Hi everyone. Can someone please tell me what Silo does differently or better than ZBrush, or if I even need it at all. I know that Silo is not a powerful 3d package like Maya, but are there some aspects of it that are useful when used with ZBrush? Please help…
Silo has edge modeling tools, Zbrush does not. Silo is strictly a polygon modeler (and a great one at that) and most people will make their low polygon model in an application like Silo (or Modo, Or Hexagon, Or Wings, Maya…Xsi…ect) and then import into Zbrush for displacement.
pnoland; Thanks for the input I really appreciate the help.
So are you saying that it’s okay to start and end in ZBrush if I choose to, but it may take longer or be a little more difficult than going through Silo (or Modo, Or Hexagon, Or Wings, Maya…Xsi…ect) first?
For me, I choose Silo to make base meshes because 1) the app is dirt cheap and 2) I’m not that great a sculptor. I could never get the features to look right if I sculpted them straight from a sphere. Eyes were just a struggle to get right. So I started to learn about making proper edge loops and focusing the majority of the geometry where I need it the most, eyes, ears. mouth etc.
You can use any modeling program to make a base mesh. I’ve seen some base meshes that are almost nothing more than a cubes that looks like a head. It’s just to give you a starting point. If cash is low definitley try out Wings3D, I’ve heard good things about it. And free is always to best price!
Good Luck.
rogfa—Sorry for the delayed response but I’ve been a little busy. I’ve never heard of Wings3d but I will check it out for sure. Are you saying that edge loops are easier in Silo or doesn’t it really matter?
About edge loops…Is there a recommended thread in ZBC that will help clarify the best way to use edge loops properly? I’ve done a search on “edge loops” but didn’t come up with anything. Thanks for any help…
During the modeling process it happens that you need to punch a hole in your mesh, add some polygones and make the mesh watertight again (weld edges or vertices together). For such features you need definetly a external modeler. In ZBrush this is impossible to do (exept from deletig polygones).
Therefore you need a extern modeler like silo, hexagon, modo, wings3D,…
HopeItHelps
kel
.
Ohhhhh I get it! I’ve been racking my brains trying to figure that out for sure. I had a suspicion that was the way it should be done. Maybe they’ll add that option to ZBrush since many people seem to use that method a lot. Thanks for the info.
While we are on the subject, is there a way to hollow out an object neatly an evenly in ZBrush? (Example; Create a pumpkin and hollow it out perfectly.) Is Silo/Wings3d my solution once again?
Thanks
Hey Hyde,
An external modeler doesn’t make creating edge loops “easier” per say. The artist is still in charge of where to define loops. Take a look at Glen Souther’s subdivisionmodeling.com. It has an easy to read primer on subdivision modeling and touches on the topic of edge loops.
Have you gone through the ZScript on Edge Loops in the Help Section? It’s a nice tutorial on how to make edge loops in Zbrush. But for me, I think it’s easier in an external modeler. Just because I can select a face and extrude faster than I can hide parts of the model and hit the “Edge Loop” button. And I have more control in an external modeler.
But for your example of a pumpkin, it can be done entirely in Zbrush. Like kelvin273 said, it can be done by deleting polygons. But you have to be at the lowest subdivision and be able to hide the polys you want to delete. It’s just easier in another app. Here’s a little tutorial I made. It will probably only make sense to me but thought I’d post it anyway. Got some spelling mistakes too. Darn.
Hope that helps.
Thank you so much for creating this demo for me. Okay, so I am seeing actual holes (not indents) once you hide those polys…the eyeholes are truly cut out.
I don’t think I’m familiar with hiding polys. The only hiding I’ve heard about is when you hide/show different areas for sculpting fine details up-close (ie;Kurv demo where the wolfs eye area is seen but the rest of the head is temporarily hidden. Is that the same method of “hide” or is it different?
Sorry for the newbie questions…Someday I hope to be answering these questions rather than asking them.
No problem, hiding geometry liked you described is the same thing. Except once you hide some geometry and hit Tool -> Polygroups -> Group Visible. The visible geometry becomes a different group. This is can be seen in wireframe mode, the new group will be a different color.
Play around with ZSpheres and press “A” for Adaptive Skin Preview mode and you will see each ZSphere as a different color in Wireframe mode. And each ZSphere will be a different group. If you CTRL + SHIFT + SELECT a verticee it will show only that group and hide the rest.
This is only one way to select geometry for deleting. You could widdle your model down by hiding and hiding polys, then invert the selection and delete the hidden. For me, this is pretty taxing to do all in Zbrush. That’s why I started learning more about modeling in other apps like Silo and Wings3D. I commend and admire artists for modeling straight from ZBrush but I don’t have that skill and I couldn’t control the outcome as I can from starting from a base mesh in another app.
rogfa—Doesn’t sound too hard. I’ll have to give that a try when I can.
I want to create a jack-o-lantern with a real carved look to it w/cut out eyes nose and mouth. I also want to paint the inside yellow and the outside orange to look totally realistic.
So I am hoping I can carve and cut my model to look like a real carved jack-o-lantern. The pumpkin’s carved areas (the holes) would have to look like they were at least a half inch thick or so. Is that a possibility in ZBrush alone or am I asking too much??
…is also a good modeler 