Sculpting ZBrush and 3D Printing + Tips and Tricks!!

HI!

I've been going through some of the amazing projects and I thought I'd open a discussion thread for anyone who wants to ask questions about ZBrush sculpting, how to make joints in ZBrush or 3D printing tips and tricks! I can include visuals and help with brushes, etc. This way we can make a resource for people who come to it later! They can comb through the questions and ask new ones if they don't see their thing addressed!

Just to give a bit of background, I make my own doll (Boudi) who is on topic (HOORAY!!!) and I made her in ZBrush and printed my own prototypes before sending her to be cast.

I also work at a toy company as a professional sculptor and have articulated over 200 action figures. Woo so lots of practice and lots of trial and error.

 

OOh! yes a hefty question to start but probably the most pressing one for a lot of people!!! I have a few initial things I've made in the past that may help to start with.

There are a lot of ways to make joints, so this is kind of basics on shoulders and hips. After you watch these timelapse videos you can absolutely ask questions. Mostly I recommend getting really familiar with booleans within this program!!!

I know you said you know where the joints go, but in case others are interested, this is how I visualize my plan for the joints:





Here is a timelapse of me making a shoulder joint.



And here is a timelapse of making a hip ball joint.



Edit: For printing (shapeways or resin printers) I think you are also asking about hollowing a piece to prep! That you also want to use Booleans for! You can use the ZSphere guide and hollow your pieces using booleans and primitives. I have a method I like that I can illustrate later if there is interest. There is also a 'hollow mesh' option but it can take quite a lot of time/memory depending on the piece. Usually I take the item i want hollowed, dynamesh it as low as i can to make a vaguely similar shape, then boolean out that shape. Always make sure you have TWO exits for the hollow 'bubble' inside otherwise you will get strange things. A little like when you put a ceramic piece in a kiln. If you have questions related to this (if I'm too confusing without photos) let me know and I can make a quick tutorial.

 

Here is a tutorial I just made on how to extract shapes in Zbrush that you mind helpful for creating eyelids, lips, nose pieces, etc.

https://i.imgur.com/esKzzGC.jpg

 

At this point I pretty much know what works so I only do a few prototypes. For example, with Boudi there were a few things that worked in theory and in practice were too ‘kicky’ or didn’t give her enough mobility once I printed so I went back and tweaked.

I think I’d like to start prototyping a different torso joint with better movement and ways to give her legs more mobility.

Having worked with both types of printer I think the resin printer has given me a much closer idea of the final product. Filament printers are already much better 5 years since I last did prototyping with mine but I still prefer the resin because of the weight and detail. Filament printers print objects hollow by default. But for me I think it’s just personal preference. I find the resin easier to sand and work on.

 

I get it!! Don’t worry there’s almost always a way to salvage no matter how you started a piece. And if you really do mess something up it’s a great learning experience! You don’t make that mistake again haha (I have done so many crazy things and ‘broke’ zbrush... it’s part of the process hahaha)

Booleans are ‘perfect fit’ basically so it’s the best way to subtract a piece you want to fit into another. Does that make sense? So carving manually both takes longer and the likelihood of it not fitting is higher. Definitely worth learning booleans! And with the last couple years they made Live Boolean (big button up top side left) and you can preview how the booleans will look!! You can also create a Boolean Mesh from that. Getting into the weeds here but I will make a Boolean tutorial maybe in a bit.

Edit: also I’m really happy I can maybe help some people!! Zbrush is really crazy and complicated but so worth it!!

 

That is definitely a little similar and a good way to wrap the brain around it! I'll do a boolean walk through soon!

 

That's a really good question. I use formlabs resin for my prototyping and yeah, it's a bit soft for a full scale BJD. I sell small magnet joint dolls using that resin but would not feel comfortable, honestly, selling a full scale and full price BJD with that type of softer resin.

My casting company uses a much sturdier resin that I have not noticed scratching and withstands falling from the mantel to slate floor (haha yup true story). I don't know the exact type of resin they use, just that it's professional grade. My assumption is that the resin they are using is better partly because it's not meant to be curing with UV, it sets up and hardens when two chemical components combine. So the reaction is on a chemical level and not cured with a laser.

Most of this is... educated guesses haha I have cast my own resin (with terrible bubble results!!! which is why i hire out) and even with those amateur bubbly results I had a MUCH sturdier resin than the UV cured printed type. So until tech gets better the 3D printed type just may be what it is, no matter the company you use.

My experience on a larger professional scale (for my day job) is actually with PVC (polyvinyl chloride) because our collectibles are cast using metal molds used for vinyl. The PVC range can go from very rigid to the sort of soft and rubbery type you see on more flexible toys in the toy aisle and the molds are much more expensive but last longer so are used for runs of thousands. Because the vinyl molds are so much more expensive, it's why we are seeing many more artist made small run resin dolls than vinyl ones. Resin molds are much less expensive but the cost of the material itself is much higher than PVC. So at cost a resin doll is MUCH higher but the runs can be much much smaller. Vinyl dolls the molds can be in the tens of thousands range or more... without a Mattel level guarantee of at least several thousand items sold, the cost goes way up per item.

I hope that sort of helps!! Sorry I'm not more technical with my knowledge of resins, this is my experience with them!

Edit: I should add that when I was using PLA there can be unpredictable shrinkage and i don't like the striations HOWEVER this was over 5 years ago and resolution for MakerBot style printers has gotten exponentially better. At this point I just like the way the FormLabs printer works (for me) and I like how the resin sands better. This is personal preference. Both have their pros and cons.

 

I'm so glad! I need to get back to posting here!! I've been swamped at work but I'll update some tricks soon.

I've been meaning to make a quick Boolean tutorial but actually should mention that Pixelogic has a ton of great resources for free if you're looking to start ZBrush. I seek out Joseph Drust in particular, he's great.

This is a live stream from the recent 2020 updates where he walks through some Live Boolean stuff. I LOVE LIVE BOOLEANS they are new as of a year or two ago and it has made ball joints (etc) much easier to visualize before committing to a cut. So awesome. So here's one of his videos about that:



If you have follow up questions feel free to ask!!

 

I'm pretty sure in the rules it must be cast to professional standards, and the list of those requirements are listed. The resin must be within certain parameters chemically. (i.e. I don't think my uv cured resin from printing would be within those parameters.)

(I'm sure you've seen this!!)
/threads/criteria-and-submission-guidelines-for-on-topic-dolls.42407/

And don't let your 'in progress' not yet on topic status keep you from sharing with this community!

/categories/making-a-bjd.226/

There are a few different threads you can post in to show your work that's not 'on topic' yet because it's not cast. I love these forums.

Harucasting is super popular these days for casting and their prices are extremely reasonable. The casting company I use was a referral from a friend so I don't feel totally comfortable disclosing everything because it wasn't my find. I hope that makes sense? I know Dolllnoize Wrath was cast in Korea and she loved her casting company. If you read through some doll maker feeds (instagram) you can find if they have disclosed their casting company and you can see the results before you commit. Here is a discussion here about casting companies:

/threads/casting-company-recommendations-and-reviews.789279/

With casting there are usually a few steps: images of the print (or if you send your sculpt, but I always send the 3d model for them to print themselves to the right specifications for mold since different plastics and sealants react differently to silicone) and they show you what your doll is looking like before molding. I may have had a few notes that they tweak and then we're ready for the first cast. I pay for the print (so that's the upside to sending your own sculpt, you save some money there), the tooling costs (if applicable), then the molds and the first cast. They send me the sample cast in resin and fully strung and I live with her for a few days before sending notes (if I have any) with images and then... you pay that giant invoice for your order once you're satisfied that your doll will be how you want her to be! I'm pretty sure this would be similar no matter the casting company if they're thorough and good. You really want to find a company that is communicative and easy to work with.

A good company will also not have issues sending back your original prototype in good condition. I've heard some horror stories from a casting company or two (who I won't list because they're not really out there anymore) about the prototype returning disfigured or semi-destroyed.

Don't cheap out on casting!!! It's so worth it to do your research and find someone who you trust because when you send dolls out you really want to feel confident in the quality of your doll.

Another thing to note is that while you're sculpting you want to document (which I do just for instagram so you may be doing the same thing) because when you apply for your doll to be on topic you're required to demonstrate your sculpting process and that you didn't copy or recast.

You can always message me for critique or so many people are amazingly helpful and encouraging in the doll making forums!! Good luck!! I hope this helped.