| 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
|
|
|
