Learning ZBrush

I recently applied for quite a few jobs within the Games Industry. In order to better my chances I had to really update my portfolio.

So one of the main things I did was to learn how to use ZBrush. Here is some of my progress using ZBrush over the last 2 months:

This is the first finished model I ever made in ZBrush. It is supposed to be a pavement curb. At the time I was quite happy with the result and was excited to really start learning the program.

To view in 3D: https://sketchfab.com/models/97bc41714e8742dbaad239e34ea024a6


A few days later I created the actual slabs for the pavement:

I feel as though this is a definite improvement. The texture has more detail in it and the surface has more shape, whereas the curb was pretty much flat on the top.

To view in 3D: https://sketchfab.com/models/5b86bbeda5d3492ebbed6a73f49aa935


Around a week After that I created A boulder:

I was very happy with the results of this one. The texture has much more detail than my older models and there are very few seams.
To improve I would go for a much more interesting shape, right now it's just round which is not what most rocks look like.

To view in 3D: https://sketchfab.com/models/7ab928b92aac4e9bbb5ee652be56c122



After a few weeks of practising for my next model I really wanted to challenge myself. I decided to try and sculpt a log with bark on it. Here is the result:

I am extremely pleased with the final result. The difference a few weeks of practice can make is massive.
Again, I feel as though I could improve the shape, have some branches/leaves. But overall I am happy with the model.

To view in 3D: https://sketchfab.com/models/40e4f5ac160b4d77b6066e5e65dcb147



For the next model I again, tried to make a dying tree. My main goal was to improve on the last model and to have more definition, branches and a more interesting shape:

I think I definitely achieved that. I went for more of a fantasy style tree, with the roots twisting around the bark.
To improve I would add more branches onto the top section as it is just kind of flat at the moment. And maybe bake an ambient occlusion map to really bring out the cracks in the bark.


Next I wanted to go back to rocks. For our game project we require some desert rocks, so I wanted to get some practise in.

Compared to the old rocks I made, this is a gigantic improvement. There is much more definition in the surface, the overall shape is interesting and the texture is much nicer. I think I may actually use it in the game we are creating.