ZBrushCentral

Minotaur - rendering and modeling (tutorial available)

ZBCThumb4.jpg

Some of you guys asked me how I’ve texturized and modeled the “Minotaur” character; just now I managed to finish a short tutorial I’ve promised I’ll make. I’ll begin with the texturing and rendering , because the most of you were interested specially on these issues and then, I’ll continue with modeling. Regarding the texturing part, first, I’ll show you how I’ve obtained the old painting effect. In order to achieve this effect, first you have to open a model and to apply a basic material on it. Then, you have to make the following settings: [attach=222631]01.jpg[/attach] Using these settings you’ll get a basic worn paint effect, but you can make many changes and transform it depending on your needs. Using a few simple settings for the slots I’ve indicated in the schetch, you can control the expanding rate of the painting, the details, specular, bump, etc. The image I’ve obtained is this: [attach=222633]02.jpg[/attach] The next step was to render the following images, images that I attended to be composed in Photoshop later(including red pass). [attach=222634]03.jpg[/attach] In Photoshop, I combined red pass with green pass (whith masks) and I obtained color-mix1. [attach=222635]04.jpg[/attach] Then, I combined color-mix1 with gold pass, using for gold pass DARKEN blend mode; the result was color-mix2. [attach=222636]05.jpg[/attach] [attach=222637]06.jpg[/attach] Next, I combined color-mix2 with specular pass and rim light, and I mixed these two as you can see in the following image: [attach=222638]07.jpg[/attach] [attach=222639]08.jpg[/attach] The result is this: [attach=222640]09.jpg[/attach] The next thing I’ve done was to change the background. For this, I used a mask that I created in zbrush, filling the model with a flat material and changing the background color into black. [attach=222618]10.jpg[/attach] Then, I found an appropriate texture, I’ve added a blur and I used levels. After I finished the background, I’ve added a slightly depth of field effect to the character in photoshop (with lens blur filter), using an alpha channel I’ve created also in zbrush. The last details I’ve added were the graffiti drawings and the inscriptions, which I applied using soft light blend mode mostly. [attach=222619]11.jpg[/attach] Finally, I made some general adjustments, I added a sharpent filter and I used levels. This is all! Regarding the modeling part, first, I had to choose a right mesh for this character or to create one from scratch, using zspheres, but finnaly I found a suitable one on the download center. I modified it a little and I used it. Regarding the concept art part, it was made directly in zbrush, without intermediary schetches. I think it’s more difficult to work in this way, but I think that it can be obtained more original and spectacular results because you are not focused on a sketch but forced to search shapes and concepts free, and the result can’t be other than a spontaneous and a fresh one. The previous phases of the modeling are not strict from the technical point of view, but even negligent, but this way of work has as a purpose the shapes defining and the building of a concept. When I find a good idea or interesting sculptural shapes I become very strict with the technical part and I begin to outline the concept that rise. [attach=222620]12.jpg[/attach] After I outline the general shapes and after I define a future concept, I go to the next step when I clean all the imperfections of the modeling, and I create very precise shapes technically speaking. After I finish this step I go to the next one, the final one, when I add sculptural details using alpha. These are a few of alpha I used for this character: [attach=222621]13.jpg[/attach] Regarding the brushes I used for modeling, the most useful ones were: clay brush, hpolish, movetool, Smoot, Smoot Stronger, dam standard, standard brush, but the most used one was a version of the clay tubes, without alpha, with a focal shift of -60; I used this brush in about 70% of my modeling, it is an excellent brush not only for the hard surface, but for an organic modeling of surfaces also – I use this on every project of mine. [attach=222622]14.jpg[/attach] Using this type of brush I created the “Minotaur” and organic characters like this one. [attach=222623]15.jpg[/attach] Even the model looks fragmented and seems to have many subtools, it has only a few ones. The reason for not using many subtools was that this character was created like a modeling experiment and I was interested more to sculpt it using a singular shape, like the traditional style of clay sculpting; I wasn’t interested to split it in more parts. I worked many years as a traditional sculptor and I worked with many materials such as clay, stone, metal, wood, and it’s surprising how much the zbush modeling is resembling with the traditional way of clay sculpting. [attach=222624]16.jpg[/attach] From the moment I started the base mesh modeling and till I get to phase 3 of work (see the picture whit 6 modeling stages) the polygons begun to stretch because the fact that, compared with the original mesh, the model sizes grow and that’s why, from the step 4 I used the option project all, option that allowed me to create a new dense mesh, that copied all the details of the previous model . After this phase I could add the final details on a dense mesh of 15 millions of polygons. The work phases regarding the modeling of this character can be resumed in 3 steps: 1.sketching the general shapes without entering too much into details , establishing the composition and the overall concept; 2. cleaning up the shapes from the technical modeling imperfections, adjusting the lines and the shapes; 3. adding the sculptural details with alpha. These are a few images of tests I’ve made with this old painting effect, I hope you’ll like it; it wasn’t meant to be final renderings, but only some material tests. In these two images I tried to get an old bronze effect. [attach=222625]1.jpg[/attach] [attach=222626]2.jpg[/attach] These next three renderings are from Zbrush without photoshop. (except the background of second image, and minor level adjustments) I use a double shader material and I tried to create a nice metallic material. [attach=222627]3.jpg[/attach] [attach=222628]4.jpg[/attach] [attach=222629]5.jpg[/attach] This image is similar to previous but it also added a gold pass in photoshop. [attach=222630]6.jpg[/attach] I hope this information was useful, thank you for reading! Available for freelancer! [email="fleissigmosaic@yahoo.com"]fleissigmosaic@yahoo.com[/email]

Attachments

10.jpg

11.jpg

12.jpg

13.jpg

14.jpg

15.jpg

16.jpg

1.jpg

2.jpg

3.jpg

4.jpg

5.jpg

6.jpg

01.jpg

02.jpg

03.jpg

04.jpg

05.jpg

06.jpg

07.jpg

08.jpg

09.jpg

Amazing info, for me at least, thx a lot!

top row… wait… it’s already top rowed. so nx, top row tutorial? haha, thank for the various texturing and modelling tips.

Stunning work!! :+1:small_orange_diamond:+1:

Thanks for the detailed tutorial and settings. Amazing design and process. So The metal coil wires effect around his upper chest is a combo of Clay Tubes + alphas? Amazing.

Especially impressive considering no retopology was necessary. Now let’s see a 3D Print.

Congrats on the top row.

amazing tutorial!!! congrats mann… minotaur is awesome!

interesting - I like the trick with the cavity and alpha :+1:

very very cool! would be even cooooler if you#d share the material :slight_smile:
this thread would love the addition (and me too :):slight_smile:
http://www.zbrushcentral.com/showthread.php?t=46175&highlight=mat+cap

:slight_smile:

Model no doubt on top row…

Compositng process is altimate:rolleyes:

Thnx a lot to sharing this creative tut…

great rundown of how you did this. thank you for your generosity!

Thank you for sharing, loved the materials, always wondered why they make rimlight, and alpha masks, now it’s clear…Thank you for including the Photoshop layer images, again it clarifies your process and of course the modeling steps are great…

Could you shed some light on how you do repetitive details such as the bullets ont he band coming over the shoulder…Thanks again…Danny

thanks a lot for sharing. i really love that ‘angel’ that you modeled.

Nice breakdown, keep it up Edward.

Thanks for taking the time to post all the detailed info. This is really an outstanding piece of work! :+1:

Brilliant work - the images from the back view are just great!

That’s incredibly generous of you. Thanks so much for the detailed tutorial!

sergioliv > Thanks!
GX@W > Thank you very much!
asecbrush > Thank you!
ravioli_rancher > Thanks! The metal coil wires was done separately and append as a subtool.
Intervain > Thank you Intervain! I discovered by chance that effect.
abe_Tamazir > Thank you! No problem!
Giri_Babu > Thank you!
seriks > Thank you very much!
d100763 > Thank you! I put the first bullet in position in one end of the band, I cloned and I brought it as a subtool coming automatically in the same position as the first,
then I moved the second bullet in the next position. Then I clone the second bulet and I moved to position three, and the process continued until the end.
esepablo > Thank you very much!
mutte696 > Thanks man!
Webhead > Thank you for your appreciation!
t.i.c > Thank you very much!
Nancyan > Thank you very much!

Interesting thread and model. Thanks for sharing your workflow and material experiments.

Great info. Thanks! Should be top row twice! :+1:

BRAVO !
foarte frumos

Great Job. And thanks for the details :smiley: