ZBrushCentral

How do I best model a cape

ZBrush Usage Questions
#1

Hello everyone

I’m new into the zbrush domain and I’m working atm on a character that is wearing a cape.

And the question is, do I also have to create a back on the cape? (I mean polygons at the 2 sides of the cape).

I first made that character (low poly) in 3DSM, and I’m now gonna make it nicer & more detailded in zbrush, then use the normal map on that low poly character. I think that’s rather important cause I have no idea how these normal maps would work on a material that has to be rendered 2 sided.

Thanks for your help

#2

Model the cape as single plane till you like the look, then open the ‘Morph Target’ menue and hit StoreMT. Then go to Deformation and Inflate the model. Then go back to the Morph Target menu and hit Generate Diff. The result is a cape with thickness. And yes, it’s always a good idea to have a thick model as it saves a lot of problems later on. But it also doubles the polygon count. So… if you have to cheap out then check that you can set front and back (like in C4D) for simple poly surfaces. One quick thing on top… when you added thickness, you also made it much more difficult to change the model later… So… don;t do that in the initial stages. Model your heart out on the single layer, then add thickness. With little manipulation of only one side you can also add more natural texture…
Good Luck
Lemo

#3

thanks for your help, I tried it out but I think I’m doing something wrong.

When I hit the button “CreateDiff” nothing is happening :frowning:

Check the image i’ve add in this post, to see the steps I’ve done

Attachments

cape.jpg

#4

try it with a simple plane. The idea is to have a poly object, store it’s current status as morph source, then do something with that object and hit create diff. The result is a new mesh between the source and the last modification.
Cheers
Lemo

#5

Aha :warning: I’ve found it out, didn’t knew it was a new mesh that was created and had to append it to the “base” mesh.

Thanks for your help :+1:

#6

When you create the difference mesh, it appears as a new object in the Tool paletted. What’s on your model, though, is still the original cape. What you need to do is append the difference mesh to your model (and probably delete the current cape).

Another way to create a cape is to use ZBrush’s retopology feature. This creates the cape with thickness, right from the start.

#7

Topology may be the easiest way to go, check this thread: http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/showthread.php?t=44876&page=1&pp=15

There is an example of a cape there.

Good Luck