Beautiful Masking with zBrush

Do you want to create lively 3D structures or animations? You can use zBrush, a software which has an extensive set of real time sculpting, texturing and deformation tools

Saturday, April 05, 2008

Creating lively 3D images or sculpting was initially a tough task, but now there are a number of software packages available in the market which help you in creating real images such as those of dinosaurs in Godzilla or Jurassic park. zBrush is one such software, which has an extensive set of real-time sculpting, texturing and deformation tools that can be used for creating quality game applications and illustrations with finer details. It uses 'pixol' technology to contain information on depth and orientation. To use this software you need no formal training; you can simply apply texturing, shadows and lighting by directly sampling a photo or image.

In this article we will try to make a realistic tyre like figure by applying the masking effect in this software. Just follow the simple steps mentioned below.

On the main screen there are a number of precreated 3D stru-ctures you can begin with. It includes dog, Rhino, demo soldier etc. though you go with the option 'Other (Press to ESC)'	Go to the Tools palette, single-click on the 'Tool' option and select the Ring 3D icon from the window which opens up. (You can even choose other 3D mesh options )

For creating the 3D ring on the canvas, left-click and drag the cursor visible on the screen. You will get a ring as shown above. The more you drag, the larger will be the ring	Now, to rotate the image, chose the 'Edit' option present just above the canvas. Place the cursor on the rectangular outline visible around the 3D ring and then simply rotate

Expand the Masking option under the Tools palette and select 'Mask All' option. Define the no of rows you want to mask by defining the Selection value as say 4	Now, apply the masking effect on alternate parts of the image. For this change the Skip value to say 3 and click on the 'Row' button. You will see a shaded ring as shown above

To view masked and unmasked rows distinctly, expand the deformation option and change Inflat value to say 40. Ring will now look as shown in the screenshot above	For the ring to look like a real tyre, create a few raised portions. For this, clear the old mask; expand the Masking option, select 'clear' option, and then choose the 'Column' option

In order to view the masked and unmasked columns distinctly, repeat the seventh step; expand the deformation option and then change the Inflat value to say 40	Remove masking; expand the Masking option, then select the 'clear' option and that's it. Look at the image; you've successfully created a 3D image of a tyre. Simple, isn't it?

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