Mudbox SkEtcHes.. =)

[pogimonz]

I want to learn how to mudbox as much as I can.. So that I can start producing kick as work like the mudbox pros (found at tweakcg and zbrushcentral)..

Just schemed through Zack Petroc's gnomon videos, and I'm amazed by his work flow.. starting w/ a really low poly mesh (box like) then getting nice sculpt results at the end.. very impressing..

So for starters, here's my new newbie work.. sorry it looks a little lumpy, but I learned a lot from this experiment.. :)

[pogimonz]

here's the next project.. did a little more planning w/ this one.. started out w/ a concept art and all.. =)

[Crispy4004]

Zack Petroc's work flow is amazing, and it is even easier with Zbrush 3's new topology features. I'm just about done with his sculpting Human Anatomy tutorial myself.

[pogimonz]

still a WIP..

[pogimonz]

Crispy4004.. yeah! I'm a big fan of Petroc's work, really inspiring.. I would like to play around w/ z3 too, but the learning curve for the z3 is extreme (atleast for me it is ;)..)

hey after you're done w/ the anatomy video maybe you can post some work, i would love to see your art..

[Perversonality]

ZB is _probably_ more powerful, but Mudbox is more fun and easier to learn. For low poly normal map creation I would probably go for MB over ZB, but ZBs painting stuff is absolute genius, so I would probably use Max to model, MB to detail and ZB to paint... Sickness indeed! I've heard that ZB's hard-edge stuff is a lot better now, which could be another plus point...

[Crispy4004]

I find that the largest learning curve to Zbrush is controling the viewport.
That said, once you're used to it, IMO it is superior to the standard camera controls for sculpting because:

1. I can easily work in and switch orthographic views. In Mudbox, a lot more of time is spent often unecessarily navigating.

2. Zbrush has a far superior worflow for hiding portions of the mesh and masking portions off. Control+shift and mousedrag, then alt-click once to bring the object into full view.

3. The hotkeys in Zbrush work in a way that is more confined to a single area on the keyboard. Mudbox does have customizable keys, but you'll also need a lot more of them to often do what two mouse clicks could in Zbursh.

That said, Zbrush is definately a more complicated app than Mudbox, but the UI really isn't that difficult to learn; 15-30 min of watching an introductory video should cover most of the basics. And really you should, the benifits of using ZB3 are worth it. Mudbox definately had the edge over ZB2, primarily because of the smoother sculpting, no projection master, and ability to sculpt with perspective, but those are not issues anymore.

[Honki]

still a WIP..
That looks like my wife.

[Jason-Lavoie]

Zbrush is probably the most amazing software I have ever used. It is a whole package, unlike Mudbox where its just sculpting... BUT mudbox is a crap load easier, but if you were to spend the time learning Zbrush... there is so much more power under the hood.

Pog, maybe if you go on MSN messenger, I can teach you some stuff with Zbrush :) Its not an easy program to learn... but man is it worth it!

[Aleks]

far[/I] superior worflow for hiding portions of the mesh and masking portions off. Control+shift and mousedrag, then alt-click once to bring the object into full view.

3. The hotkeys in Zbrush work in a way that is more confined to a single area on the keyboard. Mudbox does have customizable keys, but you'll also need a lot more of them to often do what two mouse clicks could in Zbursh.


1.You can as easily do the same thing in Mudbox,if you're talking about switching between perspective and orthographic views...

2.The only benefit here is that you can use the "Lasso" tool in ZBrush to hide some parts of the model.Mudbox has this Control+shift and mousedrag thing,but the hotkeys are different for that.

3.Personally I hate how hotkeys are placed in ZBrush.To me,there is absolutely no sense in putting "ZIntensity" to "U",while to change the size of a brush you need to hit "S".That's just dumb... On the other hand,Mudbox' customizible hotkeys are just great. Change the "B" to "A" (to change size) and "M" to "D" (strength) and you are good to go.Also,the way Mudbox deals with changing both strength and size is a LOT better than it is in ZBrush. I for one,had to install some plugins in order to make it feel similar,but it's not the same.And I'm really getting tired of moving my mouse around instead of hitting a key. I really hope they release that "Key Mapper" soon.

Anyways,I'm not saying that Mudbox is better.It's just that you need to understand how some apps work before you can compare them.I am a ZBrush user and there are a lot of things that make it an absolutely amazing software,but there are still some features that could be improved.And if you ask me,if there wasn't "Lazy Mouse","Transpose","Turntables" and render ability along with a couple more new features,I'd still be sticking with Mudbox. The sculpting still feels better in there because I have more control over it (only the fact that you can change the strength of the Move tool makes it a lot better and easier).

Aaaanywho,for some reason I can't see your pictures,pogimonz.There might be something wrong with my connection,though...

[Crispy4004]

I never suggested that you couldn't change orthographic views in Mudbox, it's just not as quick or intuitive as snapping your view in Zbrush. I've yet to find a way to change to orthographic without going into the Object selection. The same thing goes for hiding portions of your mesh. You can do the same thing in mudbox by LMB+MMB and drag select, but then it takes an extra hotkey or key combination to hide the unselected parts.

I was just expressing what I find is a much more minimalistic approach with Zbrush's hot keys. For me, all I've ever needed was "control", "alt", and "shift" and "space". Never had the need for a Intensity, or Size brush due to it all being under space bar. Then again I'm used to the Maya approach where all of your important selections are brought up close to your mouse using "space", "shift", and "control".

When it all comes down to it, the way I am comfortable sculpting is different than yours, turning this into an argument would be pointless because quite frankly the tools only matter as much as the artist behind them.

[pogimonz]

my next sculpt.. a stylized bull terrier..

[Star_Scream]

LOL pogimonz your fat ass and .... model reminds me of a model which i saw on cgsociety at the short film challenge i think

[Nappa]

good start cant belive people made this into a mudboxx vs zbrush discussion