Creating a Detailed Forest Creature in ZBrush
In this ZBrush tutorial we will learn a number of different sculpting techniques in order to create a creature made of a variety of materials and substances. Software required: ZBrush 4R6, After Effects CS5.
What you'll learn
In this ZBrush tutorial we will learn a number of different sculpting techniques in order to create a creature made of a variety of materials and substances. The idea here is to create a creature with a focus on using a variety of sculpting tools in ZBrush. We will create our own MultiMesh tools for efficiently sculpting elements such as vines, ivy and thorny branches, utilize the curve function to increase use textures - specifically, the luminance of textures - in conjunction with morph targets as a means of gaining finer controls over the creation of subtools. We will look at nestling FiberMesh within FiberMesh in order to create various forms of vegetation, and we will also utilize ZSketching in order to create the complex structural makeup of this creature, which is comprised of many different kinds of materials, from moss and grasses to tree bark and rocks. Texturing will combine the use of Spotlight and Polypainting, and we will go through the process of gathering the necessary reference for each. We will go through the process of establishing effective render settings, as well as creating a final composite in After Effects to give the sculpt a fitting final presentation. By the end of this training, you will have developed a good familiarity with the variety of tools with which you can create diverse characters in ZBrush. Software required: ZBrush 4R6, After Effects CS5.
Table of contents
- Using Zspheres to Block out the Shape for Our Creature 12m
- Creating a Zsphere Armature for Our Creature 11m
- Using Zsketch to Create the Torso 14m
- Retopologizing the Torso and Adding Detail 14m
- Blocking in the Other Side of the Torso 14m
- Blocking in the Head 14m
- Adding Initial Details to the Head 13m
- Continuing to Shape the Head 13m
- Blocking out the Crown of Tree Branches 11m
- Adding Limbs to the Branches 13m
- Beginning the Right Arm 14m
- Adding the Right Forearm Pieces 12m
- Detailing the Right Forearm 11m
- Adding Bulk to the Right Arm 13m
- Starting on the Left Arm for Our Creature 13m
- Sculpting the Left Arm Branches 11m
- Adding Tendrils to the Left Arm 9m
- Adding Mossy Details to the Left Main Branch 16m
- Roughing in the Lower Body 14m
- Detailing the Rocks in the Upper Leg 14m
- Our First Pass at the Left Leg 14m
- Blocking in the Lower Legs 16m
- Refining the Lower Leg Shapes 12m
- Adding Details to the Lower Leg 11m
- Continuing Work on the Lower Legs 15m
- Using the Curve Tube Brush to Add Roots to the Leg 14m
- Adding Leaves with Fibermesh 9m
- Creating Moss with Fibermesh 12m
- Creating Fibermesh Pine Needles 8m
- Using Images as Fibermesh Textures 9m
- Creating a Custom Multimesh Brush 15m
- Using Alphas to Add Detail to the Head 14m
- Sculpting with Masks and Alphas 7m
- Detailing the Torso 12m
- Sculpting Details with Layers 13m
- Adjusting and Blending Layers 7m
- Final Details on the Left Arm 12m
- Using the Curve Lathe Brush to Create Smaller Details 11m
- Using Micromesh to Add Patches of Fungus 10m
- Adding Lichens and Fungus 13m
- Creating Additional Details 12m
- Detailing the Eyes and Mouth 16m
- Using Spotlight for Texturing 11m
- Texturing the Head 13m
- Finishing up the Head Texture Using Polypaint 12m
- Using Spotlight to Texture the Torso 12m
- Finishing up the Textures 14m
- A Quick Lighting Setup 10m
- Compositing the Final Render 17m