the wrestler (WiP museum_scene)

[michalis]

OK, I was just testing something.
Another usual boring thing. (blender-cycles render)

[PFC666]

plas,plas,plas,with two hands, bravo, bravo

[chalkman]

Michalis .... Your sculpts are never boring! This one is really wonderful IMHO!

Cheers, David

[Patpotlood]

very boring.

come on, it's fanatastic!!

grtz p

[michalis]

Thank you PFC666, David, Patpotlood
It is boring, because there isn't any reference and I sculpted the usual things imitating some masterpieces on museums.
There is a stylistic thing around, which I like and this is why I posted it.
When you copy the masters you learn something useful. When imitating them... you only learn what is going wrong with them.
More or less. I think, Picasso's quotes, if I recollect correctly.

[remcv8]

This actually looks as though it is chiseled from stone. Amazing work!!!

[michalis]

Thank you remcv8

Back into the loops for a while.
I won't call it a tutorial, Mealea and other friends posted a lot of them. Great ones.
Just wanted to show a little simpler approach on this matter.
My goal is to be able to export it to another render engine / application.

So, my basic principles:
1. Find a way to keep subdivisions as you work, as possible. This example costs 10k, 20k, 27k, three overlapping (layered) meshes. Easy to export them, right?
2. Real displacement will take place into the final render engine. So, avoid distractive solutions in zbrush. I mean, NEVER apply the subdivisions in zbrush. A non distractive preview is all you need. (DISP+MOD) . A fine way to preview your work.
If you apply real displacements, a. you gonna need lot of subdivisions, b. The worse: it will distort the base of the mesh (and the UVs)
3. As a conclusion of the #2, don't ever apply displacements twice, or give more displ passes on your mesh. It is against the principle #2 but it also creates, dull. blurred, confused effects on the surface. Of course, if this is among your intentions, go ahead.

Here we are:

Sculpt (a rather low poly dynamesh). Boolean operations, simple and a little smooth clean forms. Some holes maybe. Keep it clean and simple.
Enter z remesher and ask for a ~ 10 - 20 k poly remeshing (retopology).
This is your base. You can work on it as it is, or, you can create some loops on it (Mealea's tutorials, please don't allow triangles so uncheck the appropriate button there) Loops must be at 1, a simple loop.
So:
- polyframe view ON.
-Ctrl+Shift (hide tool), lasso mode!
-Start hiding loops by clicking on an edge, make the brush small please. (Undo always acceptable LOL)
-Ctrl+Shift+drag in empty space (=invert hide)

-Under SubTools palette, extract, preview it and accept it. This will directly create a new SubTool.
Select a second optional group of loops and create a third SubTool.
Or, optionally, subdivide once, one of the subtools, select (hide/invert) thinner and more detailed loops and create another overlapping SubTool.
During these operations, I never applied a subdivision, noticed it? Non distractive operations.

We have a few Subtools this way, layering, overlapping the base mesh.
-Pick one by one, Create GUVs, / texture panel / new texture.
-Import your Displacement map.
(It can be created by sculpting on super subdivided plane, horizontal and vertical interesting strokes etc, fill the screen with it, BPR rendering, export the depth pass. This is a 16 bit B&W displacement map. Alternatively, you can also save an AO map (we'll talk about it in another post)

-On the displacement panel select the imported displ map.
-Fine tune the strength - Intensity (you can preview it like bump) But you need the slower and better Mod Preview. You may see some holes like but don't bother, it is only a preview that shows the real elevation that gonna happen. (subdivide the subtools 2-3 levels for great previewing, but go to subd level 1 before exporting, once again, non distractive as long you don't apply disp)
Under the create disp map button there is a Mid slider. This tell to the disp engine one thing. The mid grey tone of a dispMap (by default grey means No disp), what it will be. By example, if the elevations +- are more than your thin object, they will distort it badly. So, move Mid to the left works as the black tones (carved) stay on the surface, the white hi elevation will go higher.
All these are a nice preview only, this information will not be exported.
When you feel happy with your creation, after exporting to an advanced renderer - application, all this fine tuning will take place there.
I hope all these are helpful.

A simple test:
The BPR final render (displacments are in Mode, not applied)
Clean, crisp and precise displacements, loops. Two lights in used composed in a postpros image editor.

The base mesh, after Z remeshing, after adding a few loops.

Selecting loops, extracting them

[michalis]

I'm facing a bug saving a thumbnail, after more tan one files are attached on a post.
Sorry for this second post.

[PFC666]

Thanks Michalis
it seems a bit complicated, because the google translation is confusing
but try to follow all these steps
the effect is fantastic
leave me a little time
Thanks for sharing your knowledge
a hug

[michalis]

thanks
LOL
google translation from my english, well I have to see it.
There are more details on such methods but have been discussed on other thread like Mealea's already.
On how to pick one only polygroup, UV unwrap it, move the texture on it... More advanced methods.
My goal was to expose the basic principles of a method that is valid under any application can be a part of a workflow.
Staying in zbrush internally, it isn't a great idea. It reminds me older european political situations
On the other hand, staying in zbrush can lead to really crazy, impressive creations. There is always a payment, whatever road you choose.

[PFC666]

thanks
LOL
google translation from my english, well I have to see it.
There are more details on such methods but have been discussed on other thread like Mealea's already.
On how to pick one only polygroup, UV unwrap it, move the texture on it... More advanced methods.
My goal was to expose the basic principles of a method that is valid under any application can be a part of a workflow.
Staying in zbrush internally, it isn't a great idea. It reminds me older european political situations
On the other hand, staying in zbrush can lead to really crazy, impressive creations. There is always a payment, whatever road you choose.

thanks friend
but it is "LOL"?

[michalis]

Com puc ajudar;

[PFC666]

Com puc ajudar;

doing what you're doing "***954;***940;***957;***949;***953; ***972;, ***964;***953; ***954;***940;***957;***949;***964;***949;"
thanks

[PFC666]

[QUOTE=PFC666;1041557]doing what you're doing

[Patpotlood]

great explanation.

i think i missed some of these steps.

grtz p