Tutorial: Daily Doze Of Fiber Fun

[Pixolator]

Hi :)
In this tutorial, you will learn a fun and effective method to use the Fiber Tool in order to create a coat of fiber that contains an intricate color patterns.
(The example images have intentionally kept very simple as the key to this tutorial is in the utilization of the Auto Picker mode and the Fiber Tool)

Let’s get started…

http://www.pixolator.com/images01/fibertut/i01.jpg
Step01: First, we need to create a surface that later will be covered by a coat of fibers. Select the Sphere3D tool, select a color similar to the image above and draw a sphere in the center of you canvas.

http://www.pixolator.com/images01/fibertut/i02.jpg
Step02: Place few more spheres…

http://www.pixolator.com/images01/fibertut/i03.jpg
Step03: and few more spheres….


Now we are going to apply color to the surface, which will later be used as a means of controlling the color of each fiber.

http://www.pixolator.com/images01/fibertut/i04.jpg
Step04: Select the Simple Brush tool. Set Brush Size to 16. Set MRGB intensity to 100%. Select Yellow/Orange color. We will be applying only color therefore we need to turn off ZAdd.. Apply brush strokes similar to the image above.

http://www.pixolator.com/images01/fibertut/i05.jpg
Step05: Continue using the SimpleBrush with Brush Size set to 8 and color set to white. Apply brush strokes similar to the image above.


Ok… we now have a the base surface and it is time to prepare the surface for fiber paining as well as setting the properties of the Fiber tool and the picker palette…

Step06: Preparing the surface: For best results, we need to ‘bake’ the image before we apply fibers (Baking is a term that is used when describing a texture that has light and shadows pre-painted into the image). In order to bake the image, we need to press the LAYER.BAKE button (or by pressing ctrl+b).

Step07: Preparing the Fiber Tool: Select the Fiber Tool And modify its properties as follows…GARAVITY=60 ,GROOMING=0, TURBULENCE=25,THICKNESS=4.
Set the Draw Size to 50. Select Material 0 (Flat Color). We are using flat color material because in most cases, fibers look best when unshaded.

Step08: Preparing the Picker mode: A standard color picker allows you to ‘pick’ existing colors from you drawing area in order to be used for further application of paint. In ZBrush, you can pickup several properties from the canvas (Colors, materials, depth and orientation). To manually pick a color from the canvas, you need to click on any of the color selectors and drag (while still keeping the mouse button down) your cursor to the canvas area, if done properly you will notice that the color selector will ‘pick’ up the color which is pointed to by the cursor. Releasing the mouse button will confirm your selection and you can use this color for further painting.
This mode of color picker is quite basic and common, but ZBrush has more advanced color-picking modes… in this tutorial, we will be activating the continuous picker mode, which will cause the Fiber Tool to continuously pick colors from the canvas. In order to activate this mode, you need to press the Continuous button within the PICKER menu (see image below)
http://www.pixolator.com/images01/fibertut/Markerpalette.jpg


We are ready to use the auto-color-fiber mode…

http://www.pixolator.com/images01/fibertut/i06.jpg
Step09: Apply a fiber coat to the canvas using one continuous brush stroke (as shown in the image above). As you apply the brush stroke, you’ll notice that each of the fibers is automatically given a color based on the existing color in the canvas. This auto-color selection is a result of the Continuous-color-picker being activated.

Before moving to the next step, the continuous-picker-mode needs to be turned off by pressing the color icon in the PICKER menu (see image below)
http://www.pixolator.com/images01/fibertut/Markerpalette2.jpg


Step10: add few more details… and we are done.
http://www.pixolator.com/images01/fibertut/i07.jpg

Here are 2 more simple examples of images before/after fiber...
http://www.pixolator.com/images01/fibertut/Sample01.jpg

If you try this color-fiber method, please post your image/s and findings.

I hope you’ll find this info fun and helpful :)
-Pixolator

[Kruzr]

:) Hi Pixolator.....Great "Fiber" tutorial!!! Full of valuable information & easy to follow instructions. You should get a lot of poster's on this one. :D Z'ya later, I've got to get started on MY post..... :cool: Mark.

[ed_the_atom]

[Digits]

My Teddy Bear

http://www.cyber-webs.com/Floydvoid/zbrush/teddy.jpg

he bites

[Kruzr]

:) Well.....Here's my addition to the "Fiber Tut", I tried it with the Fiber Size at 5, but it didn't look right so I took'er down to 1 & it seems to look more natural. ;)


http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads0/user_image-988248819tpq.jpg


Hey Gurgler.....I saw one of those critters under my bed last week. I was going to clean under there, but after I saw it crawling around I decided to let him have his own territory. :D Z'ya later..... :cool: Mark.

[ed_the_atom]

Kruze...

Looks like big Ted...is astonished by what you got in your undies. Cool Bear.

Digits...only the criminally insane would have a bear like that. Love the look of the poor bloody thing.

[Nikko]

Pixelator: Nice addition to this already excellent tutorial- I especially like the tree things with the fog added- Looks like something from "Lost in Space"
Gurgler; Now THAT'S funny! I really like the teeth...
Digits: That's just plain scary....
Kruzr: Beautiful bear, nice fur, but those eyes follow you no matter where you are in the room. I wish he would stop staring at me....

[william]

I like this tutorial. Thanks

[Stevie Render]

Pixolmaster,
This program really has hair! Big furry balls of it. I remember when other apps. were trying to make hair. It was a joke compared to THE Z. Love the tutorials. Please don't ever get too busy to lead us onward and upward.

[juandel]

http://www.cyber-webs.com/zbrush/bear1a.jpg
here is an example of the results of baking/furring too early (bluegreen background color all around the panda) instead of waiting until everthing else is done. anyhoo, i liked the bear better than the bamboo so i post in this thread instead adding an example of how-not-to-do in the
bamboo-tutorial (http://www.pixolator.com/zbc-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=1&t=000191) thread :D

[Digits]

Heh, I liked the bluegreen glow around his fur, to me it makes it look like there is a full moon behind him and it is reflecting off the jungle. I say cool!

[davey]

I'm with Digits, I think this is very well done. To me the blue glow looks like a bright blue key light behind him.

Good job!

dave

[robotalk]

Juandel--it makes 3--the glow is a meant to be "event" and makes this fun--and wonderful image better---This is one of my favorites..Genma---I mean--Robo

[rhom]

Juandel-I think that bear is fantastic-and the blue glow even better(heck I even like the bamboo)to cool!

[JOLA]

Hi Pixolator,

thats a great place!!!!!I mist it until
today. Thanks a lot for the tutorial!!
And the nice pictures in here. Ciao JOLA
:rolleyes: :eek: :p

[night_dreamer]

...i actually just noticed how old this post is...but still extremely helpfull...i just recently got zbrush, and this is my first piece with it, retouched a bit(not much really) on photoshop...like i said..this was a big help to get started....

http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/zbc_uploads/user_image-1014154794lrb.jpg

[DeeVee]

[drjjwow]

wow havent seen this in a long time.. great tut aint it.. well time to go fiber brushing..