A-Team Van

[dbuzugbe]

Ello folks,

I wanted to teach myself and practice modeling just in zbrush. No matter how much I wanted to run back to Max I was determined to learn something new. So I set myself the task of modeling a little super deformed A-Team van from a sketch I did in last years Inktober.

The render is from Keyshot, which is also new to me.

Here is the original sketch of mine from a year ago:

Some zbrush captures of a few stages:

Shiney:

Turn around:
[https://youtu.be/wft4FyQghzA

](https://youtu.be/wft4FyQghzA)

The crew: These were from another sketch, maybe I will model them next… maybe

Hope you like it.

D

Attachments

[skinnybonez]

small_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamondsmall_orange_diamond

da-da-da-daaaaa…da, da, da-dah…d-d-d-da-di-dah…duh-da-di-dah-di-di!!!

[zbjames]

Great job D! So, how would you summize your experience in modeling vehicles in ZBrush let’s say compared
to Max and other ways? Is it pretty much the same idea and feel or completely different to you?

[Robowheels]

nice fool. I loved that show when I was little. I might sculpt Mr. T after next week

[dbuzugbe]

Thanks folks, @zbjames I’m not a vehicle artist by any stretch of the imagination I was just trying to learn hard surface modeling, coming from a character and concept artist background I thought it would be another good string to add to the bow. But in general the hard surface modeling in zbrush has been incredibly satisfying and relatively fast for a N00b. There is the initial wall you hit when you come from using a package, like all the terms and names are either slightly or completely different (to be honest spin edge still confuses me) but once you try to forget and tackle the problem with the tools you have it quickly becomes second nature.
The main advantage zbrush has over Max for me is the immediate results you get in the live viewport. It’s almost magical how you can go from a dyna mesh cube to a rough sculpt in a few minutes, retopologise it and fancy seeing how its going just tap “A”, adding hard surface edges well dynamic smooth is there and you can instantly jump between low and high with a tap of the “D”. Plus don’t get me started on insert mesh, had to stop myself from adding screws and bolts everywhere. I also love how zbrush helps you not break the model it will always try to give you a clean model, whether its quads, open edges or face alignment this is an incredible time saver. All of this and a fully globally illuminated render is a few seconds away. I take it back what I said earlier its not almost magical it is MAGIC!

So to actually answer your question it did feel completely different, it felt fun and I cant wait to dive back in to experiment some more.

[zbjames]

Thanks for the answers and details dbuzugbe.
Thats very confirming. I don’t really consider myself to be strong in any package. I have some basic knowledge of a couple but i haven’t really used them yet to produce assets. I am working in 2D realm (concepts) still and will eventually jump into 3D. Highly likely ZBrush for my hardsurfacing. i’m glad with what you have said and i’m looking forward to it when i get there.

>It’s almost magical how you can go from a dyna mesh cube to a rough sculpt in a few minutes, retopologise it and fancy seeing how its >going just tap “A”…All of this and a fully globally illuminated render is a few seconds away. I take it back what I said earlier its not >almost magical it is MAGIC!

I’ll ask one more Q, hope you don’t mind. My understanding of Retopo is to produce a less dense mesh for animation/rigging purposes. Why would you do that for stills? Is it true that you have to retopo for doing Hardsurfacing in order
to get the proper shapes/angles? If so, that is something i didn’t realize. (Saw a HSurface tutorial but the guy didn’t explain why he retopo’d).

thanks,
-j

[Omen_D3]

Wow thank you so much for the top row!!! This makes an old artist very happy indeed.

@zbjames No problem at all, as you said I retop’d to get the proper edge flow and reduce poly count. As I started this model with a Dynomesh block I had the rough shape i desired but didn’t have any edge flow at all, also it was very high poly. From what tiny knowledge I have learned it is best to model as low as you possibly can to get the shapes you require only adding edges where necessary. This keeps your scene faster and easier to work with in the long run.

If I had started this van purely in zmodeler and had a low poly rough from the get go I wouldn’t have to had retopo’d it. For example I only retopologised the main body and the large elements you see in the first rough image, everything else was just modelled straight from a basic primitive in zmolder without and need to fix it.

Hope that makes sense.

[dbuzugbe]

Sorry logged in with the wrong account, Omen D3 is me, we are the same. Both old and senile and unable to remember a simple password to a forum.

[skinnybonez]

congrats on top row!!! Murdock is probably hyperventilating about the top-row glory! now you just gotta make a plane and get B.A. Baracus on it

[zbjames]

You rule!
It makes total sense Damian.

[seanman]

I love it when a Van comes together.

[muddypig]

Excellent work, must have been great to just jump in. I have been considering this kind of aproach to hard surfaces for years, but never moved from character work. This has inspired me, thank you. Voted

[djorzgul]

Wicked
I just love when I see great and n a way low poly work done with zmodeler.
Personally I enjoy my hard poly time in ZBrush