Creature Modeling With ZBrush & Marmoset Toolbag
Sculpt, Texture & Render a Realistic Orchid Mantis With Eric Keller
Description
Eric Keller demonstrates how to accurately model a unique species of Mantis using ZBrush and Marmoset Toolbag in this 5-hour video workshop. Follow along with the project files provided, including Eric's personal references images, and sketches, along with his ZBrush Project files and the final Marmoset Toolbag render scene.
The Orchid Mantis — scientifically known as the Hymenopus coronatus — takes the center stage in this video workshop created for intermediate and advanced ZBrush artists. This comprehensive tutorial highlights many of the features released in recent versions of ZBrush and starts from the absolute beginning: photo references. Using Eric’s reference images along with anatomical diagrams available online, Eric shows how to block out the initial shape from scratch using ZSpheres before adding and refining each part of the mantis, step by step.
Once the sculpt is fleshed out, Eric demonstrates his approach to applying color to the model using ZBrush PolyPaint for the first round of texture, before exporting the model and textures into Marmoset Toolbag for the final texturing and rendering stage.
This workshop aims to teach you the skills you need to apply to any creature design and is suitable for those looking to create highly detailed scientific visualizations, as well as artists wishing to create high-quality assets for animation, VFX, and games.
Eric Keller is a veteran CG artist with over 20 years of experience creating models for film, TV, scientific visualization, planetarium shows, VR, AR, 3D printing, and jewelry design. He has taught numerous workshops for The Gnomon Workshop and is one of our most-viewed instructors.
Duration: 5h 08m
Format: HD 1920x1080
Eric Keller
CG artist
Eric Keller is an Emmy-nominated CG artist with over 25 years of experience crafting high-quality models andanimations for feature films, television, scientific visualization, planetarium shows, VR, AR, 3D printing, and jewelry design. A dedicated educator, he has created training content for The Gnomon Workshop and has taught ZBrush, Maya, and creature design at GNOMON in Hollywood. Since beginning his career, which started in 1998, Eric has worked extensively in both the entertainment industry and scientific visualization, contributing to commercials, games, and blockbuster films. His expertise in ZBrush and Maya has led him to author several highly regarded books, as well as numerous tutorials and articles for industry-leading publications, including 3D World and 3D Artist. In 2023, his work on Netflix’s Wednesday earned him an Emmy nomination for outstanding title design. His extensive VFX credits include 10 Cloverfield Lane, Star Trek: Beyond, Aquaman (1 and 2), John Wick (3 and 4), HBO’s Raised by Wolves, Dune: Prophecy, Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House, Wednesday, and One Piece, as well as the Signs of Life planetarium show at the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles. As an instructor, he has taught at Harvard Medical School, the Los Angeles Figurative Art Academy, and the Smithsonian Institute. Eric is an active member of the ZBrush beta-testing community and a Maxon ZBrush Master Trainer. He shares his knowledge regularly through weekly sessions on the Maxon ZBrush Live channel, always inspiring and educating the next generation of digital artists.
