ZBrushCentral

Help Me Establish a Work Flow- Understanding the different tools

ZBrush Usage Questions
#1

I am new to Zbrush but have watched a lot of the tutorials, and have read as much of the online documentation as possible. I have tried many tutorials from Zsperes to Dynamesh, but know I am missing something. I am most comfortable in Strata, but as an artist and photoshop designer, I want to expand into the Zbrush realm.

Using the car tutorial as an example, I was able to create a car similar to the first video (before everything got sped up and went at warp speed)…What I am missing is the slicing of the mesh, and all the steps that happened in that tutorial where it looks to me like to topography was being isolated into individual parts…my questions is why and what am I missing that I should be learning to understand this better.

Second, If I were teaching someone Photoshop, I would need to go back to the basics, and start with the selection tools and work my way through all the features…after all, you cannot do anything until it is selected. As a new user to Zbrush, should I only be working with the basic spheres and such, or should I be playing with Dynamesh and ZSpheres as they are the new tools available. Back to my Photoshop analogy, If I were teaching selections I would immediately show someone the newer quick selection tool before I stated teaching them channel chops and such.

I am invested in this and really want to establish a good solid work flow. I am not designing for games, but who knows where this might take me. If anyone can give me some pointers on where they would start, and more directly, why I need to cut my model up (I am guessing I need to do some more reading on sub tools as I do not get the concept yet) and topology?

Thanks in advance.

#2

I didn’t see the video but here some of my guess:

  • Check the retopolgy with ZBrush
  • Check the clipping brush
  • Check the Polygroup to isolate part of an object

Not a good point to compare ZBrush and Photoshop… ZBrush can’t really be compared (except with ZBrush clones software)

#3

Thank you…I was not comparing ZBrush and Photoshop in regards to features, or functionality…more to make an analogy about where to start when learning ZBrush…that there is likely a lot of value in learning from the beginning or simplest features vs. diving into the complex stuff right away…but that is one of my questions. For example, I have made a lot of progress using Zspeheres and Dynamesh, but have not spent a lot of time sculpting on a primitive sphere. Am I missing out? I am watching the Zclassroom videos in order, but I have not found anything yet that really differentiates between different work flows.

#4

I will try to make it clear :slight_smile:

ZBrush is a sculpt software and its philosophy is to tackle down all the technical contraints (like UV mapping for example).

Sculpting from a sphere or ZSphere is a matter of what you want at the end. Using primitives if often just a simple start. ZSphere is more for structures (like a entire basic character: head, torso, legs, etc…) and is usefull cause it creates only quads (so don’t bother create a basemesh in Quad in Max or Maya when it’s so easy to do so in ZBrush)

Dynamesh is to get rid off technical constraints (yes again :)). That feature helps by balancing all the poly size / details (this way you can go forward with a more suitable mesh)

I know it’s not a easy task to understand ZBrush. But it’s worth it (sorry for my bad english, i’m french :confused:)