companies nowdays copying off of one another, it's really refreshing to see some innovative and fresh new features. It really sets ZBrush in it's own league. Going to name my first born Pixologic. LOL

[Khuslen]

this is so great!
thanks to pixologic team for doing such amazing work!

[Dali.P.]

I cant believe it i also have Maya 2012 at Home but watching this rendering and the fast way it is created marks a Donkey text on my Head.Fast interaktiv settings changes in less time with a damn nice result for Illustration and presentation movies.

Im curently modeling a Lamborgini Aventador and want to try this stuff you show here out.

Thank you !!!

[chaymation]

very cool, you know im just a hobbyist but seeing that car and assuming you built it in zbrush really crushes the car im building. that really floored me I hope I can get that good eventually. nice tute!

It says in the original post that it is an imported mesh, so I'm guessing it wasn't made in zBrush (just rendered there). :)

[digi-mech]

great vid, thanks.. but how did you do the glass?

[michalis]

Here are a few quick Z4R2 test renders of imported car mesh…

Imported! Read carefully.

Impressive renders indeed. Well done.

[ArtBot]

I am finding this upgrade awesome. The new and improved tools are beyond belief--great! I am new to ZBrush, having watched (on the Mac) from afar for years and years until version 4 came out for the Mac, as well as the PC. As I study the program, (Scott Spencer's Gnomon training, for example is detailed and great!) and I try to learn as much as I can every single day; I have a (hopefully respectful) comment. I have already learned a lot from watching this LightCaps video. Even though it is fast, I can slow it down and watch it frame-by-frame. The problem though is that even though the frame size is 1024x576 (much high that previous version 4 tutorials from Pixologic) this 4 R2 video is blurry. Compared to stills, for example of the BPR Filter R2 video, it is hard to read and see the type and numbers in the individual frames. Perhaps they were rendered out at too high a compression on this one. Would it be possible to re-render this tutorial at a higher quality compression and re-post an update?

All appreciated. Thank you.

[mpaquin]

That was awesome. I used to do a similar light setup in mental ray, but this is much faster and more fun!

[nebular]

It is amazing!
Thank you for showing us BPR in action :cool:

Can't wait to try it out

[Ralramahi]

Thank you so much for showing this, the renders are waaay beautiful.

[Pixolator]

Thank you for your kind replies:)

I have added a breakdown of the steps presented in the movie to the first post (http://www.zbrushcentral.com/showthread.php?162330-Ready-Set-Render!).

[Mr-NYM]

Wait....
How did you get different material properties on different parts of the car without selecting individual subtools and multiple shaders?????? How did you make the windows transparent without selecting them? Did you just make the one matcap and then the final turntable has multiple materials and subtools? What is going on here?

EDIT* nevermind I get it. you were only making the light cap for the car shader.

[saltapiedras]

Great.

[sculptor.zb]

wow!! awesome! :tu:

[CGPoto]

i like it, great work.

[goktugg]

That's great, thanks.

[Kerem]

That quality is more than enough for my renders...

[darklopium]

just wow, really interesting what we see here, thanks for sharing!

[DT CARTAMANIA]

Well what i can say, you make my day happy :) i never see a software in creation like that i worked in max, maya, and i never arrive in fast way to create characters, object anything come to my mind and make it in piece of paper, but what i just discover zbrush this month it changed my life completely in way of thinking no more afraid of vertex or else, just push,pull smooth, colorise and texture then boom :) artwork done, that's so amazing how people like pixologic think, they are so genius, anyway i talked here too much , you make my day easy in creation thank you sooooo much:0


DT CARTAMANIA

[Ronboy]

I really appreciate this info. Speed scuplts or any type of speed tuts aren't my thing, but this was very useful. The written steps are the way to go after the video. I'm new to Zbrush and have little info on rendering in Zbrush. It seems I have to devote so much time in searching for basic rendering knowledge. Can you do more tuts explaining rendering, materials and lights? Your work is awesome! Thanks:confused:

[XIII]

The light setup is amazing and I totaly get it but I just dont get how to get a decent glass like in your vid. All my transparency tests turn up having some sort of hazing and are not clear like yours.
example:
284804

I've searched for tutorials on glass and transparency in ZBrush, but have turned up with nothing useable as they all require compositing in photoshop.

If anyone could please post a tutirial on how to achive a show car glass material, I would greatly appreciate it

[wutianniu]

great