20 minute zbrush 2 preview.

[onlooker]

What's with the dates? Is this an early april fools joke, or are these last years videos? It says they have been there since Tues. April 1st 2003

[ambient-whisper]

its down in europe. theyre time is a bit ahead of america last i checked? :) anyway its real.

[KenH]

I selected anonymous and put in my email addy, but it still won't let me in. :cry:

[ambient-whisper]

keep checking the first post in this page. ill be updating it with more links real soon.

[pogonip]

It doesnt work ...you should take this post down until it does... but apprecaite the thought :cry:

[Clanger]

So far it's working for me, 72% downloaded and counting :)

[ambient-whisper]

Originally posted by pogonip
It doesnt work ...you should take this post down until it does... but apprecaite the thought :cry:
yeah. some links might take time to be updated by your internet provider.

im thinking of setting up a bit torrent file too.

[Sentenza]

http's doesn't work here neither but FTP does ... 15% right now ... still waiting :-)

[ambient-whisper]

updated post with the cgnetwork link.

[Fiblah]

Awsome video. :thumbsup: :bounce:

I really need to get my hands on this program, it looks so amazing.

[rocarpen]

Amazing stuff! Thanks a million for taking the time to put it together. The initial sphere modelling phase sure is interesting to watch.

[onlooker]

Ok, but isn't it 2004 right now?

Regardless, that movie was really cool I'm getting ZB2 that day it's released now.

I loved the hotbox like interface. 1.55b doesn't have that does it?

Last - I was wondering about that modeling process. Is that the general idea in modeling in ZB is to model your zsphere, and polly version into a gord looking creature that far away from your final dimensions, or outcome, and pull everything out to get the desired results because the polly count will be higher, and more defined, or was that just how it happened? Whew.... take a breath. :)

I just thought I would have brought my model much closer to what I wanted it to look like in the end.
On the other hand you wouldn't be able to see all that great paint mesh pulling in that demonstration if it were too close.

[ambient-whisper]

to answer the question. i just made this on the spot with no design in mind. since i wanted to focus on zbrush in this video, i chose not to use an existing model.

on a side note, theres a ton of other new stuff i didnt cover in this video. :) lots of very neat stuff.

[Clanger]

Just watch it excellent, thanks for sharing that. Hungry for more.

[Phrenzy84]

someone explain to me, plzzzz. I have flashget and im using site explorer tool and i stil cant get in the ftp server. help.

look really good.

[pencil-head]

That was awsome.
Thanks Ambient. :applause:

[wrosado]

wow! i like the hiding of geometry and the color coding of the mesh...

good stuff!


Still waiting for the release of z2...

[onlooker]

Originally posted by ambient-whisper
to answer the question. i just made this on the spot with no design in mind. since i wanted to focus on zbrush in this video, i chose not to use an existing model.

on a side note, theres a ton of other new stuff i didnt cover in this video. :) lots of very neat stuff.

What about that little hot box-ish interface. Is that a new feature? While watching I thought that would definitely be for me just because I'm a Maya hot-box/hot-key junkie.

[ChewyPixels]

That is freakin' sweet!:bounce: Come ZB2...where are you???

[Zeddicus]

Anyone else having trouble getting it to play via the CGNetworks link in Firefox 0.8? First time I've ever had trouble with Quicktime video and this browser. Just shows the broken image icon. Everything is up to date (just checked).

[TVeyes]

That was sweet. Thanks a lot for putting it together. Still don't understand why you use the right click so much instead of short cut keys. Each to his own. Thanks again.

And thanks to the mirror people also:thumbsup:

[KolbyJukes]

oh man!

Incredible stuff ambient, I can't wait to get my grubby little hands on this program.

How about getting a Zbrush forum on CGtalk, that'd be great!

-Kol.

[Leonard]

Originally posted by Zeddicus
Anyone else having trouble getting it to play via the CGNetworks link in Firefox 0.8? First time I've ever had trouble with Quicktime video and this browser. Just shows the broken image icon. Everything is up to date (just checked).

You might try upgrading QuickTime as this movie uses MPEG 4.

L.

[brook kievit]

its like a brave new world..................

[undoz]

wow , this is amazing
thanks a lot ambient

are you using a mouse or a tablet?

[elfufu]

being a modeler i think this is simple the greatest thing to ever happen but my concerns towards this approach to modeling is its usability for animation, true it looks fantastic for rendering and such but how riggable is a model like this for say animating?

i understand that you extract the maps and apply it to a low rez cage which in this case would be the zspheres model, but then how would you make him blink? or smile? or anything in that matter?

you would need to model in more primary detail before you can begin "painitng in the detail correct?

on another note is something no one seems to ask or mention is the render times for these displacements... even thought its not geometry i know mental ray chokes when rendering displacements as does mayas renderer not that maya renderer is any good for displacements but what is the ususal rendertimes for something like say southerns rancor or something similar?

[chadtheartist]

I think that Pixars Renderer (Renderman?) is fast at rendering displacements. And I thought Mental Ray was too. Although I have zero experience with either one, so take this with a grain of salt.

I'll have to wait and see the video later. Dial up is not the best tool to download video clips. By that time though, maybe Z2 will be available.

Thanks for sharing ambient!

[Strang]

Hey martin
you use a tablet in Zbrush? seems like you do, seems like the smart intutive way...just wanted to make sure. and possible get any comments from you about how well the tablet works for you :)

also i just gotta say...that isolation/selection tools is cool... you can just crop everything away and bring it back :)

thanks, for sharing

-Strang

[goodlag]

Rock!!:bounce:

[sireel]

I seem to only be able to view the 12 meg file. Can I download the other files from some where else?

[DougG]

this program looks awesome :buttrock: Looks like I'm gunnah hafta check it out

[cgg]

:eek: omg
this is like using a super artisan on poly shape :drool:
looks amazing

[EmpY]

Originally posted by Sir Eel
I seem to only be able to view the 12 meg file. Can I download the other files from some where else?

Sir Eel, if you viewed it, it's in your Temporary Intenet Files folder
(asuming windows) just get it from there.


This is awesome stuff! Hiding geometry seems speeding
thigs a lot, am I wrong?

:eek:

[rebo]

Jesus Christ

this

is

amazing

[pearson]

Wow...I might have to check this out! I like the hotbox thinger...but now I'll have to actually learn anatomy! :p

Thanks a ton, Martin! :thumbsup:

[gmask]

I too am getting really interested in this software but I do wonder how portable the displacements are to other programs like Maya for example. Is as simple es export low res obj and displacement map then import into maya and assign displacement?

[oxyg3n]

This is really cool. Now i understand more what zbrush is.

How do the tools work? Where you just painting over the model and it was adding the geometry?

One you are done in z brush whats next?
Do you export the displacement map and then apply it to your model in another app like maya or xsi?

[lwbob]

"server 3" seems dead. just 404 errors

[frameless]

wonderful! but whats with edgeloops? are these models fully animatable? I think i will give this a try :)

[keltuzar]

Amazing work ambient, did you use a tablet for the paint effects? Like the software and how it works but very doubtful I will be able to buy a copy now.
yes and what about edgeloops?

[koroko]

Martin, huge big THANKS for sharing this with the community.



:)

[Sceme]

ZBrush is really changing the way to model stuff (in a good way ofcource). WOW!


as someone else already asked too. So when u brush. Is it adding displacement or is is really a geometric then?

[Day-Dreamer]

good job ambient-whisper:thumbsup:

Its sad that some ppl neglect about the skill .For me its not about software ,the model looks good because of ambient-whisper's skill.In near future , we are going to see many high detailed model with no purpose or meaning. :wip:

[gmask]

Originally posted by Day-Dreamer
Its sad that some ppl neglect about the skill .For me its not about software ,the model looks good because of ambient-whisper's skill.In near future , we are going to see many high detailed model with no purpose or meaning. :wip:

I don't think anybody is underrating his skill.. if you look at the gallery at zbrush there is currently alot of ..well... mediocre stuff there..

However when it's good it's good and I think if you understand how it works and know how to use the tools in it it seems to be really fast. I have tried the 1.5 version and didn't like the "meta-creations" like interface.. 2 seems to be a little more pro looking.. hopefully the interface is more intuitive than before.. it took me abit to get the hand of the zball tool but I figured it out.

The interface is in my opinion is or was so foreign from the typical 3d program that it takes alot to get used to even though it appears to do similair things as other programs.. such as Maya's Artisan.

At anyrate I am interested to give the new version a whirl.

[kamsvag]

For starters, I'm realy impressed, not only by the tool, but also by your skills as a digital sculptor (is that correct english?).

Though I do have some questions.

1. Is it possible to define edgeloops after you've sculpted this character in zBrush?

2. Does it export to maya in an easy way?

3. Is it possible to go back to the zSpheres and rePose the character after you've started to paint the new geomtry, or will you loose the new geometry then?

4. When you start to paint deffenitions to the basic mesh you get from the zSpheres, is that geometry or is it defined by normal- and displacement-maps?

[acidboy]

Guys,
A lot of the questions being asked are answered in the zbrush 2 featues page on the zbrush site.

www.zbrush.com

Worth checking out before asking ambient :)

[TylerHunter]

A have a basic question about Zbrush. When modeling realistic characters and people, you make a lot of proportional changes, sometimes subtle, some times large. Making eyes smallers, nose shorter or longer, changing the ear position on the head, I see a lot of really power ful 3D sculpting tools, but i dont see any ability to go in and grab the nose and push it up, like you would do with soft selection on while using 3dsmax or another 3D program. Ive been told that you would ussually make the basic 3D model in something like max or maya then take it into Zbrush to sculpt it out and generate fine displacement maps. I was just wondering what kinda geometry editing on a point level it has.

Tyler

[Rivendale]

Very nice demonstration Martin, I hope you get paid by Pixologic for this ;), this is great for them. This sure is the way of the future for modeling it seems.:thumbsup:

CML

[gmask]

Originally posted by acidboy
Guys,
A lot of the questions being asked are answered in the zbrush 2 featues page on the zbrush site.

www.zbrush.com

Worth checking out before asking ambient :)


Hmmm.. no treally I have a few very program inoperabilty specific questions and the features pages fall short of tellign me what I need to know..

"ZBrush recognizes OBJ and DXF -- the industry standards -- for 3D formats. For 2D import, it recognizes BMP, Macintosh PICT, and native PSD. There is no need to flatten Photoshop layers before import.

Imported 3D objects retain their existing UV texture coordinates and vertex counts, or they can be assigned new ones within ZBrush. They can be smoothed without increasing mesh density. Once imported, all meshes can be modeled and deformed in the same ways that native 3D primitives can.
"

Ok so it exports OBJ.. I knew that but it does not mention wether or not exported models will still ahve their UV maps when I import them into Maya.


Later it says

"When exporting to other programs, these material attributes can be "baked" into the texture, ensuring it has the same appearance in another environment."

I just need to hear from someone who has done this with Maya.. I don't think thatis asking too much? I'm sure other software uses would like to hear similair experiences from users of their favorite 3d program and Zbrush.

I didn't see any description of the displacement map feature but I might have overlooked it.

[ambient-whisper]

you know. gmask i really like leaving you hanging. your asking questions that are soo damn obvious. havent you ever seen any rendering from people that used Z, and rendered elsewhere. ? if uvmaps wouldnt be retained.. how else would we do this?

the only thing in the past that zbrush didnt do is export specific normals out. im not sure if thats still the case because i havent needed to export geometry out of zbrush. all you need is the actual displacement map. but thats not much of an issue since in most apps you either keep normals smoothed or not. its mostly an issue with games.

{EDIT}

this should explain uvs a little. though i gotta say that uvs in zb2 are much better than in 1.55b. in 1.5 up until 1.6 i used to get problems with texture/projection master where painting wouldnt carry over properly and leave borders around each poly around certain sections. but things are silky smooth now.

[url]http://www.pixolator.com/zbc-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=1&t=009275&p=[url]

[Atwooki]

Hi Martin

Thanks a lot for the vid :thumbsup:
You've certainly run us through a lot of the basic workflow nicely on this, and given us a very useful taster of what most here will be diving into very shortly.
Not sure I fully understood what tool whas what at the provided resolution (I d'lled the 80 meg version), but nonetheless, the UI and floating GUI's look more accessible and pleasant to use, and the insight into use of various brushes has been much appreciated.
Thanks a lot for your timely consideration, man :)

Atwooki

[Neox]

thank you martin!
the video is realy cool, i like what i see so far, how long did it take you to get into that modelling workflow? i'm currently in the middle of the production and learning a new software is a thing which shouldn't take too much time to be not that expensive for the production... so how is it? easy too learn, or at first very different but if you get it its easy to handle... i'm really serious about working with it
and i can't wait to get my copy... (hey tito you know where my copy is? :D)

[Joebount]

Martin, you really kick some ass !
Yeah, Tito, where is mine too ! :) (I was jocking Steffen, I didn't receive it yet ! :p )

[rebo]

My question is, what are your computer specs ambient-whisper ?

[victor throe]

that was sickeningly good dammit

[WhiteRabbitObj]

I scanned through all these posts but didn't see this question or the answer: How long in real time was that? Obviously the video was very much sped up, but how long did it take you to turn it out? Seems pretty fast regardless and I'm familiar with your modeling-challenge work which is phenomenal in under 3 hours so I assume it's fast here as well. Also, how much is ZBrush2 going to cost? I'd love to get a copy (student hopefully).

[edit] Got the answer to the price... $489... and it's released now? I hadn't heard that annoucement. Fantastic! That's so cheap! Still, I hope they have a student price as well since I'm poor!

[ambient-whisper]

Originally posted by WhiteRabbit.obj
I scanned through all these posts but didn't see this question or the answer: How long in real time was that? Obviously the video was very much sped up, but how long did it take you to turn it out? Seems pretty fast regardless and I'm familiar with your modeling-challenge work which is phenomenal in under 3 hours so I assume it's fast here as well. Also, how much is ZBrush2 going to cost? I'd love to get a copy (student hopefully).

[edit] Got the answer to the price... $489... and it's released now? I hadn't heard that annoucement. Fantastic! That's so cheap! Still, I hope they have a student price as well since I'm poor!

hey

i think in total it took me between 5-6 hours. i spent too much time trying to figure out what i was going to do with it since i had no plans in mind. recording also kinda slows you down when moving around such large models. ( the original size of the recording is 1280x1024.


server 2 NEW and working ( 40mb ) and good quality.
thanks to Frenchy Pilou
http://fire.prohosting.com/holoptix/MK_Zbrush-Doodle-Divx5_1_1-medium-400x300.avi

My question is, what are your computer specs ambient-whisper ?

pentium4 2.4ghz with Hyperthreading ( Hyperthreading turned on in zbrush v2 adds 22.5% speed increase :D )
1.5gb ram
GeforceFX5600

[aydinu]

Thanks for the video and is it correct that the link from server 2 is only 4 kB?

Because I can't open the file after downloading it

Aydin

[tayete]

I cannot download it from this new site. It just starts downloading a really tiny file of 10kb. Any other mirror?

Another question: what brush do you use to smooth the wrinkles? I used to mask the part I wanted to smooth, and apply a whole SMOOTH to that area. But it seems you are using some kind of brush...can you tell me how to do it, please?

Thanks.

BTW, the video simply rocks!!!

[KenH]

Originally posted by tayete
Another question: what brush do you use to smooth the wrinkles? I used to mask the part I wanted to smooth, and apply a whole SMOOTH to that area. But it seems you are using some kind of brush...can you tell me how to do it, please?



Ah AH!!! Naughty naughty! If you'd done your basic research, you'd have read all about it at the initial preview launch.
There is a new smooth brush which....smooths. :p

[vrf]

Wow, great video. Nice of you to put it together for us. Would I be correct in assuming you used a pressure-sensitive tablet for that model? Z2 supports tablets, doesn't it?

[yinako]

Originally posted by ambient-whisper
i think in total it took me between 5-6 hours. i spent too much time trying to figure out what i was going to do with it since i had no plans in mind.

One ass kicking software,
One ass kicking modeler,
One ass kicking modler using One ass kicking software.

I guess a lot of work in zbrush don't use image reference in the traditional sense. Tends make you work more like sculpture, and hence make it up as you play around.

[tayete]

Ah AH!!! Naughty naughty! If you'd done your basic research, you'd have read all about it at the initial preview launch.

Eeeeh!!! I had done my homework, but for some strange reason I missed this *basic* brush! :p It alone is a good reason to update my Zbrush 1.55!

Thanks a lot KENH!:thumbsup:

[iC4]

great video! and the new server works fine - 120kbyte/s for me

[Sentenza]

I mirrored the file on this prohosting Server ... You have to left click to get it, another window will open and from there on continue ... but it's a free webspace with a bandwith limit ... :-( so as it is posted here on cgtalk now ... :-) I think its limit will be reached fast, eh? :-)

[aydinu]

It's not the download speed that I'm talking about but the file size of the downloaded avi

Aydin

[Sentenza]

Like I said left click and it 'SHOULD' work fine ... (?) :-/

[aydinu]

Oke thanks and I just downloaded from server 3 right now. It was too busy this morning.

thanks again for the great video

Aydin

[DaKrunch]

:eek:
20 mins?

gotta try zbrush 2!!!

[chadtheartist]

It's a time lapse video. I believe Martin said it took about 5-6 hours to model. Actually, he said it in this very thread, on page 4.

It's still cool though! :D

[mouj]

Utterly cool video ! Thanks Martin and the folks at pixologic : )
Zbrush 2 looks impressive, and it somewhat seems easier to use than previous versions.
Definetaly waiting to see some art done with it !!

mouj

[reptil]

last link not work :shrug:

[peanut]

The timelapse of the file is 20 mins, it was not actually made in 20 mins.

:cool:

[Taoizm]

D'oh ... shut down by my provider :(

[shoey]

thats working for me, so far, fingers crossed!

[alexyork]

That's just phenominal. You convinced me to learn ZBrush this summer. My hat is well and truely off to you.

[gigatron]

I had 400KB/s+ from second link.

That was awesome..

Now I remember long ago trying z brush and i didn't like it, plus I wasn't able to export as 3d object to 3dsmax or maya..

Now from what I think I know today that's possible to export.. but is it animatable within z brush, rigged, etc..

Just out of curiosity, because if its still just static, then im like.. forget it :p

But it's definetely cool!

[mxhaunted]

Very very nice indeed. It wets my appetite for using Zbrush… to which I’ve tried but the trial version of 1.55 on the website didn’t work for me. So now I’m kind of miffed. I don’t want to buy it without trying it… even if it is possible to do this kind of quality of modelling. *stamps feet*

:thumbsup:

MX

[Strang]

i just got the larger version...and i can really see whats going on...

he was using some sort of "bones" to pose the character and make zspheres according to the bones...i like that..

-strang

[Troy]

Strang - the bones just seem to be part of selecting zpsheres...

The uv setup at the start on the low res mesh looks pretty good (if thats what it is), and the smoothing brush seems invaluable...


I was wondering if this kind of modelling flow could take over from the standard modelling that alot of people are used to, from start to finish, not just as a means of adding fine detail... Now that its possible to make animation friendly models with displacement.

[Deniss]

Here is another mirror...

http://www.deniko.com/MK_Zbrush-Doodle-Divx5_1_1-medium-400x300.avi

[Taoizm]

Sorry all, my provider has shut both my accounts down for "violations" The Taoizm and designmonkey links will no longer work.

[MustardWash]

That’s just amazing. Thanks for posting this. I tried learning ZBrush from the trial version a few months ago and didn’t get very far. This has definitely inspired me to pick it up again and learn ZBrush.

[gmask]

Originally posted by ambient-whisper
you know. gmask i really like leaving you hanging. your asking questions that are soo damn obvious. havent you ever seen any rendering from people that used Z, and rendered elsewhere. ? if uvmaps wouldnt be retained.. how else would we do this?

the only thing in the past that zbrush didnt do is export specific normals out. im not sure if thats still the case because i havent needed to export geometry out of zbrush. all you need is the actual displacement map. but thats not much of an issue since in most apps you either keep normals smoothed or not. its mostly an issue with games.

{EDIT}

this should explain uvs a little. though i gotta say that uvs in zb2 are much better than in 1.55b. in 1.5 up until 1.6 i used to get problems with texture/projection master where painting wouldnt carry over properly and leave borders around each poly around certain sections. but things are silky smooth now.

[url]http://www.pixolator.com/zbc-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=1&t=009275&p=[url]

Thanks for the clarification but there is no reason to be a smartass about it ;-)

" i used to get problems" I don't want any problems.. that's why I have to ask obvious questions.

At any rate I would try it myself but most demos don't let you export geometry.. I don't think 1.55 did.. anyway ..I'd like to have more to go on than assumptions about how it should work in a perfect world.

Any chance I could download a sample complex obj model, a displacement and why not a texture map as well that were exported from Zbrush 2?

I may not even so much have a concern about Zbrush as I do with Maya importing models .. I don't how many times I thought I could import a modeland when I did didn't get the UV maps.. maybe they had none to begin with I dunno.

[policarpo]

Thanks for posting the movie Martin.

Looks like the UI may be a little more friendly to use. Hope they post a demo first. It's shame you had to buy before it was shipping in order to get the special pricing.

Oh well, there's always the Siggraph Special. :)

[Crazzy Legs]

for organic modeling, I see no point in buying anything else......at the current moment

[TheWraith]

Originally posted by gmask
I may not even so much have a concern about Zbrush as I do with Maya importing models .. I don't how many times I thought I could import a modeland when I did didn't get the UV maps.. maybe they had none to begin with I dunno.

it would of course depend on if the model had uv's to begin with, but obj files keep uv coordinates in tact so maya can import obj files and they will retain the uv's, of course, thats assuming the mesh has uv's layed out to begin with. i believe 3ds retains uv's as well, but i'm not sure about things like dxf and dwg. i'm thinking those file formats do not keep the uv's. so really, it just depends on the file format

edit: what the hell happened to my avatar? i had ben stiller there! this is my old avatar :(

[gmask]

Originally posted by TheWraith
edit: what the hell happened to my avatar? i had ben stiller there! this is my old avatar :(

See that's what I mean.. you never know what might happen.. BTW I had a similair avatar disappearing/reappearing act recently and an avatar I had ditched over a year ago came up.. maybe the database is getting a bit large?


At any rate I would really love to get my hands on a complex OBJ model and maps exported from zbrush 2 just so I can say .. yes by god it works!

[arvid]

Originally posted by Deniss
Here is another mirror...

http://www.deniko.com/MK_Zbrush-Doodle-Divx5_1_1-medium-400x300.avi
Cheers for that link :p http://hem.bredband.net/arvbjo/done.gif

[TheWraith]

wow, thats a fast download

[Deniss]

to opacity: I think there is a direct link from sweden to estonia (were I am hosting my site) so doubt that everyone else will get that kind of speed.

[DoLeeP]

I'm dying to watch it
seems that all Links not working
I have 56K modem And I need to Download the file to watch it over and over again so If CGnetwork can add mirror for this file this will be great

[Bumbi]

I'ts a great tool and I will surely try the demo.

I just want to know from anyone who uses Z-brush how the final mesh looks from those spheres and mostly if you use that mesh for animations as well (edgeloops etc.) or if you only use it for reference and nice renders...

Anyway, great work Martin, and thanks for sharing it with us.

[Teyon]

S.ugar H.oney I.ced T.ea!

That's just too cool. I'm watching the face come about and all I can say is WOW. Sorry I couldn't buy this earlier now that the price has gone up but I'm thinking it's worth it! Saving them pennies...

[TheWraith]

yes, the video is amazing. thanks a lot for taking the time to record it aw. i do wonder, you would need to import the mesh into another program to get the morphs set up and animate it and all... so what do you do for the pieces like the mouth that would require a cavity that couldn't be created in zbrush? can zbrush delete faces or create holes? or would you just take it into another program and create the hole there?

it's looking like anybody without zbrush will be at a huge disadvantage when it comes to the modeling contests around here. the detail, speed and functionality zbrush brings to character models seems unmatched. i'm definitely going to have to get my hands on zbrush 2.

i am wondering, would it be possible to release a 3d only version of zbrush? i mean, maybe like a plugin for maya and max like deeppaint or bodypaint? i know for me, i would much rather have just the 3d painting options of zbrush with a maya or max interface than the zbrush interface. and not have to worry about the model becoming unselectable or anything like that. i guess i just wish there was a zbrush plugin for maya, where i could use zbrush like artisan with the speed of zbrush. is it possible? is it probable?

[KenH]

Originally posted by TheWraith
yes, the video is amazing. thanks a lot for taking the time to record it aw. i do wonder, you would need to import the mesh into another program to get the morphs set up and animate it and all... so what do you do for the pieces like the mouth that would require a cavity that couldn't be created in zbrush? can zbrush delete faces or create holes? or would you just take it into another program and create the hole there?



Holes are easy to put in. You just have to cater for it in the lower poly mesh. As Martin said, he was making this as he went along. In fact, if he wanted to, he could have "eaten away" a mouth cavity. Or pushed and pulled the points....etc etc.

Regarding your wish for a Zbrush plugin, I'd say it's unlikely. About as likely as a 3DS max plugin for Maya ;) But perhaps a "lite 3D only version" could be extracted....But you'd be missing out on some cool stuff!

[UrbanFuturistic]

Good grief that's a bit impressive!

Actually, I was going through the possible process (in my mind) of eating away a large cavity and building upon that in sections hiding/unhiding as necessary and such to create a full-on mouth-with-teeth-etc.

Who cares if it can animate? just export the lower poly mesh (with full UV etc.) and the displacement map into your favourite program with an obj file and rig it yerself!

If I were a rich man, dadadadadada deedeedeedee dumdeedumdeedum...

regards, Paul

[pluMmet]

what type of mapping does it use (the displacement) in max? I use Unwrap UVW most often and I don't think it would be compatible :(

[Deniss]

Hm... Is the Uw map generated In Z brush? can we see it? Is Uw map editable, or is it just automatic?

[ambient-whisper]

what you can do in a number of applications ( i know it can be done in max ( well thats what jonas from lionhead tells me ) is you can have multiple uv sets.

so you can have one that is perfect for displacements, but make the application use another uv set for texture maps.

the uvs that you can generate in zbrush have no stretching. which makes them perfect for displacements, and 3d painting. but useless for 2d painting.

you can ofcourse just use existing uvs that you have imported from your other app.

heres a screenie i made as a request by someone. as the screenshots mention, i originally didnt intend to show the displacement generation stuff because the model really wasnt made for this type of stuff, but i opted to use subd level 2 as it had enough planed defined to displace properly ( or so i had hoped ). and it turned out great, so i went ahead and showed on the video.

i should also mention that this is a 16 bit tiff. so you wont get any banding problems :)

http://ambient-whisper.cgcommunity.com/TIMELAPSE_VIDEO/ZB2-doodle-04.jpg

[Zeddicus]

I wouldn't worry about UV's. I'm 99% sure that you can probably do anything you want with them, if your willing to do a bit of importing/exporting back and forth when required.

Now the real question (great work by the way!). Has anyone actually tried rendering (or even animating too) these new displacement mapped models in a 3D app yet, like 3DS Max? How successful were you if you did? That's what I'm most interested in at the moment.

[Deniss]

Zeddicus, I've read somewhere that Weta used it for the lord of the rings, so yes someone did animate models from Z brush:)

[Zeddicus]

Ah, but what renderer did they use? ;-)

[gmask]

Yikes.. that map IS a mess.. I wonder how Maya or Mental Ray would displace a map like that?

But I thought that Zbrush could unwrap UVs.

How would you have made it if you were planning having a more orderly UV map for displacement?

[ambient-whisper]

Originally posted by gmask
Yikes.. that map IS a mess.. I wonder how Maya or Mental Ray would displace a map like that?

But I thought that Zbrush could unwrap UVs.

How would you have made it if you were planning having a more orderly UV map for displacement?

yes. that map is a mess because thats what i chose to do with it.

i could have manually edited uvs outside of Z if i wanted. but i didnt want to spend too long on uvs, since thats not what this video was on. its up to you to know how to do it , and decide which method you want to use.

if you want to make your uvs in maya. great:) just import the model and start sculpting. you dont need to do anything else to the model. the uvs will automatically be used. if you however press one of zbrushes texture uv buttons itll overwrite what you got already done with its own uvs. which like i said before, are perfect for displacement work and 3d painting, but useless for 2d painting.

[gmask]

>>>i could have manually edited uvs outside of Z if i wanted.

Yes by would you if you plan on painting the maps or displacement in zbrush?

..okay let's say you plan on modelling the using the zspheres and painting and creating displacements in Zbrush then you want to export the low res cage and maps for aniamting and rendering inmaya.. obviously it would be more conveinent to use the UV maps created in zbrush.. I guess you could export the model and then reimport it but that seems unneccessary unless tehmodel is being built outside Z.

When I look at a diagram like this..
http://209.132.68.66/zbrush2/images/zspheres/posing.jpg

I get the impression that zbrush maintains parametric mappings of the model that was generated by zspheres.. this would seem to be an optimal way to generate UV maps and leaves me confused as to why your maps looks the way it does when you generated the model using Zspheres. You choose AutoUV so are there not other methods that create more orderly maps that are good for 2d painting and displacements.. that is what the features docs talk about.. are they more involved?

[ambient-whisper]

no clue man. i dont spend my time playing with uvs. i either use wings for its uvs, or auto uvs. i dont really like spending umpteen hours tweaking uvs.

theres also a GroupUV function beside autouvs, which essentially takes the groups ( the coloured patches that you see over there. ) and maps each polies groups in sections. i havent done enough testing/reading up on the tool however so i cant really answer you..

your workflow, your problems :) its up to you to find a good workflow that works for you. if you dont want to export elsewhere to make uvs. its your call. but if you work like i do its not a problem. just make your uvs before exporting the model out to zbrush for high details. or try to find a way of using a different uv set for displacements, and another for colour maps. :). that way regardless how orderly the map is will make absolutely no difference because you dont need to paint on the disp map.

personally, i wouldnt use this model i made here for animation. i mentioned earlier outside this thread that i only use zspheres to generate the really low cage that has only the basic shape. just because zspheres are nice and fast, and poseable.
then i take it into clay to refine the surface that will work well with animation. and then i use Z for the high details.

[gmask]

>>>i dont really like spending umpteen hours tweaking uvs...your workflow, your problems :) its up to you to find a good workflow that works for you.

Neither do it and I'm trying to figure out if Zbrush will solve several problems or add new ones.


>>>>or try to find a way of using a different uv set for displacements, and another for colour maps. :). that way regardless how orderly the map is will make absolutely no difference because you dont need to paint on the disp map.

OKay I may not need to paint on the displacement map but if you need to have textures that are mottled base don the displacement map then it would seem best if you could use the displacement map as a guide for that.. although I get the impression that Zbrush has some texturing tools that will take into account cracks in the surface and then bake them for you so you don't have to worry about it..again I'd liek to udnerstand this better befor emaking any assumptions.

>>>personally, i wouldnt use this model i made here for animation. i mentioned earlier outside this thread that i only use zspheres to generate the really low cage that has only the basic shape. just because zspheres are nice and fast, and poseable.
then i take it into clay to refine the surface that will work well with animation. and then i use Z for the high details.

So you apply the resulting displacement back to the really low res cage or some medium res cage like the one in the test above?

What I woudl want to do in Maya is have a lower res cage for binding then generate a smoothed mesh or sub-d from that and apply the displacement to it. In Maya the smoothed mesh will retain the UV's of the low res cage.

Still my question is how will mental ray or Maya itself handle a displacement created with AutoUV?

[Ordibble-Plop]

Going over the internal Z2 documentation it says that GUVs (group UVs) is fine for unwrapping and painting in 2D.

I assume it was the method used to generate the displacement map shown in this thread (http://www.pixolator.com/zbc-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=1&t=012018) (unless Pix mapped it outside zbrush).

The map is still broken up into quite a few bits, but you can organise the poly groups from which the mapping is derived before generating the texture/map, though I guess the fewer groups you have the more distortion there will be.

[ambient-whisper]

heres a few images from Michel Rogers tutorial. ( hopefully he wont mind me posting these here. ) i should note though, that the displacement generation method he used is made using an older version of zbrush, and its gotten MUCH better since. like night and day difference.

i should also mention the new zbrush also has a lot of great tutorials, on how to deal with maya, xsi etc.
( if they were released already or not im not sure. ( i havent gotten the full Z2 yet, im still using my beta version. they could be included later as a separate download for those who need them, ( to keep bandwidth down ).

these images deal with xsi though. but if mayas mentalray is like xsis then youll get the idea.

http://mroger99.free.fr/ng/beta_test_zbrush/image25.jpg
http://mroger99.free.fr/ng/beta_test_zbrush/image19.jpg
http://mroger99.free.fr/ng/beta_test_zbrush/image22.jpg
http://mroger99.free.fr/ng/beta_test_zbrush/image26.jpg

http://mroger99.free.fr/ng/beta_test_zbrush/wk_maya_xsi.jpg
http://mroger99.free.fr/ng/beta_test_zbrush/smooth_xsi.jpg
http://mroger99.free.fr/ng/beta_test_zbrush/render_tree.jpg

[Deniss]

forced to change the adress of the mirror...
http://www.deniko.com/file/MK_Zbrush-Doodle-Divx5_1_1-medium-400x300.avi

[ambient-whisper]

theres also a tutorial here. on how to use zbrush with maya.

http://members.optusnet.com.au/phourmouzis/tutorial.htm

a little outdated in terms of the method he used for generating the displacement map. but the procedure of working with maya and z is there.

[Bumbi]

Ok.

It looks like you would like to modify that mesh afterwards to give it good deforms in animation like fixing edgeloops.

Seems like a good workflow for an animated character might be modelling it in zbrush, exporting to a another program to fix the mesh or use it as somtheing to work from and then that back into Z-brush for texturing and displacement maps and then put it into the other program again for animation.

I see it as a good tool for initial fast modelling and the heavy texturing. Is that also your impression or would you say it's even more capable?

[Chewey]

Very expertly done demonstration video Martin. Thanks for taking the time to give us all an educational glimpse. Nice modeling chops!
:thumbsup:

[pluMmet]

It might be my ignoriance of Zbrush but I need to paint mutiple channels of maps for any given object. I usualy do something like the ambient-whisper post with the 'Modeling+UV editing MAYA 5' Pic. In Photoshop and Ghost Painter so I can use Photoshop tools over the bump/displacement map (which is my first map I create Ah'la: Bill Flemings 3D Texture workshop.) So basicly I use Photoshop extensivley over the Bump/displacement Map. So I really need a Map that is laid out well or that with a little effort can be laid out well.

All of the questions are because after seeing how well Zbrush2 models and creats Displacement maps, I'm very interested, as I'm sure alot of us are :)

[Ollarin]

Excellent work there Ambient! :beer:

Makes me want to get Zbrush!:hmm:

[TheWraith]

i wouldn't think maya would have a problem with seams in the uv set. as long as zbrush outputs the map and the the uv's exactly the same as they r inside of zbrush, it shouldn't be much of an issue. and naturally you wouldn't want to use zbrushes auto map setting to paint your color maps in photoshop so you would probably want to create a new uv set for the color map and leave the zbrush uv's for the displacement map. you can do the same in max with the material/map id #'s. i guess the main thing is, since none of the renders i've seen of zbrush painted meshes rendered in renderman or mray or even maya's native renderer have seams, i just assume that it really isn't an issue.

[meats]

I've posted an overview of the workflow that I use to work with Zbrush if anyone would like to check it out while they are waiting for Ambients excellent vid to load.

Might answer a question or two..

Zbrush2 Overview (http://www.3dartspace.com/z/zbrush2_intro.html)

[ambient-whisper]

Originally posted by meats
I've posted an overview of the workflow that I use to work with Zbrush if anyone would like to check it out while they are waiting for Ambients excellent vid to load.

Might answer a question or two..

Zbrush2 Overview (http://www.3dartspace.com/z/zbrush2_intro.html)
wow. very nicely done there!. good stuff.

[meats]

Thanks Ambient -

Back at you!

[ChristianFischer]

thanks for the tut meats!

very helpful :thumbsup:

[gmask]

Originally posted by TheWraith
leave the zbrush uv's for the displacement map. you can do the same in max with the material/map id #'s.

I'm not sure but I recall seeing a few people post issues with multiple UV maps with MayatoMR but I have not tested this myself.

[kamsvag]

Does zBrush 2 have quadview, or is it all done on the canvas view?

[KenH]

Originally posted by gmask
I'm not sure but I recall seeing a few people post issues with multiple UV maps with MayatoMR but I have not tested this myself.


There is a quadview script. But it's not as intuitive as rotating round the model IMO.

[meats]

Also, you can snap to different views (top, side, front, etc.) by holding down <shift> key when rotating your view.
Beats switching cameras for sure...

[RWKnope]

I must say that is one of the best videos ive seen, that rocks, watched it 3 times... even made my gf watch it :)

[SheepFactory]

Hey meats I cant get your link to work man.

[meats]

Thanks for the heads up, Ali.
Wow, my whole site was somehow deleted off of the server. What a nice thing to wake up to...
Anyway, I'm re-upping everything now - should work.

thanks

[SheepFactory]

That was incredibly helpful , thanks for putting that together Meats!


margharitas are on me this weekend ;)

[StephanD]

Originally posted by RWKnope
I must say that is one of the best videos ive seen, that rocks, watched it 3 times... even made my gf watch it :)

Made my GF look at every of Martin's videos...She loves the workflow but the characters scare her to death so...Good Job there ;)

About the last one,I watched it last friday and what can I say??

*Starts throwing flowers at Ambient-Whisper.

[onlooker]

I went and did it. I took the plunge. I pre-ordered ZB today. Actually I ordered ZB 1.55b, but it's a free upgrade. Now I cant wait for this thing to be ready.

[chadtheartist]

I purchased the Mac to PC cross-grade for Zbrush, because the Mac version isn't finished yet. But I knew my little PC laptop wouldn't be able to handle millions of polys. So I'm in the market of getting a new PC, for now. I need to anyway, because I refuse to pay $2,000 dollars more for another Mac. To my surprise, though, I found quite a few PC systems with 2.8-3.0 Ghz P4's running anywhere from $600-$1000 in price. My question is, what type of system is everyone else running on, and would a 2.8-3.0 Ghz P4 with Hyper-threading be an adequate system to run Z2 on? And how much RAM should I buy? 1 GB? More?

I know Martin is using a 2.4 Ghz system, but I can afford to get more than that. I'm looking at an HP unit right now, and it will be about $800. Amazing!

[ambient-whisper]

make sure you get quality parts though.
1.5gb ram is enough really, but since its cheap, try to get 2gb so you can run it in dual channel.

if you can afford a faster processor then great :) a decent card will help too but since zbrush runs in software and not opengl, getting a faster card wont make too much difference.

[visualride]

chadtheartist-

My 1.2 ghz AMD machine with 512 mb RAM blazes with Zbrush2. My final rendering speed could be faster though. Anyone know what RAM (512 mg chips) is going for these days?

[chadtheartist]

Well, this is what I'm looking at:

Processor
Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 2.80E GHz/ HT + 1MB L2 cache


Operating System
Microsoft(R) Windows(R) XP Home Edition


Memory
256 MB DDR / PC3200 (1 DIMM)


Hard Drive
FREE UPGRADE from 40GB 5400 rpm to 80GB 7200 rpm


Primary CD/DVD Drive
16X max. DVD-ROM Drive


Secondary CD/DVD Drive
FREE UPGRADE from 48X CD-RW to 4X DVD+RW/+R Drive


Front Productivity Ports
Front USB, Firewire and Audio Ports

Removable Storage
3.5 in. 1.44MB Floppy Drive


Graphics Card
128MB DDR NVIDIA GeForceFX(TM) 5200XT, TV-Out


Sound Card
Integrated 5.1 Capable Sound w/ Front Audio ports


Keyboard and Mouse
Compaq Home Professional Keyboard and Opt Mouse

$827.99

I'm going to be buying Kensington RAM, 512 at $82.00 a piece. So I went with the lowest RAM on the machine. HP was wanting to charge $570 for 2 GB. I can get it for a lot less elsewhere. I could upgrade the graphics card, but I'm not too concerned with that, because I know that Zbrush doesn't need it.

Thanks for the Help Martin!

[JDex]

Avoid HP like the plague... just some advice from your freindly neighborhood psycoceramicist.

Maybe have
Monarch Computer (http://www.monarchcomputer.com) build you one to suit your needs... I and quite a few others have had good luck with them...

[Zeddicus]

I have 1 GB of RAM (actually 2 x 512 MB OCZ DDR433 in dual channel config) and really wish I had more. Zbrush isn't too bad and seems pretty streamlined regarding performance (wish I had HT), but I do find other apps (like 3DS Max) still tend to go to the page file a little too often for my liking. The thing keeping me from adding more memory is that I've read the Gigabyte SINXP1394, which is what I use, gets a tad unstable when all four DDR slots are filled. Especially when overclocked, which of course I am (built and tested it all myself). So if you can, and if it's practical/affordable, get as much memory as possible.

PS: had an HP in 1996-1998. Wasn't too bad, but not very upgradeable.

[BNicolucci]

You also might not want to waste your money on the 2.8E and go for the 2.8C instead
http://www.anandtech.com/cpu/showdoc.html?i=1956

[meats]

I do all of my Z2 work on my laptop - a HP zd7000 , 3 ghz w/ hyperthreading ,1 gig of ram, and a geforce 5600 2Go vid card - and it works like a dream. Zbrush works best with large amounts of ram, 1 is nice, 2 is great.

[chadtheartist]

Thanks again everyone for the info.

I'll probably end up buying something next week. I don't want to get a loan for another 300 bucks.

Anyway, I'll just keep chugging along on my little laptop. :bounce:

[onlooker]

I'll be running it on a PowerMac single 867MHz G4 with 768MB RAM at first. If visualride is blazing through ZB2 with a 1.2GHz P4, and 512MB RAM I should be fine for what I want to use it for.
Which is getting to know the application until Apple releases it's next round of PowerMacs G5's. I think I should be fine.
ZB1.55b is pretty cool. I hate the current interface, but I'm starting to find the stuff I've been looking for. The interface was thought out interestingly, but poorly IMO. It's like a Maya-like channel-box was mixed together with show everything as a tool setting all in one palate, and all the tools were laid out well.... where they are. I don't know. I would have never bought it had they not started changing the interface. Thank GOD for that cuz this app is really sweet. Just laid out poorly right now.

[pluMmet]

Originally posted by ambient-whisper
this is a 16 bit tiff. so you wont get any banding problems :)

http://ambient-whisper.cgcommunity.com/TIMELAPSE_VIDEO/ZB2-doodle-04.jpg

After seeing this displacement map I got a little worried so I did this test. I think it will unwrap the Zbrush2 mapping to any other mapping in Max that I like.

In case this helps anyone getting The Zbrush2 displacement mapping into 3ds Maxs' UnwrapUVW This should work (I don't have Zbrush but wanted to get this working before I bought it...So someone with ZBrush2 please try this.)

Import the model with the displacement mapping applied to the mesh.
Convert the mesh onto poly.
apply the UnwrapUVW modifer and set to Map Channel 2.
Unwrap to your pleasure (by hand or just flatten and pack.)
Do a Render to Texture choosing Channel 2,the resolution you want and making a file path to save to.
Then choose the map in the UnwrapUVW window and you'll see that it's perfectly broken the map from Channel 1 into however you've made the UnwrapUVW mapping.

I did this on Max R5 so I'm sure it also works on R6.

If anyone has Zbrush2 I sure would like any old .obj file with a displacement map on the object with Zbrush2s UV coordinates set, just so I can test this all for myself. I really wonna' buy Zbrush2 and want to see that ths works :)

[chadtheartist]

I think people are missing a few fundamental issues with Zbrush. You do not have to work with AUVtiles. It is not a prerequisite, nor is it the best UV layout for all situations.

If you are seriously worried about working with UV's, then export your model from Z2, and layout your UV's however you want. However, from what I have seen on an online tutorial, Z2 needs your UV borders to be straight, in order to produce a clean Displacement/Normal map.

In all likelihood, most people who will be using Z2 will also be refining their model in another application. For instance, if you have set edge loops for facial blend-shapes, I am sure you will want to export the Zsphere created polymesh and rework the polygons a bit. I'm sure you can use your UV mapping tools in your animation package, and make a new UV set.

Once your model is refined, and the UV's laid out, import the model back into Z2 and begin detailing it to your liking. That way you won't have to worry about AUVtiles.

But in all reality, it's really a none issue. Zbrush doesn't limit your UV layout possibilities. It does not create custom layouts like other packages allow, but it also isn't specifically designed as a UV editor either.

[Xaint]

I registered to my free upgrade to ver 2, about two days ago. How long does it take to get a reply from pixologic? I'm worried that I did something wrong with the registration.:shrug:

[MitchVFX]

You're not alone, Xaint. Several of us have registered and are still waiting. I registered a week ago. They say they are still working on it and we should get it soon. But it is getting frustrating.

[pluMmet]

chadtheartist- are you saying that I can import the model to Max then apply whatever mapping I want then put it back in Zbrush2 and apply the displacement to the model and it will use that UV layout?

[chadtheartist]

Yeah, you can. I would recommend doing it at the base level though. Mapping a 2 million polygon object would not be my idea of a good time. LOL

I found the link I was talking about earlier.

http://perso.wanadoo.fr/rimasson/tut/zb/zb_maya01.htm

http://perso.wanadoo.fr/rimasson/tut/zb/uv.gif

This is the UV layout he made in Maya. Then imported it into Zbrush to use for displacements.

[meats]

Z2 needs your UV borders to be straight, in order to produce a clean Displacement/Normal map.

Just a note - this was true in earlier beta versions of Zbrush, but the final is now optimized so that it doesn't matter as much. It's a good thing, because making sure the UV's are always straight is a huge pain in the butt...

[chadtheartist]

Well, that's good to know! I agree. Keeping UV boarders straight, while maintaining UV consistency is hard to do.

LOL

[pluMmet]

thanks for the link chadtheartist :beer:

[reptil]

animation will be possible in zbrush 2 perhaps see more here :

www.pixolator.com/zbc-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=1&t=008794&p=3 (http://www.pixolator.com/zbc-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=1&t=008794&p=3)

http://209.132.69.82/zbc_uploads/user_image-1036166378aot.gif

:scream: :surprised :drool:

very great progz !!

[chadtheartist]

I ended up getting an HP unit with a 3.0E GHz P4 with HT, DVD+-RW, 160 GB HD, 512 MB DDR RAM (PC 3200) and a lot more for $860. I'm sad to say I'll be Mac-less for awhile. :cry:

Anyway, with initial testing I have maxed out a usable, as in I can still edit it, at around 4 million polygons. That's plenty for me. And I'm assuming that I can increase the response time more with the added RAM that I'm getting tonight. Also using Z2's multi-threaded feature got anywhere from a 12% to 16% speed boost, so it looks like Hyperthreading works as advertised.

I just wanted to let folks know some system specs/usage for Z2. Maybe it will help some folks out.

[damesqlo]

ambient-whisper Please i would like to know how many polys have the head of your avatar character?

Thanks

[StephanD]

Originally posted by damesqlo
ambient-whisper Please i would like to know how many polys have the head of your avatar character?

Thanks

I'm not sure he knows it himself ;)

I'd assume it's over 25-45K.

[ambient-whisper]

well the model itself was 2.8 million. so i assume there was a lot more polys there than just a measly 45k.

[StephanD]

lol!

I need a new pc and/or more RAM,no wonder your p4 died ;)

[ambient-whisper]

yeah hehe. but this guy was done on the p4.:) its odd too, it was never actually broken :/ it just kinda fixed itself overtime, and its working fine for like a month now. though i did throw in an extra gig of ram, and it makes all the difference :D

[orion 77]

lol and i was thinkin i would be ok with a measly 256 mb. its zbrush or the hardware upgrade.

[StephanD]

p3 667eb
256 MB RAM
3Dlabs Vx1(I know it's old)

It's fine with this configuration,I use 6 iterations,I get by with using partial visibility plus it's only in the last fine tune detailing that I need to do so.

EDIT:Also,you should definitely get it,it's really different than 2d painting and quite easier,well for me.

[onlooker]

Damn. You guy's are animating in ZB, and I'm still waiting for my OS X version. I should just buy a PC, and get it over with.

[orion 77]

thats my setup also:
pIII 600
256mb ram
radeon 64mb

from what people are saying zbrush seems to cater for the people who have a fine art approach to their work. suiting the looser modeller, i've always found the workflow in most 3d apps to be tight and inconsistent at times.
its surprising what helps to improve the modelling process for each individual - i like to stand up.

[ambient-whisper]

Originally posted by orion 77
thats my setup also:
pIII 600
256mb ram
radeon 64mb

from what people are saying zbrush seems to cater for the people who have a fine art approach to their work. suiting the looser modeller, i've always found the workflow in most 3d apps to be tight and inconsistent at times.
its surprising what helps to improve the modelling process for each individual - i like to stand up.

thats because most applications are made by groups of people. and often you get scripts made by 3rd parties. everyone has their own style of making tools that work in their own ways. so yeah it makes things inconsistant.
zbrush on the other hand, from what i understand, almost the entire thing is made by ofer alon, with a coder or 2 on the side working on scripts and refining code.
thats why applications like clay/wings/zbrush/mirai are good for modelling over most other, because they had a plan where to take their app from the beginning, and didnt merely integrate tools into an already existing setup that was meant to work a certain way.

that said. zbrush also has some concepts that could use updating. it originally started as a 2.5d painter.. but now it does 3d modelling. so your "tools" and objects are treated in the same overall interface. this makes working with multiple objects a complete mess. in my opinion the objects should be separated from tools, and merged into the layer system. so you could use an "outliner" or graph editor of sorts to manage both layers/ and objects/object groups/ etc. atleast thats one example.

[elfufu]

Originally posted by ambient-whisper
zbrush also has some concepts that could use updating. it originally started as a 2.5d painter.. but now it does 3d modelling. so your "tools" and objects are treated in the same overall interface. this makes working with multiple objects a complete mess. in my opinion the objects should be separated from tools, and merged into the layer system. so you could use an "outliner" or graph editor of sorts to manage both layers/ and objects/object groups/ etc. atleast thats one example.


hallelujah on that.

[ambient-whisper]

:) though im thinking more in terms of a geometry graph from mirai and less of an outliner in maya. ( theres much more functionality in the mirais graph )

[frogchild]

Originally posted by Ariel
I got a question:
one thing i'm not sure if ZB2 does (but I need) is to import two completely individual models created in a different package, one low res and one high res, and make maps out of the difference from both. As far as i understand, ZB currently makes difference maps based on increasing levels of subdivision on the same model. The problem I have is that the 2 models can't be remodeled in ZB, so i need to use them as they are and extract from there. Any ideas?

I have the same question, I have my low res game mesh made in Maya, and a higher res version that I am adding extra detail to in Z-Brush and I need to burn a normal map from the high res to the in game model. I know I can export the newly z-brushed model and do it in another pakage, but that seems like a time consuming work around.

Does anyone have an answer to this?

[gmask]

Originally posted by frogchild
I have the same question, I have my low res game mesh made in Maya, and a higher res version that I am adding extra detail to in Z-Brush and I need to burn a normal map from the high res to the in game model. I know I can export the newly z-brushed model and do it in another pakage, but that seems like a time consuming work around.

Does anyone have an answer to this?

You can do that in Maya.

http://www.drone.org/tutorials/displacement_maps.html

[Xaint]

What if I don't use Maya...
...and I'd like to do it in ZB2.

I was thinkng about to exploit ZB2's feature to model without previous concept and then export the low-res mesh and build an optimized game model around it. After that bring the game model back to ZB2 and make the normal map from the original hi-res model.
Can it be done in ZB2?:shrug:

[gmask]

Originally posted by Xaint
What if I don't use Maya...
...and I'd like to do it in ZB2.

I was thinkng about to exploit ZB2's feature to model without previous concept and then export the low-res mesh and build an optimized game model around it. After that bring the game model back to ZB2 and make the normal map from the original hi-res model.
Can it be done in ZB2?:shrug:

I dunno.. but maybe you should put some pants on first? :p

Actually being able to generate nomarl maps is mentioned in the Zbrush 2 Practical guide which you can download from the zbrush website and there is a conceptual guide for doing this in LW and a tutorial for MAX.

Practical Guide (http://www.pixolator.com/cgi-bin/get_pguide.cgi)

[orion 77]

i think i'll have to purchase the little beauty when my exams finish next month. then i might get silo, at last i can get close to a traditional art workflow. i miss my fine art classes from art college.

if zbrush is good for me i hope i could use it to model exclusively.
now wheres the number for the 90 year old nude model!!!

[arek]

Tried all links, either dead or not working with anonymous pass.
Any live ones?

Meats - Zbrush intro rocks. :buttrock:

[hamu73]

wow this videotutorial is really amazing...well I don't have zbrush and haven't played with it yet so it was a bit too fast for me at the beginning but it's really great stuff you can create with it...
keep up the good work Martin hope to see more of your amazing stuff soon and perhaps some tutorials for all the beginners out there

[StephanD]

-hope to see more of your amazing stuff soon and perhaps some tutorials for all the beginners out there


There's a 'getting started' in ZB2's practical guide,it was writtent by familiar folks like Martin,Glen Southern and Michel Roger...

http://www.pixolator.com/zbc-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=1&t=014968

[gigatron]

How does one obtain a copy of zbrush2? It's 400$ US? I am a student :S Is there student cheaper cost?

i am really fascinated by zbrush2. When I tried the first beta/alpha that made it public loong ago I was like aah whatever.. buut.. times change :)

Plus I would like to actually try it, I wil have to self-teach myself. I just finished my first year of college and next year in computer animation for two more years.

However this kind of 3d package is kind of exotic and new :) The school I'll be at second year is Humber college and we have latest 3dsmax, maya and xsi.. but I definetely doubt something this new and this exotic :)

It DEFINETELY makes me lazy to model as I usually model lol.....

[bluemagicuk]

There is a student version available from www.studica.com
I was told they do not ship internationaly ....

and also creationengine (http://www.creationengine.com) but ...
I didnt even get a reply (email) from them ... so I assume the same applies there.

Oh and the demo for z 2 is probably going to be out within the next 4-6 weeks I hear.
(After the mac version)

[gigatron]

Just the thought of polygonal modeling (which is what I prefer, I dislike nurbs for deranged reasons.. I just feel more in touch with the model when polygonaly modeling) makes me shake and tremble when i see this...

uvmapping makes me shiver and then painting in photoshop... and worse yet... normal maps and all that.. oh boy...

Zbrush 2 makes the world a much happier place. :)

[Mojo2000]

all the links on the front page are broken for me, even the ftp is not working, only one i can see is the lil quicktime.. i would realy love to have an avi of this, is it up anywheres?

amazing work from what i saw in the quicktime, verry inspiring

[chlywly]

Can someone please post another mirror?

[ambient-whisper]

new link to the 40 meg file.
http://prymevalgraphics.com/Animations/Modeling-Aids/MK_Zbrush-Doodle-Divx5.zip

[Nemoid]

Hey Martin! cool video that one . is this one an updated version or only a different quality video ? 40 Megs :eek: :thumbsup:

[Areznaroque]

Aghgh this is amazing, but I won't rave on about it just yet because I STILL CAN"T SEE IT! from the latest link (the one posted a little above this msg) it always asks me for username and password... maybe im dumb and its floatin somewhere or 'hidden' on a page or somethin but I'm just another enthusiest hopin to better myself with what seems to be an awesome (and reaaaally fast) video.

If anyone can help PLEASE DO! this is such a tease!

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