Making an Eye in Zbrush and Rendering

Learn how to make an eye with Zbrush for realistic rendering. Watch, learn, and follow along as I create an Eye from scratch with Zbrush and Keyshot while I discuss my thoughts along the way. I explain the important aspects of the eye to keep in mind.
Download the Eye Model gum.co/xgkoj
My reference sheet for this project on Pinterest: / eyes
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[@artofjhill]

TOO FAST!? I've made a detailed written version of this tutorial along with my Eye model free to download here jhill.xyz/eye-tutorial/ Thanks to those who like the video and send me pics of what they made. Keep it up and Happy Zbrushing!

[@lawofthepack]

How do you hide polygons? :S

[@artofjhill]

by default you hold down ctrl+shift and drag a box around what you want visible. I think ctrl+alt is to hide, a red box. you can read more on pixologic.com

[@lawofthepack]

Damn, thank you for the speedy reply. I've downloaded your eye but, want to learn through forcing myself to follow the tutorial. Thank you!

[@artofjhill]

Law of the pack awesome :)

[@cheymassproduction508]

J Hill hi I am 18 and I wanted to know how can I get started with learning how to start 3D modeling, should I stick with drawing as well?

[@drewb5845]

Definitely the best tutorial I've seen on this subject. Great work, thank you!

[@rykergrey8465]

I like this guide because its pretty much straight to the point. Not a step by step, but an overview in which you've shown the final goal and then quickly taken us through your technical process. I also like the techniques you mentioned for pulling out the iris and the way you described that the lens and iris interact with light to produce the effects you captured so well. Inspiring, for sure! Keep up the good work.

[@artofjhill]

+Ryker Grey thanks Ryker!

[@diadorim273]

For what it's worth I think you are a great teacher. You explain so much, and give us the reasoning why you do the things you do and often tell or show multiple ways in how something is affected in rl and how that look or feel can be attained. When I watch tutorials it can be really hard if you're a newbie to get all the terminology and such and I felt really comfortable and eager to learn going through your vid :) thank you so much for sharing it is really appreciated!

[@artofjhill]

well that is worth a lot to me, I'm glad you enjoyed the video and are eager to learn more. I appreciate the comment, thank you and keep making stuff!

[@piotr475]

At last a very complete tutorial about sculpting and polypainting eyes, and a gorgeous render!!! Thanks a lot for the tips! GG

[@alsiredwood5642]

You just educated me in such a surprising way, i never even thought to study the eye to understand _why_ light reflects off of it the way it does, or even how light bounces off the iris. My mind has been blown. I never stopped to consider the physical shape of the iris, or how the lens affects the appearance of the iris and pupil... oh my god, sub

[@ronnyfeghali6116]

Awesome tutorial Jay. Really learned alot from this. Nice of you to take your time and share your techniques with the rest of us. Love to see some more. Keep it up.

[@artofjhill]

+Ronny Feghali thanks dude

[@sturm3d]

pretty cool. i watched a lot of eye tutorials, this provided the most insights. Thanks!

[@pelakalion]

Thank you so much J hill, your tutorial is incredible :)

[@mussimike]

I really appreciate your anatomical explanation, it clears up all those subtle nuances.

[@artofjhill]

Cool. Glad you liked it

[@bbossin]

This was a great tutorial, I really enjoyed it and was able to able it right away. Thank you!

[@AdreyM978]

This honestly works for anything really such as drawing painting or more sculpting an eye

[@LizzyKoopa]

thank you for this tutorial, i often come back to this video on a regular basis as a good reminder. so thanks for the good work and straight forward video.

[@artofjhill]

awesome, glad you found it useful :)

[@whovisionsCGI]

Yep, this is a great video to show what can be done and give us the basic idea, but obviously would need to look elsewhere for a step by step guide on creating something like this, brushes used, masks etc and where to find them in zbrush. So more geared to zbrush pro's. Still an excellent video and a brilliant end result on a very convincing eyeball. Thanks for posting.

[@makifk]

WOW nice and quick workflow! You re the best !

[@synyewfei8013]

Very detail and awesome tutorial! Thanks for sharing!

[@mtgsculptor]

Awesome tutorial Jay, thanks so much, I'll be definitely making my own eyes soon!

[@artofjhill]

+Robin Brockotter thanks, glad to hear it!

[@Bohimen]

Extremely Helpful. Thanks for the hard work.

[@TutorialesKames]

Cool, thanks

[@AlexLashko]

I like your technique when you're zbrushing the iris. Thanks for sharing.

[@dimitrik3d820]

Awesome work, thank you for sharing it! 😊

[@DiApelo]

the best eye tutorial ever! thx!

[@artofjhill]

+Di Apelo Thanks!

[@voinchvisuals812]

Thanks Jay for this tuto. I learned a lot. Keep it up dude!

[@artofjhill]

+VoinchCorp thanks! glad to hear

[@Matthitizidu]

Kick ass tut!! Thank you J.

[@kromenoi9082]

I like the pacing of this video, it's a laidback overview. Very helpful. I'm going to try this out today.

[@artofjhill]

cool. be sure to also check out the written version jhill.xyz/eye-tutorial/

[@AncienRegimeStudios]

Very nice...the iris technique is awesome. Thanks for generously sharing with us.

[@artofjhill]

you're welcome!

[@captainfantastic3490]

Very in-depth and cool tutorial. Thanks J.

[@artofjhill]

cool, glad you liked it dude

[@danielchappelle]

thank you for putting this together

[@moeinkhademi4237]

Im really love your tutorials So useful to me thank you

[@siddharthavalluri]

Thanks a lot for this tutorial. Learnt a great deal :)

[@elizaratanasov4308]

I'm pretty new with zBrush, but your explanation at the beginning gave me an idea (and understanding!)! Thank's for that!

[@artofjhill]

glad it helped a little. Happy Sculpting :)

[@MrParanoia]

Dude you're amazing!

[@LouSaydus]

Please keep making videos, this knowledge is indispensable for some of us.

[@artofjhill]

+LouSaydus will do!

[@binksboo]

AWESOME! Thanks Jay, much appreciated!!!!!

[@artofjhill]

+Debbie Walker you're welcome hope it helps!

[@robcallicotte5786]

OMG. This is awesome.

[@solmeyer7900]

This is the first Zbrush tutorial where I felt truly compelled to praise the author! Thank you so much for making such an excellent and comprehensive tutorial! Your video truly stands out in this ocean of eye tutorials that simply paint with Radial Sym on and consider it a finished eye : D

[@artofjhill]

awe thanks Joakim! Glad you liked it :)

[@anlar1998]

Thanks for tutorial my question is how can i remove middle of eye without removing back of it. When i try to remove middle back of the eye gets removed too. Thanks

[@cedric8677]

jeez this is so awesome! thanks so much :)

[@rmoarchviz]

Amazing job man!!

[@holimount9311]

amazing work mate.

[@freacadadisc]

Man you are a GOD :) , thanks for the Tutorial.

[@futsuu228]

this is sOoOoo freakin' helpful, man, thank you so much!

[@artofjhill]

+Kaifer Potemkin glad it helped!

[@asiawilk]

Great Tutorial, thank you!!

[@jjdzmz]

Sweet!, Nicely done Jay, Thanks man!

[@artofjhill]

+Javier Durazo ya dude, hope it helps :)

[@3dprintingdoctor]

Thank you. great info

[@BaddyPlays]

Thanks man, helped a lot.

[@werewasyo]

dude those earings are cool

[@lukavekichannel]

As always awesome work man awesome work cant wait next tutorial i hope its a weapon :D

[@artofjhill]

+Braking Games Gamer thanks dude

[@panteratuber]

thank you , very helpful tutorial

[@MrDanielphillis]

smashing it !!

[@nimomaniachannel]

Wow! This guy must be practising and skilled a this

[@RafaelFerrigno]

Amazing work! Thank you for sharing! =)

[@JosefMaxwell]

This is amazing, thank you! Also, dope Fight Club poster!

[@artofjhill]

thanks bro

[@andresrosa2352]

Awesome tutorial, it's favorited for sure!

[@artofjhill]

+Andres Rosa (DillekEDGE) thanks, glad you liked it!

[@traianboitan943]

Great! I love it

[@seanmgall]

Awesome teaching episode Jay. I really can't wait until you get back to your fun and random character sketch stuff.

[@artofjhill]

+Sean Gall thanks dude! and ya, me neither. I think I want to make a lot more fun sketching stuff. I got things to finish up first!

[@swedish1337]

Hey man, great video. For those complaining about it being too fast....meh. You go over your process well, and I understand it. It's not a beginners video, and people that need that can look elsewhere. Keep up the good work!

[@artofjhill]

Thanks man, glad you liked the video :)

[@ArquiKev]

amazing!!!

[@guztaluz]

absolutely fucking awesome. I love these rendering process videos. would it be too much to ask for some zmodeler tutorials? something like cyborgs, robots, or even some clothing or details that can be done with zmodeler. I think its a super awesome tool but i'm not so used to it yet. please keep making these. huge fan of your work!

[@JoeBissell]

jay you're the best

[@artofjhill]

pshhh no YOU'RE the best

[@Alvinator888]

Nice one, thank you!

[@prt19657]

Thank you for making this video cuz I wouldn't be able to figure out how to achieve this myself. And for the people who don't understand the process even with the video and blog explaining pretty much every steps tho. I mean.....I'm such a newbie to ZBrush too but c'mon. Just use Google or learn all the basics beforehand. I just learnt ZBrush for like one month but I got at least 80-90% of what he said cuz he didn't use any fancy techniques here. (Yes I'm surprised too.) I didn't know about 'masking by cavity' but now I know. Sorry for babbling but my point is that I appreciate J for sharing the knowledge. It's rare to see someone of his caliber showing every little details all the way through and even went out of his way to make the written version. Not to mention that it's easier for people like me that English is not our 1st language. But to see some unappreciative people talking down and being rude to all these hard work, just because they're too lazy to learn or find simple solutions themselves. It's just uhh.......

[@artofjhill]

thanks man! I'm glad you found the tutorial useful and appreciate the kind words and work you put in. keep making stuff! cheers

[@lauraschlieselhuber8487]

Thank you so much, you're really helping out, here.

[@munkotsyrempilov25]

best tutorial, thanks!

[@artofjhill]

Hope it helps!

[@FUAduds]

Hey J. Its me again, commenting on an old video Im improving as an 3d artist, and I thinks in 6 months (or less) I'll have some good stuff for my portfolio. And I wanna to thanks for being part of that Being a brazilian artist is tough because our currency is undervalued, but I promised myself to buy your course when I start to make some money. Keep it up with the great content and THANKS !

[@artofjhill]

Thanks man just keep making stuff 💪

[@dowjones3035]

Great tips! 👍

[@agebrouwer4110]

your work is epic

[@artofjhill]

+age brouwer thanks man

[@dragon95os]

man ur awesome .. subscribed !

[@vrproduction9723]

Very nice and well explained. Every tNice tutorialng is crystal clear and easily understandable.

[@artofjhill]

Thank you, glad you liked it

[@renan007asdf]

Awesome!

[@TheHamt]

amaaaazing!Thaaanks SoMuch!

[@teckfonglim7147]

soooooooooo helpful, thx

[@Kitekatstudio]

Awesome! I need to try this on my characters

[@artofjhill]

+Damian Teixeira ya go for it! let me know how it turns out

[@navidezio1091]

Thanks. really great toturial

[@artofjhill]

Glad you liked it :)

[@GonzaEstayArt]

Thanks for the tutorial dude!

[@artofjhill]

+Gonza E you're welcome :)

[@noorsxeed8204]

very great!

[@m.r.mmindful4661]

so nice

[@Theicemonkeyjr]

Fantastic tutorial as always, this will be super helpful, do marmoset and modern engine have refraction? Im sure i could figure out a way to use this technique in real time too.

[@artofjhill]

+Kyle H (Kyle3D) Thanks! Maybe I'll do a video on that in the future too. In that case you would use "parallax" and shader settings to achieve a similar look instead of refraction. It would be one object.

[@timothywiley6334]

Thank You

[@FronterGameHD]

amazing

[@Haruyuki_Art]

great thank you

[@HaMinhsWOrLD]

U r amazing! Thank you!

[@artofjhill]

no , thank you! :)

[@dddmodels]

Very cool tutorial!! Figfht club picture too cool. Respect :)

[@artofjhill]

+Alex O. :)

[@strayfies]

+Alex O. See, Jay? I'm tellin you, that poster is the bomb. My buddy has an awesome Scarface poster, but I think this one's better still.

[@qloshae]

Sweet!

[@JoshuaKubit]

Really amazing tutorials if you ever have time, it would be awesome to see you stream on twitch ask you questions. That would be epic!

[@JoshuaKubit]

+Joshua Kubit nevermind you do stream awesome haha

[@artofjhill]

+Joshua Kubit ya dude! I'm working on when would be a good day and time for me and everyone to try and do it weekly for 2 hours or so. I'm gonna try this weekend

[@madnessnew6357]

thank you very much, i learned a lot.

[@madnessnew6357]

love your bloodhound

[@artofjhill]

@@madnessnew6357 thanks! Glad you learned something :)

[@claudiosettiart]

Great tutorial man!

[@artofjhill]

+Claudio Setti thanks!

[@yaelgomez847]

Hi! This video is amazing. thank you so much for the explanation! I wanted to ask you something if it's ok. When I try to extrude the pupil hole to give it volume, it breaks all my topology, even tho I'm doing exactly what you do, or so I think... any idea why that is happening to me?

[@The_Thracian_]

Awesome dude thank you :) !

[@artofjhill]

for sure!

[@andrewstanley815]

thank you muchas gracias senor!

[@artofjhill]

de nada

[@jurandfantom]

I try use Eye tutorial from Juan Carlos but his creation doesn't look soo good like Yours. Jay, you are our hero and please don't stop your work.

[@artofjhill]

+jurandfantom Thanks man!

[@eaglekh8664]

Very helpful..thanks a lot.

[@artofjhill]

happy to hear it

[@marcelocosta6677]

great teacher

[@dovrankakabayew7475]

super!

[@gokunonlosai-roblox3850]

I love you! Subscribed and shared your site on my page... I still fell in debt to you!!! Thank you

[@artofjhill]

thanks!

[@araborbilbo8586]

thanks that was useful for me

[@artofjhill]

sweet, glad it helped

[@pritam_babua]

Thank you very much.....

[@LEGIT134]

I love the video:). You are a professional at making eyes:). How do you alter Zbrush's colors so everything selected is that awesome glowing blue color? I have never been able to figure that stuff out:(

[@artofjhill]

custom colors in the preferences. Its in this video too kzbin.info/www/bejne/lZ-7kodjmbp3qrc

[@SvitlanaVolkova-qo1tl]

The way you create the eye and explanation of anatomy is so inspiring! I'm trying to make my own one step by step with this guide. And I wanna kindly ask you about the heeeelp! :))) As for beginner some processes are not clear for me, for example how to blur not the all edge of the mask but particular areas and how to draw translucent mask. And the link with written tutorial is not working. :( Maybe this detailed explanation migrated somewhere else and it is still possible to read it? ^^

[@iamnima]

Hi J ! Thanks for this fast tutorial :) I just wanted to ask why, after extruding the edgeloop complete for pupil, when I divide (smt enabled) I have the extruded part separated from the eye ? Thanks !

[@artofjhill]

hmm I'm not sure. with the hole cut out you could try extracting to give it all thickness too.

[@iamnima]

I haven't thought about it, thanks a lot :) Otherwise, seems like it was a problem coming from faces that I've flipped, wrong ones... Thanks again, keep it up J !