ZBrush Intro - 3D Game Production Week 21

 

This week I started with Zbrush. The software came to me much more intuitively, as the sculpting process was really similar to Blender, which I have experience using. Specifically, being already acquainted with concepts such as dynamesh, different brushes such as clay strips, among many other things, allowed me to get a quick start on the software. For starters, I decided to sculpt some basic materials that would be useful for my next project, such as wood and rocks. 

I limited myself to the basic clay buildup brush for the time being and got to know the software better. I trimmed the edges to create a worn feel. Adding details on the edges alone made the model feel much more believable and nicer to look at. I was able to create further visual interest using variety is the wear amount throughout the edges. 

I tried some different brushes to get other interesting effects in. I used this brush to create a feeling of cracked rocks. I failed, but I learned a lesson in what not to do next time. Having every surface being damaged doesn't create visual interest. Having every surface have the same amount of damage just looks bad and fake. 

After messing about with sculpting bricks and planks for a while, I did a little test sculpt to see what the software was capable of. I was impressed by the variety of brushes and tools available and created this little backpack below. It was a fun little project to just test out some of the brushes and the tools, like the move tool. Although I am aware that a real asset would first be modelled and then sculpted, obviously.

I did some further sculpting on the backpack before leaving it for later. Overall, I feel like I understand the way ZBrush works now. The amount of tools available by default and the remesher stood out to me as very convenient. I am looking forward on working with it in the future.

I did some research and some concept sketching for my fireplace. I had used mostly realistic references so the design ended being an accurate one for the most part. On the low right you can see the final concept that didn't change much for the entire project since it accomplished everything I wanted it to.