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Associate
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771
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altrincham, manchester
Which version of Zbrush 4 are you using? In Zbrush 4r2 they introduced 'Dynamesh' which makes free form sculpting or base-mesh creation so much quicker/simpler.

I either use 'Dynamesh', traditionally for organic objects like characters, but if I want something that's a bit more precise, like armor, then I'd start working off a base-mesh that I'd create in 3DS Max.

As for helpful Zbrush info :-http://www.zbrushcentral.com/forum.php
ZBC is full of helpful info. Also look into artists such as Ryan Kingslien and Scott Spencer. They have books as well as DVD's which have a wealth of info in them, Ryan Kingslien has a youtube channel also.
 
Soldato
Joined
22 Sep 2011
Posts
10,575
Location
Portsmouth (Southsea)
Which version of Zbrush 4 are you using? In Zbrush 4r2 they introduced 'Dynamesh' which makes free form sculpting or base-mesh creation so much quicker/simpler.

I either use 'Dynamesh', traditionally for organic objects like characters, but if I want something that's a bit more precise, like armor, then I'd start working off a base-mesh that I'd create in 3DS Max.

As for helpful Zbrush info :-http://www.zbrushcentral.com/forum.php
ZBC is full of helpful info. Also look into artists such as Ryan Kingslien and Scott Spencer. They have books as well as DVD's which have a wealth of info in them, Ryan Kingslien has a youtube channel also.
Yeah, I've got 'Dynamesh' but taking a while to get used to it.

For old modelling I used to do (admittedly using "Imagine" on the Amiga) I'd work with a number of composite 3-d base objects & distort & stretch them to build a basic frame (then build up on that) - I was looking for a similar methodology to do the same in Zbrush to create the base from - then add the "clay" onto that to build up the specific forms.

Cheers for the advice, I'll give those a watch & may look at getting a couple of DVD's to learn from, need to find something to start off on - as faces/humans are a little complicated for a noobie!.
 
Associate
Joined
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Manchester
dynamesh or zsphere. For a full character I always start with zspheres to get the proportions and pose set out.

You will find your own technique with dynamesh, it can be used in many ways.

The best tip ever is to stay low, very low. You should be able to get all forms and a good representation before you ever have to start subdividing. If you do sub divide to early you will end up with problems and bumps everywhere. I found Zbrush worked for me so much better doing it this way.

Claybuild up brush through the layers of muscles and don't use smooth. I find smooth just washes all the form out and nice build up you get. I guess it's like photoshop, don't use loads of layers or the eraser so much :)
 
Soldato
Joined
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10,575
Location
Portsmouth (Southsea)
dynamesh or zsphere. For a full character I always start with zspheres to get the proportions and pose set out.

You will find your own technique with dynamesh, it can be used in many ways.

The best tip ever is to stay low, very low. You should be able to get all forms and a good representation before you ever have to start subdividing. If you do sub divide to early you will end up with problems and bumps everywhere. I found Zbrush worked for me so much better doing it this way.

Claybuild up brush through the layers of muscles and don't use smooth. I find smooth just washes all the form out and nice build up you get. I guess it's like photoshop, don't use loads of layers or the eraser so much :)
Thanks for the tips, just read up on zspheres & they definitely seem to be kind of what I'm looking for (to build the base for me to work from) - I'll also have that play around with Dynamesh too.

I've always wanted to do concept style art, but I always envisage a 3d object as opposed to a 2d drawing for new ideas - so getting new designs onto paper has always proved difficult (So usually work with references in traditional art).

Really I want to start creating my own characters & original ideas & sculpting seems to be the format between my historic 3d modelling & my more recent photo-shop basic digital art.

Cheers to both of you (nice to have some direction from people who know what they are doing!).

Also to keep the posts in line with the OP.

My my recent ink pen drawing.

online_request_by_darkelmarko-d62dqyl.jpg
 
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Associate
Joined
24 May 2004
Posts
1,878
Location
Manchester
You can always do a basic character in Zbrush and paint over it. Any technique that works the fastest/best for you is viable. The project I'm working on now has the concept artists painting over the zbrush concepts I am doing form their original concepts. So it keeps going back forth which is creating new ideas along the way.

I like the inking technique you have got down there and its start to look a lot tighter now. The only problem I see happening is that you have got that good it's beginning to look like a photoshop filter in itself! Maybe you could introduce a more stylized angle back to it?
 
Soldato
Joined
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Portsmouth (Southsea)
You can always do a basic character in Zbrush and paint over it. Any technique that works the fastest/best for you is viable. The project I'm working on now has the concept artists painting over the zbrush concepts I am doing form their original concepts. So it keeps going back forth which is creating new ideas along the way.
Sounds like a good idea, I guess I'll just have to re-learn much of what I've forgotten & keep at it tbh!.

I like the inking technique you have got down there and its start to look a lot tighter now. The only problem I see happening is that you have got that good it's beginning to look like a photoshop filter in itself! Maybe you could introduce a more stylized angle back to it?
Ay, I was planning on doing some colour into it all back again to revert back to my older style (all back & white with a slash of red/blue or yellow).

It's in part due to the very limited colour palette (can't get them to mix well) so just black & 4 shades of grey pro-markers for everything, I do most of my prep in photo-shop including bleeding the pallet of all colour - then redraw the bits which get wasted out in photo-shop (as otherwise you lose the eyes & such) - then I draw the drained version I've made digitally on paper in pencil in segments & colour each segment group with the pro-markers.
 
Soldato
Joined
22 Sep 2011
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10,575
Location
Portsmouth (Southsea)
Found a website with some great tips for people who want to get more serious about art/drawing & painting.

http://vimeo.com/ctrlpaint

Decided to go back to school (metaphorically speaking) & learn anatomy, bone structure, muscle structure & started doing gestural drawing to relearn form correctly.

Amazing the difference it makes doing a the basic gestural sketch, 2nd tier gestural sketch - then final positioning - suddenly find I can get proportions right much easier using this method.

Kind of annoyed at how bad my art teachers have been "Paint this", or "this is the history of X artist" - nothing about technique or methods of painting/drawing annoyingly...

I mean these arn't great by any standard, but no way I could have done them in the couple of mins it took using my old method (one pencil one digital).

eyes_by_darkelmarko-d62zp4i.jpg
 
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Caporegime
Joined
7 Nov 2004
Posts
30,194
Location
Buckinghamshire
The actual ctrl-paint website is a good one, look it up.

I'm just starting out again, really would like to make a career of it one day. My main issue is I try and do too much detail from the get go :p
 
Soldato
Joined
22 Sep 2011
Posts
10,575
Location
Portsmouth (Southsea)
The actual ctrl-paint website is a good one, look it up.

I'm just starting out again, really would like to make a career of it one day. My main issue is I try and do too much detail from the get go :p
Indeed, I think that's what I was doing wrong myself.

Instead of doing a very loose sketch I was going right in trying to get the full structure, simply doing it in three layers (very rough sketch, basic parts sketch, then final outline seems to make a massive difference in proportions & speed).
 
Caporegime
Joined
7 Nov 2004
Posts
30,194
Location
Buckinghamshire
Indeed, I think that's what I was doing wrong myself.

Instead of doing a very loose sketch I was going right in trying to get the full structure, simply doing it in three layers (very rough sketch, basic parts sketch, then final outline seems to make a massive difference in proportions & speed).

It's something I just need to practice :)

Due to the lack of detail I just think everything I do looks terrible, when in reality it isn't the case at all.

Hopefully I'll be able to contribute to the thread again soon :p
 
Soldato
Joined
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10,575
Location
Portsmouth (Southsea)
A quick question for our experts on here.

I'm not sure if it's possible but I'm trying to setup my photoshop in such a way that pressure sensitivity controls shade (instead of opacity).

I control size by angle (using a "paint-brush" type brush) - & want pressure sensitivity to determine different shades of a given tone - but with maximum opacity.

Ideally, I want to have a black tone paintbrush which when applied very lightly is light grey - all the way to black when I hold down hard - with all the shades in-between, opacity settings don't work because each stroke overlaps over the previous & ruins the look.
 
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