Kitbashing!
Kitbashing refers to a physical model-making process in which parts of various off-the-shelf model kits are used in ways unintended by the manufacturer to create a completely new model. This is a process that is common in building designs and miniatures for special effects in feature films.
Insert Mesh
- Deleting Sudivision Levels: ZBrush will not let you use the Insert brushes on a mesh with subdivision levels. Duplicate your SubTool and delete its subdivision levels. Use this new SubTool to insert meshes into. This way you're still preserving your subdivision levels on your original sculpt.
- Basic Insert Brushes: We'll look at the InsertCube, InsertCylinder, and InsertSphere, and the differences between basic Insert brushes and InsertH brushes.
- Symmetry: As with other brushes, Insert brushes work with symmetry, but be careful—if you generate Insert meshes and place them too close to the center line, they will fuse together and you won't be able to move them independently.
- Masking: How to use the automatically created masks to your advantage.
- Double-Sided: When inserting a half mesh (for example, when using the InsertHCube brush), enabling visibility on both sides of the geometry using Tool -> Visibility -> Double.
- Transpose: Effective use of Transpose to move, rotate, and scale our inserted meshes.
- Insert with DynaMesh: When is the appropriate time, while working with Insert brushes, to convert to DynaMesh?
- Adding and Subtracting Volume: When using DynaMesh, you can add or subtract volumes using Insert brushes.
Creating Insert Brushes
Create a pouch Insert brush
- Using MeshInsert Dot brush
- Brush -> Modifiers -> MeshInsert Preview
- ZTool must face positive Z axis
- use Tool -> Preview
PolyGroups
PolyGroups allow you to organize the mesh with visual grouping information. PolyGroups are one way to organize your mesh. Another way is to use SubTools, but whereas SubTools create separate pieces of geometry, Polygroups only create separate selection areas. Your mesh is still one contiguous surface.
PolyGroups are an extremely powerful way of working with your mesh. Various functions, such as the Insert Mesh brushes, use PolyGroups. To create a PolyGroup go to Tool > Polygroups.
You work with Polygroups directly on the surface of your model. In order for you to work with them and for them to be visible you must turn on Transform > PolyFrame (or use the hotkey Shift+F).
- Show Only One Group: Press Ctrl+Shift (Windows) or Command+Shift (Mac) and click on the mesh where that group is located.
- Show All Groups: Press Ctrl+Shift or Command+Shift and click outside the mesh.
- Invert Current Group Selection: Press Ctrl+Shift or Command+Shift and click and drag outside of the mesh.
- Select Two or More Groups:
- Press Ctrl+Shift and click on the mesh where one group is located. To invert that selection: press Ctrl+Shift then click and drag outside of the mesh.
- Press Ctrl+Shift and click on the other groups you want to select. To invert this selection: press Ctrl+Shift then click and drag outside the model.
Quick One-Touch Masking of Polygroups Masking out particular parts of your models can be a tedious process—especially when it's a complex model. But using PolyGroups can simplify this activity. Simply press "W" or click the Move button and then press Ctrl+Shift and click on any PolyGroup. All other groups will immediately be masked. (courtesy of pixologic.com)
Curve Tube Brushes Curve brushes make it easy to create things like tubes, belts and straps, zippers, and other repeating objects that you want to be created along a painted line. Curve brushes can be accessed by going to Stroke>Curve and selecting Curve Mode under the Curve sub-palette. The Curve Mode gives you the ability to apply a curve to a selected brush.
Curve Tube Snap
Drawing the Curve
Editing the Curve
-Hovering the mouse near the start or end of the curve will produce a red line that connects the cursor to that point of the curve. Drawing a curve (with that red line present) results in a mesh that is a continuation of the existing one.
Blue cursor = editing the curve, NOT the mesh
Deleting the Curve
- Click on the geometry to delete the curve.
Here are useful Curve settings with which you should become familiar:
- Stroke > Curve > Curve Step: Adjust the slider to give more or less resolution to your curve. The smaller the number, the smaller the curve steps will be, resulting in a smoother curve.
- Stroke > Curve Functions > Delete: This deletes your curve, allowing you to continue sculpting or to draw another curve. It is the same as clicking on the underlying mesh to delete the curve.
- Stroke > Curve Functions > Curve Modifiers > Size: Pressing this button will enable you to add a falloff to the profile of your mesh. This is useful for creating things like hair. To adjust the falloff profile, use the Curve Falloff setting. Click it to expand a graph and play around with the graph to get the desired profile. To modify the graph, click and drag the orange dots that appear on the graph when you hover your mouse over it.
Insert MultiMesh Brushes
Insert MultiMesh (IMM) brushes are those that contain entire panels of meshes ready to be inserted using the same techniques as the Insert brushes. They provide quick access to entire panels of meshes ready to be inserted without having to switch between different brushes. You will find IMM brushes generally have a them, for example—body parts, spaceship parts, tentacles, mechanical greeblies, and so on.
With an IMM brush selected, press the "M" key to view the brushe’s multiple meshes. Once you've made your selection, the brush will behave just like other Mesh Insert brushes we've looked at.
Downloading and Installing IMM Brushes
If you want to explore the expansive universe of user-created Insert MultiMesh brushes, simply to a search for "Insert MultiMesh brushes ZBrush" or check out the Insert MultiMesh Repository thread on the ZBrush Central Forum:
Unzip the folder and save IMM Brushes to the following locations:
- For Mac: /Applications/ZBrushOSX 4R7/ZBrushes/Insert
- For Windows: C:\Program Files (x86)\Pixologic\ZBrush 4R7 FL\ZBrushes\Insert
- If you're using a version of ZBrush that is older than 4R7, you will find this folder here: C:\Program Files (x86)\Pixologic\your version here\ZBrushes\Insert
Once you've saved the brushes to the appropriate location, you should be able to see them in Lightbox > Brush > Insert folder.
1) Kitbash Character
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