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HOW
TO MAKE A SPACE MONKEY IN ZBRUSH
The aim of this tutorial
is to allow the reader to model and color a `Space Monkey` head using
Pixologic`s ZBrush. At the time of writing the software has
reached version 1.1 and Pixolologic have a downloadable demo copy
available on their site. The
Space Monkey can be made and saved or exported using the demo version
(It`s main limitation is a document size of 640x480.
STAGE 1. SETTING THE
SCENE
Start
with a blank document with a black background (this should be
the default document anyway). Got to the TOOL menu, usually
found to the right of the screen and select the SHERE3D
tool. Click in the document window and drag out a sphere then
release the mouse.
Select TRANSFORM/ROTATE (keyboard R). The colored gyro
should appear (Sceenshot 1). Click on the blue ring and
rotate the Sphere as shown. |
Screenshot
1 |
In
the TRANSFORM panel select EDIT OBJECT
(keyboard T) and a red dot should appear when you pass the
mouse over the Sphere. To enable us to model the Space Monkey
we need to apply symmetry on the `X` axis.
Select TOOL/SYMMETRY and click `X`, now when you
pass the mouse over the Sphere you will see two red dots that
move in a symmetrical manner.
(Sceenshot 2) |
Screenshot
2 |
STAGE 2. THE BASIC SHAPE
Now
we can begin to shape the head into the Ape shape.
Figure 1. shows the steps.
These next steps require frequent adjustments to the `draw size
(DRAW/DRAW SIZE) and to keep the adjustments subtle lower
the DRAW/Z_INTENSITY to around 10. And the undo keyboard
shortcut is CTRL+Z
Fig 1. |
| In the TRANSFORM
panel click DRAW POINTER. Rotate the head slightly to the
left (click outside the sphere and scroll to rotate the model).
`Draw` the ear bumps (A.). As you draw on the right side of the
head the SYMMETRY adds an identical ear on the other side
of the head. To make the ear indent hold down the ALT key and
draw (B.). This can also be achieved by using DRAW/ZCUT. |
| Now click
TRANSFORM/MOVE OBJECT and begin to `pull` the head into
the Ape shape, out at the lower front, up on the crown of the
head etc. experiment a bit and don`t forget that you have the
CTRL+Z undo. When you have the shape looking like (C.)
move on to the lips. |
STAGE 3. THE HEAD DETAIL
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| Click TRANSFORM/DRAW
POINTER and change the DRAW/DRAW SIZE down to about
15. Start with the top lip at one side of the head and draw across
to the middle (the symmetry will do the other side). Then move
on to the bottom lip and repeat the process. It should look like
D. |
| Move on to
the nose and nostrils. Continue using TRANSFORM/DRAW POINTER
to model a nostrel `bump`. To make the depression for the
nostrils make DRAW/DRAW SIZE a little smaller and draw
with the ALT key depressed. |
To bring
this section to completion make to more raised bumps for the eyes
and once again make depressions using using the ALT. You
should have amodel that looks a little like (F.) in Figure
2.
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STAGE 4. ADD SOME COLOUR
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 Fig
2. |
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With the
Model still in TRANSFORM/EDIT mode you can now add some
colour. Click TOOL/MODIFIERS/TEXTURE/COLORIZE. This will
allow you add colour as if using the simple brush. When you
activate the COLORIZE button it reverts the model to
a base grey colour. As you started this tutorial with a grey
Sphereyou won`t see a difference.
Use the floating colour palette to choose an overall colour
for the head (or activate the COLOUR drop down to left
hand side of the screen) pick a colour. Paint the whole head
by clicking away from the head and rotating it as you colour
it. When this is done pick the darker colour (G. and H. in
Figure 2.) and `paint` the
brow and sideburns.
Before moving on save your Space Monkey head as a ZBrush object.Go
to TOOL/INVENTORY/SAVE AS. Save the head in a directory
of your choice (ZBrush gives you the ZTools Directory as default.
Now you can reload the head as a tool whenever required.
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STAGE 5. THE EYES AND HAIR
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First the
Eyes. To carry on from here you will need to stamp the head into
the document.(Known as SNAPSHOT) This will mean that the
head can no longer be rotated or modified in EDIT mode.
Still in EDIT mode rotate the head so that it matches the
orientation of the head in Figure 3.
CTRL+S SNAPSHOTS the image onto the page. |
The
eyes will be made from SHERE3D tools again. Click in the MATERIAL
drop down to select TOYPLASTIC for the eyeball. Click in the COLOR
dropdown and choose a nearly white colour.
Now click in the left hand eye socket in the main document window,
drag out a Sphere until it fills the socket. To elongate the sphere
use TOOLS/MODIFIERS/
DEFORMATIONS and slide the SIZE X slider until you
see an egg shape in the small window. Now use TRANSFORM/ROTATE
or the `R` key and rotate the `eye` eyeball into the upright
position (With the gyro in use you must click inside the rings
to rotate unlike EDIT mode). If you need to reposition
the eyeball use key `W` or TRANSFORM/MOVE and drag the
end of the gyro to move along that axis maybe in/out of the socket
a little. |
Fig
3. |
When
positioned use CTRL+S to SNAPSHOT the eyeball into
the document. With the gyro still active use Keyboard `W`
to move the `live` eyeball across to the second socket and CTRL+S
this one into the socket.
To color the pupil and iris select a blue color from the COLOR
palette. Turn off depth in the draw palette by making sure that
nothing is selected in the ZADD/ZSUB/ZCUT section. If ZADD
is selected turn it off with a click. Now draw a blue shere on
top of your first eyeball. With `Z` turned off this process gives
you a perfect blue circle painted onto the eyeball. Now go over
again with black. Repeat this for eyeball number two. Because
we used TOYPLASTIC you should see a very specular eyes, ie. wetlook. |
| Now
the hair. Pick a gingerish color from the palette. CLick TOOL/FIRBER
BRUSH. In the TOOL/FIRBER BRUSH/MODIFIERS dropdown
adjust GROOMING to 80%, DENSITY to 50% and the GRAVITY
setting to 60%. With the DRAW/DRAW SIZE set to about 20 start
to draw on some fur around the eyes and cheeks. Now change the
colour to a lighter ginger and increase the DRAW SIZE to 25 or
30 (longer hair) and draw a few strokes to add depth. See
Figure 3. |
| STAGE
6. THE HELMET AND OBJECTS |
Last stretch now. The neckring is a simple torus TOOL/RING3D.
The material chosen was the default REFLECTION GEL
SHADER material. Draw the ring into the image and position
it under the Space Monkey d using the move and rotate keys.
(W+R)
The glass helmet was created with a Sphere and
a BASIC material set to 30% Z-INTENSITY (Semi-transparent).
As with the neck ring, click into the canvas and drag out
the sphere-helmet and then position it with W+R
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Figure 4 |
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Screenshot
4 |
The helmet spike was created with SWEEPROFILE3D. Use the
TOOL/MODIFIERS/INITIALIZE to adjust the profile to match
the wide base and thick neck of the object (see
Figure 4.). Once placed in the document add a Sphere
onto the tip.
To complete the image render the image using RENDER/BEST RENDER
and to get some of the glow effects or highlights add more
lights to the scene.....but that`s another tutorial.. |
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