Ok, i decided to go back to dynamesh concepting to add some raw detailing.
Then i'll remesh manually by retopology through zsphere technique so i can define hard surfaces.
And yes... about that hand you came late. Anyway symmetry in ZB is somewhat weird...
I'm working now on armour plates through zsphere topology tool... man! Is it really so complicated?
Is it really necessary to switch to a zsphere, attach the original mesh to it, draw the topology, create the adaptive mesh then switch back to the original tool and import the result? I'm not complaining about drawing the topology (obviously) but all those switches lead me to confusion, at least at this initial phase! And how much tool in the tool palette, at a certain point you don't know which is which!
Isn't it possible to work it all always into the same tool?
Ok, it's a pretty straightforward process. Only lots of patience needed.
I painted orange the "hard surface" mesh to hilight over the dynamesh concept.
And yes... UI customization does pay. Built a panel with deformation->rotate; mirror and weld; subdivision level; del lower + del higher; crease/uncrease.
Still working on it. Too bad i can dedicate only an hour a day to this project and i feel that hard surface modeling requires lot of time... Anyway, going on...
So I just went through all five pages of this thread -- amazing perseverance on your part! Zbrush can be daunting. The most important thing is not to give up, even when you think your model looks terrible. It's the only way to get better, even if it hurts. So well done! I find threads like this inspiring.
Also, the hard surface stuff looks amazing for a first attempt! You'll have to give me tips, I'm afraid to even try...
Well, yes, ZB is daunting the first time you face it... after the first approach it's simply strange
Thank you about the perseverance, i really want to bring a project to the end with ZB to understand its mechanics. About the hard surface, it's not difficult, but it requires lot of patience (at least for me, perhaps i'm using the bad technique) and the most annoying part is creasing all the edges by polygrouping, selecting and dissecting the mesh. I hoped that the new creasing brush in 4R6 did the trick by painting the creasing directly over an existing edge but it doesn't look it works this way.
Anyway, i feel more accustomed to hard surface than organic sculpting, mainly because my lacks of artistic/anatomical knowledge (i go into ZB in my spare time just to "relax", in my daily work i'm a programmer).
By the way, i love your sculpting skills, seen your recent work.