ZBrush Tip: Custom MatCap Workflow for Stylized ZBrush Shading

Create custom MatCaps in ZBrush to lock in a distinctive, stylized look directly in the viewport without complex lighting setups.

• Start with a safe duplicate:
  • Open the Material palette, pick a MatCap you like (e.g., MatCap Gray), then Save As to create your working copy (.ZMT). This avoids overwriting factory materials.
• Launch MatCap Maker:
  • Material > Modifiers > MatCap > MatCap Maker. This interface lets you define the diffuse and specular components that give a MatCap its “baked-in” light and highlight behavior.
• Capture custom highlight and diffuse maps:
  • Use a high-res Document (Document > Double) and place a clean Sphere3D as your reference shape.
  • Paint or composite the desired highlight pattern on the sphere (soft round for plastic, elongated for brushed metal, sharp rim for toon/anime looks).
  • Texture > GrabDoc to capture the current document into a texture. Load that texture into MatCap Maker’s Specular channel. Repeat with a softer version for Diffuse.
• Shape the style:
  • Specular size and intensity: Tight and bright for glossy, broader and subdued for matte.
  • Anisotropic cues: Stretch the painted highlight to hint brushed or directional materials.
  • Rim emphasis: Add a bright ring near the sphere’s contour to create punchy, toon-friendly edges.
  • Hue separation: Nudge diffuse and specular colors apart for stylized materials (e.g., warm diffuse, cool specular).
• Refine with Material Modifiers:
  • Tune Cavity and Ambient contribution for extra crispness in creases.
  • Adjust Specular Curve/Strength to balance hotspot visibility across varying surface angles.
• Assign per-subtool and lock it:
  • With M selected (Material channel), go to Color > FillObject to bind the MatCap to a SubTool. This preserves material choice while you iterate on others.
• Combine for richer results:
  • Stack look-dev with polypaint and BPR Filters to push contrast, rim boosts, or saturation. For compositing, render passes and blend in post.
• Performance and pipeline notes:
  • MatCaps are performant and great for look-dev and presentation. Because lighting is baked, they’re non-physical; don’t expect consistency with PBR renderers.
  • For game/film pipelines, use MatCaps for concept and review, then switch to PBR shading when exporting normal/displacement/albedo maps.
• Organize and reuse:
  • Save your .ZMT to a custom Lightbox Materials folder and version them clearly (e.g., StylizedSkin_v03.zmt).

Pro tips:

• Build a small library of archetypes: “Toon Hard,” “Soft Clay,” “Pearl Coat,” “Brushed Metal.” Swap fast during reviews.
• Pair MatCaps with Mask by Cavity or AO-based polypaint to amplify form readability.
• Export a flat-shaded pass and your MatCap render for easy two-layer compositing boosts.

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