ZBrushCentral

Water ripples

ZBrush Artworks
#1

I just wanted to follow up on answering a question that DeeVee had about making water. I’m starting this as a new topic so that maybe other people could add tips that they also have about water effects. Here’s mine about making ripples.

In the Transform panel under Modifiers there is a graph which lets you change the profile of the brush shape. The right side of the graph is the center and the left side is the outer edge. I have modified the graph here to simulate a ripple shape. Below the graph is a slider for noise. A slight amount of noise will enhance the watery look. Use the Transform > Move mode to press down into a plane with the gel shader material on it. After making some ripples turn the noise off and set the draw shape back to its smooth curve, and then you can push and pull the surface to model some wavyness into the water.
Another big factor in getting a watery look is lighting, but that’s a whole subject in itself. Something for another thread perhaps. I hope you find this useful. :slight_smile:

#2

I Need This–Thanks I’ll be studying this alot…Much appreciated :slight_smile:

#3

GREAT tutorial !!! :+1: :+1: :+1: :+1:

what about that lighting? :smiley:

#4

Thanks for a clear explanation, and a great technical example, Zoid…! :+1: :+1: :+1:
Maybe this will encourage people to stretch a bit…Yes, you can use PSP, put a ‘generic’ water effect into your image, but with a tool as powerful, and as flexible as ZBrush, why bother?
Good one, Josh!! :sunglasses: :sunglasses: :sunglasses:

#5

ok, this is creepy. I was about to post a question about how to do water :slight_smile: I see you used a deformed cube instead of a plane, that might be part of my problem. I used radial coverage to create my ripples in the below picture, and was not completely satisfied with them. I’ll try your idea. Also, I really need to know about lighting. In my picture, i can’t get anything except the one spot on the water to light up, but i want the light the way it is on the guy.
He’s supposed to have come up out of the water and will still have water dripping off of him. The back model is not finished, btw.

Please, anyone’s help would be greatly appreciated.

Daniel

#6

I think you’ll have an answer on the water pretty soon, Daniel, but I just wanted to compliment you on some nice modelling…That’s a great job you’ve done on the back! :+1: :sunglasses: :+1:
My only suggestion might be that it’s a little too symmetrical…a little assymetry will make for more ‘life’ and realism, so you don’t end up with a ‘statue’ of a human but a natural looking body…
Fantastico start, though! :slight_smile:

#7

Wow Daniel, That is a strange coincidence. I think your ripples are great and I’m not sure what you mean by “radial coverage” to create your ripples and I would like to know more about how you did them. You’re in luck about the lighting because you can use two layers and adjust the lights independantly for the torso and the water. I’m on my way home right now and I will post a way to answer your lighting problem this evening.

BTW, the modeling of that torso is fantastic :+1:

#8

Wow what a thread-nice tip zoid and great modeling Buzzwizard.

#9

I had a further thought as to your lighting, which Zoid has already partly answered…
In my ‘troll King’ image which I’m working on, I intend to have a figure of an aged troll in the foreground left…The problem is that I want him ‘rim-lit’, and I don’t want the rest of the scene altered in lighting…My solution?

I will do everything except the ‘Vizier’ in the foreground…Then I render it, create a new document the same size, import the image I just rendered, and under Layers -> Modifiers, select ‘Fill’…This fills the layer with my image. Then I create another layer, place the old troll into it, adjust the light to get my ‘rim-lighting’ effect. This way, I end up with control over the lighting. I could also render this combo, import and fill, and add yet again more objects, controlling the lighting for each seperately…
In your case, as Zoid suggests, different layers will enable different lighting. The only thing to remember is to create your new doc the same size, so your ‘texture’ fill will match, and won’t be distorted.
Hope this gives you some ideas!

#10

Thanks for showing your method Zoid! I love it, simple and effective. :slight_smile:

#11


ok who Left The Water on in the SINK? thank
Zoid

#12

EZ…when i saw the thumbnail on the main page, I thought it was like a white alter or something…lol…ponder something about eithe rI have eaten too many cheesy poofs or I need glasses… :eek: :eek: :eek: :wink:

#13

Muwhaha, I’ll have to try this when I know ZBrush more :wink:

#14

Thanks Zoid I really appreciate your efforts in replying to my request. I will give it a try. I am not ungrateful but I personally prefer the sky clouds type of tutorial a lot more. That way I can go over it ad-infinitum until I get it right. This way I have to go on line to this thread, internet services are still expensive in the islands. I tried using the cloud sky tutorial and this is what I came up with. I am sure that with a little more time, another more suitable brush could be found. I continued playing, and got one that I could live with, using Zoids clouds method.
ocean.txt




#15

thanks for showing us how to do perfect water… way to go…

#16

First, thanx Zoid for starting such an interesting and informative thread. :+1:

Now, DeeVee, I would like to say that, although deep in ‘Troll-Land’ at the present time, I fully intend to check out your script…The variety of water effects you have here displayed, is intriguing enough to guarantee my interest! :+1: :sunglasses: :+1:

#17

Such interesting responses to this topic,

EZ, your shot is hilarious. I thought I heard water dripping…

DeeVee, your watery sketches are delightful. What other program could you possibly do this with? :wink:

Stonecutter, some very interesting and even provocative comments (making waves?) If you export and import a lot to “split” the lighting then this next tip’s for you.

Buzz, I found a torso model I made a while ago for this lighting diagram, not as good as yours though.

Put the object that you want to light one way on its own layer. Then create another layer for the water. Make sure the “FlattenLayers” button in the render panel is off. Set the lights for the figure first, BestRender it and then “bake” the layer.Switch over to the water layer and change the light(s) to backlight mode. To get an interesting highlight on the water surface you want the light behind the water so it can bounce off the surface into your view. A sun light becomes a backlight when you click on the preview square without moving it. You must work in BestRender mode and make small movements of the light position square to see changes in the reflection on the surface, but these changes won’t affect the previously “baked” figure on the other layer. This all might be very confusing and I’m going to try and make a script that might explain it better.

#18

Hi :slight_smile:
Zoid: Thank you for starting this excellent thread!

Here is my (fun) addition to this thread…
It is a 2.5D method for simulating water ripples.
A simple method with high feedback/interactivity factor.

:large_orange_diamond: Click here to download the Water Ripples Tutorial (only 4kb in size) :large_orange_diamond:

-Pixolator

#19

Zoid, thanks for the tips on lighting. Thank you Pix for contributing to this thread, as usual your script will be put to good use.

#20

Pix, I tried to open your water ripples zip, but am getting errors, saying it’s missing 18 bits of info. I also tried re-downloading it, but the same thing happened. Can you check to see if it’s ok?