Tutorial: Sculpting Miniatures for Boardgames Using ZBrush
The Gnomon Workshop has released Sculpting Miniatures for Boardgames Using ZBrush, a guide to creating printable 3D models from concept art, recorded by Francesco Orrù.
The workshop, which is aimed at artists with some previous knowledge of digital sculpting, provides over four hours of video training in ZBrush and the KeyShot renderer.
Turn a 2D concept into a 3D sculpt suitable for resin printing as a boardgame miniature
In the workshop, Orrù sets out the entire process of sculpting miniatures for use in tabletop gaming, translating a 2D concept into a printable 3D model in ZBrush, Maxon’s digital sculpting software.
The training covers key ZBrush toolsets including DynaMesh for the base mesh, ZRemesher for retopology, Transpose Master to pose the character, and ZModeler for hard-surface modelling.
Orrù also discusses how to create renders of the finished sculpt using Luxion’s KeyShot renderer.
The workshop also explores artistic issues specific to creating miniatures for resin printing, such as how much detail to include: something determined by the scale, proportions and shapes of the model.
In addition, Orrù provides essential business advice for would-be miniature sculptors, sharing his tips for developing good relationships with art directors, and disussing the importance of getting feedback early, of being able to work within limits of time and resources, and of being open to reworking models.
As well as the training videos themselves, viewers of the workshop can download ZBrush .ztl files including the character in the T-pose, and the final posed model complete with all its SubTools.
About the artist
Francesco Orrù is a digital sculptor working in 3D printing, boardgame miniatures, collectibles, and games. His clients include collectibles and gaming firms NECA, Valkyrx Gaming and Draco Studios.
Pricing and availability
Sculpting Miniatures for Boardgames Using ZBrush is available via a subscription to The Gnomon Workshop, providing access to over 300 tutorials. Subscriptions cost $49/month or $490/year. Free trials are available.
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Full disclosure: CG Channel is owned by Gnomon.