This is my firt post on this forum. I discovered zbrush a few days ago and like most of you I started to learn using this software by reading the tutorials. Thus I am making an armour but, since it’s not over yet, decided to post my first renders in zbrush to know your impressions. If you have any tips or recommendations to imrpove it, please don’t hesitate to let me know.
Many thanx
PS: please forget my bad English coz’ I am not a native English speaker.
I added a few effects in Photoshop LE to the second render:
190 people have seen this post and still no answers?:rolleyes:
looks good so far, probably nobody responds unless they seen something they don’t know how to do already, no offense im a beginner too keep it up:lol:
ha ha You are making a good point here! Anyway many thanks for giving your opinion!
You followed the tutorial well! I am anxiously awaiting Z2 for the mac due to be released today. Soon I will get the chance to try out the new sculpture tools and interface! I don’t feel comfortable commenting while still on 1.55b, otherwise I would have written yesterdy.
Have fun and keep posting!
Cheers!
P.S.
Your Photoshop work is very good.
Cheers Cassandra Helm (I like your name, it remembers me a character from heroic fantasy;) )
Well I am also quite new to photoshop LE too:lol: . Actually I got this appz for free when I have bought ma Wacom Graphire 2 two weeks ago. I haven’t used my tablet for painting in zbrush yet because I feel more confortable in photoshop due to the select tools. I have played only with a few filters (sharpen, sharpen more, noise and obviously the lens flares). I am afraid I am not very skilled for using photoshop, especcially in comparaison with some other members of this forum!
BTW, does the mac version of Zbrush offer some new features?:qu:
I believe Z2 for mac is the same program as for the PC. Mac is harder to program for, but anyone who has one prefers it to the pc. The machines and interface are simple, fun and beautiful! ZBrush is the same. Beautiful, fun - a plesure to use. I personally feel that they easier a program is to master the better it has been designed. You don’t have to think about how you do things, just what you are doing! ZBrush is mathematically brilliant, but you never know about it because it is all in the background.
In photoshop you can get some nice effects if you play with the color balance changing the values in the shadows midtones and highlights. You may have to lower the saturtion when you are done, and tweak the hue and adjust the contrst, but if you are starting out becoming familiar with those settings is as useful and as much fun as the filters. The key is to be subtle so that people don’t notice the work, but the image. You have an eye and am sure you will do well.
My mother who is about to turn 75 bought her first mac two years ago and within six weeks was as good (if not better) than me with photoshop! Also she and my father have just started a new business! I figure if they can do it we have no excuses!
You must really be British to start business at 75!
No offense intended Cassandra!
However, we will have no excuse for not improving our skills over time! Especcially if one take into account zbrush learning curve, which is not too steep.
I will remember your advice next time I will use Photoshop. I have never tried to mess with the color balance and such stuff.
HA! HA! http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/newreply.php?do=newreply&noquote=1&p=174549# I’ve been here almost three years now and have some idea of what you mean! Actually my parents are from the States. I think its great, who wants to feel that when we grow older all we have to look forward to is shuffleboard and being bullied in rest homes?
I totally agree with you! BTW I have been on your website… So you are a real sculptor ! Do you plan to use zbrush to make some kind of 3Ds sketches before sculpting?
Basically it would mean that zbrush could become a professional tool out of the CG community?!
Actually I love 3D. There are sculptors who who do use 3D to give their clients an idea of what they will be getting, but I have not (or not yet). That site hasn’t been updated in a while I really should do something about that!
Do you use anyother programs or are you getting your feet wet with ZBrush?
Since this is a chance to show off I am uploading a couple of jpegs of my real world sculptures! 
No zbrush is the first 3Ds appz I seriously try to get into! I used to toy a bit with the 3ds Max Studio but it’s far too complicated for me. Despite the fact I used to be an art student nearly a decade ago, CG is a total new world for me to discover.
The funny thing is I used to sculpt too many years ago! But the creation process was really frustrating! You are not allowed to make any mistake from the start to finish. I guess I am not patient enough unlike you!
Are you specialised in wood sculpting? Which other materials do you use? Stone? Marble?
No, just clay cast into bronze. With clay you can make mistakes. The only problem is that you do not have multiple undo so if you make a mistake you have to fix it the long way. Once I was working on a piece in clay while at the same time working on a project on the computer. When you do the eyes in clay you have to be pretty careful, my hands kept making the automatic motions for command Z everytime I wanted to ‘undo’, but there was no keyboard!
I understand too well what you say! Basically, this is the very reason I have stopped sculpting because it become very frustrating… especcially for so talentless a person such as me!:lol:
3D yeilds more instant results. Once you become used to Zbrush you will find that you are much better than you ever dreamed. The trick is to keep at it! Inspiration is only the beginning the rest is craftmanship. The standard for quality that you find in special effects and computer generated images is flawless! I can do good basic work on the computer, but I’m not that good yet. I also don’t get to practise as much as I would like. Just from what I’ve seen, you recreated that armour very well. For you it is just a matter of time; probably not that long.
Yeah, one of the coolest things about Zbrush is being able to alter large masses without killing all your detail. It’s nice to play around with different looks that would destroy a lot of your work if you were doing it in clay.
~Mike D.
True, the only drawnback is that you cannot touch or walk around what you have made! Who knows, maybe before we leave this planet they will find a way to do even that. This is truly an age of magic we live in. Imagine what our ancestors would have made of all of this! and its so much FUN! 
Well, there’s always stereolithography!
It’s still a little expensive, but the prices are a lot better than they used to be.