Ring Master ZBrush Plugin

03/13/2020

The Ring Master Z-Plugin is a great tool to create quick and easy Ring Band BaseMeshes with precise measurements such as size, thickness and width. It is used primarily in jewelry design and creation. The plugin works without using any external application making it an easy tool to work with within ZBrush.

Installation:

Close ZBrush 2019
Extract the downloaded RingMaster Zip file
Copy the contents of the folder RingMaster_Install, which includes the 'RingMaster_2019.zsc' and the 'RingMasterData_2019' folder to the Pixologic/ZBrush 2019/ZStartup/ZPlugs64/ folder
Important: Some plugins are 64-bits and must instead be placed in the ZStartup/ZPlugs64 folder.
Relaunch ZBrush
The Ring Master tool will be located in the ZPlugins Pallet at the top.

Ring BaseMesh creation Process:

Have a PolyMesh3D shape drawn out in ZBrush. (Select shape; Make PolyMesh3D)
Dock the Ring Master Plugin window to the Left panel for easy access.
Clicking on the Ring Master Logo provides a Cheat sheet that gives you an overview of the entire and its functionalities.
To start off, set the required parameters : Size, Thickness, Width
The different ring sizes can be found under the "US Size" button under the RingMaster Menu. This documents all the ring sizes in US to its equivalent size in millimeters (mm). It contains a text document that shows all the ring sizes available. Custom sizes can also be saved out and used on the ring model.
After entering the required parameters, click on Create Ring BaseMesh.
You will notice a new tool that is created with the parameter values chosen.
Turn PolyFrame on, you will notice 3 separate Polygroups as the Ring BaseMesh:
Ring Band , Mandrel (can be edited by masking to create different ring effects) and a 1 inch Cube (acts as a placeholder at the top.)

Editing/altering the shape of the base mesh:

Once done creating the Ring BaseMesh, we can now edit the ring mesh as we would like.
This can be done by 2 methods:
Dynamesh (Sculpting)
ZModeler Brush:
Use the hotkeys "BZM" to activate the ZModeler Brush.
With the ZModeler Brush selected we can use its context sensitive properties to make changes to the base.
Hover over an edge and hit spacebar, under the Edge Actions menu - click on Bevel. Apply it to the sides of the Ring Mesh (This will make the ring have smoother edge flow.)
Repeat the steps by hovering over an edge, hit spacebar and under the Edge Actions menu - click on Polygroup.
This applies a new Polygroup to the area selected (Click and press Alt.)
Now, Hover over one of the poly's in the new Polygroup and go to the Polygon Actions menu (by hitting spacebar.)
Select the ZModeler action to QMesh and the Target to Polygroup All.
Click and drag; this creates an extruded band of polygons along the ring body.

Creasing and Dynamic Subdivision:

To smooth out the ring and give it a finished look, go to the Ring Master Plugin and turn on Creasing.
Now, go to the Geometry taband open the Crease menu.
Vary the CTolerance to 30 and click on Crease,(Creasing will now be applied to the model.)
Go to the Dynamic Subdiv menu under the Geometry tab and turn on Dynamic.
Turn off PolyFrame to see the results. (We now have a ring that is low resolution that appears in its High resolution form without increasing the topology.)

This is the basics of creating a ring with the Ring Master Plugi

Adding Details to the Ring:

GEM STONES:

Under the Ring Master tab, click on the Gem Stones option.
There are many options to choose from:
Shape, Dimension (Size), placement etc.
Turn off the On Band option and click on Add Gem Stone to Subtool.
A new gem Subtool will be appended under the Subtool pallet.
You can now use the 3D Gizmo to position it on the ring model.

Adding Multiple Gems:

Pick a shape and set a Number
Turn on the On Band option
Turn on Middle and click on Add Gem Stone to Subtool.

(This uses the Array Mesh functionality in ZBrush and creates a new Subtool.)

Now go to Array Mesh -> increase/decrease the Repeats as desired.
You can now use the 3D Gizmo to position it on the ring model as required.

Custom Gemstone Option:

Under the Gem Stones option, turn on Custom
Go to Brush -> IMM Brush -> IMM Boolean brush -> select any one
Set a Number and Dimension
Turn on the On Band option
Turn on Middle and click on Add Gem Stone to Subtool.
Now under the Subtool menu click on the subtractive mode
Turn on Live Boolean in Top Panel
Make necessary changes as needed
Go to Subtool -> Boolean -> Make Boolean Mesh
You will now end up with a Solid Ring mesh

This is what the final result would look like! This is a wonderful and handy plugin to create a variety of rings for customized jewelry design. The process used above is a very basic ring creation method in ZBrush using Ring Master, with practice you can make some really cool stuff! Switch between your tablet and mouse while working with Ring Master.

Hope this was helpful !