| Here's
a little of my work flow in ZBrush 1.55b. I do use Normal mapping
in Lightwave and this method can be used to create high res
meshes to be taken out of ZB and used for normal mapping in
LW (but thats not why I do it, I just like the ZB output) |
First off I create a mesh in Lighwave using the box method and
point by point work (about 1600 polys). This is exported as
an .OBJ |
|
| I
import this into ZBrush (1) using the IMPORT button (this was
new in this verison as we used to have to use a Polymesh star
to get a mesh into ZB and that always seemed a weird way of
working) |
|
It
is still only 1574 polys so I use DIVIDE (2) in the TOOL pallette.
The mesh now is divided to 6296 polys, then 25184 and the final
mesh used here was 100736. |
| NOTE:
I use an Athlon 2.4 with 1.5 gig of ram and a 128 Geforce4Ti
(these days little more than entry level) and the mesh in ZBrush
performs as well at 100,000 polys as it does with 1500. In Lightwave
my machine slows considerable at this count, a million would
not be usable so having a normal map created in ZB in the next
version will be essential! |
|
|
The mesh
can be subdivied using SMOOTH (3) (or subdivision
surface resolution if you hover over the button).
NOTE:
This isn't changing the underlying geommtry and further just
smoothing the mesh on display
With the
mesh sitting in the TOOL pallette at a 100,000 plus polygons
it is time to put it into the document window and edit it.
The main way to working on a MESH in ZBrush is with the MOVE
and DRAW POINTER. Basicaly DRAW allows you
to push or pull polys in or out and move lets you drag them
around. (4)
NOTE:
Hover your mouse over any button and hold CTRL and you get
all the info on that button. The buttons in the TRANSFORM
PANEL tell you everything you could ever need to know about
moving polys around. (5)
|
|
|
The 'amount'
or 'area of effect' is defined by the size of your brush and
the 'Z INTENSITY' in the DRAW
panel (6)
Small
Brush/Z Intensity = small effect on the polygons.
Using
these tools it is possible to 'draw' (sculpt) viens, pimples,
warts, creases, wrinkles, blemishes, eyelids, nipples, folds
etc onto the mesh.
What I
am really intested to see is a mesh of a million+ polygons
that I can DROP TO CANVAS (like Texturemaster or DeepPaint
for those who know it) and use the multitude of 2D tools and
brushes on the model in the document window then PICK IT BACK
UP retaining the detail in the mesh not for a BUMP or SPEC
map. That is worth waiting for!
|
|
I rendered the image (Render settings 8.) above with the 100,000
poly mesh using 1 light,(9) 1 material (SOUTHERN GI 7) specifically
made to render in a document will ZB GLOBAL ILLUMINATION and
ZMODE SOFT SHADOWS
|
|
