Hey! Long time no read, I know. Been busy with life for a while but I’m happy to say things are good. I feel like it’s a good time to get back to making things and sharing them with you online. Above all, that’s what this post is about, sharing some things about sculpting and making hair with Fibermesh in Zbrush.
I recently posted a couple videos to YouTube for the first time in a long time. Like, a really long time. So to get back Into the swing of things I decided to dive in and make something as a study. This time I chose a smiling girl, which allowed me to focus on sculpting a facial expression and Fibermesh. Fibermesh is the best way to make and style hair in Zbrush which ultimately became a big part of this final image. Check the bottom of this post for a link to download the Fibermesh presets I used along with a few tips that might help you with your own Fibermesh projects.
The above image was composited using several Render passes from Zbrush then edited in Photoshop. More info on that at the end of the second video. Also, I did a few quick hair studies and Fibermesh tests beforehand to get the hang of things and the confidence to play around.
Starting the Sculpt
Being new to this video thing again, things got away from me. So these videos are a lot longer than I expected and I’ll focus on making more bite sized videos in the future but hey, if you’re into sculpting in Zbrush, there’s plenty in here for you.
This time I decided to start from scratch so to block out the basic proportions of the head I started with a sphere using Dynamesh. Started from a sphere and now we’re here! sorry. After the blockout of the bust, I used ZRemesher to get better topology for sculpting with divisions and then worked to refine the forms. I eventually append spheres for Eyes and import the teeth from my previous Frankenstein project to get a head start on her teeth for the smile. After the bulk of the sculpting was completed I used fibermesh to add the hairs for her eyebrows, eyelashes, and hair.
I tried to pack as many useful tips in there as I could thing of, for instance one on Eye orientation that I see as a super common mistake. Trying a new thing where I mix up time-lapse footage and real time stuff. Some peaks at actual sculpting speed for those curious (spoiler alert – it’s slow) so let me know what you think about that.
Finishing with Fibermesh
The final video covers the last bits of sculpting tweaks and the Fibermesh work. Lots of hair in this one because I knew from the start it would be an important part of the final image. Overall, I’m satisfied with how it came out. Two his isn’t a production model or even super finished but for a study I think it was successful. I got some experience sculpting emotion and doing Fibermesh hair work. In total, I think this took around 8 hours spread over a couple days.
Fibermesh Presets & Workflow
The Fibermesh Workflow I demonstrate in the video is pretty simple, which I like. The goal for me is to be able to make and style hair as quickly and intuitively as I can so I can focus more on the look of things and less on technical workflows. To do this, I use the Move Brush, Pinch Brush, Masks, and Polygroups. All of which I use on almost everything I make in Zbrush. The key to using the move brush with Fibermesh is to adjust the Brush settings. All that info is at the beginning of the Second Video Above. The two Settings to change are “Preserve Length” and “Front Collision Tolerance”
Click the button below download my presets I used in the video from my Gumroad page
Download Presets
The presets included are for getting a jump start. One is a starting point for the overall hairstyle and the other is for facial hair, eyebrows, eyelashes, etc. The third preset is used for using Fibermesh with the intent of exporting it out of Zbrush as Curves. Curves can be used in hair sims in other software like XGen in Maya. Maybe more on that in a future video.
Hope this post finds you well and helps you to start using Fibermesh in Zbrush more in your own projects. If you have questions on this or suggestions for future Tutorials please let me know!
Cheers
The post Sculpting with Zbrush & Fibermesh + Presets appeared first on The Art of JHill.