This is a tutorial on MudBox. Probably the easiest program to add detail to a 3d model. The interface is simple and moving around is almost exactly the same as in Maya. So for all you Maya users out there this is the best.

First things first you need a 3d model. So if your using Maya I'm gunna give you the run down on how to do this. Now goto Window-Settings and Preferences-Plugin Manager and check the box for objExport.mll and goto File-Export Selection or Export All and click on that little box thing next to them. Now you have to change your File type: to OBJexport You can keep your groups and whatever. Its really up to you at this point. Then save it as an OBJ and close Maya then launch MudBox. Now in MudBox goto File-Import and bring in your obj. Now if your new to moving around its pretty much hold alt and use left click to rotate around, hold alt and use right click to move in and out, and hold alt and middle mouse click to move left and right or up and down. Now you know how to manuver around.

Now you can't just scratch onto a single plane. You have to have a dense mesh to make a scratch into it. But this can make your model not look the same. I subdivided the Cube to the right a few times and now it looks like an egg. so you might want to be careful and make your model dense enough to beable to take this kind of change. Now to subdivide it in MudBox goto Mesh-Subdivide Selection or Shift and D and it will add more faces to the polygon mesh you have. Next we have all of the My Tools to use. I think they are pretty self explanitory. Soft is a softening tool, Scratch is a scratching tool, Smooth smooths, Pinch pinches,Bulge Bulges and so on. At this point its pretty much like playing with clay, playdough or whatever. But unlike clay you have much more control under the Properties tab.
The Properties tab gives you alot of control over your brush. As a word of advice don not make the size of your brush less than the strength unless you want it looking kind of bad. The image to the left in my opinion is wrong for shaping things. It's better to add slight adjustments to your model than try to model the whole thing in here. Now since I'm using the Buldge tool inverting it will push in on the mesh. I dont usually mess with the fall off so lets stay away from that right now. The stamp is a very cool and useful tool. It will make the design of the stamp when you click on the model. The stroke has similar effects it can jitter randomize the stroke. The next best thing is the Stencil it puts an image in front of you to use and it can add alot of detail. Just pick an image or import your own. It's very user friendly. The little arrow from the tab will let you add your own jpeg or tiff. I suggest using a tiff if you create your own in photoshop jpegs add to many aliases. Once your finished select your model and export your selection to finish using it in Maya or whatever your using. To export File-Export Selection and save it as something else so you have your old model just in case something goes wrong.

While creating this tutorial I made what could be a fat cell or something biological which is what is great about MudBox it can help you make more organic looking objects. Take a look at the picture to the right. I hope that this was helpful in anyway to beginners to this application.

 

 

 

 

 

  
   
   


The work of Mark Matta
e-mail: freepupet@yahoo.com phone: 586-219-2368