This week’s selection is “Sculpting in ZBrush Made Simple” by 3D artist Lukas Kutschera.
ZBrush is one of the more mysterious tools in the world of 3D printing. Where many professional 3D printer operators use Autodesk Fusion 360, SOLIDWORKS, Rhino3D, and hobbyists use Tinkercad or similar free or low-cost tools, a smaller set of people use ZBrush.
Every 3D modeling tool has a different paradigm. The pro tools mentioned above offer parametric solid modeling experiences, but that’s quite different from ZBrush.
ZBrush’s paradigm is sculpting, and it’s remarkably similar to sculpting in the physical world. You start with a basic shape, like a sphere, and push, pull, crease, bend and texture it until it arrives at the desired design. There’s little room for parametric parts for mechanisms in ZBrush.
That is the main reason ZBrush isn’t that popular: a lot of 3D design in 3D printing focuses on mechanical parts, something that is quite difficult to design in ZBrush.
On the other hand, if you’re looking for a complex organic structure, such as a gaming figurine, ZBrush is one of the most powerful programs you can use.
There’s just one problem: learning ZBrush can be quite difficult, especially for those who are already accustomed to another style of 3D CAD interface. ZBrush uses a great deal of shortcuts and there’s a lot of trivia to learn before you can become productive.
That’s where this book comes in. It’s written by a prolific 3D artist that has spent considerable time using ZBrush professionally. His expertise is laid out in the book that shows readers how to properly use ZBrush.
The book begins with a basic introduction to ZBrush, including machine setup, interface, file formats, etc. That’s required for the remainder of the text.
The book then dives deep into a series of example designs, taking you through the process from start to finish. Along the way you will learn specific techniques for generating increasingly complex 3D models.
As the chapters pass by, each digs deeper into more advanced features and techniques you can use with ZBrush to prepare the most complex 3D models.
There’s specific sections on how to 3D model human anatomy, armor, heads & faces, hair and more. This makes this book ideal for those wishing to get into the business of designing figurines.
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Via Amazon
