master the zbrush pipeline
Create a Darth Vader render using Zbrush, Keyshot and Photoshop
over the course of this tutorial I will go through some of my workflows and techniques for creating a 3D character illustration Using Zbrush, Keyshot and Photoshop. I will use a mixture of 2D digital painting and 3D sculpting techniques to create the illustration. The brief I received was to create a Star Wars Rogue One-themed illustration.
I started by gathering references from the Star Wars universe based on the brief. After compiling all the references and establishing the initial idea, I then create some concepts using 3D sculpting and digital painting techniques. I chose to focus on the new K-2SO droid and Darth Vader as my initial characters.
After receiving feedback from the editor, who chose the Darth Vader concept, I proceeded and started to refine the concept and jump into sculpting. The initial design is used as a guide to work from. Most of the work regarding the overall design, form and values of the character are solved during the concept phase. The bulk of the time is spent refining those forms and details using the various sculpting and posing tools in Zbrush.
After the sculpting stage is near completion. I use the Keyshot bridge feature to export my sculpt form Zbrush into Keyshot to establish the lighting, material setup and rendering. I switch between the two along the way. I apply materials and textures to different parts of the sculpt to help distinguish material differences and contrast in values of the character.
I experiment with various environment HDR light set-ups to create interesting contrasts in light and shadow. I then export the renders from Keyshot into Photoshop for post effects to enhance the final output for the character illustration.
This tutorial will cover the key phases of this process, hopefully you will find it useful.
01 Research the star wars universe
I begin by researching the Star Wars universe. I draw reference from various sources, including sci-fi and fantasy covers as well as art nouveau and poster design. The references gathered help to guide the concept phase, to create a more cohesive design that fits into the Star Wars universe. I also keep in mind that the brief is based on the Rogue One story.
02 Concepting DARTH VADER
I choose a few characters from the Star Wars reference images I’ve gathered and proceed to create concepts based on the brief. Starting off with thumbnail sketches, then using rough 3D sculpting in Zbrush, Keyshot for materials and lighting, as well as Photoshop for digital painting. The aim is to create mock-ups for the final rendition. I decide to create concepts based off the new K-2SO droid, and Darth Vader to submit for feedback.
03 Concept sculpt
In Zbrush, I select a sphere and start blocking out the character using sculpting and posing tools in combination with the Dynamesh function. I use the Transpose tool with the Lasso Selection and the Move brush to sculpt, the Clay brush to build and reduce forms and Dam standard for carving the surface. At this stage I focus on working out the overall shape and primary forms of the character, keeping the sculpt rough using large brush strokes. Then I work into the secondary forms with smaller strokes for added detail.
04 Feedback AND Refinement
I proceed to refine the Darth Vader concept and jump into sculpting in more detail. The initial concept sculpt is used as a guide to work from. Most of the work regarding the overall design, form and values of the character are solved during the concept phase. The rest of my time is spent refining these forms and details using the various sculpting and posing tools in Zbrush, as highlighted in Step 03.
05 separating parts
I begin to separate the different parts of the character, such as the armour and gear, to sculpt on separately. I use the Paint and Lasso Selection tools to mask out certain areas of the mesh. Then I select the Group Visible function in the Masking menu (or press [Ctrl]+[w] to create a polygroup from the visible selection), this helps to add more detail to the different elements of the character when using subdivisions.
06 ADD Details AND extract
I modify existing elements using Transpose and the Move brush. I now add the additional features to the character, like the gloves and shin guards. I use the Paint Selection tools to mask off an area of the mesh and the Extract function in the Subtool menu to extract these additional parts of the character. I experiment with the thickness slider in the Extract menu to get the desired results, before accepting the function.
07 helmet sculpting
After the overall shape and placement of the various elements of the character are set, I then work on Vader’s helmet. I press [Ctrl]+[d] to add subdivisions, this creates more surface resolution to work with. I refine the shape and form of the helmet with the Move, Clay, Hard polish and Dam standard brushes. Having the helmet elements separated helps with control of the shapes when sculpting the helmet.
08 Cloth sculpting techniques
I sculpt the cloth parts of the character using the Dam Standard brush, with the Smooth and Clay brushes used to create the cloth folds. Experiment with pressing the Alt key while sculpting, this creates an additive or subtraction form effect with the selected brush. After sculpting the folds I re-mesh the surface using the Zremesher function and create UVS for mesh with the UV Master plugin. I then create a tileable surface texture in Photoshop and apply the image within the Surface Noise tab.
09 over sculpting
I continue to work back and forth between the different parts of the character. Refining the various features and developing the forms along the way, while using the references gathered as a guide. This workflow helps to manage the complexity of the character while working on the sculpt as a whole, and maintaining a cohesive design throughout.
10 Armour sculpt
I sculpt the armour parts, such as the chest and shoulder guards, using the Clay, Polish and Trim Dynamic brushes to create hard surface effects. I use the Dam standard brush to create the cut lines on the surface of Vader’s uniform. I also use the Trim brushes to cut out angles or curves from the mesh. It is good practice to experiment with the various brushes and settings within Zbrush to get a feel for what the tools can do.
11 modelling the Accessories
I approach sculpting the chest and belt features by using Insert Cylinder and Cubes brushes, in combination with the Dynamesh function and Cut tools. To create the various buttons and switches, I position and duplicate the repeated elements by selecting the Transpose tool and pressing Ctrl, while moving the selected object to create a duplicate. I also start to fill in the different elements with basic colours using the Fill Object function.
12 experiment with variants
I create a helmet variation by duplicating the helmet and modifying the design slightly using the various sculpting and Transpose tools to shape the helmet. I create additional assets and modifications for the character as a variant design option. I decide to create a hood by duplicating the helmet mesh and use the Move, Clay, and Dam Standard brushes to sculpt in the cloth deformations. I may only take elements of this variant into the next phase of modelling, but it’s good practice to keep refining your ideas as you go.
13 Refinement
I spend more time refining the overall shapes and lines of the design with the Move brush to modifying proportions of the sculpt. The Smooth brush softens areas of the mesh. I use the Dam Standard brush with Lazymouse activated to refine the etched lines of the surfaces. I also use the Inflate slider in the Deformations tab with masked selections to created recessed surface details down the uniform.
14 SURFACE Details
The sculpting details are complete so now I need to go through the various parts of the sculpt and prepare the character for posing. I merge and remesh some features using Zremesher. I rename the meshes accordingly then apply colour values and materials to various elements of the design. I then apply surface details to parts of the character using Surface Noise and custom textures created in Photoshop.
15 posing the model
Using Transpose Master plugin in Zbrush, I pose the figure. Clicking Tposemesh activates posing and merges all the subtools into one subtool. I use the different Polygroups to isolate mask selections and the Transpose tool to move or rotate the various parts of the character, testing out poses until I am satisfied with the result. After posing clicking the Tpose Transfer button transfers the pose to the high resolution subtools.
16 keyshot settings
The Keyshot Bridge in Zbrush is used to transfer the sculpt from Zbrush into Keyshot for material setup, lighting, and rendering. In Keyshot I work out and visualise different materials, textures, and environment lighting setups for the character to render. I apply the materials by dragging a material from the Material tab onto the different parts of the model. The Environment tab works the same way. I also experiment with different materials and environment lighting setups to see what suits Darth Vader.
17 lighting the model
I explore various lighting set-ups with the HDR Environment tab, by selecting a thumbnail from the Environment menu and dragging it onto the background to apply the environment to the scene. I experiment with different lighting settings for Gamma, Brightness, and Contrast. I’m looking for a good balance of dark and light tones that compliment the design and background. Using the HDRI Editor create additional pin lights, I am able to highlight features of the character that will pick out Vader’s form.
18 move into photoshop
The renders from Keyshot are imported into Photoshop to enhance the overall image and add in post effects. I use the clown pass render to help select parts of the character that need work. I go through the image refining elements, painting in details, adding additional texture and light effects with Layer Blending modes. I also modify the shapes of the character using the Image Warp function and Liquify filter.
19 Final tweaks
For the final step, I add in additional grunge textures in Overlay mode at a low opacity with Screen and Soft Light blending modes. I create Color Balance and Levels adjustment layers and modify the values and colours of the image. Then using merge layers I apply Lens Correction, Blur, Noise and Sharpen filters at various opacities to finalise the illustration.