Tutorials | Pablander Academy

Beginner

Easy way to mirror objects with subdivisions in ZBrush

July 11, 2025

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

In this tutorial, we’re covering how to mirror subdivided objects without losing your sculpted detail. Let’s dive in and break down how you can mirror subdivided objects in ZBrush, keep all your details intact, and save yourself a ton of frustration. Plus, I’ll show you some behind-the-scenes tricks and how to create a custom button (micro) that streamlines this entire process.

Breakdowns

software reference

Beginner

Texturing A Sci-Fi Weapon

July 7, 2025

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

Here's a fun series on how I texture sci-fi weapons using Substance 3D Painter. I cover both stylized and realistic looks, share some of my go-to techniques, and show how I set things up for final renders in Blender. Great if you’re working on your own designs or just want to pick up a few new tricks.

Rendering

Texturing

software reference

Intermediate

Every ZBrush User Needs To Know These 5 Tricks

July 4, 2025

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

Here are 5 ZBrush tricks (hidden gems) you probably didn't know! In this tutorial I'm going to show you a cool tip to use interactive lighting, achieve ideal Dynamesh resolution based on your details, control FiberMesh growth using morph targets, and a few other useful tips!

Hair & FX

Creature Design

software reference

Intermediate

What's the Secret Behind Anchor Points?

June 27, 2025

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

Have you ever marveled at how some artists seamlessly blend complex textures in Substance 3D Painter? The secret isn’t magic—it’s the clever use of anchor points. This powerful feature often flies under the radar because it can be a bit tricky to understand at first. But once you master it, anchor points give you incredible control over your materials, allowing your layers to interact in ways that truly elevate your textures.

Materials

software reference

Intermediate

Review video - XPpen Artist Pro 16 Gen 2 tablet

December 6, 2024

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

In this video I’m going to do an unboxing and quick overview of the XP Pen Artist Pro 16 (gen 2) tablet. I’ll also show you how to set it up and the way that I customize it to work with ZBrush and Photoshop.

Review

software reference

Intermediate

ZBrush for iPad is out!

September 12, 2024

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

Hey! In this video, I’m sharing my thoughts on the ZBrush app for iPad Pro. I got to try it out during the beta testing, and I’ve been exploring how well it brings ZBrush’s features to a more portable device. If you’re interested in sculpting on the go or just want to see how it works on a smaller screen, stick around—I hope this gives you a good idea of what to expect!

Reference

Breakdowns

software reference

Intermediate

Quick and Easy Iridescent Material

August 20, 2024

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

In this quick tutorial I’ll show you a simple and effective way to recreate the iridescent effect in your materials using Marmoset Toolbag 4, Blender and ZBrush. There are multiple applications for this type of material so give it a go and see where you can apply it!

Rendering

software reference

Beginner

Quick review of the SpaceMouse Wireless bluetooth

July 24, 2024

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

In this "Quick review of the SpaceMouse Wireless Bluetooth!" video, I’ll show you the compact, versatile SpaceMouse Wireless for its intuitive dial and seamless 3D navigation across applications like ZBrush, Substance Painter, and Blender.

Review

software reference

Intermediate

How to present your 3D characters in a simple and effective way

July 18, 2024

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

In this video, I'll show you how to present your 3D characters effectively, even if they're unfinished, using ZBrush and Blender. Learn practical tips for lighting, materials, and contrast to create professional-looking renders.

Rendering

software reference

Intermediate

Dune Sandworm

May 16, 2024

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

In this tutorial series I’ll show you how to create a ‘fanart’ concept of the movie Dune, including the sandworm and desert assets.

Compositing

software reference

Intermediate

Transforming a spare Room into a cozy Studio Office for Digital Artists

May 6, 2024

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

In this in-depth guide I cover the steps and materials I used to convert a spare room into a studio office on a budget!

Reference

software reference

Advanced

CC4 to ZBrush workflow with the Face Tools Plugin

March 1, 2024

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

In this in-depth tutorial series, I’m going to take you through the entire process of creating a custom set of expressions with dynamic wrinkles for your character using Character Creator 4 to setup the project and the ZBrush Face Tools plugin from Reallusion to adjust all your expression morphs and high-frequency details inside ZBrush.

Character Design

Rendering

Sculpting

software reference

Intermediate

ZBrush detailing brushes pack: Bark & Wood Brushes Overview

February 16, 2024

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

This is a quick video overview of the most recent 'Bark & Wood Brushes pack' for ZBrush. I'll show you how to use these brushes to sculpt details in ZBrush with ease and I will also cover some of my favourite brushes from this collection to show you how I used them to create cool patterns and details in my sculpts.

Sculpting

software reference

Intermediate

ZBrush Tips and Tricks: Creating a Baseball

January 23, 2024

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

This tutorial covers the creation of a baseball from a simple QCube using various tools and features within ZBrush to simplify the process of polishing, detailing and placing geometry over the sphere. The subject of this tutorial is a simple baseball but the focus of this video is on the various unknown tips and tricks of the workflow.

Modeling

software reference

Intermediate

Sculpting Stylised Hair in ZBrush

December 19, 2023

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

In this video tutorial, I'm going to break down a series of simple steps to sculpt any type of stylised hair in ZBrush. You can use any of the default brushes or grab the free pack of Sculptris Pro brushes and follow along.

Hair & FX

software reference

Intermediate

Stylised hair sculptris Pro brushes

December 6, 2023

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

In this tutorial I’m going to show you how to use the free pack of 15 Stylised hair brushes with Sculptris Pro and the workflow to create cool effects within ZBrush using them.

Hair & FX

software reference

Beginner

Using 3D Sampler and ZBrush: To create cool Embroidery Patches

May 23, 2023

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

In this tutorial I'll show you how to create some awesome embroidery patches using Adobe 3D Sampler and ZBrush. In this video, you'll learn how to create really cool patches. I’ll use a hoodie as a test object and show you a cool non-destructive workflow so you can change the patch design with a few clicks. I will guide you through the process step-by-step, so you won't miss a thing!

Materials

software reference

Beginner

My top 5 PurRef Tips for digital artists

April 18, 2023

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

In this post, I'll show you how to create custom presets with shortcuts, use PureRef as a guide for aligning and measuring things, avoid color distractions with the grayscale image and color picker, focus on specific areas of an image with the cropping tool and hide feature, and track your creative process with screenshots. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned pro, these tips will help you to organize your references and make the most of your time and let's dive in!

Reference

software reference

Beginner

Photogrammetry Just Got Easier: Create awesome 3D models from photos with Substance 3D Sampler

April 12, 2023

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

This is a quick video to show you how the new 'photogrammetry' feature from Substance 3D Sampler works. Although the object I use in the tutoarial looks simple, it is actually a complex object to get right using purely photos as imput data... so the results are pretty impressive.

Productivity

software reference

Intermediate

Detailing an Insect Head in ZBrush with Custom Brushes

March 14, 2023

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

I'll cover the use of the different brushes and what type of effects they produce as I detail the insect head. I you already have the insect brushes pack and want to follow along, check out the free resource at the bottom of the page!

Sculpting

software reference

Advanced

Posing characters in ZBrush with ‘AccuRig’

February 17, 2023

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

In this free tutorial series, I’m going to take you through the entire process from sketching an idea in Krita (2D) and turning it into a full 3D character in ZBrush that we can then pose using ‘AccuRig’ from Reallusion’s Character Creator 4. The focus of the series is in the setup of a humanoid character in ZBrush so that it can be rigged and easily posed (potentially animated) using CC4.

Character Design

software reference

Advanced

Wacom Cintiq pro 27” review

February 6, 2023

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

With the new Cintiq Pro 27”, Wacom has revisited and, in my opinion, improved the ergonomics of the Cintiq. The new model is lighter, brighter, and sharper and the express keys are now at the back. The Pen has also been updated with customisable parts and even a weight to tweak how it feels and balances on your hand… a very nice touch.

Review

software reference

Intermediate

Complex Polypaint Texture with history recall brush

January 12, 2023

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

In this tutorial, I’m going to cover the use of the History Recall Brush (normally a sculpting brush) to create complex textures for your characters and creatures. I’m going to show you how easy is to customise a brush to paint interesting textures and to re-use the first pass on a texture to build complexity with colour adjustments.

Texturing

software reference

Intermediate

Creating a Belt with a know int ZBrush

December 22, 2022

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

This video tutorial covers the modelling of a simple 'belt' with a knot wrapped around the waist of a character. This exact same technique and steps can be applied to a wide range of things to add visual interest or extra accessories to your characters and creatures.

Modeling

software reference

Intermediate

4 Simple techniques to create horns in ZBrush

November 15, 2022

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

In this tutorial, I go over 4 techniques that you can use to create horns in ZBrush for all your creature needs. These techniques are really powerful for all sorts of things not just horns so keep an eye on the steps of the workflows and let me know in the comments of this page how you are using these methods for something else!

Modeling

software reference

Beginner

My favourite Wacom trick for sculpting with references

November 8, 2022

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

This is a very quick video to show you one of my favourite tips when working with ZBrush on a Cintiq and a second monitor. This is one of the 'productivity hacks' that I've been ask to share before so this video should cover the setup and how easy and effective it is.

Productivity

software reference

Advanced

Creating a Plasticine Material with ZBrush and 3D Painter

October 26, 2022

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

Grab a coffee, this is a long video… I’m going to cover the full process of creating a Plasticine Material for PBR workflow using ZBrush and Adobe 3D Painter. I’m also going to show you how to render in Adobe 3D Stager to complete the look of a rough plasticine model.

Materials

software reference

Intermediate

3 Cool ways to create wings for Dragons or bats in ZBrush

October 11, 2022

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

In this video, I’m going to show you a step-by-step of how to create the geometry for the wings of a bat or a dragon using different techniques in ZBrush. All three techniques I’ll be covering can be beneficial in other situations not just to create wings so the focus is on the workflow and what the tools allow you to create.

Modeling

software reference

Intermediate

3D Sampler materials Exposed Parameters

September 27, 2022

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

You can now expose the attributes of your material in 3D Sampler so that the settings can be tweaked in other software when exported as .sbasr files! In this video, I’ll give you a quick demonstration of how it works.

Materials

software reference

Beginner

A quick tip to practice anatomy in ZBrush

September 5, 2022

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

This is a very quick video to show you a tip for your anatomy practice sessions in ZBrush. This video is in response to some of the questions I got about the time-lapse tutorial I’ve shared before

Sculpting

software reference

Beginner

How to Record a Clean Timelapse Video in ZBrush

September 1, 2022

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

In this video, I’m going to show you how to create a clean time-lapse video from your ZBrush sculpting sessions. I’m also going to cover a very simple way to automate the process of adjusting the settings for your time-lapse movie by creating a custom Macro button.

Presentation

software reference

Intermediate

Creating the Handle of a Katana’s hilt (Tsuka) with ZModeler in ZBrush

August 22, 2022

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

In this quick tutorial, I’m going to show you how to create the intricate woven patterns of a Japanese sword using the ZModeler tool in ZBrush. We are going to focus only on the handle (Tsuka) of the Katana’s hilt (Koshirae)

Modeling

software reference

This is a video series of 8 tutorials covering a variety of tips and tricks to use and leverage the masking features in ZBrush.

Sculpting

Texturing

software reference

Intermediate

ZBrush Custom Alphas from Custom Brushes

August 17, 2021

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

In this short video tutorial, I'm going to show you a quick way to create custom alphas to details your ZBrush sculptures using custom (or standard) brushes.

Sculpting

software reference

Intermediate

Adobe 3D Tools Project Breakdown

July 15, 2021

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

This is a short series of 4 videos covering the process of sculpting, materials creation, texturing and rendering of this project.

Breakdowns

software reference

Beginner

Quick look at the 3D SpaceMouse Pro

July 5, 2021

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

This video should give you a quick idea of how the 3D SpaceMouse Pro can be setup for different software and help you boost productivity.

Reference

software reference

Intermediate

Sketching with ZBrush VDMs and Sculptris Pro

June 8, 2021

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

In this tutorial, I walk you through the process of creating a couple of custom VDMs in ZBrush and using them to iterate and produce variants on a 3D sketch.

Sculpting

software reference

Advanced

Posing Humanoid Characters In and Out of ZBrush

May 25, 2021

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

In this video I'll show you how to pose your characters in ZBrush using the transpose master and a more advanced method using Mixamo and Blender and importing the posed model into ZBrush (while keeping Subdivision levels).

Modeling

software reference

Beginner

Let's Make a Custom SCAR BURSH in ZBrush

May 20, 2021

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

In this quick tutorial, I cover the creation of a custom brush in ZBrush to create 'skin scars’

Sculpting

software reference

Intermediate

Creating a custom ZBrush UI that works

May 1, 2021

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

In this video, I'm going to show you how to customise your ZBrush UI with a purpose.

Productivity

software reference

Intermediate

My Favourite ZBrush 2021.6 features

April 7, 2021

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

In this short tutorial series, I’m going to walk you through some of my favourite features from the ZBrush 2021.6.2 update. There are some nice general updates but I’m going to focus on 6 specific features/brushes and show you practical examples and how I use them in my projects.

Reference

software reference

Beginner

3D Concept Art workflow overview

March 16, 2021

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

In this short video, I'm sharing one of my workflows using 3D tools like ZBrush and Marmoset to iterate, design and produce the concept of a character.

Reference

software reference

Advanced

Patches PBR textures

December 8, 2020

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

The ZBrush Compositor plugin can help you create very intricate textures for PBR workflows.

Materials

software reference

Advanced

Hand Painted Skin Texture using ZBrush Polypaint

December 8, 2020

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

In this video tutorial, I’ll walk you through a few Polypainting techniques to texture skin. This process is ideal if you already have a fair amount of sculpted details on the model.Although the workflow I explain in this tutorial is specific to the creation of human skin, it’s a process that can be applied to anything you want.‍

Texturing

software reference

Intermediate

ZBrush 2021 Intro Series

August 26, 2020

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

In this tutorial series, the focus is on the new Dynamics of ZBrush 2021 and the workflows that could benefit from this feature. We’re are going to take a simple 3D sketch of a character (which you can download from the resources) and work on various pieces of cloth, fabric, and skin folds to refine the concept using dynamics.

Reference

software reference

Beginner

Stylised Hand-Painted textures

July 28, 2020

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

In this tutorial we'll be creating multiple hand-painted texture maps for PBR workflow

Texturing

software reference

Beginner

Intro to ZBrushCore MINI

June 18, 2020

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

A quick introduction to ZBrushCore MINI with some ‘workflow tips and tricks’

Sculpting

software reference

Texturing

software reference

Advanced

Low poly hair cards from FiberMesh

August 11, 2019

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

A mini tutorial series covering FiberMesh for long hair and baking ‘hair maps’

Hair & FX

software reference

Beginner

FiberMesh trees and forest

July 14, 2019

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

Using FibrMesh in ZBrush to easily create complex organic shapes like trees

Modeling

software reference

Intermediate

The Cheat Sheet for compositing

May 13, 2019

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

The 7 steps to compositing: a simplified approach to set up, combine & enhance your ZBrush render passes in Photoshop.

Compositing

software reference

Intermediate

Alien gun concept

May 4, 2019

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

This video is the conclusion of 3 #ZBrushLive sessions where we worked on a sci-fi gun concept

Rendering

software reference

Beginner

Intro to ZBrush 2019 (Part 2)

March 28, 2019

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

In this guide I’ll be covering some of the new additions to ZBrush 2019 that boost productivity.

Reference

software reference

Beginner

Intro to ZBrush 2019 (Part 1)

March 25, 2019

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

The ZBrush Compositor plugin can help you create very intricate textures for PBR workflows.

Reference

software reference

Intermediate

Intro to ZModeler

March 20, 2019

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

This is a 2-part video tutorial introducing you to the ZModeler tool in ZBrush

Modeling

software reference

Intermediate

3D Workspace and Computer Rig

March 12, 2019

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

Testing a new PC build for 3D work

Review

software reference

Intermediate

Finishing your sculpture

March 1, 2019

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

A variety of methods and workflows that you can use to polish your ZBrush sculpt and take it to the next level!

Rendering

software reference

Beginner

Filling the gaps

February 14, 2019

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

This tutorial is a follow-up to the video “How I learn ZBrush” where I talk about the thinking approach and the use of metaphors in the learning process.

Reference

software reference

Beginner

How I learned ZBrush

February 8, 2019

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

A short reference on my approach to learning ZBrush (an any other software).

Reference

software reference

Beginner

Wacom Cintiq Pro 24 Review

February 3, 2019

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

In this review, I’ll talk about the Wacom Cintiq Pro 24″ Touch, from an artist perspective.

Review

software reference

Intermediate

Curve Elastic and Radial Symmetry

January 26, 2019

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

A 4-part video tutorial, on the process of creating assets based on simple techniques using the Radial Symmetry and the “Elastic” feature in the curve brushes.

Sculpting

software reference

Beginner

Project Primitive Deformer

January 15, 2019

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

The Project Primitive was also introduced with the release of ZBrush 2018 and I mentioned it in my introductory guide to ZBrush 2018. However, this particular features deserves its own guide so that we can explore it in more depth.In this guide, I’ll walk you through the various controls and uses of the Project Primitive Deformer.

Modeling

software reference

Advanced

Clothes & Drapery

December 13, 2018

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

A fast-paced course focusing on the techniques and workflows to produce clothes in ZBrush for a fantasy Character (an odd spirit).

Materials

software reference

Advanced

5 useful ZBrush TIPS

December 12, 2018

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

5 tips learned last year, they are a bit random but they might be useful

Productivity

software reference

Beginner

Tweaking the modular head

November 14, 2018

– By

Pablo Muñoz Gómez

The modular head is just a generic human head (male) that allows you to manipulate various parts of the face using PolyGroups, to customise it and get started with your sculpt.

Sculpting

software reference