ZBrush Quick Start Sculpting Polymesh

LA_507174polymesh

7/26/05

5:55 PM

Page 1

ZBrush Sculpting Polymesh

POLYGROUPS Polygroups allow us to establish selection sets to selectively hide or show parts of the model. You can find the Polygroup sub-menu in the Tools palette. There are three ways to create Polygroups: Auto Groups, UV Groups, Group Visible. Auto Group will assign each separate geometry shell its own group ID. UV Group is the most useful way to group objects. Each distinct UV region will be given its own group ID which will be useful later on if you have to deal with multiple displacement maps.

2D & 3D PAINTING, MODELING & TEXTURING

Group Visible is useful and faster than establishing your UVs first. To use this, you must hide the portions of the model that you do not want to be part of the group.

USING POLYGROUPS To show just one group at a time, press CTRL + Shift and click on the part of the mesh you want to display. To show all of the mesh, press CTRL + Shift and click outside of the visible mesh.

Headquarters Address:

Pixologic Inc. 320 West 31st Street Los Angeles, CA 90007

To show a few groups at a time, follow the steps below: 1. 2. 3. 4.

CTRL + Shift and click on one of the groups that you want to remain visible. Invert this selection by pressing CTRL + Shift and clicking and dragging outside the visible mesh. CTRL + Shift and click on the next Polygroup that you want to remain visible. This will hide it. Invert this selection by pressing CTRL + Shift and clicking and dragging outside the visible mesh to show only those two groups.

OTHER POLYMESH ADVANTAGES Sculpting with a PolyMesh in ZBrush opens many, many doors. A PolyMesh can be detailed in Projection Master; it can store a morph target and it can be used to generate difference maps.

E-mail:

Sales: [email protected] General Info: [email protected] Telephone Number:

Toll-free: 1-888-748-5967 Customer service and technical support are available Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Pacific Time)

In the next guide we will look at ways to take our models to the next level of detail with Masks, Stencils and Projection Master. Remember to visit the forum at www.zbrushcentral.com and post your worksin-progress. Enjoy the Pixols! Page 4

Patents Pending ~ ' 1997-2005 Pixologic, Inc. all rights reserved ~ Pixologic

www.ZBrush.com www.ZBrushCentral.com

and the Pixologic logo, ZBrush and the ZBrush logo are registered trademarks of Pixologic, Inc. All other trademarks, trade names, service marks, or product names mentioned hereinare property of their respective owners.

QuickStart: Production Series

LA_507174polymesh

7/26/05

5:55 PM

Page 2

Welcome to The Quickstart: Production Series Sculpting Polymesh Guide. The goal of this guide is to introduce you to the concepts of sculpting a Polymesh in ZBrush. Our first concept to grasp is that in ZBrush our model is called a "tool". You can import and export OBJs but you save your model as a tool (Tool:Save As). Why is it called a tool? Because everything we do in ZBrush is a tool to create Pixols. Pixols are the heart of ZBrush. There are many advantages to the Pixol and we will look at them later. For now, we only need to know that our model is a Tool.

WORKING WITH MRME

THE ART OF MRME

Let's look at the settings in the Geometry sub-menu of the Tool palette. It is important to note that our options for the PolyMesh are different than the Sphere3D from the Sculpting Basics guide. This is because Sphere3D is a ZBrush primitive which is a special ZBrush geometry format. In order to use MRME you will have to start with a base mesh or with ZSpheres.

MRME is an artist's tool. It enables modelers to think about modeling in the same way sculptors think about form development.

To add levels of resolution to your model go to Tool:Geometry:Divide. If you save your model now as a .ZTL (Tool:Save As) it will keep these levels of resolution. When you divide your model you can divide it smoothed (Smt) or unsmoothed (Smt off). You can also smooth its UVs (Suv). For character work, you will most likely divide the model with smooth on (Smt) but with smooth UV's (Suv) off.

SCULPTING GENERAL PROPORTIONS To bring in a ZBrush tool that we have created, go to Tool:Load. A ZBrush tool holds all your geometry information, a texture map and an alpha map. To bring a model into ZBrush that we started in another program we must import it as an .OBJ or .DXF. Go to Tool:Import and browse to where your model is. To begin modeling, draw your model onto the canvas and enter EDIT mode.

For more mechanical objects or architectural facades you will want to Divide the model with Smt off. This will add the necessary geometry without altering the form.

At the resolution level of, say, 3 an artist may be able to begin developing more specific forms such as the eye muscles or the individual lips. At resolution level of, say, 5 the artist should be able to begin developing forms such as the crease of the upper eye lid or wrinkles.

Resolution Level 3: 26,072 Polygons

Resolution Level 6: 1,668,608 Polygons

By working from the general forms up to the specific forms, you will be using time-honored methods of sculpting that have been used since ancient Greece.

To go up and down the levels of resolution you can use the slider, press the Lower Res or Higher Res button, or use the hotkeys: "D" goes up, "Shift + D" goes down. ZBrush uses the Catmull-Clark subdivision algorithm to divide a model. If you are bringing in a broken model where the head is separated from the neck it will shrink the edges of each part inwards. To address this, in your Tools:Geometry sub-menu press the Crease button. This will lock down the edge of each separate piece of geometry. To remove a crease, press Uncrease.

MULTI-RESOLUTION MESH EDITING

Where ever possible, you will want to combine and merge verticies before bringing the model into ZBrush.

The most significant advantage that poly modeling in ZBrush offers to the artist is the ability to sculpt at different levels of resolution and have those changes propagate up and down the chain of command. Modifications at level 1 will affect level 6 and vice versa.

Consider having a separate model that is just for sculpting in ZBrush.

USING DRAG RECTANGLE TO HIDE / SHOW PART OF MESH By pressing CTRL + Shift then clicking and dragging over the model you can selectively hide or show parts of your model to either create your own Polygroups or to focus in on specific areas. To hide the area outside of the rectangle, press CTRL + Shift and click and drag over the part of the model you want to remain visible. To hide the area inside of the rectangle, press CTRL + Shift, click, drag and then release shift over the part of the model you want to hide. To invert your selection, press CTRL + Shift and click and drag outside of the visible mesh.

The ability to go up or down levels of resolution is known as Multi-Resolution Mesh Editing (MRME). MRME has allowed artists to increase their productivity and has returned the art of modeling to the hands of the artists. From left to right: Subdivision level 6, Subdivision level 1. Edited subdivision level 1. Return to subdivision level 6.

Page 1

At the first resolution level of your model you will be able to sculpt general forms and establish the model's overall gesture. You will not be able to sculpt toe nails or wrinkles.

Resolution Level 1: 1,684 Polygons

From left to right: undivided, Subdivision level 2 without Crease, Suvdivision level 2 with Crease

Page 2

To show all, press CTRL + Shift and click outside of the visible mesh.

Page 3

LA_507174polymesh

7/26/05

5:55 PM

Page 2

Welcome to The Quickstart: Production Series Sculpting Polymesh Guide. The goal of this guide is to introduce you to the concepts of sculpting a Polymesh in ZBrush. Our first concept to grasp is that in ZBrush our model is called a "tool". You can import and export OBJs but you save your model as a tool (Tool:Save As). Why is it called a tool? Because everything we do in ZBrush is a tool to create Pixols. Pixols are the heart of ZBrush. There are many advantages to the Pixol and we will look at them later. For now, we only need to know that our model is a Tool.

WORKING WITH MRME

THE ART OF MRME

Let's look at the settings in the Geometry sub-menu of the Tool palette. It is important to note that our options for the PolyMesh are different than the Sphere3D from the Sculpting Basics guide. This is because Sphere3D is a ZBrush primitive which is a special ZBrush geometry format. In order to use MRME you will have to start with a base mesh or with ZSpheres.

MRME is an artist's tool. It enables modelers to think about modeling in the same way sculptors think about form development.

To add levels of resolution to your model go to Tool:Geometry:Divide. If you save your model now as a .ZTL (Tool:Save As) it will keep these levels of resolution. When you divide your model you can divide it smoothed (Smt) or unsmoothed (Smt off). You can also smooth its UVs (Suv). For character work, you will most likely divide the model with smooth on (Smt) but with smooth UV's (Suv) off.

SCULPTING GENERAL PROPORTIONS To bring in a ZBrush tool that we have created, go to Tool:Load. A ZBrush tool holds all your geometry information, a texture map and an alpha map. To bring a model into ZBrush that we started in another program we must import it as an .OBJ or .DXF. Go to Tool:Import and browse to where your model is. To begin modeling, draw your model onto the canvas and enter EDIT mode.

For more mechanical objects or architectural facades you will want to Divide the model with Smt off. This will add the necessary geometry without altering the form.

At the resolution level of, say, 3 an artist may be able to begin developing more specific forms such as the eye muscles or the individual lips. At resolution level of, say, 5 the artist should be able to begin developing forms such as the crease of the upper eye lid or wrinkles.

Resolution Level 3: 26,072 Polygons

Resolution Level 6: 1,668,608 Polygons

By working from the general forms up to the specific forms, you will be using time-honored methods of sculpting that have been used since ancient Greece.

To go up and down the levels of resolution you can use the slider, press the Lower Res or Higher Res button, or use the hotkeys: "D" goes up, "Shift + D" goes down. ZBrush uses the Catmull-Clark subdivision algorithm to divide a model. If you are bringing in a broken model where the head is separated from the neck it will shrink the edges of each part inwards. To address this, in your Tools:Geometry sub-menu press the Crease button. This will lock down the edge of each separate piece of geometry. To remove a crease, press Uncrease.

MULTI-RESOLUTION MESH EDITING

Where ever possible, you will want to combine and merge verticies before bringing the model into ZBrush.

The most significant advantage that poly modeling in ZBrush offers to the artist is the ability to sculpt at different levels of resolution and have those changes propagate up and down the chain of command. Modifications at level 1 will affect level 6 and vice versa.

Consider having a separate model that is just for sculpting in ZBrush.

USING DRAG RECTANGLE TO HIDE / SHOW PART OF MESH By pressing CTRL + Shift then clicking and dragging over the model you can selectively hide or show parts of your model to either create your own Polygroups or to focus in on specific areas. To hide the area outside of the rectangle, press CTRL + Shift and click and drag over the part of the model you want to remain visible. To hide the area inside of the rectangle, press CTRL + Shift, click, drag and then release shift over the part of the model you want to hide. To invert your selection, press CTRL + Shift and click and drag outside of the visible mesh.

The ability to go up or down levels of resolution is known as Multi-Resolution Mesh Editing (MRME). MRME has allowed artists to increase their productivity and has returned the art of modeling to the hands of the artists. From left to right: Subdivision level 6, Subdivision level 1. Edited subdivision level 1. Return to subdivision level 6.

Page 1

At the first resolution level of your model you will be able to sculpt general forms and establish the model's overall gesture. You will not be able to sculpt toe nails or wrinkles.

Resolution Level 1: 1,684 Polygons

From left to right: undivided, Subdivision level 2 without Crease, Suvdivision level 2 with Crease

Page 2

To show all, press CTRL + Shift and click outside of the visible mesh.

Page 3

LA_507174polymesh

7/26/05

5:55 PM

Page 2

Welcome to The Quickstart: Production Series Sculpting Polymesh Guide. The goal of this guide is to introduce you to the concepts of sculpting a Polymesh in ZBrush. Our first concept to grasp is that in ZBrush our model is called a "tool". You can import and export OBJs but you save your model as a tool (Tool:Save As). Why is it called a tool? Because everything we do in ZBrush is a tool to create Pixols. Pixols are the heart of ZBrush. There are many advantages to the Pixol and we will look at them later. For now, we only need to know that our model is a Tool.

WORKING WITH MRME

THE ART OF MRME

Let's look at the settings in the Geometry sub-menu of the Tool palette. It is important to note that our options for the PolyMesh are different than the Sphere3D from the Sculpting Basics guide. This is because Sphere3D is a ZBrush primitive which is a special ZBrush geometry format. In order to use MRME you will have to start with a base mesh or with ZSpheres.

MRME is an artist's tool. It enables modelers to think about modeling in the same way sculptors think about form development.

To add levels of resolution to your model go to Tool:Geometry:Divide. If you save your model now as a .ZTL (Tool:Save As) it will keep these levels of resolution. When you divide your model you can divide it smoothed (Smt) or unsmoothed (Smt off). You can also smooth its UVs (Suv). For character work, you will most likely divide the model with smooth on (Smt) but with smooth UV's (Suv) off.

SCULPTING GENERAL PROPORTIONS To bring in a ZBrush tool that we have created, go to Tool:Load. A ZBrush tool holds all your geometry information, a texture map and an alpha map. To bring a model into ZBrush that we started in another program we must import it as an .OBJ or .DXF. Go to Tool:Import and browse to where your model is. To begin modeling, draw your model onto the canvas and enter EDIT mode.

For more mechanical objects or architectural facades you will want to Divide the model with Smt off. This will add the necessary geometry without altering the form.

At the resolution level of, say, 3 an artist may be able to begin developing more specific forms such as the eye muscles or the individual lips. At resolution level of, say, 5 the artist should be able to begin developing forms such as the crease of the upper eye lid or wrinkles.

Resolution Level 3: 26,072 Polygons

Resolution Level 6: 1,668,608 Polygons

By working from the general forms up to the specific forms, you will be using time-honored methods of sculpting that have been used since ancient Greece.

To go up and down the levels of resolution you can use the slider, press the Lower Res or Higher Res button, or use the hotkeys: "D" goes up, "Shift + D" goes down. ZBrush uses the Catmull-Clark subdivision algorithm to divide a model. If you are bringing in a broken model where the head is separated from the neck it will shrink the edges of each part inwards. To address this, in your Tools:Geometry sub-menu press the Crease button. This will lock down the edge of each separate piece of geometry. To remove a crease, press Uncrease.

MULTI-RESOLUTION MESH EDITING

Where ever possible, you will want to combine and merge verticies before bringing the model into ZBrush.

The most significant advantage that poly modeling in ZBrush offers to the artist is the ability to sculpt at different levels of resolution and have those changes propagate up and down the chain of command. Modifications at level 1 will affect level 6 and vice versa.

Consider having a separate model that is just for sculpting in ZBrush.

USING DRAG RECTANGLE TO HIDE / SHOW PART OF MESH By pressing CTRL + Shift then clicking and dragging over the model you can selectively hide or show parts of your model to either create your own Polygroups or to focus in on specific areas. To hide the area outside of the rectangle, press CTRL + Shift and click and drag over the part of the model you want to remain visible. To hide the area inside of the rectangle, press CTRL + Shift, click, drag and then release shift over the part of the model you want to hide. To invert your selection, press CTRL + Shift and click and drag outside of the visible mesh.

The ability to go up or down levels of resolution is known as Multi-Resolution Mesh Editing (MRME). MRME has allowed artists to increase their productivity and has returned the art of modeling to the hands of the artists. From left to right: Subdivision level 6, Subdivision level 1. Edited subdivision level 1. Return to subdivision level 6.

Page 1

At the first resolution level of your model you will be able to sculpt general forms and establish the model's overall gesture. You will not be able to sculpt toe nails or wrinkles.

Resolution Level 1: 1,684 Polygons

From left to right: undivided, Subdivision level 2 without Crease, Suvdivision level 2 with Crease

Page 2

To show all, press CTRL + Shift and click outside of the visible mesh.

Page 3

LA_507174polymesh

7/26/05

5:55 PM

Page 1

ZBrush Sculpting Polymesh

POLYGROUPS Polygroups allow us to establish selection sets to selectively hide or show parts of the model. You can find the Polygroup sub-menu in the Tools palette. There are three ways to create Polygroups: Auto Groups, UV Groups, Group Visible. Auto Group will assign each separate geometry shell its own group ID. UV Group is the most useful way to group objects. Each distinct UV region will be given its own group ID which will be useful later on if you have to deal with multiple displacement maps.

2D & 3D PAINTING, MODELING & TEXTURING

Group Visible is useful and faster than establishing your UVs first. To use this, you must hide the portions of the model that you do not want to be part of the group.

USING POLYGROUPS To show just one group at a time, press CTRL + Shift and click on the part of the mesh you want to display. To show all of the mesh, press CTRL + Shift and click outside of the visible mesh.

Headquarters Address:

Pixologic Inc. 320 West 31st Street Los Angeles, CA 90007

To show a few groups at a time, follow the steps below: 1. 2. 3. 4.

CTRL + Shift and click on one of the groups that you want to remain visible. Invert this selection by pressing CTRL + Shift and clicking and dragging outside the visible mesh. CTRL + Shift and click on the next Polygroup that you want to remain visible. This will hide it. Invert this selection by pressing CTRL + Shift and clicking and dragging outside the visible mesh to show only those two groups.

OTHER POLYMESH ADVANTAGES Sculpting with a PolyMesh in ZBrush opens many, many doors. A PolyMesh can be detailed in Projection Master; it can store a morph target and it can be used to generate difference maps.

E-mail:

Sales: [email protected] General Info: [email protected] Telephone Number:

Toll-free: 1-888-748-5967 Customer service and technical support are available Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Pacific Time)

In the next guide we will look at ways to take our models to the next level of detail with Masks, Stencils and Projection Master. Remember to visit the forum at www.zbrushcentral.com and post your worksin-progress. Enjoy the Pixols! Page 4

Patents Pending ~ ' 1997-2005 Pixologic, Inc. all rights reserved ~ Pixologic

www.ZBrush.com www.ZBrushCentral.com

and the Pixologic logo, ZBrush and the ZBrush logo are registered trademarks of Pixologic, Inc. All other trademarks, trade names, service marks, or product names mentioned hereinare property of their respective owners.

QuickStart: Production Series

LA_507174polymesh

7/26/05

5:55 PM

Page 1

ZBrush Sculpting Polymesh

POLYGROUPS Polygroups allow us to establish selection sets to selectively hide or show parts of the model. You can find the Polygroup sub-menu in the Tools palette. There are three ways to create Polygroups: Auto Groups, UV Groups, Group Visible. Auto Group will assign each separate geometry shell its own group ID. UV Group is the most useful way to group objects. Each distinct UV region will be given its own group ID which will be useful later on if you have to deal with multiple displacement maps.

2D & 3D PAINTING, MODELING & TEXTURING

Group Visible is useful and faster than establishing your UVs first. To use this, you must hide the portions of the model that you do not want to be part of the group.

USING POLYGROUPS To show just one group at a time, press CTRL + Shift and click on the part of the mesh you want to display. To show all of the mesh, press CTRL + Shift and click outside of the visible mesh.

Headquarters Address:

Pixologic Inc. 320 West 31st Street Los Angeles, CA 90007

To show a few groups at a time, follow the steps below: 1. 2. 3. 4.

CTRL + Shift and click on one of the groups that you want to remain visible. Invert this selection by pressing CTRL + Shift and clicking and dragging outside the visible mesh. CTRL + Shift and click on the next Polygroup that you want to remain visible. This will hide it. Invert this selection by pressing CTRL + Shift and clicking and dragging outside the visible mesh to show only those two groups.

OTHER POLYMESH ADVANTAGES Sculpting with a PolyMesh in ZBrush opens many, many doors. A PolyMesh can be detailed in Projection Master; it can store a morph target and it can be used to generate difference maps.

E-mail:

Sales: [email protected] General Info: [email protected] Telephone Number:

Toll-free: 1-888-748-5967 Customer service and technical support are available Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Pacific Time)

In the next guide we will look at ways to take our models to the next level of detail with Masks, Stencils and Projection Master. Remember to visit the forum at www.zbrushcentral.com and post your worksin-progress. Enjoy the Pixols! Page 4

Patents Pending ~ ' 1997-2005 Pixologic, Inc. all rights reserved ~ Pixologic

www.ZBrush.com www.ZBrushCentral.com

and the Pixologic logo, ZBrush and the ZBrush logo are registered trademarks of Pixologic, Inc. All other trademarks, trade names, service marks, or product names mentioned hereinare property of their respective owners.

QuickStart: Production Series