B UILDING & M ANAGEMENT
V OLUME 3 I SSUE 3 S EPTEMBER - D ECEMBER 2019
E VOLUTION OF DRAWING AND SKETCHING WITH THE USE OF ZBRUSH AND THE LIVE BOOLEAN TOOL
A. B ERROYA E LOSUA , M. E CHEVARRÍA A GUIRRE AND D. A RTEAGOITIA G ARCÍA (2019). B UILDING & M ANAGEMENT , 3(3): 34-41
Fig. 3: Thumbnails of interiors starting from line drawing through prototyping in color, realized in Clip Studio Paint.
versions and workflows.
Nonetheless, Robertson mentions that it is essential not to
spend too much time within these programs, because it is a
time-consuming process to design and prototype shapes in 3D
environments:
The subject of the following study is the Live Bolean tool from
ZBrush 4.8 and its application as a technique for designing
architectural spaces and scenography. It is an advance on the
classic techniques of pre-visualization, with both the speed of
sketching and drawing but also providing the advantages of
3D. Realistic rendering becomes available with materials,
reflections, and lighting shown.
“It's easy to get sucked into modeling more than is needed,
and to get carried away adding details or more complex
forms that would be faster and easier just to draw. Hours can
be spent messing around on the computer when all that was
really needed was one good 3/4 view to get started” [2].
Although there are already Booleans and modeling tools for
designing 3D elements in programs such as SketchUp,
3DSMax, BIM, AutoCAD, etc., this Live Boolean tool is the most
effective 3D alternative to thumbnail sketches. It allows one to
create complex shapes without worrying about the mesh or
topology and allows for the deformation, cutting, and
modification of models using multiple meshes to obtain a real-
time preview of what the result will be.
This problem, in fact, is mentioned in the research carried out
by J. Alcaide-Marzal, J. A. Diego-Mas, S. Asensio-Cuesta, and
B. Piqueras-Fiszman, in their work "An exploratory study on
the use of digital sculpting in conceptual product design" [3].
They performed tests involving students who had basic,
medium, and advanced skills in 2D illustration, drawing, and
3D. The students were split into groups based on the workflow
in which they specialized to create concepts. The research
concluded that:
In the video game and animated film industries, design
techniques are used to facilitate the preview of complex
architecture, buildings, and backgrounds. These can include
both organic and inorganic shapes. Within the workflows of
these industries, 2D and 3D digital tools and software are
used in various states of the process, as mentioned in the
communication carried out in the international congress on
building APEGA 2019 [4].
“Paper and pencil are still more powerful than digital media
to produce conceptual solutions, in terms of number of
concepts. This evidence rejects our first hypothesis, as
participants were more productive when using 2D
sketches” (…) “Computer tools for conceptual design are
already available, but it is difficult to use them properly. A
new approach to computer aided design is needed in order to
take advantage of them. The dialogue between designer and
digital sculpting is actually there, but it needs some
adjustments. A more comprehensive analysis of 3D sketching
actions and their connection with 2D sketching would be
needed in order to determine the right approach to these new
tools” [3].
After analyzing the results, it was found that the use of
previsualization techniques for the representation of concepts
has proven its effectiveness (especially as a time saver), as it
allows the user to achieve realistic and impactful results for the
presentation of a project in a more efficient way. In this sense,
these systems can be of great help in industries and sectors
like architecture and building.
However, this research was conducted using the ZBrush 4
software version, which did not include the Live Boolean tool
which will be subsequently discussed. The Live Boolean tool,
introduced in version 4.8, allows for the design of complex
shapes without requiring of the time and effort of previous
1.1. Introduction
3D programs have been utilized in many different realms of
architecture. The most common use has been to previsualize
models after they have already been designed. This is used to
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