Learning ZBrush Overview

Every now and then I receive an email asking where to start with ZBrush. Below is a copy of a recent email I sent in response to such a question. It is a basic outline of where to start your path of learning and some of the best resources to point your attention towards...

Hi _____________

Thanks for the email and the kind words.

I'm pretty much a hobbyist myself with digital sculpting. I have been a character sculptor for about 15 years so a lot of what I have learned using traditional medium has transferred over to the digital tool set.

There are two sides to digital modelling: Character sculpting & Hard Surface modelling. Think of as Organic forms (humans, animals and creatures Vs Industrial shapes (weapons, robots, vehicles or aircraft). There is a lot of crossover between, and it's best to learn both, but be aware of the different approaches needed for each. 

If it's characters you wish to make, as I do, then my first advice would be to learn anatomy. An understanding of the human form will inform your sculpt more than anything else. It is the foundation of all great sculptors.

Night classes in Life Drawing are great for developing understanding and I would recommend this book first: amazon.co.uk/Atlas-Human-Anatomy-Artist

Learning Zbrush can be daunting, it was for me anyway, it's language, layout and workflow were completely alien. I have however found many good resources which teach ZBrush and can recommend them below.

To gain insight into the various aspects of ZBrush watch all the videos on Pixologic's classroom page:

 pixologic.com/zclassroom 

A great set of free tutorials from Jason Welsh are available on youtube watch and/or work through them as you need: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=AF8FE85B2A969BD3

For pure eye candy, keep an eye on the top row threads and gallery here: zbrushcentral.com/

An amazing set of Pro level tutorials are available here: thegnomonworkshop.com however they are expensive. The best digital artists in the world are creating the material for Gnomon and they are mind blowingingly good - search google and youtube for Gnomon and you'll find snippets. Sign up for the newsletter and keep an eye on what they do.

Another option to learn more once you have a grip of the basics and are ready for advanced material is to do an online course. There are two sites which I can recommend as delivering material which advance your understanding faster than any other.

First C.G.Society offer a good range of online courses taught by professionals in the field. I took a Character Design for Production course with them and it was where I learned to get to grips with ZBrush. 

Secondly zbrushworkshops offer workshops and classes. Again sign up for the newsletter, and check out the free stuff they have on youtube.

There is more than enough there to set you on the right path to conquering ZBrush and digital sculpting. It can be daunting and sometimes frustrating while learning this stuff and if you ever get stuck it is a sign that you are learning! remember Google is your friend to finding answers and If you ever need any more advice from myself just drop me an email.

Good luck and all the best

Wayne

Zack Petroc

Gnomonology.com have just released Part One of Zack Petroc's 'The Form Of Anatomy Series'.

The One Hour lecture discusses issues of anatomical structure, demonstrated on Zacks own multi-part maquette of skeleton and muscle groups. Zack starts by covering landmarks on the skeleton and the rhythms of it's gesture, then group by group he introduces the muscles, their origins and insertions.

The whole lecture is fascinating and nods towards an excellent series. The lecture is demonstrated with ZBrush but strictly sticks to anatomical discussion so is approachable from any artist interested in Mastering the Human Form.

This first Chapter covers:

• Skeleton Landmarks
• Muscle Origins and Insertions
• Muscle Group Gestures
• Rhythms of the Muscle Groups
• Weight and Balance
• Reading Form through Silhouette

Can't wait for the next chapter, Zack has mastered the anatomy and it fantastic listening to his lectures. The model used in this series is also available for download at Zack's website here://www.zackpetroc.com/

I first learned of Zack when Gnomon released Digital Sculpting - Human Anatomy - a lecture which covers the 'outer' Human Form working in Maya then moving on to surface details in ZBrush.  There are several other available videos from Zack here://gnomonology.com/inst/17 including the 'Making of Ramboillet' and 'Female Anatomy' Tutorials.

 

Also there is an interesting tutorial written by Zack over at://www.computerarts.co.uk/

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Gnomonology

FREE:

Male human head basemesh with organized topology. UVs are unwrapped. Ready to be imported into Zbrush or reorganized to match another design.

Can be downloaded Free from the great folks at Gmomon: http://gnomonology.com/tutorial/197