Instructor Bio

Ken Finlayson has been a Zbrush user since version 1.55, and a creator of 3d art

since 1993.  He has worked in both the film and next-gen games industries. He is

currently a Senior Character artist for the game developer Bioware Corp. and

most recent credit is to the game Mass Effect. In the past he has been a beta tester

of the Zbrush and Mudbox software. He was an ambassador for Sheridan

College’s computer animation program as well as taught and tutored while

attending there. He was a recognized EAU instructor while employed as a Character

artist by Electronic Arts and has  given several lectures to Bioware’s character art

team and junior artists.

 

Chapter breakdowns

Mission Statement The intention with all the tutorials I make is to provide a lot of information and acquired knowledge. Not just watch me work like there are countless examples of already. The goal is any one of these lecture topics is worth the price of the collection they are a part of. I have seen a lot of instructional material over the years and I am trying to make tutorials how I’ve always wanted them to be; at an advanced level, no filler, time lapse repetitive sections and covering topics and techniques I have not seen else where. - Ken Finlayson

606 Minutes

1 Model Preparation

This lesson looks into building meshes in Modo that will yeild the best results when taken into Zbrush, and how to get the most from your hardware once there.  We will look at how different types of geometry and pole configurations are handled in Zbrush and how to properly emulate these within Modo. We will also cover the use and creation of Polygroups, spot check our mesh, and plan our builds so we end up with what we need where we need it.

2 Sculpting Methodology

An in-depth look at techniques applicable to any sculpting or modelling situation. We discuss workflow, and how to go about producing a more harmonious mesh.

3 The Morph Brush

An explanation of what this often over-looked brush is used for, and several possible applications for it, as well as it’s limitations, and how in some cases it can function better than a traditional layer.

4 Zmapper

This will cover getting the most out of your UVs and how to create better maps.  It will including eveything from general tips, to workflow with Modo's UVs, working with arbitrary meshes, generating maps onto mirrored UVs without crashes, and a look at Normal map generation.

5 Retopologize

A look at the re-topology tools within Zbrush, and how to work quicker, plan ahead, and troubleshoot issues that arise when transferring detail.

6 The Z-project Brush

We look at this brush and use it to solve a real work problem of having to add geometry to a 5+ million poly mesh after the fact. We take a completed 1-sided and hollow Zbrush sculpt and make it a solid water tight model that can be used by an SLA machine to make a physical copy.

7 Mask: Hard Surface

Over a couple hours starting from a simple mesh, we take a look at the workflow for making hard surface objects in Zbrush, and how to use its organic toolset for non-organic sculpting.

8 Mask: Organic Sculpting

Starting from a simple mesh, we will build it up over several hours using masks to isolate muscle groups, while the narration explains the choices and changes made throughout the process.

9 Rendering Displacement maps

An in-depth look at both 16 and 32 bit displacement maps, multi-displacement, and map generation.  We will cover making an accurate rendering in Modo, replicating what we saw in Zbrush, by setting up a basic lighting system and using our newly created displacement maps. Finally, we will cover some tips and tricks for getting the most out of our final renders.