Sculpting Integration Concepts in Maya and ZBrush

What you'll learn

When building 3d models for games, film, or other applications, a high level of detail is often required. In order to achieve this detailed look, it's not always feasible to use more traditional 3d modeling methods- moving points or adding edge-loops. In addition, meshes that are actually that detailed would be unusable because of their high polygon count. To get a detailed looking model while maintaining a workable poly count, a 3d sculpting application like ZBrush or Mudbox can be used. In this course we will talk about the process of taking a low-resolution base mesh into a sculpting application for further detailing. For our example we will be using ZBrush. We'll talk about how the mesh should be prepared. We'll also cover the transfer of the geometry back and forth between applications. We'll also talk about sculpting methods, as well as UV layout and map creation. Finally we'll cover both manual and more automatic ways of setting up your sculpted assets back in Maya. In the end you'll have a great foundation in the purpose behind and methods involved in the subdivision sculpting process so you can begin to integrate it into your modeling workflow. Software required: Maya 2013, ZBrush 4R5.

Table of contents