Topic: Hybrid Modeling with ZBrush
Date: July 11 – 12, 2026
Time: 14:00 – 18:00 GMT
Format: Online on Zoom
Duration: 2 Sessions (8 Hours)
Registration Deadline: July 10th, 2026
Total Seats: 50 seats
Difficulty: Beginner – Intermediate
Language: English
Certificate: Yes
General Registration: 100 EUR
Join free: with Full Access membership
Fee for Digital Members: 85 EUR (15% discount available only for Digital Members)
Organized By: PAACADEMY
Tutor: Saba Mahdavi
Recordings: Recordings will be available for all participants afterward indefinitely.
Introduction to Hybrid Modeling with ZBrush:
This workshop explores hybrid digital modeling workflows by integrating sculptural, parametric, and hard-surface design techniques. Centered around ZBrush as the primary tool, participants will develop intricate high-resolution geometries by bridging multiple software environments, including Adobe Illustrator and Rhinoceros 3D.
The workshop focuses on constructing complex forms that operate across multiple scales, from detailed architectural artifacts and research prototypes to immersive virtual environments and VFX-oriented spatial designs.
Through a combination of subdivision modeling, extraction strategies, Boolean operations, and 2D-to-3D translation techniques, participants will learn how to develop precise yet experimental workflows for contemporary digital fabrication and visualization.
By hybridizing workflows between software platforms, the workshop encourages a design methodology that merges artistic intuition with technical control, enabling participants to produce highly detailed and adaptable digital forms.
Methodology:
In this workshop, participants will develop a hands-on workflow for creating complex hard surface geometries using ZBrush Pixologic tools such as ZModeler, Live Booleans, NanoMesh, and array operations.
By the end of the first session, you will be able to construct detailed, high-resolution 3D forms ready for prototyping. This workshop will cover how to convert 2D patterns into 3D geometries and modify them in Rhinoceros, creating spatial forms and architectural elements.
Participants will leave the workshop with a complete set of artifacts and tools, from concept to an optimized 3D model, ready for rendering or 3D printing.
Key Learning Topics:
- Introduction to the ZBrush interface and workflow
- Hard-surface modeling using ZModeler and Live Booleans
- Using NanoMesh, Snapshot, and array systems
- Translating 2D drawings into 3D geometries
- Hybrid workflows between ZBrush, Illustrator, and Rhino
- Refining models for rendering and 3D printing
Program:
Day 01 — Foundations & Hybrid Setup
- Introduction to the workshop concept and workflow
- Overview of ZBrush interface and core principles
- Hard-surface modeling techniques using ZModeler, Live Booleans, and NanoMesh
- Establishing a hybrid workflow between tools and design methods
Day 02 — Hybrid Geometry & Spatial Development
- Translating 2D drawings into 3D geometries
- Spatial development and refinement in Rhinoceros 3D
- Hybridizing and modifying geometries across platforms
- Optimization and output preparation for rendering and 3D printing
Software:
- Rhino
- ZBrush
- Illustrator
Workshop Notes:
- Software installation is not a part of the workshop
Instructor:
Saba Mahdavi
Saba Mahdavi is an architect based in Vienna, working as a Designer at Coop Himmelb(l)au. She studied architecture at the Angewandte and completed an exchange program at SCI-Arc, where she expanded her engagement with experimental and speculative design approaches.
She gained professional experience at Mark Foster Gage Architects in New York, a formative period that significantly shaped her intellectual and design methodology. Alongside her professional practice, she engages with international platforms, with her work recently presented at the Taipei Biennial 2025.
Important Notes:
- The “Hybrid Modeling with ZBrush” workshop by PAACADEMY will start at 14:00 (GMT) on Saturday, July 11th, 2026.
- Total sessions: 2 Sessions (8 Hours).
- The teaching duration per session will be 4 hours.
- Students will have time for a break between teaching hours.
- The workshop will be recorded, and videos will be available for participants just a day after the class for an unlimited time.
- PAACADEMY will provide a certificate of attendance.
- The studio has limited seats. Tickets are non-transferable & non-refundable. Please read carefully before you register.
Topic: Hybrid Modeling with ZBrush
Date: July 11 – 12, 2026
Time: 14:00 – 18:00 GMT
Format: Online on Zoom
Duration: 2 Sessions (8 Hours)
Registration Deadline: July 10th, 2026
Total Seats: 50 seats
Difficulty: Beginner – Intermediate
Language: English
Certificate: Yes
General Registration: 100 EUR
Join free: with Full Access membership
Fee for Digital Members: 85 EUR (15% discount available only for Digital Members)
Organized By: PAACADEMY
Tutor: Saba Mahdavi
Recordings: Recordings will be available for all participants afterward indefinitely.
