Introducing Mudbox™

Introducing Mudbox™

by Ara Kermanikian
Released July 2010
Publisher(s): Sybex
ISBN: 9780470537251

Read it now on the O’Reilly learning platform with a 10-day free trial.

O’Reilly members get unlimited access to books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.

Start your free trial

Book description

One of the first books on Autodesk's new Mudbox 3D modeling and sculpting tool!

Autodesk's Mudbox was used to create photorealistic creatures for The Dark Knight, The Mist, and others films. Now you can join the crowd interested in learning this exciting new digital modeling and sculpting tool with this complete guide. Get up to speed on all of Mudbox's features and functions, learn how sculpt and paint, and master the art of using effective workflows to make it all go easier.

  • Introduces Autodesk's Mudbox, an exciting 3D modeling and sculpting tool that enables you to create photorealistic creatures for film or games; it is interoperable with Autodesk's 3ds Max and Maya products

  • Explains what digital sculpting is—and what it isn't—and how to fit it into the pipeline when creating assets for film, television, games, and advertising

  • Shows you how sculpt and paint a model in Mudbox; breaks down the complexities and gets you started right away with interesting projects

  • Helps you set up workflows to cut the time you spend on the technology, freeing you to focus on the creative aspects

  • Includes case studies and examples from industry leaders as well as a DVD with movies, sample project files, MELscripts, and more

Develop skills as a digital content creator or visual effects or CG artist with a good understanding of Mudbox and this valuable guide.

Table of contents

  1. Copyright
  2. Dear Reader,
  3. Acknowledgments
  4. About the Author
  5. Introduction
    1. Who Should Read This Book
    2. What You Will Learn from This Book
    3. Hardware and Software Requirements
    4. How to Use This Book
    5. The Companion DVD
    6. Essential Mudbox and Digital Sculpting Resources
      1. Anatomy Essentials
      2. Lighting and Rendering
      3. Online Learning and DVDs
    7. How to Contact the Author
  6. 1. Getting Your Feet in the Mud: The Basics of the Mudbox Production Pipeline
    1. 1.1. Understanding the Mudbox Workflow Stages
    2. 1.2. Loading a Base Mesh
    3. 1.3. Using the Camera to Navigate Your Scene
    4. 1.4. Blocking in the General Shape and Adding Image Planes
    5. 1.5. Sculpting Your Model
      1. 1.5.1. Adding Subdivision Levels to Your Model
      2. 1.5.2. Adding Sculpting Layers
      3. 1.5.3. Sculpting the High-Frequency Detail
    6. 1.6. Adding Paint Layers and Painting Your Model
    7. 1.7. Rendering Your Image in Mudbox
    8. 1.8. Exporting Results from Mudbox
      1. 1.8.1. Exporting the Geometry
      2. 1.8.2. Exporting the Texture Maps
      3. 1.8.3. Exporting the Normal and Displacement Maps
    9. 1.9. Rendering Your Image in Maya
    10. 1.10. Summary
  7. 2. The Mudbox User Interface
    1. 2.1. Starting Out with the Welcome Screen
    2. 2.2. Navigating the Main Viewport
      1. 2.2.1. Heads-Up Display
        1. 2.2.1.1. 3D View
        2. 2.2.1.2. UV View
        3. 2.2.1.3. Image Browser
        4. 2.2.1.4. Mudbox Community
    3. 2.3. Exploring the East Frame Window
      1. 2.3.1. Layers Window
        1. 2.3.1.1. Sculpt Layers
        2. 2.3.1.2. Paint Layers
      2. 2.3.2. Object List
      3. 2.3.3. Viewport Filters Window
      4. 2.3.4. Properties Window
    4. 2.4. Working with the South Frame Tray
      1. 2.4.1. Sculpt Tools Tray
      2. 2.4.2. Paint Tools Tray
      3. 2.4.3. Pose Tools Tray
      4. 2.4.4. Select/Move Tools Tray
      5. 2.4.5. Stamp Tray
      6. 2.4.6. Stencil Tray
      7. 2.4.7. Falloff Tray
      8. 2.4.8. Material Presets Tray
      9. 2.4.9. Lighting Presets Tray
      10. 2.4.10. Camera Bookmarks Tray
    5. 2.5. Performing Map Extraction
      1. 2.5.1. Target Models
        1. 2.5.1.1. Add All, Add Selected, and Remove Buttons
        2. 2.5.1.2. Generate One Map for All Targets and Generate a Map for Each Target
        3. 2.5.1.3. Smooth Target Model and Smooth Target UVs
      2. 2.5.2. Source Models
        1. 2.5.2.1. Add All, Add Selected, and Remove Buttons
        2. 2.5.2.2. Smooth Source Models
        3. 2.5.2.3. Choose Samples, Search Distance, and Best Guess
        4. 2.5.2.4. Image Size
      3. 2.5.3. Options Specific to Ambient Occlusion Maps
        1. 2.5.3.1. Quality
        2. 2.5.3.2. Base File Name
        3. 2.5.3.3. Preview as Paint Layer
        4. 2.5.3.4. Shadow Map Resolution
        5. 2.5.3.5. Shadow Darkness
        6. 2.5.3.6. Shadow Contrast
        7. 2.5.3.7. Filter
      4. 2.5.4. Options Specific to the Vector Displacement Maps
        1. 2.5.4.1. Vector Space
      5. 2.5.5. Options Specific to Displacement Maps
        1. 2.5.5.1. Normalize to Search Distance
        2. 2.5.5.2. Base File Name
        3. 2.5.5.3. Bits per Channel
      6. 2.5.6. Options Specific to Normal Maps
        1. 2.5.6.1. Coordinate Space
        2. 2.5.6.2. Compatibility
        3. 2.5.6.3. Base File Name
        4. 2.5.6.4. Bits per Channel
    6. 2.6. Setting Mudbox Preferences
      1. 2.6.1. Color
      2. 2.6.2. Render
      3. 2.6.3. FBX
        1. 2.6.3.1. Export ASCII FBX
        2. 2.6.3.2. Export Layers as Blend Shapes
      4. 2.6.4. Paint
        1. 2.6.4.1. Fast Dry Brush
      5. 2.6.5. User Interface
      6. 2.6.6. Status Line
    7. 2.7. Summary
  8. 3. Detail-Sculpting an Imported Model
    1. 3.1. Modeling the Base Mesh
      1. 3.1.1. Triangles, Quads, N-gons, Poles, and Uniformly Spaced Geometry
      2. 3.1.2. Topology and Edge Loops
      3. 3.1.3. Problematic and Nonmanifold Geometry
    2. 3.2. Laying Out UVs
    3. 3.3. Using Naming Conventions and Organizing the Components of Your Model
    4. 3.4. Setting Scale, Location, and Pose of the Model
    5. 3.5. Sculpting Surface Details
      1. 3.5.1. Sculpting Paneling and Mechanical Details
    6. 3.6. Sculpting Weathering and Wear and Tear
      1. 3.6.1. Subdividing the Parts of the Model and Creating Sculpt Layers
      2. 3.6.2. Understanding Sculpt Tool Basics
      3. 3.6.3. Sculpting Dents
      4. 3.6.4. Sculpting Scratches
      5. 3.6.5. Sculpting Rust
      6. 3.6.6. Sculpting Pouches
    7. 3.7. Summary
  9. 4. Painting and Texturing an Imported Model
    1. 4.1. Texture-Painting Models in 2D and 3D
    2. 4.2. Laying Out UV Maps and Arranging UV Shells for Texture Painting
    3. 4.3. Creating Texture Maps
    4. 4.4. Using Materials and Textures
      1. 4.4.1. Understanding Materials
      2. 4.4.2. Creating, Assigning, and Deleting Materials
      3. 4.4.3. Using Textures and Patterns
    5. 4.5. Working with Paint and Texture Layers
    6. 4.6. Using Specular, Gloss, and Bump Maps
    7. 4.7. Gathering Reference Images
    8. 4.8. Painting Bertie
      1. 4.8.1. The Base Coat Layer
      2. 4.8.2. The Paint Layer
      3. 4.8.3. The Weathering Layer
      4. 4.8.4. The Decal Layer
      5. 4.8.5. The Specular Layer
      6. 4.8.6. Compositing the Layers in Photoshop
    9. 4.9. Summary
  10. 5. Digital Sculpting, Part I
    1. 5.1. Understanding Digital Sculpting
    2. 5.2. Planning the Sculpture
    3. 5.3. Sculpting in Stages
    4. 5.4. Determining the Best Base Mesh for Sculpting
      1. 5.4.1. Approaches to Using a Base Mesh
    5. 5.5. Understanding the Mudbox Sculpt Tools and Their Properties
      1. 5.5.1. Size and Strength
      2. 5.5.2. Invert Function
      3. 5.5.3. Keyboard Shortcut Workflow
      4. 5.5.4. Falloff Curve
      5. 5.5.5. Mirroring Geometry
      6. 5.5.6. Use Stamp Image and Stamp Spacing Properties
      7. 5.5.7. Steady Stroke
      8. 5.5.8. Using Curves in Mudbox
      9. 5.5.9. Buildup and Flood
      10. 5.5.10. Update Plane and Whole Stroke
      11. 5.5.11. Sculpting Tools Recap and Prioritization
      12. 5.5.12. Freeze Tool
      13. 5.5.13. Erase and Mask Tools
    6. 5.6. Summary
  11. 6. Digital Sculpting, Part II
    1. 6.1. Modeling the Base Mesh in Maya
    2. 6.2. Laying Out the UVs in UVLayout
    3. 6.3. Posing the Base Mesh
      1. 6.3.1. Using the Posing Toolset
      2. 6.3.2. Posing the Model
    4. 6.4. Sculpting the Model
      1. 6.4.1. Using the Mudbox Sculpting Tools
      2. 6.4.2. Completing the Final Sculpting Stages
    5. 6.5. Sculp Using a Vector Displacement Map (VDM)
    6. 6.6. Summary
  12. 7. Working with 3D Scan Data
    1. 7.1. Understanding the Benefits and Challenges of 3D Scan Data
    2. 7.2. Using 3D Scanners
      1. 7.2.1. Types of 3D Scanners
      2. 7.2.2. Scanned Object Size
    3. 7.3. Reviewing Scan Data Import Considerations
      1. 7.3.1. Direction of the Normals
      2. 7.3.2. Common Anomalies
    4. 7.4. Importing 3D Scan Data and Re-topologizing in Mudbox
      1. 7.4.1. Loading 3D Scan Data into Mudbox
      2. 7.4.2. Editing Anomalies in an External 3D Application
      3. 7.4.3. Adding and Aligning the Basic Head Primitive
      4. 7.4.4. Extracting a Displacement Map
      5. 7.4.5. Applying the Displacement Map to Sculpt on Desired Topology
      6. 7.4.6. Sculpting Anomalies and Adding Details
    5. 7.5. Summary
  13. 8. 3D Painting
    1. 8.1. Painting Your Sculpture
    2. 8.2. Generating UVs on Subdivision Levels and Painting Directly on UVs
    3. 8.3. Painting on Layers and Using Blend Modes
      1. 8.3.1. Order of Paint Layers
    4. 8.4. Using Color, Stamps, and Stencils
      1. 8.4.1. Choosing a Color in Mudbox
      2. 8.4.2. Paint Using Color, Stamps, and Stencils
        1. 8.4.2.1. The Paint Brush, Airbrush, Pencil, and Paint Erase Tools
        2. 8.4.2.2. The Clone Tool
        3. 8.4.2.3. The Dry Brush
        4. 8.4.2.4. The Blur Tool
        5. 8.4.2.5. The Dodge and Burn Tools
        6. 8.4.2.6. The Contrast Tool
        7. 8.4.2.7. The Sponge Tool
        8. 8.4.2.8. The Hue Tool
        9. 8.4.2.9. The Hue Shift Tool
        10. 8.4.2.10. The Invert Tool
        11. 8.4.2.11. Paint Using Stamps
        12. 8.4.2.12. Projection-Paint Using Stencils
    5. 8.5. Workflow to Adobe Photoshop and Back
    6. 8.6. Loading Textures into Maya
    7. 8.7. Summary
  14. 9. Lighting and Rendering
    1. 9.1. Rendering and Using Cameras in Mudbox
    2. 9.2. Lighting Your Model
      1. 9.2.1. Point Lights
      2. 9.2.2. Directional Lights
      3. 9.2.3. Image-Based Lights
    3. 9.3. Applying Visual Effects with Viewport Filters
      1. 9.3.1. Ambient Occlusion
      2. 9.3.2. Tonemapper
      3. 9.3.3. Screen Distance
      4. 9.3.4. Depth of Field (DOF)
      5. 9.3.5. Normal Map
      6. 9.3.6. Non-Photorealistic (NPR)
    4. 9.4. Creating Turntables and Recording Sessions
      1. 9.4.1. Record Movie
      2. 9.4.2. Record a Turntable Movie
    5. 9.5. Rendering in Mudbox and External Programs
      1. 9.5.1. Compositing Mudbox Render Images in Adobe Photoshop
      2. 9.5.2. Rendering Mudbox High-Resolution Models in Luxion KeyShot
      3. 9.5.3. Rendering in Maya
    6. 9.6. Summary
  15. A. About the Companion DVD
    1. A.1. What You'll Find on the DVD
      1. A.1.1. Chapter Folders
      2. A.1.2. 3D Primitives
      3. A.1.3. Stamps and Stencils Folders
    2. A.2. System Requirements
    3. A.3. Using the DVD
    4. A.4. Troubleshooting
      1. A.4.1. Customer Care

Product information

  • Title: Introducing Mudbox™
  • Author(s): Ara Kermanikian
  • Release date: July 2010
  • Publisher(s): Sybex
  • ISBN: 9780470537251