CGTalk - Absolute Beginner - Trouble with Workflow

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faultymoose

01-07-2008, 02:05 AM

Hey all,

I've been working in 3D for a while and have at least an intermediate understanding of most parts of the production pipeline. I'm competent in modeling, texturing, lighting and rendering (specialised in lighting/rendering). My problem is that I've worked for years in Maya and my next project requires me to learn zBrush, and I'm finding the workflow confusing :(

Is there any way to make zBrush work more like Maya? I'm a bit confused with the fact that I'm not tumbling the camera - I'm rotating the model. And I keep saving my file as a 2D image rather than remembering to save the brush.

Can someone point me to tutorials aimed at people looking to incorporate zBrush into a Maya production pipeline?

zBrush seems like such an amazing too, but at the moment I'm just going in circles trying to figure out how the program works (it seems to follow more 2D workflow rather than 3D).

Hopefully someone can point me in the right direction so that my next question on these boards isn't so noobish :(

Boon xox

mxdirector

01-07-2008, 03:58 PM

you have stumbled in to the same thing EVERY zbrush user has. and that is "zbrush is a freaking werid program" although once you understand itm, it makes sense, infact i wish zbrush had some animating tools, i wish you could perhaps arange the vertices like you do in maya.

its kinda complicated to explain zbrush to a beginner. i suggest you go to 3cbuzz.com they have some free training videos on the subject. sadly its for zbrush 2. although it should give you the basic concepts
http://youtube.com/watch?v=DzssIJW52a8

hakanpersson

01-07-2008, 06:41 PM

I might also add that once you get the grasp on the workflow/interface of zbrush, you will understand that most parts of it works very equal, so when you understand one part its easier to understand the next.

I cant anything else than agree that zbrush is very different. It uses keycombinations rather than buttons, but the fact that its mostly the ctrl+shift+alt keys and mouse combinations makes it alot easier.

The camera in zbrush is probably very much meant to be that way, it's nice to be able sculpt different areas regardless of what is up and down.
I can help you a bit along the way: alt+rmb on the canvas to focus, and shift to lock the camera in different viewplanes, and ctrl+shift to mask areas, and finally the "local" checkbox which force the camera to look towards the last edited area of your model.
Specially the last part can be veery helpful:)

Good luck!

Kanga

01-17-2008, 02:30 PM

Ha ha! Well done! You have stumbled upon the greatest thing since the invention of the poly, and I mean that. Zbrush is lighning fast, and the same as lightning, you will get burned:). The app brings out the very best and worst in you .

If like me you have worked a lot with polys, me in 3dsMax, C4d and Modo. Then you have baggage. People who get on straight away with ZB are the ones who are new to modelling but have a sculpture background, they can begin fresh, we cant. You cant force ZB to work like Maya, they do however speak to each other excellently.

You can do the tutes on the zbrush info site but if time is your enemy get the DVD from Gnomon: Introduction to ZB3 by Meats Meier.

Man you are gonna love ZB!

Cheerio Chris

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