ZBrush uses a brush interface that allows for highly detailed sculpting on models.Īnother nice modeling improvement is called Unified Skin, which gives you the power to control how ZBrush creates a mesh. Spheres II, the new version, allows for branching structures-such as hands, fingers, and limbs-to be created. This process is driven by ZBrush’s ZSpheres technology, which uses the brush strokes to create the underlying geometric mesh. ZSketch also can be used without an armature to model free-form. ZSketch allows you to paint “strips” of geometry that can be attached to a ZBrush skeleton, much like an armature. Typically, sculpting in clay involves creating a wire armature to which clay strips are added, building up the model from scratch. One of the most interesting of these tools is called ZSketch, which provides a digital equivalent of clay modeling techniques. This workflow, however has been slowly changing with the addition of tools that allow you to create geometry from scratch within ZBrush. The software’s ability to handle very large models allows for a high degree of detail to be added. Typically, ZBrush has been used as a finishing tool, with the basic geometry modeled elsewhere and the final touches added in ZBrush. The most common use of ZBrush is for sculpting in 3D. The possibilities with Pixologic’s technology are very broad and allow for a high degree of creative freedom. Another brush paints stitches for seams in clothing or for stitching up scars on the skin of a character. A cloth brush could easily transform the surface of an object to canvas, for example. Brushes, however, can go a lot deeper than simple pushing and pulling they can actually invoke macros and other high-level functions to create very specific effects. Brushes can contain any geometric shape and be used to stamp or pull the surface of a model to add detail. You can paint in 2D, much like in any paint package, but the real power comes when you paint with geometry. The basic workflow is brush-based: You either brush onto a blank canvas or an existing model to add or subtract detail. This, however, is not a huge hindrance, but it does take a little while to get used to ZBrush’s unique workflow. The menu structure is different from most applications, and the company tends to use its own terminology. Pixologic tends to march to its own drummer when it comes to interface design. The interface is attractive and has a large workspace in the center, with tools arrayed on either side. Once you are past this menu, the interface appears. Upon launching the software, you’re given an option to load one of several stock models, import your own model, or proceed to a blank canvas. ZBrush works on both Windows and Apple’s OS X. The new version of ZBrush adds a number of tools that make modeling and painting much easier. In addition to the offering’s 3D sculpting power, ZBrush also can create 2D illustrations as well as “2.5D” images, which are made by painting with depth. The software pioneered the area of interactive 3D sculpting many years ago, and over the subsequent years, the software has been used to create highly detailed and realistic models in games, film, and illustration. Pixologic’s ZBrush has always been a little ahead of its time.
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