Zbrush workflow: complex bevels and others...

[kurt_hectic]

Hi there!

After watching video tutorials about creating mechanical stuff in zbrush I wanted to try once again to do some mechanical shapes in zbrush...

I did something....but that was a pain...(comparing to editable poly in 3ds max)
1)It took 10x more time
2) I had no option to easily and quickly make changes (I haven't got option such as loop selection)

So it seems to me there is still NO workflow in Zbrush for things like this below. (Selecting\creating bevels\loops and others) (I was trying masking and some action with lines and lazy mouse...)

Am I right?

If not please post how I should do it in Zbrush or paste tutorials or sth...

(It's low poly with normal map, notice that the surface have cuted edges and different directions, pretty hard job, huh?)
http://www.picshot.pl/pfiles/83843/asddddddddd.jpg

THX

[cryrid]

Some general notes on hard surface sculpting.

It's not going to make every thing faster. There are some hard surface tasks that it will make quick work of, but there are still going to be many jobs that are quicker to do with more traditional methods. The trade off is usually substituting the simpler edgeloops and mechanically-precise values in exchange for a large ammount of geometry to try and make something that looks right.

If you have access to another modeling program, there's no need to ignore it. That's what GoZ is there for. From what I can see of that frame, it would have been much simpler and faster to do it traditionally and then import into zbrush later on if needed. It can also be great when combining traditional modeling with sculpting (whether it is building the simpler base in a 3d program and using remesh to smoothly connect them, or hammering out a surface to get the general shape down and then retopologize to get in loops that are more friendly for sub-d / bevels).

Were you to try and tackle it exclusively in zbrush, the extraction approach would probably give you the best starting point as then the top will be masked and the sides will be conveniently in a separate polygroup. Throw in a little transpose and/or deformation, and its a recipe for a beveled effect.

[passerby]

masking and inflate, is the best way to do somethign like that zbrush, but i would atealst get the basic shape down and import that in from a proper 3d pacakge.

and really there is noting there that looks hard to do as just a plain subd model.

[Scruples]

Just use Shadowbox to block out the shape and like passerby says, mask inflate.

[kurt_hectic]

OK, thx

[Donavonyoung]

You can also use groups to create insets and extrustions in zbrush. If you take a loop and use polygroups to group it then hide everything but that group, you can make extrusions my moving or resizing it. You are mostly better off in Max, Maya, etc though.

[kurt_hectic]

I have found sth helpful....projection! I never pay too much attention to this option and that was my mistake...

http://www.pixologic.com/zclassroom/homeroom/lesson/projection-master/