Basic Overview
We will create a new document, sculpt on top of a simple plane, export the resulting geometry as an alpha, and apply it to a model. Keep in mind, this is for ZBrush 4R7 (sorry, future students!).
Setting Up Your Document
To begin with, open ZBrush select the Document menu. About halfway down, you should see options like the image below:
De-select the "Pro" option on the left and create a square document by entering a value into the Width and Height sliders, then click "Resize." The next step is to bring geometry into our document, giving us something to sculpt on.
Create a Plane3D
To create a Plane 3D, click on the fancy yellow S in the top right corner (your Tool menu), and select "3DPlane" as shown in the image below.
Like any other tool, you'll have to draw the tool into your document. Place your pen on your tablet and move outward (holding shift to keep the plane snapped to an axis). After lifting your pen, you'll have to press T on your keyboard to make changes to the tool you just added.
Make sure that your plane fits the canvas by using the Zoom feature on the right side of your canvas (if you're using the custom install provided by FullSail). After adjusting the zoom, press F on your keyboard to frame the plane in full view. Before we proceed, you'll want to go up to the tool menu and click "Make PolyMesh3D."
Subdividing Your Plane
Remember, alphas are applied to high-res topology, so you'll want to subdivide this model 5-6 times before you start sculpting. To do that, select your Geometry sub-menu beneath your tools menu.
You'll want to turn off Smt because that will smooth out your model, but we want to keep our corners for the time being.
Design Time!
Now you're ready to play with your alpha design. One word of caution, however, is that the plane serves as the neutral base of the alpha layer. If you break that plane, the alpha will have to compensate by going beneath the layer you're sculpting on. Basically, it might create square edges. So, to avoid that, use additive sculpting methods like the clay tubes brush, pinch, and other positive brushes.
Using the clay tubes and holding Alt while using the dam standard, I was able to create the following swatch:
Save Your Alpha
Now that you've created a design that you'd like to keep, you can easily save this swatch as an alpha. In order to do so, click into your alpha brush option (I had to switch away from the custom UI to get a screen shot, but you can get there by pressing the space bar and selecting alpha). At the bottom right of the pop-up window, you will see "Grab Doc." Select this option to capture the design as an Alpha.
Test It Out!
Open up a new tool and subdivide it. I chose a poly-Sphere, so I selected the Fancy S, then PolySphere3D, then "MakeMesh3D" in the tools menu. Since our alpha is meant for a high res model, let's apply some subdivisions to this sphere (Geometry > Divide). Now, making sure your brush is set to DragRect and your Alpha is selected (like in the image below), press the pen to anywhere on your model and drag outward to change its size.
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| Can you tell which alpha I applied while holding Alt? |
Save Your Alpha
You've created a design you enjoy, you've tested it out, and it's looking pretty good! Well, in order to keep your alpha safe and snug with your ZBrush program, you'll want to save it using the following procedure. Open up the Alphas menu and, with your newly created alpha selected, press the "Export" button. You'll notice that the format has already been changed to .psd. In order to get this alpha to live in your ZBrush library, you'll need to save it in the proper file folder.
The pathway should be roughly Applications > ZBrush OSX 4R7 > ZAlphas. This is where all of your alpha files are pulled from. It's important to keep organized, so make sure you name your Custom Alpha something descriptive. You'll never know when in the future you'll want to use it again!
Recap
In order to create a custom alpha, you first have to create a properly sized square document, bring in a 3D plane, and add geometry until you've created your desired look. Once it has been made, you can test it out on a simple object. If you like what you see, just export the alpha and store it in your ZAlphas folder.
Of course, there are tons of other resources out there for more advanced tutorials, but now that you have the basics, I challenge you to create 5 custom alphas and apply them to a model! After all, the more you practice, the better you'll be.
Of course, there are tons of other resources out there for more advanced tutorials, but now that you have the basics, I challenge you to create 5 custom alphas and apply them to a model! After all, the more you practice, the better you'll be.
