HOW DO I CREATE A SIMPLE CLOTH SIMULATION IN ZBRUSH?
Jennifer Moss, Toronto
Maya Jermy replies
Zbrush 2021 has brought some big changes to the software. We get to enjoy upgraded performance, expanded existing features and image3d. The most interesting one, and one we all have been waiting so impatiently for, is cloth dynamics. You will no longer have to struggle sculpting folds, or export your model to another application just to create a piece of clothing. Of course, manual sculpting is always a muchneeded practice and it is highly advised to learn the manual process as well, but as technology improves, we can afford to take advantage of it. For many artists, that newest Pixologic release is a game changer. It makes it a whole lot easier to build a complete character/model in one piece of software. The time saved on not having to export to other packages, or manual sculpting of cloth folds, will make you love this feature. Zbrush is working its way to becoming an all-in-one application.
Along with a brand-new Dynamics tab appears a set of 13 cloth brushes to assist the process. So what can be done with the new Dynamics system? You can run a collision simulation, and drape the cloth mesh over any visible object. You can expand, contract or inflate an object,
and simply simulate gravity. You can also use a mask to pinpoint parts of the mesh. Incorporate the cloth brushes and you get lots of combinations in which to create interesting shapes.
To give a quick example of how easy it is to use the Dynamics system, I will model a basic superhero cape for my sphynx cat model. Let’s see how much time I get to save with that new feature.