Alexander Lee Walks through the process to create a stop-motion claymation animation effect using Zbrush.

Zbrush for animation? While Zbrush doesn’t have an animation toolset, it’s sculpting toolset is unmatched. Why not use it for creating a stop-motion claymation look? That was the topic of Alexander Lee’s IFFC Online 2020 discussion. Now Lee posts the demo to that talk, showing how he creates a claymation look to animation.

Each Frame as a Different Mesh.

Lee’s technique is sculpting a new mesh (or modifying an existing one) for each frame. That allows the operating to sculpt in animation cues like motion blur and smear frames right into the mesh. Dynamesh also gives some interesting intersections between parts of the mesh in the animation. The technique preserves the expressiveness of a sculpts throughout the animation process.

Alexander has some scripted tools that allow you to export rigged, animated characters on each frame and send those into Zbrush to sculpt over top of them.

About Alexander Lee.

Alexander Lee is a Los Angeles based Senior Technical Artist (currently with Survios), Sculptor and Animator.