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NickZ Video Tutorials

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#21

Revanto - That stinks that you can not up grade, I wasn’t trying to be disrespectful… it’s just that some of these files are like 400 megs. Not something that you want to download with a dial up connection…ouch. I remember the last time I used one (Out at my mom and dad’s house waaaaay out in the country.) I had trouble just checking my e-mail. If I didn’t have my cable modem I’m not sure what I would do, like I said…sometimes I think that is slow as well. Guess I’m getting internet spoiled? If you download with veoh it will tell you the file size when the download starts. That is about the best I can do for you, I’m a pretty busy guy and I am offering these things for free so…use at your own risk. :slight_smile:

Nate Owens- Thanks for the kind words. I now use 3.1 Sorry these video’s were recorded with 3.0 I think that the Skin Pores and Resurfacing Mesh Projection videos are recorded with 3.1. I don’t think that the tools have changed that much between versions, just the interface…from what I can recall. Stinks for step by step. About Veoh, check the preferences…I think that behavior can be changed.

Peace,

NickZ.

#22

Not a problem! I actually have broadband but it’s a low speed and I have a download limit. Australia is still in the stone age when it comes the internet and other technologies. It’s because our prime minister still lives in the stone age.

Anyway, you know, if you asked, someone on this site might volunteer to take your vids, shrink them to a decent size in a different format and maybe even host them. There are friendly enough people on this site who are always willing to help.

Not me, though. I’m a bastard. :lol:

Your other option is to host low res version on Youtube. That’s if you are interested.

Cheers,
Revanto :stuck_out_tongue:

#23

Revanto - That reason that I am using veoh is so I can have the best video quality possible. I want people to be able to read the text on the interface (as best as they can) That is why I have kept the compression low. If it didn’t really matter all that much I would have kept the size down. One more thing I COULD do is re author the video’s in the XidMPEG format. The video quality is good for that format and the file size is a lot smaller. The problem is that these vidoes are being made for another purpose other than sitting on the net. I use the Quicktime format because it allows you to pause the video and advance or go backwards on frame at a time (This comes in handy when you have a time-lapse movie and you want to see in the menu what tools the instructor is using.) If anyone has the time and the space, I could dump the original Quicktime movies to a directory and they could convert them. Hope people can understand. :slight_smile:

#24

Nick…

I fully understand your quest for hi-quality and that is the way to go.

If you get the option to post your vids in some other way than Veoh, I hope that you will post to the forum where they can be downloaded.

I love living out in the country, the problem is that my connection is not as fast as it could be. The only access I have to a computer that lets me watch your vids in real time is a corporate computer and there is no way to install the Veoh movie thing on that system. So… I can look but not download (download times at home are prohibitive). That is my problem so don’t even think about downgrading your quality to suit my wimpy web access.

Please advise if you hook up another way

Thanks for these and if you should decide to offer DVDs or CDs, put me on your mailing list. Some tutorial authors ramble, mumble, and wander here and there. Your stuff is very professional, smooth and moves ahead in a logical sequence. In a word professional.

Nate.

#25

Great vids man!!
Could you explain that masking technique your using in you modeling vids?

thanks!

#26

Hey man great vids, looking forward to the next installment :slight_smile:

I was wondering if you could explain your little masking technique you were doing in your sculpting vids?

Thanks!

#27

Sure thing.

ctrl + draw on your model = painting a mask

ctrl + alt draw on your model = painting out a mask

ctrl click on your mask = blur your mask

ctrl + i = invert your mask

ctrl + h = hide/show mask

ctrl + drag an empty selection in the open viewport = deselect your mask

ctrl + drag a marquee from the open viewport to over some portion of your model = mask with a marquee

ctrl + drag a marquee from the open viewport to over some portion of your model with an alpha turned on = mask with an alpha

Hope this helps!

NIckZ.

#28

Nick… this thread is a treasure find.

Just copied those masking procedures to my bag-of-Z-tricks and tips file.

Thanks!

#29

Hi Nick,
watching your video i’ve seen a workflow so much interesting…but i don’t know understand your steps (is my fault, my english is a little bit tricky.
Could you share your workflow about the store pose in layer:
This is my workflow


  1. Import from Zbrush in XSI the mesh split in multiple obj
  2. Pose in XSI and save every single obj
  3. import with subtools in Zbrush and “rebuild” the mesh, one in static and the other in pose(then i have 2 model with the same number of polygon mesh and subtools)
  4. Now …my light switch off
Thank’s for your time
Bye
Leo

#30

These are really helpfull, love the videos with explanation to go with it.

I think it would be great to have a voice over with the modelling time lapses to, caus there are a lot of time lapses of modelling, would be nice to know
what you where thinking when doing modelling part x, etc

Could be interesting, maybe not, but it would be better than a;; the timelapses that are allready there,

keep it up!

#31

Thanks for these videos. They are awesome!

BTW, if you have access to Quickime Pro, you can export videos using the iPod video codec, and get really small sizes without a change in resolution. I could get 70MB .movs down to 5mb.

#32

Hey Nickz,

Another question- in the begining stages of you sculpts are you using the move brush to get the basic shape of your heads or are you using the std brush - adding and subtracting depth??

Reason i ask is i’m having some trouble with controlling the move brush - I can’t get it to shape how i want it to :stuck_out_tongue: any tips you can offer would be great!!

Thanks!

#33

Nate Owens - Just in time for Halloween! :slight_smile:

Marciani- I’m trying to understand your question, sorry if I get it wrong but… here is how to store a pose in a layer.

  1. export your sub tool as an obj to your 3D application. (use the lowest subdivision level.)

  2. Move your model in your 3D application.

  3. export out new model from 3D application as an obj.

  4. Select your subtool in ZBrush and create a new 3D layer. (In the tool section)

  5. Import in your new OBJ that you saved out from your 3D application. (use the lowest subdivision level.)

This should allow you to turn on and off the layer (turn on and off your pose.)

Goldleaf - I will have to try out the IPOD codec, sound like it could be just what I am looking for! Thanks for the heads up.

Black104 - I am using the move brush to move around the large masses on my model. Pay close attention to your brush size when using this tool, the size of your brush has a huge part in how the model will move. If you want to move more mass then use a really large brush, want to move a small section then only use a small brush. Make sure that you are not using the lazy mouse with the move tool and check that you are not using an alpha with your brush. Also check to make sure that you do not have part of your model masked. If you want to change the shape of your model but do not want to disturb the higher levels of your sculpt, drop down in your subdivision levels and move the lower levels and then step back up in your subdivision levels.

Hope this helps.

NickZ. :slight_smile:

#34

Thx Nickz

Bye
Leo

#35

Nick…

You might take a look at MegaVideo.

What I like about it, and others may also, is that it does not require the user to install any software (as does Veoh and some others) in order to download files (.mov, etc.) - also the downloads are good quality (they offer different levels).

Thus, it can be used from any computer (even those corporate speed demon connections) with no problems.

Give it a look

#36

Okay, I’m not sure what’s going on, but I did some tests with the iPod video codec, and they weren’t the same results. In one case, a file actually increased 10mb. Another one cut the video resolution in half.

So maybe that won’t be a viable solution in every case. If only there were options to look at and customize, maybe I could figure out how to make it work, as it was phenomenal how much it compressed the movie I made before. One thing, is that I edited the video in Final Cut Pro, and the Quicktime file that I exported was subsequently exported using the iPod video codec, from Quicktime Pro. Maybe there was a setting in FCP that setup the video to benefit so much from the iPod video codec.

Do you have any original files? Maybe you can send me one, and I can play around with it in FCP or Quicktime and figure something out. PM/email me if you want to.

#37

Projecting from a hi res mesh to a resurfaced mesh (Sub Tool Method) Very easy 6:16

[veoh]v1404129GHfEeJ4r[/veoh]

projectZToolMethod.jpg

#38

Here is a new time lapse movie that I created to show how ZBrush could be used to build environmental pieces.

Broken Wall Time Lapse Moview (00:06:00 136.3 MB)

[veoh]v1480701J74FxJ23[/veoh]

[veoh]v1486430Wz63dsTW[/veoh]

Enjoy,

NickZ. :slight_smile:

[brokenWall_MayaZBrush.jpg]

#39

A good reminder of Zbrush’ power! Thanks NickZ!

#40

Thanks, I always find it fun watching these and seeing how other people go about the modeling process.