Product Description

Get started on ZBrush with the updated edition of this valuable how–to

Introducing ZBrush 4 helps you jump into this exciting drawing and sculpting software without fear. Learn ZBrush basics inside and out and get comfortable sculpting in a digital environment with this relaxed, friendly, and thorough guide. Master these practical techniques and soon you′ll be creating realistic, cartoon, and organic models with flair.

• Introduces you to the latest version–ZBrush 4–software that lets you create digital art with a fine–art feel, which you can transfer into Maya or other 3D applications
• Covers painting, meshes, organic sculpting, hard surface sculpting, textures, lighting, rendering, working with other 3D applications, and scripting
• Walks you through a series of fun and engaging tutorials where you can start creating your own work, including human, cartoon, and organic models

Learn to create lush, beautiful digital art with ZBrush and this detailed guide.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #140454 in Books
• Published on: 2008-06-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 528 pages

From the Back Cover
Create Hyper–Realistic Digital Models

If you want to take advantage of one of the hottest CGI tools available, Introducing ZBrush is the perfect place to start. Professional Hollywood animator and ZBrush artist Eric Keller dispels any anxieties beginners might have by offering the careful, step–by–step instruction you need to soon feel right at home with this revolutionary software.

Each chapter explains core concepts, then reinforces them with fun, hands–on tutorials that will amaze you with your growing ability to create hyper–detailed, realistic, organic sculptures on your computer. From creating illustrations in 2.5 dimensions to sculpting with digital clay, you′ll master ZBrush′s powerful tools for creating fantastic images and 3D models for use in animation programs, such as 3ds Max and Maya.

• Understand ZBrush′s unique painting and sculpting technology

• Take a tour of the innovative ZBrush interface and tools

• Master 2.5D painting, digital sculpting, and texture painting

• Learn how to set lighting, create materials, and render in ZBrush

• Go through a production pipeline, from modeling to rendering to exporting models, textures, and displacement maps

• Transfer your ZBrush creations into Maya and other 3D applications for use in film, games, and illustration

VALUABLE COMPANION DVD
The DVD includes example files and models to help guide you through each lesson as well as ZBrush Macro scripts and movies to show you the sculpting process used in each chapter. It also includes a trial version of ZBrush 3.1 for the Microsoft Windows operating system.

• Learn ZBrush′s Material Capture technology to create surfaces from photographs

• Work with subtools to create creature sculptures from multiple objects

• Use lighting and rendering in ZBrush to create 2.5D compositions

About the Author
Eric Keller has been working professionally as a digital artist and 3D animator since 1998. He is a high–end animator for film, television, and scientific visualization with clients including Disney, ESPN, Warner Brothers, Hewlett–Packard, Sony Imageworks, and ABC, and has created animations for scientific research and visualization at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Harvard Medical School. Eric is the author of Maya Visual Effects: The Innovator′s Guide, a contributing author to Mastering Maya 8.5 and Mastering Maya 7 (all from Sybex), and has written articles and tutorials for industry magazines.

Customer Reviews

Pure Waffle from cover to cover!
Having just upgraded to Zbrush v3.1, I bought this in the hopes of polishing up on my creaky Zbrush skills, unfortunately this book only served to take me BACK a few steps in my knowledge of Zbrush!

Because of the drawn out manner in which things are explained to maximise the wording and pad the book out for example, they explain things in a whole paragraph that could be said in a single sentence! This makes for some very laborious reading and ultimately leads you to give up, being unable to take in any more of this waffle!

The illustrations are in black and white, not a problem you'd think, except they are printed in a very low quality setting. Almost like when your printer is short on ink and striping appears on any images you print out. This could have just been my copy, who knows.

Overall, pretty dire. I sent the book back pretty sharpish!