Using Reference in ZBrush

In this demonstration, Joe Harford goes over using reference inside of ZBrush.
He shows multiple ways to to efficiently set up and use reference images for many different situations within ZBrush including the grid method, spotlight, imageplane & seethrough mode.
About the Instructor:
Joe Harford is a Freelance artist passionate about high quality production artwork. He has worked with Crytek, Ubisoft, Playground and other AAA studios and now works freelance on games and cinematics. Check out his website here: www.josephharford.com
About Eat 3D:
Eat 3D has been feeding your brain for 6 years with some of the highest quality training that exists. Our goal is to provide you with the best education and get straight to the point with practical real world exercises that professionals actively use in production.

[@milo20060]

Actually the only demonstration that I have found clear, and to the point.

[@AaronSimonds]

Thank you for explaining different ways to accomplish this process! I have always used spotlight but after seeing this, I think the grid view will be more efficient. Thanx

[@slephora9392]

Of course I find the most easy to follow and understand tutoring style for exactly what I am trying to learn, on youtube, and he’s not posted for 5 years. I will cry now. Thank you so much anyways everyone else either moves too fast or is hard to understand and you made the tutorial so easy to follow , now I just need to see if you have any sculpting tutorials because I don’t understand what dynamesh is yet or what tools i should use to achieve a final product like what you’ve got here. Great work! 🔥

[@dantesapprentice4581]

Hey, thanks for this excellent tutorial! Really helped me get an idea of how to use reference images while working in ZBrush. Still getting used to the interface, but this will help.

[@MortalVildhjart]

Amazing video, Tutorials showing all different kinds of Ways are always the best! thank u so much dude!

[@reie4208]

thanks for demonstrating how to set up reference images for different situations

[@jungoogie]

Fantastic tutorial! More than I could have hoped for.

[@pruephillip1338]

Perfect - just what I was looking for. Thank you (I thought my video card might have been the problem, so few were the explanations for how to get this transparency.)

[@jasonfella265]

Wow, excellent video! Very informative!

[@iamkirkos]

This was beyond useful. Thanks!

[@1980subrosa]

Thank you for your comprehensive tutorial!

[@Dephunkt01]

Nice tutorial, clear and informative cheers.

[@Kouyou160]

nice and to the point and you even show both ways! Thanks!

[@sclptrjoel]

This is a terrific tutorial! Thank you!

[@Sillymonkeies]

Bro this was great! I have a lot to practice

[@cookyape472]

Amazing tutorial I've learnt so much.

[@crimsonBen]

when using the grid with reference image, do you use dynamic perspective i guess?

[@VFXLtd]

I've appended an image plane. I've also appended a sphere. When i adjust the opacity, the sphere is indeed abit transparent. However, i cannot see the image plane? Any ideas?? thanks

[@LisonVincent]

Thank u

[@IrakliOmadze]

Great lesson. Helped a lot

[@karlamichelle4946]

Hi perhaps you can help me whenever I try importing an images plane I get this write error massages saying something about low space how can I fixed that

[@venkatesh_taily]

how did you just scale the mesh @ 13:54 ? can you please tell me?

[@BrianLife]

Correction or Update: in ZBrush2019. you can have Spotlight On, hit Z to go out into sculpt mode and sculpt with all brushes if you turn OFF Spotlight Projection. this button is found in the Bush/ Samples/ Spotlight Projection. So with it off, you can sculpt and the reference image will have no effect. it will just float on screen.

[@666bbones]

Thanks very much! Great tutorial!

[@sanjaycolaco]

Nice tutorial ! How did you get the guiding lines on one of your brushes ?

[@andreyhristozov5558]

Thank you for the great tutorial !!!

[@TheWaTchoTcho]

Hello, first thank you for giving us this tutorial, however, my floor utton is grey, I just can't click on it, I wonder if you have a solution to that, thank you

[@rodrigobutron1983]

Thanks very much, excellent video!

[@workwithme3152]

Where I can find this image? Give me a link to this image,please :)

[@gamedevdemon9845]

hi i m new to zbrush can anyone tell me what good website to download reference images?

[@boodlewoodle]

Very good tutorial really helped a lot thank you ;-)

[@alexmomot6268]

Great tutorial! Many thanks! 8)

[@poliphonos]

Where can I download image plane for zbrush 4, other than the pixologic website where is no longer available? do you know?

[@Lobzik67]

I've noticed that you are using customised interface,wich is very difficult to lern from for begginers like me.

[@OneEyedCat873]

I can't find IMAGE PLANE bar anywhere.

[@eng3d]

For the record, its in the upper menu called TEXTURE. You could drag and drop the whole texture menu by clicking in the upper left part of the menu (an icon that looks like a circle and a arrow)

[@adriennelowe8250]

Awesome! Thank you! Subbed

[@khunthate]

can you do this in Sculptris?

[@kurilladesign]

thanks had some issues to load image . worked finally image stays locked - this is great

[@bennyfromthe72]

This saves my life.

[@CatalystMediaH]

very well explained

[@riniks112]

Very useful. Thanks

[@madmodder]

Im using the newest 2020 version and Im not seeing any of these features other than just the image plane. But it has zero settings for it.

[@TheGrassyou]

it doesnt work i dont understand its making a plane face and if i i use symetrie it makes 2 plane sides it doesnt build it in 3d which is bs im confused

[@LIXIAOLUN9XZHANMA]

Thank you so much!

[@Appeltaartisoverated]

How long does it actually take to create this model without the tutorial?

[@Betonoszlop]

Thanks i will try this!

[@eeveemikat]

When using a reference should I have perspective on or off?

[@RexaZii]

Jon Doe on

[@mykytaklymenko301]

Подскажите, как он поменял цвет кнопок?

[@vladkrivitsky5242]

Thank you men!

[@_MGPz]

In the minute 5:08 how do you toogle the shadow.

[@adhityapoernama940]

THANK YOUU FOR THISS :)

[@majupiju2347]

nice tutorial thx alot!

[@BarbaraCoutinho]

what brush u r using for modeling??????

[@derekheming4382]

This is the Move Brush. Press B on the keyboard to bring up the Brush pop-up palette, then click M on the keyboard followed by V. Increase the Draw Size slider accordingly depending on how large an area you want to affect.

[@ignaciobello2963]

Nice! Thanks!

[@delnico974]

So cool with clear view > ctrl+N

[@barnsketball9010]

WELL DONE

[@JackTheRocky]

Excelent tutorial

[@vazak11]

Useful!

[@Lobzik67]

Can not load image in this way ,because no button "load image".In my version only button "import" but it doesn't works for JPG file.

[@diddlypoop]

go to texture in the toolbar on the top and it will have some textures and slightly above that two buttons "Import" and "Export"

[@10dev785]

what if the floor grid is on the TOP of my model & not the bottom. How do I fix that?

[@cantstopthefunk22]

+rshadio You could try using Transpose and manually move the whole model upward so the grid is on the bottom

[@HillWEEP]

Amazing

[@MrMrRKD]

Thank you

[@MrAerocrisostomo]

muito bom!

[@keithtam8859]

thank you

[@allaneng1]

Do u used the mouse ou intous 3D?

[@HanSolocambo]

Using a mouse with ZBrush would be like painting Mona Lisa with a trowel. The mouse is often convenient when low poly modeling with the ZModeler Brush. But for about everything else : Wacom (or any worthy alternative brand).

[@soureyes1111]

i never imagine u can do that in zbrush , WoW

[@ponkilink]

U can use Floaty...

[@willistalin21]

Megalike!!!!!

[@maze201]

Thank you soooooooooo MUCH!!!!!!..........god bless yutube

[@yusulfliu9850]

useful for me！！！！thx

[@strykeyboi]

the lines that appear when you hover over your object that helps you align the references is not appearing for me!

[@zgeniez]

+Halo Potato I have to actually touch the object, not just hover.

[@NowrajKhanAlin]

thnx buddy

[@xplorer3475]

C3PO, is that you ? :)

[@werewasyo]

better than floor images due to opactiy

[@Supernova12034]

Awesome Awesome Awesome tutorial!!!!!! Give me a patreon so I can donate to you!

[@waltage]

i didn't hear half of words

[@NicholasKaighen]

well i feel stupid now. ive been doing this the hard way for years

[@HeadcrabHC]

oh sei te eh!

[@SimplyAlteringMaterials]

Why is it that when after I import my reference image that I'm not able to sculpt on my model that is already in my edit document

[@BrianLife]

What type of Image reference way, are you using? He goes over a few ways... Image Plane? or images graff planes? or Spotlight? I know when using Spotlight (this video is onld) he mentions you can hit Z and now the spotlight images are showing but not movable (not in active Shift Z) , in this way you can use the move brush but you can also sculpt with No Spotlight Projection on. this will let you use all sculpting brushes, but it won't project the image onto the model. (with RGB or zadd) You have to go into You can turn off Spotlight projection so you can sculpt with image showing, by going to the button in: Brush/Samples/SpotlightProjection turning it on or off. On will sculpt and paint (if RGB is ) using the image in Spotlight. Off will leave the image and you can sculpt/ paint with no effect from the image in the Spotlight, it's more only to reference it.

[@SimplyAlteringMaterials]

@@BrianLife Thank you Brian, the last section of your explanation worked 😃👍

[@BrianLife]

PJ awesome! Yes, I end up adding that button to a custom pallet and/or set a hot key (save it) so you can quickly turn it on or off. I always forget where the button is. Glad I saw your comment. Happy to help. All the best!

[@houvv]

There is a way to paint normally while keeping references open in spotlight. See the following link :) vimeo.com/79568165

[@hafizzz]

Vv Hou Thank You. That was useful.

[@yigitakengin9887]

I accidentally deleted the channel rack. I’m lost

[@Anon-xd3cf]

I'm starting to see how a lot of this can be achieved with a relatively simple neural net AI... The ability to have access to an APK on the cloud to do this part of 3d modelling for us is fast approaching. Not to shit on what you're doing, people have to do it first to teach the machines.

[@danlee7923]

This breaks my Zbrush

[@Vincent-cx3dt]

It is better to try to draw eyes.

[@stuff3862]

It feels like cheating almost lol.

[@rafaelso9991]

nope. this is the best way to sculpture for rookies.

[@cgfoodir376]

LIke

[@wiczus6102]

I am not sure if Zbrush is the most brilliant or the most idiotic software... Adjusting reference image should be something basic....

[@bluethumbbuttoneek9465]

Why'd u save the spotlight method for last wasting my time with that other barbaric method. See through was lil better but still if u showed spotlight first I wouldnt be so upset about wasting time on this video it is respected that u took time to show the other methods just think u shoulda showed spotlight first maybe u can explain to me why you showed it nearing the end

[@frediwalker2381]

As with a lot of tutorials, this is quite slow and explains things which are self-evident and it's rather irritating. For instance, if you're flipping through fill modes, dont explain what they do when its obvious what happens when you do it.