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ZBrush Forge : Sculpting and 3D Printing Fantasy Miniatures
November 26, 2023 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm GMT
Our new ZBrush Sculpting Course for sculpting and creating Miniatures is designed for enthusiasts eager to bring their tabletop games to life and digital artists venturing into 3D printing.
Through six detailed sessions, John Haverkamp will help you to craft intricate fantasy characters, ready for both display and/or play!
Gain proficiency in ZBrush to shape your fantastical visions into precise 3D models. We cover essential techniques from mesh creation to the finer points of detailing character faces, emphasizing features suited for miniature scaling that prioritize clear, strong forms over high-resolution texturing.
The course walks you through the entire creation process, from initial sculpting to preparing your model for 3D printing, teaching you how to strengthen fragile elements and modify designs for better printability. You’ll also explore rigging and posing, using accessible tools that simplify the animation of your figures for varied poses.
As a final step, we’ll mention some 3D print on-demand services, ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to materialize their designs. With the skills you develop here, you’ll be equipped to turn any concept into a physical object.
Join our course to refine your digital sculpting skills and learn to bridge the gap between virtual artistry and seeing your sculpts in the real world.
John Haverkamp provides a new series of coaching classes improving your ZBrush sculpting skills so that you can:-
- Master the intricacies of design principles, enhancing your artistic vision and creating consistent, captivating sculpted pieces.
- Elevate your ZBrush skills by learning advanced sculpting and texturing techniques, setting you apart as a proficient and versatile digital artist.
John’s experience includes ZBrush as well as Substance Painter, World Machine, Unreal 5, Mixamo and Modo so he’s open to including these other tools in this course’s workflow for students as needed.
Topics Covered
By attending John’s ZBrush workshop series, you can expect transformative growth in your sculpting skills and creative process. These are the topics we’ll be looking at across a six week period.
Click here to expand the page and see the complete curriculum
Module 1: Introduction to Digital Sculpting and 3D Printing
- Course Introduction: Objectives and Overview
- The History and Essentials of 3D Printing
- Introduction to ZBrush: Interface and Workflow
- Understanding 3D Printing Applications for Digital Sculpting
Module 2: Foundations of Miniature Sculpting in ZBrush
- Basic Sculpting Techniques: Focusing on Form and Proportion
- Emphasizing Muscle Groups and Basic Anatomy without Fine Detail
- Introduction to ZBrush Brushes and Tools relevant for Miniature Sculpting
- Practical Design Considerations for 3D Printing Miniatures
Module 3: Advanced Sculpting and Designing for Printability
- Advanced Character Detailing with an Emphasis on Print-Friendly Techniques
- Strategies for Thickening Fragile Elements for 3D Printing
- Modifying Designs to Avoid Undercuts and Difficult-to-Print Features
- Practical Tips for Preparing Your Sculpt for the Printing Process
Module 4: Sculpting a Fantasy Character with ZBrush
- Creating an Orc Character from Concept to Print-Ready Model
- Techniques for Sculpting Fantasy Armor and Apparel with Printability in Mind
- Considerations for Poses and Joints in Miniature Characters
- Integration of Auto-Rigging Tools into the Sculpting Workflow
Module 5: Helmet and Accessory Design in ZBrush
- Concept Sculpting: Creating Helmets and Accessories with Basic Brushes
- Ensuring Helmet Fits: Design Techniques for a 3D Character’s Head
- Using ZBrush Booleans to Optimize Helmet Design for Printing
- Generating Clean Topology for Durable 3D Printed Items
Module 6: From Digital Sculpt to Physical Miniature
- Mesh Optimization: Making Your Model 3D Print-Ready
- Selecting the Right 3D Printer and Filament for Miniatures
- Utilizing 3D Printing Software: Settings and Considerations for Small Prints
- Cleanup and Post-Processing: Support Removal, Gluing, and Painting
Module 7: Rigging, Posing, and Preparing the Final Project for 3D Printing
- Overview of Rigging for Miniatures: Strategies for Posing Your Character
- Introduction to Auto-Rigging Tools: Utilizing Mixamo for Dynamic Poses
- Fine-tuning and Adjusting Poses for Aesthetic and Structural Integrity
- Preparing Your Sculpt for 3D Printing: Ensuring Mesh Readiness and Stability
- Exploring 3D Print on Demand Services: When You Don’t Own a Printer
- Final Project: Sculpt, Pose, and Prepare Your Fantasy Miniature for Printing
- Post-Course Wrap-Up: Showcasing Student Work, Discussing Commercial Opportunities, and Understanding the 3D Printing Marketplace
Event Series Details
Date : Each Sunday at 19:00 GMT (London) / 11:00 PST (Los Angeles) / 14:00 EST (New York) starting November 12th running until December 17th
Each session may last up to 1.5 hours
Official start date : Sunday the 12th of November at 19:00 GMT
Ticket Options
Free Ticket
- Entry to the first two workshops
- Excludes recordings
Premium Ticket
- Entry to all six workshops.
- HD searchable recordings of each session with captions.
- Private forum
- Includes live group chat
- Gain the model content created by John Haverkamp in the sessions
- The ZBrush Complete Library : Every Zbrush related tutorial we’ve produced in one giant searchable library (over 25 hours of teaching from John) on ZBrush, Substance Painter, 3D printing and more!
- How to sculpt a face (5 parts)
- Prototyping : Rapid Character Development from Artbreeder to DAZ Studio (2 parts)
- Sculpting and Texturing Spacecraft (4 parts)
- 3D printing
- ZBrush sculpting fan art
- Sculpt a helmet (1 part)
- ZBrush 4R7 (1 part)
- Substance painter (2 parts)
John Haverkamp
About John Haverkamp
John Haverkamp was born in Ohio and then moved to the pristine Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia at a young age. There he spent a semi-isolated childhood re-enacting the Lord of the Rings and being corrupted by Dungeons and Dragons. Always with the fondness for the fantastical and medieval, Art school drove him deeper into Luddite territory by granting him the skills of a traditional metal-smith. This meant post-college jobs making copper fountains, welding and steel fabricating, casting and finishing bronze sculptures, and working for an architectural blacksmith throughout his twenties.
Digitally, John got sucked into cyberspace and the arcane mysteries of 3D studio max. The perfect software match for John was Zbrush discovered over 15 years ago. Now he teaches digital arts and ZBrush, constantly endeavouring to improve his craft as a digital-sculptor and visualizer through personal work, illustration and indie game projects. As part of his workflow he also uses Substance Painter, Modo and Unreal.
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