VFX ZBrush Summit returns this September with digital sculpting competition -

ZBrush Summit returns this September with digital sculpting competition

Maxon recently announced that the annual ZBrush Summit will take place from 28 September to 1 October 2023. This 10th anniversary event will showcase the latest developments in digital sculpting and feature fun and challenging activities for attendees, on location in Hollywood as well as online.

The highlight of ZBrush Summit is the digital sculpting competition – the Live ZBrush Sculpt-Off. The theme for this year’s competition, which will be held on 28 September is “Sword and Sorcery,” where participants will bring mythical creatures and epic characters to life. There will be prizes of over $25,000, with the winner being crowned the Live ZBrush Sculpt-Off Champion and their entry immortalised in bronze.

“We’re thrilled to bring the ZBrush Summit back for an in-person experience this year, and we look forward to welcoming artists from around the world to showcase their creativity, learn from industry experts, and celebrate the art of digital sculpting,” said ZBrush product manager Paul Gaboury.

Maxon is offering attendees the chance to participate in one of seven exclusive, in-person-only ZBrush workshops. These workshops will allow participants to enhance their skills and learn techniques from some of the most talented artists in the field. The workshop topics include: VFX for film; video game asset creation; character design; and tips and tricks for those who simply want to sharpen their ZBrush skills.

Workshop leaders include:

Ana Carolina Pereira: Pereira is a passionate artist and creator working with 3D art and sculpture, with years of experience in workshop teaching and mentorship. Her goal is to help others unleash their creativity.

Henry Chervenka: Chervenka is the CEO of 3D Dynamic Studios, a studio focusing on the emerging field of AI weapon detection. Initially an automotive airbrush artist, he transitioned into the world of 3D, which paved the way for collaborations with numerous studios and university project contributions.

Joseph Drust: Drust is a lead character artist at Atomic Arcade, whose passion for the CG industry and character design has spanned over two decades. He is a seasoned expert in ZBrush, which has led him to create valuable tutorials, sharing his knowledge with aspiring artists worldwide.

Michael Defeo: Defeo is a sculptor whose specialty lies in translating 2D character designs into full-fledged 3D models. With his team at Blue Sky Studios he brought characters to life for the Ice Age Franchise, Robots, Horton Hears A Who, Rio, and Epic.

Michael Pavlovich: Pavlovich is the director of character, weapon, and vehicle art, specialising in iterative pipelines for Certain Affinity, the studio responsible for helping develop video game franchises including Halo, COD and Doom.

Pablo Munoz Gomez: Gomez is a 3D concept and character artist whose work revolves around 3D sculpting, visual development and a variety of mixed-media projects. He is the founder of the ZBrushGuides website, the 3D Concept Artist academy, and the 3DSnippets project.

Patrick Foley, aka Patrick 4D: Patrick is a 3D artist based in Atlanta, specialising in digital photo realism within the food and product space.

Further details of the ZBrush Summit are available on their website.

VFX