Z brush

# 1 07-03-2008 , 05:10 AM

Level 32 pachyderm
Join Date: Dec 2007

Location: England

Posts: 1,859

Ive just started using zbrush and im trying to get a bit of surface deatil to my dinosaur (pictured above), i want tiny surface scratcheds and bumps but ive never used zbrush before and im having trouble. the amount of detail i can add in zbrush is limated to my amount of polys, so i cant have tiny surface detail with out having a ridicolously high poly amount, is there something i need too do.
thanx in advance
Elephant Inc.

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# 2 07-03-2008 , 05:39 AM

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I'm a touch confused with what your asking, do you mean detials in maya form Z or actually making them in Z?

If its the first, look into displacement maps (lots of help on You tube and Zbrush Central), if its the latter, your going to have to up the poly count in Z to add details, about 1 million should be enough, but you might need to go higher, Z3 handels this pretty well. If not just mask off areas and add detial to that are and move on.

If your not sure about adding detials at this level, you need alphas (for pores, scales etc) theres quite a few available free on the internet (highend3d and Antropus Costa's site)

Hope it helps

"No pressure, no diamonds" Thomas Carlyle

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# 3 07-03-2008 , 06:33 AM

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Join Date: Jan 2004

Location: Bolton - UK

Posts: 2,457

I'm a touch confused aswell.

Is that the dino from this months "3D World" which comes with 7 hous of training on this model covering Zbrush and Maya ???

I would think that would cover almost any question you had ???

(I dot know have not got the mag myself my mate has it)

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# 4 07-03-2008 , 11:38 AM

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Hey i dont know if this helps but i saw it on a program. It was gamer tv and is was about how they made the new turok game. They seemed to create a low poly dinosaur like yours in maya and then bring the mesh into zbrush to create scratches, scars and other high detail. They exported it as a bump map and brought it into maya.

From what ive seen from the games industry they use zbrush to make bump maps so it seems like its a high poly render in the game

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# 5 07-03-2008 , 11:50 AM

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That would probably be normal maps over bumps.

Thats what I was saying with displacement maps (similar thing, creates high detial on a low poly model) you bring in a base mesh, sculpt th hjigh detial, export the base to maya along with a displacement and then render from there.

"No pressure, no diamonds" Thomas Carlyle

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# 6 07-03-2008 , 04:33 PM

Level 32 pachyderm
Join Date: Dec 2007

Location: England

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yeah i want tiny detail on a low poly model
but in zbrush it only moves the gometry like in maya, it is restricted to the amount of polygons. what do i need too do too make the tiny details?

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# 7 07-03-2008 , 04:39 PM

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Theres a getting started guide that might be of help that I think is for Z2 but threres not too much differnce.

"No pressure, no diamonds" Thomas Carlyle

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# 8 08-03-2008 , 04:16 AM

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Location: Hastings UK

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If you have not found it already I think what you are asking is how to divide your model. If this is the case load up your model and under the geometry tab select divide. I usually divide a model around 6 times sometimes 7 depending on the size of the case mesh. If you had a base of say 1000 polys dividing this 6 times would give you a mesh of 4096000 polys to sculpt on. You can now begin to sculpt in all your details to the model.

Hope this helps,

Leon

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# 9 08-03-2008 , 07:15 AM

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right thanx ill try that

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# 10 12-03-2008 , 01:45 PM

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i am pretty new to it too (only been using it about 3 months) but i do know if you are using z_brush ridiculously high poly count are just par for the course... the good thing is that you can bring it back into maya without that high poly count. there are some tutorials out there that will show you how to bring you model back into maya and keep you original poly count without losing the detail you did in z_brush. just subdivide your model a few times (i usually keep mine around the 4th or 5th level...) and go from there. i am sure you are familiar with the different brushes and alphas in z_brush...combine a few and see what you get.

cupcakes,
whitney

every tool is a weapon if you hold it right

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