WHAT’S AN EASY METHOD FOR CREATING SCALES IN ZBRUSH?
Graham Larsen, Kent
There are lots of ways you can create scales for armour, reptiles or other subjects. You could create an alpha, a 3D brush or simply sculpt them on. If we want to find the quickest solution though, we should think about using Micromesh. This is a BPR render feature in Zbrush that allows you to replace each polygon of a base mesh with a selected Polymesh model. It generates a clean and pretty even distribution of the projected tool at a maximum speed, and is a fantastic way to create very detailed renders in an instant.
Micromesh can be adjusted or changed at any time until it is turned into a Polymesh, which is incredibly useful and time saving. You may not find yourself needing that tool often, but it will prove very useful when you do. Once you get the hang of it, I am sure you will start producing your own original creations or improving your old projects that will benefit from this super-quick technique. You will find excuses to use it a lot to design more impressive and eye-catching details in your work.
To show you how quickly you can achieve quality results, we will take a look at creating a dragon egg. It is a perfect example to help you understand how this tool works and what can be achieved with
it in a few simple steps. Fantasy fans can easily describe a common dragon egg: it is covered in scales that resemble the scales of a grown-up dragon, and they are usually shiny, in a variety of colours, and look as if they were made of precious metals – take for example the dragon eggs from Game Of Thrones. The scales can have sharp edges for protection, or be shaped in many unique ways. Their final look is only limited by your imagination. We will make something of that kind and it will not take us much time at all. Plus, the good news is that we only have to create one scale that will get automatically instanced during the process, so let’s begin.