ZBrushCentral

Need a bit of advice.

Community
#1

I am very interested in computer graphics designing, I want to create works of art that I can only paint in my head. But I don’t know where to begin, I know nothing about what to do, what to know, or whats involved. So I came here (A friend of mine showed me this website and i was amazed at the art displayed by people in the gallery). If it’s not to much trouble could you post some advise or answer to questions I ask below?

  1. What should i study? Are there certain books that would be easy for a beginner to understand?

  2. Are there courses availible? Or is this something you need to learn on your own?

  3. Is there codes or anything involved?

Any advise would be greatly appreciated, seeing how I know very little about using computer programs.

#2

Well Sheath, seems like you are saying: “I’ve got images in my mind, and I want to learn a digital medium to make them visible.”
A question for you would be: are you having paintings in your head or 3D designs? If you want to paint 2D images you probably want to look into Painter, Photoshop and stuff. If you want to work with 3D objects and images, you want to look into 3D packages.
Fun thing is: Zbrush can do both, and it’s cheap! :slight_smile:
Best way to find out these things is just start with it and you will soon learn what you can do. As for your other questions: for nearly every program there are books for beginners and advanced, or there are tutorials on the internet and DVD’s you can buy. This forum for instance has countless of tutorials for beginners and pro’s.
There are courses in these programs too. You can do them, but you don’t have to. A lot of people are self-thought.
The question about codes I don’t understand so well. You don’t have to be a programmer to work with these programs if that’s what you mean. Some programs are a bit more complex then others. Zbrush feels very intuïtive after the first learning curve.
So, it kinda depends on what you’re after really. Want to paint or model, or both? Look around on the internet, see what people are doing and get your hands dirty. If you love the things ppl are making with Zbrush, maybe that’s a sign. :smiley:

p.s. I’m not trying to sell Zbrush here, it’s just because I love the program so much.

#3

Go here:
http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/zb_quicklinks.php?q=0
and download the practical guide. Then download the ZBrush demo and follow the guide. The elements you are introduced to in this guide match up with a lot of other topics common to all 3D programs. Besides a lot of fun, the instant gratification with nice results is motivating in ZBrush compared to the tedious work ahead for the newcomer in other packages.
Good luck!
Lemo

#4

Lemo is a much better salesman then me. :wink:

#5

Sorry, I should of made it more clear for my questions :).

I want to work with 3D images, In a sense mold a virtual ball of mud into a master piece. I will also be looking into 3D animation as this is what I wish to pursue as a career :slight_smile: as for the link lemo posted, I shall check that out now and see what I can accomplish.

#6

hi
I do hope i am not stepping on toes
zbrush,mudbox,cb model pro…
are the ball of clay for me
and i am finally learning to have fun in my endeavors
as a painter to 3d …
got to have fun or it is just work.

#7

I’ve been using the demo for 3 days now and i’m starting to get the hang of it, just a bit though :). I can use the ZSpheres a little more easily now then when i start, was having trouble closing the ends on the mother sphere and creating links.

I have started on my first project which will be a simple weapon such as a scythe or an axe but im still having trouble reshaping the objects I work with, but i’ll get there.

Also the tutorial doesn’t seem to work when I download it, so i was wondering if there was an online tutorial I could follow?

#8

hey sheath. glad to hear that you like zbrush. i can’t believe i went this long without it (got mine 5 days ago. 3 comes out in 8 days. can’t wait!!!). the learning curve to zbrush is a litte intimidating at first, but like others said, once the pieces start falling together, that’s where the fun begins. just wanted to mention an option just in case you hadn’t heard of it. because you mentioned a little confusion with the zspheres. i too have not fully grasped them yet into a fully predictable fashion. that is where wings 3d comes in. http://www.wings3d.com/ . this is hands down the easiest 3d package i’ve come across. learning curve is almost within the hour. i have lightwave, silo, and blender too. but i still fire up wings every once and a blue moon. just so easy for banging out and idea in no time. then save as .obj and bring into zbrush. plus it’s free!!! just thought i’d pass that on. best of luck in your endeavors, and more importantly, have fun while you’re doing it!!!