New Zbrush lessons To hang on your fridge

[cannedmushrooms]

Welp It took awhile but I bring you something new;)

I'm releasing these videos that I was going to make into a Curriculum based learning workshop for Zbrush. And sell on a DVD. But A little voice said to me "NO dont do it" ! When I saw it was a green Leprechaun I knew I was doing the right thing.

The first video is for people that have lived under a rock for 5yrs and have no idea what a mouse is. But when you see lesson 3 and 4 I think you will be surprised on how easy making stuff from Zspheres has become.

When I hated modeling with the little buggers, it was only because they had a mind of their own. BUT, it was because of the Resolution settings and child to parent setting was never really explained all to well. Anyway I think I did it justice. There is a video on Mirrored UVS and a photoshop lesson as well. Basically I converted everything I have ever done to WMV.

Only a couple more videos and I'll have my Curriculum Up to standards and I can take an artistic break.

http://www.houseoftutorials.com/img/lesson1and2_Zbrush.jpg (http://www.houseoftutorials.com/page2.html)


enjoy

[EndOfSewers]

Excellent array of tutorials. Thank you very much!

[ramze]

Cool stuff, I am newbie and this is very usefull.

[Acey]

I'm also another noobie, thanks to you Jason im getting somewhere :D

Jason im doing alright as far as modelling goes for the moment, but im having trouble trying to work out what im doing with projection master and adding colour to my models.
wolfhead2.jpg

[Acey]

Good work as usual Jason. Do you have any tutorials to do mostly with the projection master/colouring? I'm having trouble using it at the moment :/

[Reactor]

Acey, watch how you spell designs when you add a sig to your image :) Nice model though... looks like you're making some nice progress.

Quick side question- where are you in WA?

[cannedmushrooms]

Great work Acey I love seeing the results of the videos.

Got some alpha Making videos coming down the pike here pretty soon for Zbrush.

And a couple Maya lighting tuts that flow along with them.

[Acey]

Whoops didn't mean to double post, nothing came up when I click Submit Reply, so I tried again and still nothing, til now :|.

Wow ty Reactor, I have one of them back lit keyboards and most of the letters have disappeared from the keys :/. I have no more arrows, enter or backspace :P
Quick side answer- Good to see some more aussies here, 54mins south of perth in Warnbro just passed rockingham.

I haven't done a search which I probaly should, but search engines on forums are usually always crappy. Alot of people do good work especially with their painting on with the colours, yet I dont see many tuts on it.

I actually did the model following one of Glen Southerns tutorials, was meant to be a wolf, ended up a dinowolf.
But I do like your tuts Jason, very professional like and you desbribe the procedure as you go.

I need to start looking at a program to build models rather then using the painstaking zspheres :P

[cannedmushrooms]

Ya the painting thing is really hard to capture via video. I think its because as an artist standpoint we like to just kick back and paint without describing why that color goes with that color or why the lights should go this way or that. 2D artists are very judgmental when it comes to anatomy and lights so just when you think your work is great you have somebody somewhere tearing at the whole concept. Even though the whole idea was just to kick back and paint. If that makes sense at all ;)



But I did do a few vids in my 2d section on the site about color wheel tricks and shading and a couple others.

You should visit imaginefx.com also they just opened up a workshop driven website. I have been a big fan of their magazine since it hit the stands and have learned much from the artists that publish in it. Linda Bergkvist really has color and form down pat I think she has a few tuts floating around on google.



I have found over time that Zbrush isn't so bad as far as Zshperes. The topology on the head has always been a bit sketchy. And I won't even mention hands, or UVS. But as far as laying out concepts you will never beat Zbrush. Its really about workflow. All you need to be in happy in life is a good modeling program that does everything correctly, or at least to the point where you don't have to trick it to becoming a great program. So far that does not exists because technology is too fast to keep up with the minds of 10000000000000 users. Find 3 programs (no more than that) that work well with each other and you will be broke but happy;) in my case its been Maya Photoshop Zbrush. But that is just personal taste.



Wow i think this is the most I ever wrote in the forum paragraph wise.

(OMG I'm blogging) ahhhhhhhh the monolog of the future has finally infested me.
(Puts on foil hat)
There I'm safe again

[PixelDroid]

Thanks much for posting these. I am checking out the demo version at the moment, so it is helpful to have something basic to start with.
I have a simple question:
After saving out the first "assignment", when I reopen it, how do I get back to editing the Z-Sphere based model? Perhaps I can't do it with the demo version?

Thanks.
Mitch

Edit: Nevermind, I found the answer here:
http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/showthread.php?t=15941

[cannedmushrooms]

I think they crippled the demo pretty good. Aurick would be a really good one to ask on that one. Would be pretty nice to have a student version of the software rather then the demo stuff. Or at least have a non commercial version so that people don't have to sell their souls. :)
I already have one less soul from the purchase as it is;)

[wckedsunny]

Hey Jason need your help man.

This is a young kid who is having hell lot trouble on this forums, a little bit because of his attitude(or i should say inexperience) and lot because he is really frustrated as he is unable to learn zbrush.

Now you teach young people and students and I think you will be able to handle him better.

Your tutorials with voice will help him a lot, just guide him please.

Heres the link where he got into trouble.
http://zbrushcentral.com/zbc/showthread.php?t=40125&page=1&pp=15

Please see what you can do. :tu:

[cannedmushrooms]

wow talk about a ugly post.
I'm honored that you thought of m,e but to step foot in that mess of a post won't really help much. let the situation die a little bit. He of course is very welcome to join in on the fun.

[wckedsunny]

Yep ugly but then its human beings who do mistakes.

I will ask him to downlaod your tutorials and have a look at them, maybe that will help him for sometime.;)

[dismantled]

Love your tutorials Jason, and the way you go about doing them. I totally agree with everything you say, and recommend you to others.

:ex: but I have one thing I had a hard time getting over, those windows on the plane (texturing video) that you sunk in by using a mask. If you zoomed in more they wouldn't be sharp it but would have lot of jaggies correct :qu: please correct me on this. You would really have to plan the topology to get really precise edges windows :qu:

[cannedmushrooms]

ya to get really nice edges you either have to use a really hard alpha and mask the windows.
or hide all the other faces except the windows and at the lowest level mask them. up the gemetry and then then inflate by 10.
This makes the plane slightly bigger.
Working at a larger resolution on your Zdocument helps also but vid capture crashes anywhere over 2048 for me.
Anyway you look at it box modeling in Zbrush is very hard. Get good at organic modeling. Hard edge modeling is for maya or studiomax.
iI you are just starting out in the field and still cant afford most of the software Blender is also a good program. Little weird at times but still all you need for hard edge modeling is a extrude and and a cut faces tool;)

[cannedmushrooms]

wow I just rewrote enough css to make my fingers into a crippled wad of goo.
Hey if you get a chance goto
http://www.houseoftutorials.com/
And tell me how you like the new decor
The gothic theme was inspired by sep http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/showthread.php?t=040154
And just so you dont go away empty handed
Load this as a directional brush with freehand in projection master. Very fun!
http://houseoftutorials.com/transfer/windowdec1.zip

[dismantled]

Thanks Jason for all the advice, hard edges are difficult in zbrush. I also feel the the new look of the site is better and
will try that brush setup. :tu:

[cannedmushrooms]

Wake up gees are you sleeping? Who needs to sleep coffee is great isnt coffee great. Again thanks for all the great feedback Ladys and Gents.
I have made another half breed film with some newer Ideas about brushes. This concept doesnt really require Maya, Max should work too or even Zbrush if you we're patient enough But Maya defiently helps.
The topic is.
lesson1_mayazbrush.jpg



It uses the idea of making geometry and details so you can add more detail to your geometry with less sculpt time.
I did not make routerbit man in the video. But all he is is a Cube with the new tricks applied to it.

I have made my students a gallery also so swing by and check out the art.
I just opened it so I really havent gathered all the stuff around via render but we have added a few pics.

The video is on this page
http://www.houseoftutorials.com/page2.html

[cannedmushrooms]

Working on a gauntlet with router power;) WIP
Just wanted to show an example.
powerorrouter.jpg

[cannedmushrooms]

Ok made these sweet gauntlets and thought to myself.
What better time to cover some tricks than when your actually working on a piece. So I bring you my ramblings.

I produced like 3 differnt versions of the gauntlets only 1 made it to the final production . So if you see different models dont freek;)

It just goes over the tricky areas. So anytime I thought it would be helpful is when I captured.

workshop1.jpg (javascript:zb_insimg('45735','workshop1.jpg',1,0) )


http://www.houseoftutorials.com/page2.html

[Harmonic]

router.jpg I love your videos, especially the topology layout and design and the router bits. As I don’t have Maya I wanted to figure out a way to get similar results using only Zbrush. I found that you can quickly achieve good results with the terrain 3D too by adjusting its initialize functions. Just wanted to post this here for those of us who don’t have Maya. And to give you a big :tu: and thank you for all your great videos . :)

[cannedmushrooms]

http://www.schoolof3d.com/

Is now open. Not all the videos have finished uploading the date is 29th of dec I would give it another couple days to upload the 20 gigis of videos but at least this link is in place.



houseoftutorialsis still under the rule of my old host and im trying to get the domain name back, so I bought schoolof3d for now.

I have plans for schoolof3d anyway;)

[dougt]

Thanks cannedmushrooms for the new web address. Always enjoy your tutorials (and can't wait to see your forthcoming tutorials for 2.5 once it's released). Happy New Year! :)

[UnCommonGrafx]

Yes, thank you. This is how I will spend my New Year's eve. ;)

[cannedmushrooms]

Couple new videos for beginners

Ok needed to do some more beginner videos to complete my lesson plans so here you go.
The connector Mesh video is pretty fun.
The other easy biped video is part of a workshop dealing with a quick Zsphere multi mesh situation. Sort of like the Biped series but ALOT shorter.
You will also see a set of videos coming soon about portfolio development. using camtasia / Adobe Premiere / Maya and Zbrush and a few other tricks. I'm Still sketching it up.
lesson6_Zbrushcon.jpg

http://www.houseoftutorials.com/page2.html

[dougt]

Thanks again Jason; I always enjoy your videos!
Can't wait to see your tutorials for ZBrush 3.

[Malleable man]

Its always nice to join a community where sharing, for the sake of learning, is valued. With more easy to follow lessons like this, I hope to be up to speed and contributing in no time at all. Thank you Jason.

[cannedmushrooms]

Transpose and Topology

I will be shooting these videos within the next few days

Check out rolypoly with his new face lift;)


exsample.jpg

exsamplefinished.jpg

[zaphodz]

Thanks for the tutes Jason, especially the new Z3 ones.

BTW you duplicated the Transposing tute on your website :)

Cheers :)