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Beginner Videos

ZBrush Usage Questions
#1

I am brand new to Zbrush and have downloaded the Getting Started.pdf. I was hoping to follow the guide step-by-step, but the very first link is broken. I have looked through site and haven’t found anything concerning a beginner lesson. Anyone know where I can find this video? Or can someone point me to a great tutorial series I can follow?

Thanks,

Kevin

#2

First of all, keep in mind that ZBrush development moves along very quickly and, as a result, the tutorials that are out there can become outdated very quickly also. I have seen quite a few people come on this forum and say that they are following tutorials but the things in the tutorials aren’t working and they are wondering why. So, keep this in mind when you are watching tutorials.

For the basics, see ZBrush 4 by Jason Walsh.

For the new features, see the new ZClassroom.

#3

I would also recommend Jason Walsh’ tutorials, I’m new to zbrush and found his videos excellent and paced well. :+1:

#4

Thanks for the response and the link to Jason’s course. Very informative, but even here I am running into trouble following the tutorial completely. Any advice on how to recreate what Jason teaches in 0106 (Sphere Macro)? My results are certainly not his as something has changed in the latest version. I’ll try to pick up what I can from these vids.

Thanks again,

Kevin

#5

That method Jason uses in that video to make a sphere without poles can no longer be accomplished in the latest version of ZBrush. However, you have two alternatives to get exactly the same thing. A poleless sphere is already supplied in ZBrush 4R3 in ‘Lightbox > Tools’ and is the ‘PolySphere.ZTL’. If you use that sphere and reconstruct the subdivision levels, you will reconstruct it into a 6 sided cube which is what Jason’s sphere is made from. Your other alternative is to import a 6 sided cube form another 3D app and then subdivide it. Rest assured, your not going to find a lot of tutorials out for ZBrush 4R3 yet and, I reiterate what I mentioned in my post above.

#6

Thanks, I do find them helpful, but as I am literally just opening this program for the first time, I find that these tutorials don’t give me enough foundation information to be of much use. I have been following the playlist on YouTube step by step and have yet to enounter how to do the basics such as “undo”. It seems I can use ctrl z sometimes and at other times it has no effect. Does there exist anywhere the VERY BASICS? Please advise - I find it frustrating that I am blindly following these videos and if I make one mis-step I have to start the lesson over from the beginning as I am unable to do something as simple as undo. For example, I am working on the lesson where you learn to build an alpha - in this case a chain. If I don’t get the Ring3D exactly spaced for the alpha I am stuck as I can’t figure out undo or how to move individual pieces of geometry to correct the spacing. Also, there are many differences between the behaviours within the latest version of the program and what I am seeing on YouTube. Are the Zbrush Workshops worth the money? Are they too advanced for a beginner to Zbrush? I am proficient in Maya, C4D, Rhino and FormZ, but this approach to modeling is totally foreign to me!

#7

Hi,

Try zbrushworkshops.com Ryan Kingslien’s website. I was able to access some free tutorial videos that Ryan generously made available that helped me get going (also a beginner).

willt

#8

I find that this is often a very good resource also. :wink:

#9

Yeah it can seem tricky to begin with, I did the zbrush classroom tutorials and then Jasons and found them quite easy to follow. I still had to go over each part several times until I got it just right but got there no worries in the end.

I created a great chain brush using the tutorial you mentioned. One key he mentions is the ‘tilda’ key which took me ages to find out was actually the @ key on a UK keyboard!!!:smiley:

I too found the chain rings unmovable once dropped or uneditable, I just had to repeat until I got a smooth drag and drop for each link.

#10

Another thing to consider is…If you are used to the 3D apps you mentioned above, you can create the base mesh in one of those and then import the .obj into ZBrush to do the fine detail work. This is usually the general workflow of a lot of 3D artists anyway. I do it this way quite often, not only beacause I am used to my regular 3D modelling app and can quite quickly throw together a base mesh, but I also still get a lot of enjoyment from “old school” box modelling too.

#11

Thanks for all the advice. I ran across some training videos on Lynda.com for ZBrush 4. Are they any good? Just how different is release 3 from the first anyway?