Datasheet

26 chapter 1 ■ Blocking In the Mesh
We are now ready to export this model to ZBrush and begin sculpting.
If you would rather jump right into sculpting, I have included this base mesh on the
DVD, but I highly recommend following the process of building the model at least once.
At this stage you are ready to move on to Chapter 2. However, if you prefer to generate
your base mesh in ZBrush, the following section illustrates this process using the ZBrush
mesh-generating tool known as ZSpheres.
Building a Sculpt Mesh in ZBrush
In this section we will look at a method of starting your sculpt mesh entirely in ZBrush
using its powerful polygon model-generation tool, called the ZSphere. Instead of mov-
ing points and edges in space as one would do in Maya
or other 3D applications, in ZBrush meshes are built by
creating and connecting spherical volumes (Figure 1.52).
For more information on ZSphere modeling please see my
ZBrush Character Creation: Advanced Digital Sculpting
(Sybex, 2008). ZSpheres in ZBrush 3.5 has been vastly
improved from previous versions. There have been some
significant changes in the way ZBrush calculates the skin
from your ZSphere model. While the new version, called
ZSpheres2, creates a model more accurate to the shape of
your ZSphere chain, the original skinning method is still
included in ZBrush 3.5 since it is still more effective for
some applications like making topology loops for eyes and
mouths. We will look at how to create both types of skins
in this section, examining their relative strengths.
To help us place the masses and maintain accurate
proportions, we will use the head measure guide ZTool
included on the DVD. To load this into ZBrush, follow the
demonstration video of this process, also on the DVD.
Figure 1.50 The Cleanup Options window
Figure 1.51 The Average Vertices Options window
Figure 1.52 An example of a ZSphere model
50260c01.indd 26 11/9/09 10:41:34 PM