Design & create quadruped beasts in ZBrush

- Free Base Mesh

Design & create quadruped beasts in ZBrush Chapter 01
Chapter 01
Software used: ZBrush 4R3

Introduction
When I got contacted by 3DCreative I was really
excited about the idea of making a quadruped. I
thought it would be a great opportunity to show
people the versatility and the creative workflow
of ZBrush. In the beginning of the modeling
process I use separate geometry islands for the
different pieces of the body. This is a workflow
that I think resembles the thought process of
roughing out a character in 2D. There is a lot of
ground to cover so let’s get started!

2D Concept
At first I only knew that I wanted to create a
fantasy quadruped. I didn’t know which direction
to go in, so I sat down and drew some ideas in
the form of thumbnails and rough sketches. It’s
fun to concept and speed-model ideas inside of
ZBrush, but I think the ideas usually transform
into a sketch faster with a 2D medium (Fig.01).

After this I tried to analyze the sketches and find

a form that I liked. I decided that I didn’t want to
go for the typical ZBrush monster, but rather a
slender type of desert creature. I imagined that
it should be used for traveling by a fantasy race
of nomads living in the desert. I felt that I wanted
to develop the creature a bit further in 2D before
jumping into ZBrush, so I started designing the
head (Fig.02).

After doing some design variations of the head,

I decided to go for one where the horns followed
the curve of the head. Now it was time to refine
the creature’s body and add some props. I
wasn’t sure how many props I wanted to add,
so I did three versions. I sketched one creature
without props, which would serve as a reference
for modeling the body, and two others with a
different amount of props on (Fig.03).

Base Mesh Creation

When I sculpt I usually ignore topology for as
long as I can. This gives you freedom to try out

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 Chapter 01 Design & create quadruped beasts in ZBrush

different ideas without worrying about messing It’s good to save the document at this point, reference in the background you might want to
up edge loops, which usually is the case when so you always have the same position of the use the Zoom and Pan Document buttons on
you start pushing and pulling your mesh a lot. image plane. If you were to accidentally drop the right-hand side of the document (Fig.08).
The correct animation topology can always something on the document or mess it up
be done later. If you work in production you somehow, you can always load the original back Continue to move and sculpt the model. The
can easily split up your model as a proxy for into ZBrush (Fig.06). different brushes can be selected by pressing
the rigging department and hand in a better the hotkey B. Please note that all brushes have
topology for skinning later on. Go to the lowest subdivision of the default a letter attached to them. Press this letter on the
sphere (Tool > Geometry > SDiv or press hotkey keyboard to filter out the brushes. You can also
There are lots of great ways to create a base D to step down in subdivisions). Then delete learn the hotkey sequence for the brushes that
mesh in ZBrush; ZSpheres is one, but I want the higher subdivisions (Tool > Geometry > you usually work with, for example Move is B +
to try something I haven’t done that much of Del Lower). Lower the opacity on your model M + V.
for this tutorial. The workflow I want to try is to (Texture > Image Plane > Model Opacity) and
create the different parts of the character as turn on Perspective and Floor on the right-hand In this phase of the modeling process I usually
separate geometrical islands and therefore have side of the document. use the following brushes and tools, then move
greater freedom to push, pull and move around
in the beginning of creating the creature. The Try lining up the viewport with the sketch.
plan is to do this with the CurveTubes brush and Once you have a decent view you can store
later convert it to a DynaMesh. Let’s get started! the camera position in the timeline. Open the
timeline (Movie > Timeline > Show) and set a
Begin with the default sphere from the lightbox keyframe by left-clicking on the timeline. Existing
to have a starting point, which is demonstrated keyframes can be deleted by dragging them
in Fig.04. from the timeline. You can use the left and right
arrow keys to step between key frames (Fig.07).
Then load the reference image into the
document (Texture > Image Plane > Load You can rotate the camera around, but if you
Image) (Fig.05). still want to keep the image plane with the

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Design & create quadruped beasts in ZBrush Chapter 01
the mesh around; by holding the Alt key the
mesh moves in the normal direction sampled by
the brush (Fig.09).

Use a standard brush; it’s pretty soft. It’s nice to

build up volume with a low Z intensity (hotkey
U). Holding down Alt pushes the mesh inside
(Fig.10).

The TrimDynamic brush flattens the mesh. The

brush follows the surface of the existing mesh
(Fig.11).

The CurveTubes brush inserts a tube into the

mesh. The bigger the brush you have, the fewer
spans the created curve has. The size radius
of the tube can be set by adjusting the size of
the brush when it’s outside of the created curve
(red circle) and then clicking on the curve (blue
circle).

The curve can be adjusted by dragging the

points of the curve. Only one curve can exist
on the model. When you create a new one the
old one is deleted, but the created mesh is still
there. You can also delete the last created curve
by left -licking on the mesh when the brush
circle is red. It is only possible to use this brush
when the model has one subdivision (Fig.12).

The ClipCurve brush pushes the faces along

the curve. This is a good tool for cutting into the
mesh and establishing a profile (Fig.13).

Mask Pen draw a line and then you choose a point on the
By holding down Ctrl you can mask the surface line to use. You can also use masking with the
of a model. You are unable to affect the masked Transpose Line functions by holding Alt and
area with another brush. The mask can be dragging the point. This is a tool that takes a
inverted by Ctrl + clicking the document outside while to get used to.
of the model (Fig.14).
You can also mask the model by topology with
Transpose Line the Transpose Line tool. Hold Ctrl and drag it on
Enter this tool in three different modes: W for the model to access this feature. You can also
Move, E for Scale and R for Rotate. First you mask all but the polygroup that you click on.

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 Chapter 01 Design & create quadruped beasts in ZBrush

Hold Ctrl and click on the model to mask all but General Forms Use clipping brushes to model big forms. To
the polygroup that you clicked on (Fig.15 – 16). Since there is an uneven distribution of polygons avoid unwanted clipping when using the Clip
that are unsuitable for sculpting, we will convert brush that’s facing inside of the model, you
Use the CurveTubes brush to build up a the geometry to DynaMesh. By activating the must mask off one side. Then apply the clipping
basemesh in steps. You can use Mirror and Tool > Geometry > DynaMesh > Groups button on the other side with Tool > Deformation >
Weld (Tool > Geometry > Mirror and Weld) to we will keep the different geometric islands Smart ReSym (don’t forget to mask the side that
create a perfectly symmetrical basemesh. Once separate from each other (Fig.19). should not be affected by re-symmetry). You
you have a symmetrical mesh you can use Tool can also use Mirror and Weld if your mesh only
> Deformation > Smart ReSym to make the Don’t forget to use masking and transpose has one subdivision (Fig.21).
model symmetrical shape-wise (Fig.17). when moving or scaling different parts of the
body. Also remember to mask all polygroups Don’t be afraid to use the TrimDynamic or Clip
Using the different brushes and tools, continue with transpose and Ctrl + click on the polygroup brushes. It’s not a bad idea to have hard edges
to refine the model. If you wish, you can turn on (Fig.20). to define the big shapes of the model at this
Polyframe with the shortcut Shift + F (Fig.18). point.

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Design & create quadruped beasts in ZBrush Chapter 01

Work on layers when trying out an idea that you time. I find this very helpful in order to decide on outside the model. After that you can choose
are not sure of. Then you can easily turn it off, different directions for the design (Fig.22). Tool > Polygroups > Group Visible and show all
store a morph target at Tool > Morph Target > geometry by holding Ctrl + Shift and clicking on
StoreMT, turn the layer back on and paint away Try to get some rhythm/curvature in the legs of the document outside the model (Fig.25).
the areas that you want to delete the sculpting the creature, as legs that are too straight look
on by using the Morph Target brush. unnatural and stiff (Fig.23). Now you can convert the model to a DynaMesh
with a resolution of 128. After converting to a
To try out different sculpt versions, you can turn Use a silhouette to make it easier to analyze DynaMesh the geometry loses its shape. It’s
off a layer and set a snapshot of the document the big forms. Choose a matcap material to time to project it to the original version in order
(Shift + S), turn on the layer and move the avoid spec on your silhouette. Then make sure to get the old shape of the model onto the new
model to the side. Now you can compare the you have black and white in the color swatch. geometry. Divide the model three times to get
two versions by looking at them at the same Switch between the two colors to quickly more subdivisions in order to get a more defined
check your silhouette (hotkey V). If your model sculpt when projecting. Go to Tool > Subtool
has polypainting on it you can deactivate this and choose Project All.
temporary at the Tool > Subtool > Brush icon
(Fig.24). To achieve good results, you can project one
subdivision at a time. Start with subdiv 1 and
Mid-Forms project it, then step up to subdiv 2 and project
It’s time to combine the geometry islands with it, and so on. Make sure only the original body
DynaMesh. Duplicate the original subtool and and the new DynaMesh’ed version is visible in
merge the polygroups of the separate geometry the Subtool menu. You can turn Visibility on and
islands, except the horns. Hold Ctrl + Shift and off with the eye icon in the Subtool menu. After
click the horns, then invert visibility by holding the projection you can delete the old model with
Ctrl + Shift and dragging on the document Tool > Subtool > Delete (Fig.26).

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 Chapter 01 Design & create quadruped beasts in ZBrush

Now it’s time to refine the model and add more

mid-level details. When doing this I usually use
the following brushes:

• Standard brush: I described this brush in

an earlier section

• Smooth brush: smooths out the details

and evens out the surface. It’s good to
work with this brush on different subdivision
levels. You get a more powerful smooth on
the lower subdivisions and a lower smooth
on the higher divisions. More polygons
mean less smoothing. Press Shift to access
this brush (Fig.27).

• Dam_Standard: cuts into the mesh in a

nice way. This brush is set to “sub” by
default, which means it removes volume
from the surface. It has a really small alpha,
so it always gives a stroke with a smaller
radius than the current size of your brush.
It’s a nice workflow to alternate between
Dam_Standard and Smooth (Fig.28).

• ClayBuildup: builds up volume and looks

very natural. It resembles the Standard
brush, but generates a more even and flat
surface. Unlike the Clay brush it keeps
adding volume all the time during your
stroke, whereas the Clay brush only builds
to a certain point (Fig.29).

Continue to refine the model with the different

tools and brushes. Cut with Dam_Standard
and smooth out the mesh. Use ClayBuildup or
TrimDynamic on areas that seem a bit lumpy
and smooth them out (Fig.30).

When sculpting the foot there is overlapping

geometry on the transition between the skin
and the hoof, which creates a defined edge.
Create this overlapping by masking out the hoof
and then invert the mask by holding Ctrl and
clicking the document outside the geometry.
After that use the Move brush to move the hoof
in and create the overlapping. Don’t worry about

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Design & create quadruped beasts in ZBrush Chapter 01
sculpting the feet on the hind legs. We will copy
the front feet to the back later on (Fig.31).

It’s now time to add an eye. Append the

Sphere3D (Tool > SubTool > Append) and
move it over to the model’s right side (+X). You
can scale it down with the Transpose Line tool
(E). After that you can mirror it over with Tool >
Geometry > Mirror and Weld (Fig.32).

In order to sculpt around the eye you will need

to temporarily turn the transparency on. This
will make all subtools except the active one
transparent, and you can sculpt eyelids without
having the eye blocking the surface of the face
behind it (Fig.33).

The face is lacking a bit of personality, so let’s

add big, floppy ears! I won’t follow the concept
sketch, but make the ear stand out from the
head a bit more. At the moment I will keep it as
a separate subtool, so that I can sculpt it without
worrying about the messing with the body.

To create the ear, duplicate the body, bake all visibility on the ear by holding Shift + Ctrl and
layers (Tool > Layers > Bake All), go down to clicking it, and delete the hidden polys with Tool
subdiv 1 and delete the higher subdivisions. > Geometry > DelHidden (Fig.34).
Then select the CurveQuadFill and create a
nice profile for the ear. After that you can isolate When refining the horns it’s good to mask the
polygroup of the horns with the Transpose
Line tool and Ctrl + clicking the horns. Start
by sculpting the grooves of the horns with the
Dam_Standard and Standard brushes. Then
add the bulge that goes along the horn with the
Standard brush. Please note that the Standard
brush does not destroy any detail that already
exists, unlike the Clay brushes (Fig.35).

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Continue to refine the face. I’ve changed my

mind about the ears and made a decision
to make them look more like they do in the
concept. The first 3D ears we’ve done make
the creature look like a common sheep or goat
(Fig.36).

It’s time to copy the feet to the hind legs. Use

Slice Curve to cut out the feet. This will add
an edge loop at the cut and put the feet in a
separate polygroup. Isolate visibility on all but
the back feet. Do this by going into Move mode
(W) and Ctrl + clicking the feet. Mask out the
front feet so that everything but the back feet is
masked.

Now invert the mask by Ctrl + clicking the

document outside the geometry. Hide any
unmasked polys with Tool > Visibility > HidePt.
Now choose Tool > Geometry > Del Hidden to
delete the back feet. Duplicate the model and
repeat the steps in order to delete all but the
front foot. Choose Tool > Geometry > Close
Holes to avoid a mesh with holes in it. Finally
place the foot at the base of the hind legs
(Fig.37).

Merge the ears, body and feet with Tool >

Subtool > MergeDown. Mirror the merged
subtools, so that the missing foot is on the
negative side of the X axis (Tool > Deformation
> Mirror). To make a symmetrical mesh, go to
Subtool > Geometry > Mirror and Weld (Fig.38).

In order to mirror and weld, we deleted all but

the highest subdivision on the model. I prefer to
work on multiple subdivisions, so we are going
to duplicate the model again. Then convert it to
a rather low poly DynaMesh with Group on and
a resolution of 200 to get geometry separation
between the head and ears. Then divide it and separation and definition between horns and always work with layers when you sculpt. Try
project it to the original subtool (For an example skin. The polygroup workflow was described something out and if you don’t like it you can
of this workflow see Fig.26). earlier in Fig.25. delete the layer.

Make sure that you have the horns as a Small Forms When creating wrinkles you should think about
separate polygroup and the rest of the model Now it’s time to add wrinkles and other types of where they naturally appear. At the joints and
as another polygroup in order to get a better small details to refine the model. Don’t forget to the neck there is usually a lot of twisting and

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bending of the skin. I have painted a rough

guide in red where the areas that wrinkles
usually appear are. It’s also good to check
references to find areas where wrinkles occur
(Fig.39).

The process for sculpting wrinkles is to use the

Dam_Standard brush to cut into the area first
and then use the Standard brush to bulge out
the areas between the cuts (Fig.40).

In Fig.41 you can see how the creature

develops as I progress in sculpting the wrinkles.

Adding Props
Now we are going to add the props to the
creature. Append a ZSphere with Tools >
Subtool > Append and place it where it’s not
in the way. Then go down to Tool > Topology
> Edit Topology in order to create a new mesh
with specific topology (Fig.42).

Now go into Draw mode by using hotkey Q and

create the topology for the saddle. You can
select points with W and remove points with Alt
+ clicking when in Draw mode (Fig.43).

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To see the created geometry you can press A.

You can add thickness to the created mesh in
Tool > Topology > Skin Thickness. In Fig.44 I
have turned on the transparency and polyframe.

Convert the adaptive skin to a polymesh with

Tool > Adaptive Skin > Make Adaptive Skin.
Append the created object and delete the
created topology of the ZSphere with Tool >
Topology >Delete Topo. You can go back to the
ZSphere and repeat the process to create new
objects (Fig.45).

In order to create the support for the back on the

saddle you must hide all polygons, except the
ones that you wish to extract. You can use the
Select Rectangle or Select Lasso tool for this
(Ctrl + Shift). Mask off those polygons and make
sure the E smt and S smt values are at 0 under
Tool > Geometry. Then press Tool > Geometry
> Extract (Fig.46).

The back support is not high enough, so we are

going to extrude the polygons a bit. Ctrl + Shift +
click the polygroup facing up to hide all the other
polygroups. Mask the visible polygons by Ctrl +
clicking the document outside the model. Ctrl +
Shift + click the document outside the model to
show all polygroups.

Activate the Transpose tool by pressing W and

drag a transpose line in the Y axis. Now hold
Ctrl + Shift and drag the white, middle circle on
the Transpose tool in order to extrude. Repeat
the extrude process a couple of times until you
reach the desired height (Fig.47).

If the model was divided you would see that the Geometry > Crease to crease the edges. You
creasing is not the way we want it. Fortunately can remove creases by Shift + clicking Tool >
ZBrush can crease edges depending on Geometry > UnCrease. If only a portion of the
curvature. Go to Tool > Geometry and set polygons are visible then the border edges will
CTolerance to 70. Then press the Tool > be creased when you press Crease (Fig.48).

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When using the Standard and Move brushes to
deform the back support, it is easy to mess up
the hard surface look. A nice way to deform is
using the Transpose tool. If you Alt + drag one
of the transpose points, you deform it with auto
masking (Fig.49).

Before you subdivide you want to make sure

you have a symmetrical topology, so use Tool >
Geometry > Mirror and Weld to do so.

Continue to create the saddle by using the

tools that are mentioned in the earlier sections
(ZSphere retopology, Extraction, Extrude and
Tool > Subtool > Duplicate). When adding the
metal ring for the bridle, you can use Tool >
Subtool > Append and choose ring3D from the
3D meshes pop up menu.

In Fig.50 you can see that I have also used

polypainting on the body of the creature to try
out the design of the leather straps before I
model them. It’s nice not to have to think about
design when doing topology.

Let’s create the belt buckle for the saddle strap

(Fig.51). Choose plane3D from the 3D meshes
menu, and append a ZSphere and move it out
of the way. Activate Tool > Topology > Edit
topology and draw out the topology (1).

Set Tool > Topology > Skin Thickness to 0.1

and preview adaptive skin with hotkey A (Tool
> Adaptive Skin > Preview). Also set Tool >
Adaptive Skin > Density to 1. Then choose Tool
> Make PolyMesh 3D to create a PolyMesh (2).

Go into Rotate mode (R) and use the Transpose

tool to rotate the geometry, so it’s going along
the X axis (3). Duplicate the model and use Tool
> Geometry > Mirror and Weld (4). Go back
to the subtool with the pin and delete all the
geometry apart from the pin. Duplicate the pin
and rotate it 90 degrees (5).

Merge all subtools into one and remove the

creases by Shift + clicking on Tool > Geometry

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> UnCrease. Use Tool > Polygroups > Auto mesh with Tool > Make Polymesh 3D. Use the > Clone to copy it. Go to Brush > Modifiers and
Groups to make a polygroup of each geometry Slice Curve brush and make an edge loop in the select the chain mesh that you’ve created as
island. Now it will be easier to mask (Ctrl + middle. Mask off the top and drag it up with the an insert mesh. Also go to the Stroke menu and
W) and move the different parts around. Now Transpose tool (2). Then add some more edge activate Curve Mode and Bend (2).
position the different parts and divide the loops (3).
geometry (6). If you get rid of some unwanted Now you can try out the created brush.
kinks in the geometry you can fix it by using Tool Clear the mask and make a copy by Ctrl + Remember that the radius of your brush
> Deformation > Polish (7). Shift + dragging the white middle dot on the determines the size of the chains. As long as
transpose line (4). Clear the mask and drag out the curve exists you can change the brush size
In order to create the chain for the bridle, we a new copy of the two rings. Repeat this last when it is outside of the curve (red icon) and
are going to create a brush (Fig.52). Go to the stroke with hotkey 1 to duplicate a lot of rings click the curve to resize the chains (3). Don’t
Tool menu and select Ring3D. Change the fast (5). Set your floor grid by setting Draw > Elv forget to save your brush once you are done.
setting so it’s a lower poly (1). Convert it to a to 0 (6).
We also need to create a brush for the studs
Rotate and scale down the chains so they cover (Fig.54). Select polyPlane3d in the Tool menu
four floor grids (same size as a polyPlane3D and convert it to a mesh with Tool > Make
if you need a reference) as seen in Fig.53 (1). PolyMesh3d. Mask out four polygons (1) and
Select the Insert Head brush and choose Brush use Tool > Geometry > Extract to create a new
mesh (2). Use Tool > Deformation > Polish
to make it rounder and delete the backside
of the mesh (3). Make sure the stud is facing
the Z axis, a positive direction. Go to Brush >
Modifiers and select the stud mesh as an insert
mesh. Save the brush.

Let’s create the blanket that is wrapped up and

tied to the creature’s back. Start by appending
a PolyMesh3d, so you can select it and insert
a tube with the CurveTube brush. Also set the
Brush > Modifiers > Brush modifier to 5 to get a
lower density tube. Draw out a tube as shown in
Fig.55 (1).

Use the Select Lasso tool and click on an edge

to hide the edge loop. Then invert visibility by

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Ctrl + Shift + dragging on the document outside
the geometry (2). Delete the hidden geometry
with Tool > Geometry > DelHidden. Rotate the
camera to the side and use the ClipCurve brush
to flatten the geometry (3). Mask the geometry
and extract it with Tool > Subtool E Smt and
S Smt at 0, so the extracted mesh won’t be
deformed (4).

Mask off one side and start extruding with the

Transpose tool (W). As described in an earlier
section you extrude by Ctrl + Shift + dragging
the white middle dot on the transpose line.
You can repeat the last stroke with hotkey 1 to
extrude faster (5). Deform the blanket with the
Transpose tool, Move and Standard brushes.
Also use the Move Topological brush, which has
an auto mask by topological distance (6).

Continue to add props and refine the shapes.

Use the techniques that you have learned in
the earlier sections. The prop development is
illustrated in Fig.56.

Lay out UVs and add surface noise. Combine activate Polygroups. This means that each them, use a texture or surface noise. It is

the straps on the lower parts of the body to polygroup will be a separate UV island. actually possible to combine polypaint and

decrease the number of subtools and allow surface noise, which is what we will do. This

easier management of the UVs. Make sure Choose Unwrap to do an automatic UV layout. technique will save time and polycount since

that all the subtools that will be combined have You can also attract the UV seams based we don’t need to divide our model to get crisp

the same number of subdivisions in order to on polypainting. You enable this feature by details in the color (Fig.58).

save the lower subdivisions. If you have three selecting Enable Control Painting. If you want

subdivisions on one strap and four subdivisions to edit your UV, you have to choose Work on Go to Tool > Surface/Noise (1). Then choose

on another strap when merging, the lower Clone (2). which texture you want to use in the left lower

subdivisions will be deleted. Use Tool > Subtool corner (Alpha On/Off). I want to colorize the

> MergeDown for this. ZBrush then creates a copy of your current bright parts of my texture, therefore I need to
subtool that only has the lowest subdivision invert the curve (2). Also set the UV button to

Once the straps have been merged we can left. If you press Flatten you will see the UV On, so the texture will be mapped by UV and not

do UVs. If this would be for production I would layout represented by a 3D polymesh (3). Edit 3D space. Set the color blend to a bit higher and

advise you to do your UVs in another application the polymesh how you want to (4) and press choose a color in the right color slot.

to get more control over placement and such. UnFlatten to see the model again. Copy the

However, ZBrush does a very fast job of laying UVs, then go back to the original subtool and

out UVs itself so we will do it with UV Master on paste them with ZPlugin > UV Master > Paste

this occasion. UVs. The UVs on your temporary clone will now
be transferred to the original subtool.

In this example we will do the UVs for the

leather straps on the head, which can be seen Let’s try out a quick texture on the straps. To

in Fig.57 (1). Go to ZPlugin > UV Master and colorize objects in ZBrush you can polypaint

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In Fig.59 you can see all of my settings. Polypainting

Remember that you can save out this noise Let’s go over the workflow of polypainting and
setting and use it again later, which can save a texturing in general. To polypaint an object
huge amount of time. It’s also a nice time-saver make sure that ZAdd and ZSub are off, and
to merge objects that share the same type of RGB is on in the menu just above the document.
noise. Don’t forget that you can also polypaint When I’m texturing I’m thinking about the
without affecting the noise. Activate polypainting following things.
by selecting a brush, turning off ZAdd and
making sure that RGB is on. General Base Color and
Gradients
Continue to lay out UVs and create noise This is the basic color of the object, using
settings for the props. gradient to vary values and hue (Fig.60). Adding

gradients is a great way to avoid a flat-looking

texture. See the comparison of point 1, which
has a flat color and point 2, which has some
gradients, wear and tear in the polypainting.
Both the versions to the right also have fine
details (surface noise) added to the texture.

Dirt, Wear and Tear

Dirt is collected in the cracks and crevices
of objects (Fig.61). In ZBrush you can use
Occlusion to mask off the dirt, invert the mask
and then paint. Make sure that the Occlusion
Intensity is set to 10. Ambient Occlusion Scan
Distance sets the distance for the ray trace
when checking for occlusion (1).

Wear and tear happens to surfaces that are

often colliding with other objects, which regularly
happens to corners of objects. I have painted
these areas green to give an example (2).

Fine Details
This is the part of the texture that shows those
small, crisp details. In this tutorial the texture
that we set in surface noise represents that kind
of detail (see versions to the right in Fig.60).
Surface noise can only use one texture though.

I like to paint in some dirt and grime not only in

the crevices of the objects, but on the smooth
surfaces too. This needs to be a bit more subtle
than the dirt in the crevices. I usually create a
new layer in Tool > Layers and polypaint that

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kind of feature on the layer in order to dial it up
or down later on.

When painting on layers you can use Alt + draw

to erase polypainting on the recording layer.
Spotlight is a great tool, but does not have a
smooth falloff between 100% opacity and 0%
opacity when projecting textures. Therefore we
will use a stencil instead (Fig.62).

Import a suitable texture in the Texture menu.

Then press MakeAlpha (1). In my case I want
to paint in the dark areas of the texture and
need to invert it (2). I also want to increase the
contrast in the texture so that my polypainting
has better definition. After I’m satisfied I press
Alpha > Transfer/Make St to make a stencil.

Now the stencil pops up in the document

viewport. If you press the spacebar you can
move it, rotate it, scale it etc (3). To hide the
stencil while painting you can press Ctrl + H.
If you want to turn off the stencil completely
you can press Alt + H. You can also check the
stencil menu for more controls.

In Fig.63 you can see the progress of skin. Spotlight is a great way to paint and project in screen resolution, so you want both your
polypainting the saddle. Repeat these steps for textures onto your model. You have to make model and the texture to be as big as possible
the rest of the props. sure you have a high polycount on your mesh when you are polypainting, to ensure that you
to get a good resolution on your polypaint. My won’t lose texture resolution.
Now it’s time to polypaint the creature’s skin. We polycount is just above seven million polys on
will also sculpt the highly frequent details in the the body. Also remember that you are painting To load a texture into Spotlight you go to
Texture > Add to Spotlight. If you have loaded
multiple textures into Spotlight, you will only
affect the texture with a red frame on it. Click
a texture to make it the active texture. To turn
Spotlight on or off you press Shift + Z or use
Texture > Turn on Spotlight.

When the control wheel is shown you can

manipulate the textures. To go into Polypaint
mode with Spotlight, on press Z. The spotlight
wheel should disappear, but the texture should
still be visible.

You can see some of the controls in the

Spotlight wheel that I use the most in Fig.64.

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 Chapter 01 Design & create quadruped beasts in ZBrush

Nudge is a way of distorting the shape of the

texture (for example the lower right texture in
Fig.64). You activate Nudge and drag with the
brush on the texture to distort it. You can use
Shift to smooth the distortion. You can also drag
the Nudge icon to restore the original shape of
the texture. You can also use D and Shift + D to
step up and down in texture subdivision.

ZBrush 4R3 can’t handle blending modes when

it comes to polypaint layers, so I find it helpful to
paint textures with high contrast and lower the
layer opacity to show the underlying polypaint.

When it comes to saturation I tend to desaturate

textures that I’m going to use for mask, bump
or displacement. Drag the icon and rotate the Now we will paint the skin wrinkle texture, which Fig.65 (1) shows the model with the wrinkle
wheel counter clockwise to desaturate and we will put on a new layer. This will be used as polypainting and the SkinShade4 material;
clockwise to saturate. a base for masking out the wrinkles for sculpting point 2 shows the BumpViewerMaterial settings
later on. Some people sculpt skin with alphas, and point 3 shows the polypainting with the
When painting textures that are going to be a but I find that using alphas makes the skin look BumpViewerMaterial.
base for masking I turn up the intensity, so that repetitive and inorganic. Alphas are great for
the areas that should be unmasked are white. repetitive details and hard surface details. They When you are done with the wrinkle polypaint,
can also be used for organic stuff, but I only use you can switch back to the skinShade4 material
When painting wrinkles it’s important to get the them when dealing with non-repetitive and non- and mask by color intensity in Tool > Masking >
right flow and direction of the wrinkles, so rotate overlapping stuff. Mask by Intensity, as shown in Fig.66 (1). Now
and use Scale to scale the active texture. invert the mask and create a new layer (2). Turn
Bring in a skin texture and use the Spotlight off the layer with the wrinkle polypaint and set
When the Spotlight Radius is on you can’t see controls, so that it’s basically white with some the new layer to Rec again. Now you can use
the texture while polypainting and pressing darker areas where the wrinkles are. Switch to the Standard brush with a low Z Intensity and a
down the mouse/stylus. It’s good to use this if the BumpViewerMaterial in the Material menu big brush size to sculpt the wrinkles (3). Don’t
the spotlight texture overlay is distracting. and set the Color bump in the material settings forget that you can hide the mask with Ctrl + H.
to about -0.5. This material displays color
Opacity increases or decreases the opacity of intensity as bump in the material. Please note Now we can polypaint the color of the creature
all spotlight textures. This does not affect the that the bump effect is in screen space, so it will (Fig.67). All polypainting features should be
polypainting, but makes the mesh easier to see look exaggerated when you zoom out with the made on separate layers, so that we can dial
through the textures. camera. them up and down later on. Start by painting

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Design & create quadruped beasts in ZBrush Chapter 01
in the general hues and values (base). After
that, paint a highly frequent concrete texture
(concrete). To break up the painting a bit you
can paint in some spots on the creature’s back
(spots).

In Fig.67 the spots have a big black area for

the sake of the presentation. This area is really
transparent or unpainted. You can also use the
mask from the wrinkle polypaint and paint black
on a new layer in order to put some dirt in the
wrinkles; I have exaggerated this in order to
illustrate my point (skin cavity).

When you are done with the polypainting, you

can start dialing back the layer intensity sliders
to get the right look. Please note that the layer
that is on top is in the bottom of the layers stack
in Tool > Layers. You can see the final result
and the layer opacity settings in Fig.68.

Posing The Creature

Go to ZPlugin > transpose Master and press
TPoseMesh, demonstrated in Fig.69 (1). ZBrush
will then create a version of the character where
all the lowest subdivisions of all subtools are
merged together (2). Use the masking technique
with the Transpose tool, which has been
mentioned earlier. Go to Move mode (W) and
Ctrl + Left Mouse Button + drag the legs to mask
off the legs. Use the Transpose tool to rotate the
legs into a pose (3). first. If you don’t have the right polygroups, it can When ZBrush asks for a file on your hard drive
mess up the model when transferring the pose choose the object with the posed mesh.
If, for some reason, you need to do new to the original model.
polygroups, then export an object of the pose
When you are happy with your pose it’s time to Setting Up Materials
transfer it back. If you did polygroup changes, Materials are applied to objects by poly painting
then store a morph target of the model at Tool > with the material channel turned on, as seen in
Morph Target > Store MT, then import the object Fig.70. You can select which material to paint
with the original polygroups. in the material slot in the left tray (1). When
painting material you need to turn off all layers
Now press ZPlugin > Transpose Master (2). Instead of painting with the brush, you can
> TPose>SubT and the pose should be flood the entire mesh with the selected material
transferred. If you get some kind of an error, at Color > Fill Object (3).
export the pose as an object in Tool > Export,
then choose the original model and press The settings for the materials are quite
ZPlugin > Transpose Master > TPose>SubT. extensive to go through in detail in this tutorial.

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 Chapter 01 Design & create quadruped beasts in ZBrush

I will give you some notes on a couple of the

materials though. Please note that the only way
to change the name of the material (that I know
of) is to save them. Don’t forget to Ctrl + hover
over a material setting to show the pop up help
text (Fig.71).

Skin is used for the main parts of the creature’s

body. I don’t want a very SSS-looking material,
so I set Wax Modifier > Strength to 14 and
Radius to 10. ZBrush only has SSS for back
scattering, so if you want front scattering you
have to use the Wax modifier in the shader (1).

I’ve used SkinTranslucentWet for the inside of

the ears, the snout and the eyelids. I want it to
have a stronger SSS look than the rest of the
skin, so I raise the Wax Modifier Strength to 19.
I also feel that it should have a bit more of an
oily feel to it, so I increase the Specular value
and made a sharper specular curve (edited just
below the Specular value in the shader) (2).

For the leather material I wanted the

dirty, darker parts of the mesh to have
less specularity. Therefore I selected the
doubleShade1 material, clicked Material >
CopyMat, chose another material and clicked
Material > CopyMat to duplicate the original
material.

The first shader (S1) doesn’t have any special

values besides Diffuse and Specular. The For the metal material two things are important. Off, so that the second shader adds to the first
second shader (S2) is a copy of the first shader Metalicity, which makes the specular inherit shader’s shading and doesn’t just replace it (5).
without any Specular. In the Mixer section of the the color of the polypaint or texture, and
shader you should set Black to On. This tells the AnisotropicSpecular, which spreads the Conclusion
shader to add shading from a black value. The specular as if it was brushed metal (4). I hope that you have enjoyed this tutorial. I
default of black is off, which makes the shader have tried to show a lot of different solutions to
brighter than I want it to be. For the cloth I’ve used two shaders. The first creating the creature and the props. I hope that
(S1) is just a normal shader with a Diffuse you have found all the tips and tricks helpful and
In the color swatch (marked by a green arrow) setting. The second shader (S2) has a lower that you will be able to use them to speed up
you can set a color. All polygons with a color Diffuse value, which adds to the lighting on your workflow.
value that are below the one in the color swatch the first. The second shader’s mixer setting is
will have the second shader applied to them. changed, so that the lighting is only applied
Intensity is basically the same as opacity and to the polygons facing away from camera to Daniel Bystedt
Intensity Exponent is basically the falloff of the achieve a sort of fuzzy look. This is done with Web: http://dbystedt.wordpress.com/
shader (3). Fresnel and F Exp. Be sure to set Black to Email: [email protected]

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Design & create quadruped beasts in ZBrush Chapter 02

Chapter 02
Software used: ZBrush

I started with some fast sketches of what I had

in mind (Fig.01). I already had a few ideas about
some of the features I wanted on the creature,
so I included these in the sketches. These were
things like the skull mask, beads, robe, leaves
and the overall voodoo feeling. At this stage I try
to not work on one sketch for too long, but rather
explore and try different proportions, creating
many fast and loose sketches and silhouettes.

When I come to a point where I’m clear about

what I want, I continue working directly in 3D,
where it’s easier for me to understand and
visualize the creature’s forms and proportions.

So at this point I moved to ZBrush, where I used

ZSpheres to build the body of the creature and set to a larger brush size. I tried not to spend too
then continued to DynaMesh it. much time on one part of the model, but to move
across it and develop it evenly (Fig.02).
The coolest thing about DynaMesh is that it is
super-fast for creating concepts and exploring Also using DynaMesh, I created really fast and
your ideas directly in 3D. At this stage I tried simple meshes for the leaves, skull and the
not to stick to my concept too closely, but rather tusks, as these elements play an important role
developed it further. I worked on a big scale, in the creature’s silhouette and it’s better to keep
mainly with the Move and ClayBuildup brushes, them in mind while working on the body.

I used quite a simple technique for making the

leaves. I created a plane where I masked an
area to look like a leaf and then, using Extract
set to a low thickness, I created a mesh from the
mask. I then DynaMesh’ed and copied (Ctrl +
drag while in TransPose mode) across the areas
where leaves will appear (Fig.03).

I created the skull from a sphere with a

DynaMesh and to begin with I used the
CurveTube brush for the tusks, then I used
DynaMesh to detail them further.

With all the main forms in place, I continued

working on the body. At this point I still refrained
from adding in smaller elements yet, such as
the beads and robes, as all the small meshes
would make posing the model quite difficult.

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 Chapter 02 Design & create quadruped beasts in ZBrush

Plus, these kind of elements all have a different the new topology using the QRemesherGuides parts of the mesh with the Transpose tools, with
polygon density, so it is best to add them when brush. After typing in the desired final poly count some adjustments with the Move and Move
the model is in its final pose (Fig.04). I QRemeshed it, which created a less dense Topological brushes. One thing that makes
mesh with topology more suitable for posing the posing a lot easier is to have the close
While moving to a smaller detail and up on the and UV mapping if needed. The last thing left polygon density on all the subtools of the model,
resolution slider of the DynaMesh, it starts to get to do was to subdivide it several times and to otherwise the masks get sharper where there
harder to make bigger, more global, changes Reproject back the details from the previously are more polygons and softer where there are
and extremely hard to pose the model when the duplicated mesh (Fig.05). less (Fig.06).
time comes.
With all the major forms and objects in place, While working on the pose I tried to keep in
So at some point I duplicated the mesh of the I started posing the model with Transpose mind the final view, so that all the important
body and I drew some lines that would guide Master, which involved masking and moving details would be visible as much as possible.

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Design & create quadruped beasts in ZBrush Chapter 02
When I was finished with the posing, I started
breaking up the symmetry, adding all the little
elements and also detailing the existing ones.
Here I created all the final leaves using the
Topology brush, and all the teeth and bones
using the plane masking method (Fig.07).

For the robes I used the CurveTubes brush

again, and by holding the Shift key when moving
away from the surface they snapped to the
mesh while also enclosing it. Then I adjusted
their thickness by changing my brush size and
clicking on the curve.

Working on the fingers, especially those on his

arms, was quite difficult because they are so
close together. I needed to make a separate
polygroup for each of the fingers; Ctrl + clicking
on a finger separated it from the others, making
it a lot easier to work on. I did this by isolating
the fingertip first, because it was easier to
select, then I hit Grow in the Visibility tab until
the entire finger was visible. I then used Group
Visible to group the entire visible part of the
mesh and repeated this for the other fingers
(Fig.08).

A large area on his shoulders and back

appeared to look too bare and boring to me,
so using the MaskLasso tool I masked some
spots into clusters, and then made these
harder details on his back to make it a bit more
interesting (Fig.09).

For the beads, I masked thin parts of the robe

where I wanted them to be and then, again

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 Chapter 02 Design & create quadruped beasts in ZBrush

using the Extract and Edge Loop tools combined

with GroupsLoops, I created them one by one
(Fig.10).

For the finest details I mostly used the

Dam_Standard brush in combination with the
ClayBuildup and Pinch brushes, with the brush
modifier around 40 and alpha 37-38 from the
default ZBrush alphas. At this point I was trying
not to spend too much time on one area and
overdo it, but to keep moving across the model
and detail it evenly.

My approach to the texturing is the same as my

approach to modeling: moving from the largest
to the smallest detail. I first started by rendering
the whole model with a white Matcap material
and then moved to Photoshop, so I could quickly
test different color schemes (Fig.11).

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Design & create quadruped beasts in ZBrush Chapter 02
When I was satisfied I moved back to ZBrush,
filled every subtool with its base color according
to the sketch and from there I started adding
color variations and more detail.

At the beginning of the texturing I mostly used a

brush with the DragRect stroke and some spray
alphas, such as 07 or 08, to create base color
variations. I then moved to the smaller detail
with a spray stroke, again with these two alphas,
and the freehand stroke for the finest details. At
the end I dragged in some alphas I’d made from
photos to enrich the texture. Mask by Cavity and
by PeaksAndValleys are also really powerful
tools here. I tried to put some cold and warm
areas in the texture and also some gradients to
make it look more interesting.

I started the rendering by saving a custom view

in the ZAppLink first, so I could be sure that all
my passes were from exactly the same view. black in color. With this setup I started rendering correct each one of the elements of the image,
Then I began rendering the passes, starting all the extra lighting for the scene by playing with a Color Balance adjustment layer, to make
with two BPR renders of the textured model. I with light, color, intensity, placement and the them look more consistent. Then I added all of
filled these with the SketchShaded2 material, specularity and specular curve of the material the extra light passes above, switched to Linear
with a slightly lowered cavity detection; one with (Fig.12). Dodge blending mode and lowered the opacity
Vibrant Shadows and AO turned on, and one where needed. The final touch was painting
with it turned off. I did this because it seemed I also made masks by filling all of the subtools some subtle effects and adding a bit of a lens
to have too strong an effect in some areas, so I with flat color and changing the Inactive Subtool blur using the ZDepth pass from BPR.
wanted to mask them out where needed. Dimming in the preferences to Minimum.

Then I switched to a basic material, turned off The compositing of the final render was done in Borislav Kechashki
all of the Polypaint information and picked out Photoshop. I used my masks to select and color Email: [email protected]

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Design & create quadruped beasts in ZBrush Chapter 03

Chapter 03
Software used: ZBrush

In this tutorial that describes the creation of a

quadruped with ZBrush, I will try to present the
different stages of the realization of the creature.

The method that I use is quite simple and does

not require extensive knowledge of the software.
I think that carving organic forms is essentially
based on solid artistic knowledge. With rigor,
everything is possible, and then you play.

To begin with, I create my base mesh, in this

case using ZSpheres. You could also use
ZSketch or DynaMesh. As you can see, I create
a fairly basic form, which is enough for now,
given that the target creature will not contain
very complex forms (Fig.01).

On the Adaptive Screen bar, I click on Make

Adaptive Screen and I integrate it into my
subtool. I toggle the subdivision at level 2 and I
delete the first subdivision, which will serve me
more. I can then start sketching the shape and
proportions of my future creature. This is one
of the most important phases because it is the
phase which gives the general form. You can the Inflat tool to inflate parts, and a bit of Smooth comes to working on the details. This can also
do this only using the Move Topological and from time to time. I also add the horns that I be useful if you want to hide areas to give the
Transpose tools (Move Scale Rotate) by hiding created separately with a ZSphere. Then, I work creature a pose. In our case, this will be the jaw
the desired areas (Fig.02). on the draft of the mouth and eyes (Fig.03). (Fig.04).

I turn to a higher subdivision and continue It is more convenient to separate the object At this stage, the work on the muscle and the
the search for my form. I search for both the into several components. This is so you can face has already started. The most important
proportions and silhouette by turning the model select them more easily, work on each element thing I do here is deform the back legs by
in all directions, using the same tools as well as independently and be more comfortable when it adding joints because I don’t like their previous

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 Chapter 03 Design & create quadruped beasts in ZBrush

form. In this sense, I am back on the low poly

model. I have hidden the area at the level of the
joints and used the Rotate tool to add shape.
Being back on the lower subdivision can be very
helpful in such cases. This can be also used
to delete unwanted parts with the Smooth tool
(Fig.05).

On the muscles, I turn to a higher level of

subdivision, such as subdivision 4, for example,
and I draw using the ClayBuildup brush a little,
using the pressure of the tablet. Then I fade
with the help of the Smooth tool. I generally
use it with an intensity of between 25 and 45;
it depends on my needs. You will achieve an
interesting result by doing just that. I advise you
to use images for reference (Fig.06).

While working on the body, from time to time

I retouch the head. In Fig.07, you can see the
phases of evolution. I use the Move brush for
the general shape and Dam Standard brush to
draw hollow parts. I use it often for subtraction;
the first time with a low intensity and with a large
enough size. Afterwards, I return to standard
brushes, Inflat, Clay Buildup and also the Pinch
brush from time to time. For the eyes, I use a
sphere. I draw on the eyelids with a mask and I

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Design & create quadruped beasts in ZBrush Chapter 03
click on Extract in the subtools bar, after setting
the desired thickness.

It is time to shape the mouth and add teeth to

the creature. I use ZSpheres and a teeth base
mesh, which I already had and that I use for all
my templates. It is important to have a library of
predefined elements to save time, although you
should always change them as I’ve done here
(Fig.08).

I create large nails separately using ZSpheres.

I shape the base a little with the Topological
Move brush, followed by the Clip Curve brush. I
add a few cracks with the Dam Standard brush
and the Noise tool by setting the scale and
intensity (Fig.09).

I create splines separately with the CurveTube

tool. In the parameters I choose Lazy Mouse
(LazyRadius -35) and I activate the scale in
Curve mode. Once the first spine is created, I
then mask and rejoin them by pressing Ctrl on
the keyboard and by moving the duplicates one
by one with the Transpose Move tool.

The creature’s silhouette and muscles are taking

shape. In subtraction mode, I use the Dam
Standard brush, varying the scale and intensity,
with a Lazy Mouse setting of between 7 and 13. alpha that is available by default in ZBrush. I contour. At this point, you can add a few veins,
For inflating the muscles at this stage, there is repeat a pass with other alphas at low intensity. warts, injuries, etc (Fig.11).
nothing better than the Inflat and Smooth brush In addition to the Spray mode, using the Drag
tools (Fig.10). mode with alpha 56 can give you interesting I create a few accessories by decreasing the
results. Aside from this, I create my own alphas subdivision and drawing the shape of the base
The sculpture is finished, so I turn to the skin in Photoshop based on animal images. I with masks with a good thickness. I rework them
details. I start with a light uniform pass using desaturate them, slightly increase the levels of with brushes I worked on the creature with. For
the Standard brush in Spray mode, with the 07 black and white, and give them a progressive metallic elements, I add a bit of noise (Fig.12).

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 Chapter 03 Design & create quadruped beasts in ZBrush

Next I moved on to polypainting and texturing

the model. For metallic elements, I use the
SpotLight with a metal texture that I downloaded
from the internet. I also turn the MatCap gray.
Here, I have opted for a flesh tone color as the
base color that I apply on the model. I am in
Brush Standard mode, with an RGB intensity
of 100 and I set my choice of color to Color Fill
Object (Fig.13).

I choose a slightly darker color and with the

DragRect, I apply the color with a medium
intensity as if I’m creating my own shadows
to better highlight the volumes. I choose a
complementary color to the base color – a
slightly bluish tint that I dirty the model with.
It will be almost invisible at the end, but the
use of the complementary color still enriches
the painting. After I create a cavity mask
(MaskByCavity) and I paint on it with a dark
color to bring out the details (Fig.14).

I apply a slight reddish tint on areas such as the

joints and cavities, to define them. I also apply a
light green on a few veins (Fig.15).

I now use ColorSpray, and alphas 07 and 08,

with a flesh tone color more clearly. I apply

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Design & create quadruped beasts in ZBrush Chapter 03

it on the creature while trying to create light cavities, cleaning things up here and there. This
gradients. Using a slightly darker color for some is apart from the metallic part, which I already
parts can give a rather interesting result. You mentioned.
can also add some small veins using DragRect
and alpha 22 (Fig.16). I give the creature a pose by going to ZPlugin
and using the Transpose Master. I have
I continue with the same process of using unchecked the splines and the base of my
ColorSpray and my two alphas until I reach the subtool to avoid problems, and I resume
desired result. Then, using DragRect, I define working manually with the splines at the end. I
the area I want to paint, then apply alpha 62, then create a texture-less render to assess the
and a little blur (Alpha > Modify > Blur RF) final results and to use later in post-production
(Fig.17). (Fig.19 – 21).

In Fig.18 you can see the creature fully textured. I advise you to take your time when it comes
I used the same principle for all other areas: to the compositing stage in Photoshop. Test
I added a base color, then added spots and different modes, with different levels of opacity.
dirty textures, and finally defined joints and Be sure to properly adjust your levels of black
and white, color correction, saturation, etc. The
shader, the light and the rendering parameters
I used are available at this link: http://www.
zbrushcentral.com/showthread.php?168398-
Zafati-sketcbook/page3. They are almost the
same as ones that I used for a former creation.
You will also find a small Making Of that talks Ali Zafati
about the fiber mesh. I hope that this will be Web: http://zaliti.cgsociety.org/gallery/
useful. Good luck to all and good ZBrushing! Email: [email protected]

www.3dtotal.com page 37 Chapter 03

Design & create quadruped beasts in ZBrush Chapter 04

Chapter 04
Software used: ZBrush

Concept
The concepting process is always very, very
tricky for me. Most of the time I start my 3D
model based on an idea or an image of the
creature I want to do, which I build in my
mind, as my drawing skills are terrible. But this
time I decided to try it, as I wasn’t sure what
kind of creature I was going for. I spent two
days drawing different kinds of quadrupeds,
trying different animal species, insects, birds,
mammals and pretty much anything that came
to my mind (Fig.01 – 02).

Then suddenly the idea of a quadruped

salamander hit me. It’s a cute and disgusting
creature at the same time, and would make a
pretty cool quadruped creature (Fig.03).

I usually spend a lot of time researching about

what I want to do, gathering as many references
as I can to make my 3D work easier.

Base Mesh
As with most of my personal and professional
work, I start my character/creature with
ZSpheres. These give me a nice and clean
base mesh, with good edge loops and topology,
which makes life a lot easier when modeling,

unwrapping, painting and posing the model. I I also divide my mesh into polygroups. Doing
avoid using DynaMesh on the model, to keep this makes the sculpting process flow better, as
my edge flow clean. you can hide and unhide parts very quickly. It
also makes the unwrapping more organized.
At this stage, I try to keep in mind my polygon
distribution much more then the appearance of Sculpture
the structure. You can see that the head of my Now that I have my base mesh, it’s fun time!
creature looks terrible right now, but that will With the base on its first subdivision level, I
provide me all the loops and poly density I need refine the structure (Fig.05 – 06). This is the
on the face (Fig.04). most important stage for me. A well-structured

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 Chapter 04 Design & create quadruped beasts in ZBrush

model is everything. It doesn’t matter if you have

a super-detailed model, with pores and wrinkles,
if you don’t have a good and realistic structure.
Even on a cartoonish 3D fantasy character. The
structure tells you if the model is “believable”
or not, if it could really exist, or if it’s just some
digital clay thing standing there.

Still on my first subdivision level, I start to point

where the muscles and visible bone joints are.
I work each subdivision level as much as I can,
not hurrying to get a really dense mesh to work
with (Fig.07 – 08).

I always think on a three level pyramid. The

base level is the structure, the mid level is the
anatomy, functionality and personality, and the
third level is the details.

With all that in mind, the sculpting process is

pretty straightforward. I use the Move brush
a lot to block in the main shape and the basic
anatomy on the lower subdivisions. Then I use
the Standard, Dam Standard, Clay Buildup and
Inflate brushes to define the bones, muscles
and fat areas on the higher subdivisions (Fig.09
– 11).

Detailing
Now that I have my model structure and the
anatomy refined, it’s time to add some details.
Dam Standard and Inflate brushes are my
main tools here; I draw the wrinkles with Dam
Standard and give volume to each one with the
Inflate brush (Fig.12).

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Design & create quadruped beasts in ZBrush Chapter 04

I base this stage on several amphibious me a lot when painting textures in ZBrush. I can the creature’s skin is thicker, where the bones
creatures, including the salamander. With the load a texture, edit the tiling and mask my model are, how close they are to the skin, and dirt etc.
mask pen, I mask the structures of the head based on that texture. Doing that I can paint
and using FiberMesh, I create the gills, which realistic textures and details, which would be When all that is done, I refine the texture using
are part of the respiratory system of the real impossible or much more time-consuming to do. ZBrush’s masking systems. Firstly, I mask the
salamander (Fig.13 – 14).
As a start, I add a simple noise layer to get a
Texturing nice porous surface. I fill the whole model with a
To start the texturing of my model, I use dark gray color as a base color layer. Then with
the UVMaster to open the UVs of the mesh the Clay brush, Spray stroke and a variety of
(Fig.15). This gives you an incredible range alphas, I create a tonal variation (Fig.16 – 17).
of possibilities, such as baking the textures,
painting them in Photoshop and rendering This step depends a lot on the reference you are
the model in different software or, in my case, following and you always have to keep in mind
enabling the Mask By Alpha feature. That helps where the bloodstream is more visible, where

www.3dtotal.com page 43 Chapter 04

 Chapter 04 Design & create quadruped beasts in ZBrush

cavities and paint it with another color. Then

in Mask PeaksAndValleys mode, I fill it with
another color (Fig.18).

Now to get the texture done, I only need some

spots, which are very common in most of the
amphibious species. So I get an ink spotted
texture and use the Mask By Alpha feature.
Initially they look too big, so I tile the image
about five times and mask again. It gives me
a pretty good result and all I need to do is fill it
with a black tint. Of course you may have some
tiling issues visible, but it’s only a matter of
brushing that out (Fig.19).

Posing
The pose is also very important. It delivers a lot
of the creature’s personality, the way it moves
and the action line of the moment. I’ve used
Transpose Master to pose everything together
(Fig.20).

Render
The rendering process is pretty simple. I load
a forest HDR image into the background and
generate the LightCaps with reflection (Fig.21).
Then I just boost the back light a bit.

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Design & create quadruped beasts in ZBrush Chapter 04

For the materials I tweak the basic shader a bit

for the body of the creature, and for the eyes I
use the basic RGB levels shader (Fig.22).

Now for the final composition, I take a few

different renders to combine in Photoshop
(Fig.23):

1. Base render, with colors, light information

and shaders
2. Render to boost the back light and
reflections
3. Sharpen specular
4. Another “wet” shader to improve reflections
5. Different specular position
6. BPR shadows
7. BPR ZDepth
8. BPR Mask

I would like to thank 3DCreative for giving me

the opportunity to share my work here. It was
a super-fun experience for me and I hope you
guys like the final result (Fig.24).

Mariano Steiner
Web: http://mastein3d.blogspot.co.uk/
Email: [email protected]

www.3dtotal.com page 45 Chapter 04

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Creating cartoon animals is a great starting point for anyone who is thinking about having a go at 3D. Cartoon
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Original Author: 3DTotal.com Ltd | Platform: 3DS Max & ZBrush | Format: DOWNLOAD ONLY PDF | Pages: 52

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