Know the Basics: ZBrush – part seven: rendering in KeyShot

3D art director Gregory Stoffel continues the Know the Basics: ZBrush series rendering different passes using the ZBrush to KeyShot bridge...

Previous tutorials

Know the Basics: ZBrush - part one: Modeling
Know the Basics: ZBrush - part two: Texturing
Know the Basics: ZBrush - part three: Posing
Know the Basics: ZBrush - part four: FiberMesh and UVs
Know the Basics: ZBrush - part five: KeyShot lighting and materials
Know the Basics: ZBrush - part six: ZBrush lighting and materials

Continuing from the previous chapter on materials in KeyShot, we will see an overview of the rendering process in KeyShot, and I will show which materials and lighting settings I have used to render the different passes I needed to composite my final image of Mer-Man.

Step 1: Create and lock the camera

Before rendering, I moved the camera to compose my image the way I wanted. To keep this angle, I created a new camera and pressed the lock icon to make sure I will not move it by accident. With this, I had 2 cameras, the locked one for rendering my different passes out of KeyShot, and the Free camera to be able to move around my scene.

Choose a camera angle, create a camera and lock it in place

Step 2: Environment panel settings overview

Now that the materials have been applied to our model from the previous chapter of this tutorial, let's have a look at the Environment tab and its settings to modify the lighting of your scene. First thing you see is the current HDRI map used to light the scene. You will find some simple settings to modify this map below the preview image, as well as settings to change the background of the canvas and the ground in the scene.

Overview of the Environment panel

Step 3: Choosing another Environment map

We are going to change the default HDRI map with another one by clicking the folder icon.

Changing the default HDRI map with another one

Step 4: Modify your HDRI maps

If you want to have more options to modify your loaded HDRI map, click the HDRI Editor button and a new window will open with more advanced parameters to modify this map.

Open the HDRI Editor to get access to more advanced parameters to modify your HDRI map

Step 5: Rendering the main passes

Open the render menu to start rendering the first main passes of your scene. In the Output window, choose a name, destination resolution and format for your render. You can render different passes at the same time that will be useful at the compositing stage such as the Depth Pass or the Clown Pass. In the Options window, you will have access to the quality settings of the render.

Settings to render out the different passes of your scene

Step 6: Rendering additional passes

I have rendered additional passes by simply applying different shaders to all the parts of the model. I will use these additional passes later for the composting stage in Photoshop.

Rendering additional passes by applying shaders to the full model

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The Moebius Tribute tutorial
The Burai Fighter Tribute tutorial
The Rhino tutorial
Know the Basics: ZBrush - part one: Modeling
Know the Basics: ZBrush - part two: Texturing
Know the Basics: ZBrush - part three: Posing
Know the Basics: ZBrush - part four: FiberMesh and UVs
Know the Basics: ZBrush - part five: KeyShot lighting and materials
Know the Basics: ZBrush - part six: ZBrush lighting and materials