Custom character creation using zbrush, sculptris, 3d Coat
Hello all!
I have noticed that when I would purchase a custom character that the artist often mentions that he/she used Zbrush. While I have looked into this program, I have never used a sculpting program before. The full version of Zbrush costs over $800. So while poking around on te Pixlogic page, I had come across Sculptris, which is and older variant of Zbrush. Further it is being offered free. So I figured I could start with this first, however, I have not come across an artist that mentions using this program to create thier character. Can Sculptris be used? Further I have come across another program called 3s Coat, and many have stated this is an easier program to learn, but it is not as endowed as Zbrush, as such it is a cheaper purchase. Once again, I have not seen artists mention using this program. So I am curious now as if you CAN use these programs or can you only use Zbrush with Da z to create a custom character?
Since I never used a sculpting program before, naturally, I would lean to something like Sculptris to start with since is of little monetary risk to me as it is free. But if it doesn't work with Daz, then I am not sure if I should bother. I know there is Zbrush Core which is cheaper to buy, but I heard it doesn't UV map. So that would be out.
Any advice would be appreciated.
THanx,
Geo
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Comments
Sculptris was developed independently of ZBrush and only later purchased by Pixologic. It's main draw back is that ts symmetry mode splits the model in half and repalces the original of one side with a flipped version of the other - that's no good for morph creation. Blender is also free and has sculpting tools, as does Hexagon ehere at Daz.
3D Coat is another option, and is also good (arguably better than ZBrush) for texturing, I'm not sure who uses it but it probably doesn't get mentioned in product pages as it doesn't have the same name-recognition (people who Google may well say they Googled something, but people using other engines probably don't say they "Binggedit" or "DuckDuckGoed it" since the reply would be "?"). Mudbox is another tool with sculpting and painting.
Is there a way to turn that feature off or is that the way the program handles things across the board?
While I have both, I have heard of the infamous learning curve of the former and the latter hasnt been updated in a while. Still it might be good to lean with it the controls are similar to that of Zbrush.
I only heard about this one recently and there is much talk of its ease of use and even seasoned Zbrush users seem to prefer it even though they do admit that Zbrush is still more capable.
Yes I have noticed that when someone uses a sculpting program they always mention Zbrush and there is pretty much no mention of "was created in Blender", or mention of "created in 3d Coat" . So it is a case that they just say, "I Zbrushed it" , when in fact they used something else? It certainly is that way with Photoshop, and I even say "Photoshop it", when I really am using Gimp.
All in all it would seem most logical.to.go with Blender since it is.like Maya and does.everything. I just don't know how long it will take me to get used to its interface.
Thanks
Geo
If you don't use symmetry then Sculptris is fine, though I'm not sure that it serves as a learning expeience for ZBrush. ZBrush has a very distinct UI, and although people who use it a lot often love it it is (possibly to an even greater extent than Blender, especially now) highly non-standard (the intuition you develop in using other tools doesn't really carry over to ZBrush). I certainly wouldn't feel you have to aim for ZBrush, unless you are looking for a career (and even then there are alternatives in use). On the other hand, there are a tremendous number of tutorials out there for ZBrush, so if you are wanting to do a lot of sculpting (and can afford it - there is, I believe, a subscription option) then I also wouldn't argue against it.
The interface in Blender 2.8 is much easier to learn than previous versions. It has changed dramatically, so it should be fairly easy for you to learn now. In fact, it would probably be easier to learn than zBrush (It has a bit of a reputation for being quite hard to learn). There should be some tutorials on YouTube for using Blender to sculpt DAZ figures. I started using the sculpting tools in Blender 2.8 after watching a short tutorial on YouTube, it's pretty intuitive. I even got a small drawing tablet for use with sculpting in Blender, a pressure sensitive "pen" and tablet is a must for sculpting IMHO..One thing to keep in mind though, if you aren't a vendor here, you will only be able to "sculpt" at base resolution. There are ways to sculpt at higher resolution, but you will need to bake the sculpt as a displacement map for the base resolution figure.
There is another option for "sculpting" DAZ figures at base resolution - BlackSmith 3D (at Renderosity). The plus to using it is it is made for sculpting DAZ/Poser figures (but not HD), and creating texture maps (though it's UV mapping really isn't what you would want to used for making commercial projects. I've used it quite a bit with DAZ figures, and like it, but your mileage may vary. IIRC there is a demo version available.
But honestly, I think you should give Blender a go first and see how it feels. The next version will have greatly improved sculpting tools including some features found in zBrush and 3D Coat (like voxels, and improved re-topo and dynamic topo tools).
I use zbrush 2020 I have the full standalone version , which has the Sculptris plugin & like Richard said you have to turn off TS symmetry or it will split the mesh into a mirror . there is a ton to learn to the zbrush ui. it does not function like most 3d creations tools such as blender or 3dmax you may want to try experimenting with Hexagon or blender before spending the money on zbrush, i don't have 3d coat i wish i did but some of my friends use & swear by it for texturing their models, I would want it to make it easier to create normal maps i've been texturing my models okay with zbrush & photoshop though . i think my next investment will be properly be Marvelous designer so i can create clothing my models
This is what zbrush 2020 ui looks like i am currently working on project. first big thing with zbrush is learning the hotkeys is a must and zbrush bridge to daz studio does not work with new zbrush 2020 yet so you can import projects into daz studio, but it won't send back zbrush
so anyway I would start with something free this was a $900 software an that is a lot of money if you do not know if you can learn this software or not .
You shouldn't be doing UV unwrapping in zbrush anyway, it's terrible with UVs. It can easily be done in blender (for free) or any other content creation software.
The interface isn't as bad as people are saying, it's designed to be used with a graphic tablet, not a mouse. Being able to fully customize the UI is a big time-saver, too.
It's not so much about the tools as it is about the artist. You could start and finish assets completely in blender if you put the time in, it's incredibly powerful software in its own right. I love Blender and 3DCoat, too, there's really no picking favorites because every tool has specific uses and unique features. It's better to learn and use all of them to their strengths. The Blender 2.8 update has made it a lot easier to pick up and use, by the way. A very friendly and intuitive experience compared to the previous versions.
To answer the question: I think you should approach the topic from a different angle first and foremost. You first need to figure out the specific tasks you want to accomplish and break down the process of creating a character, then figure out how to best go at each one of them (the general phrase of 'I want to create a character' is as detailed as saying 'I'd like to build a car someday'). You'd be surprised how much work there is behind the scenes, and the technical parts are equally as important as the creativity and design.
Sculptris works with dynamic tessellation, so the results will largely be unusable without reworking the whole mesh elsewhere. (Sculptris Pro is an integrated function in zbrush that works essentially the same way, the purpose is for quick concept sculpts, it allows great freedom of not worrying about the topology but is not production-friendly. Super fun way to quickly visualize ideas without worrying about subdivision limitations.)
3D-Coat/Mudbox/Blender can replace ZBrush in certain areas depending on the specific tasks you're looking to do.
Again, if you ask a very specific workflow question, you can get an answer to it and comparison of the tools (and their limitations) to the specific task, but it's a bit of an apples to oranges comparison. Blender/Mudbox work with polygons, 3DC works with voxels, ZBrush uses their own proprietary "pixols" to do the magic.
I'd probably advise you to grab the zbrush core version and just use blender for UVs. That's the easiest and simplest route. Break everything down and take it step by step else it's easy to get overwhelmed and discouraged from everything.
There is also a 30 day trial version for Zbrush: https://pixologic.com/zbrush/trial/ .
If you have the time to dedicate to it, that should be fine to figure out if it's what you need.
You could also try your hand at Blender sculpting. It is not as powerful and it doesn't have the same capacity as Zbrush yet but it will give you an idea if sculpting is for you.
I think I will give Blender a shot then since I already have it.
Thanks!
Geo