Hard surface Zbrush 4 tutorial.
First of start with loading "ShadowBox512" tool (pic01) and by using masking draw the shape you want (pic02),if you have reference use it.
After you're happy with your mask (pic03) press "Make PolyMesh3D".Now use the clipping brushes
(ClipRect and ClipCurve) to make the corners even sharper, now you have a nice hard surface tool(pic04).But it's too large in size, so
here comes retopology.From the tool pallete select Zsphere (pic05), then click on "Adaptive Skin", "Rigging" and "Topology".
In "Adaptive Skin" set the "density" bar to 1 and click on "Use Classic Skinning", then in "Rigging" press "Select Mesh" and select
the "PM3D_ShadowBox512" ztl that you created in "ShadowBox".The tool you selected shoud be transperant, now using the "Scale" button
click on the "ZSphere" and drag until it becomes a small dot in the center of the selected tool (pic06).
Click on the "Draw" button and leave only "Zadd" one and set the "Draw Size" slider to 1.
Now in "Topology" click on "Edit Topology and you're ready to start creating the lowpoly mesh.
You're tool should look graysh, now click on one of the corners and connect it to another corner.Do the same until you finish connecting the points (pic07).
Check your result by pressing "Preview" in the "Adaptive skin" pallete, when you're happy with you're result, select "Make Adaptive Skin".
Then select "Make PolyMesh3D" in the tools pallete, now you have a nice low poly mesh (pic08).
Press "Duplicate" in the "SubTool" pallete, now move the duplicated tool
to the side using the 'Move" button and by using the "ClipRect" brush get it into the shape you want (pic09), then click on the "Geometry" pallete and click "Mirror And Weld" (pic10).
Now repeat the last process untill you get the shapes you want (pic11) (pic12) (pic13).When you're done with shape, press "Merge Visible" in the "SubTool" pallete.With the merged tool go to
"polygroups" and click "Group Visible" (pic15), you can always press "Auto Groups" (pic14) and hide one part, and edit it, or even mask it and edit the unmasked part (pic16).
You can subdivide the part and start sculpting it anyway you want and you keep your basic shape (pic17).
That's how I got a Hard Surface 70 polys object with retopology and Clip Brushes (picB) from a Hard surface 135000 object with ShadowBox and Clip Brushes (picA).
tut.jpg
It sounds like alot of work, but it's a really fast process.
Hope you enjoyed reading my second tutorial.
Link to my first tutorial:
http://www.zbrushcentral.com/showpost.php?p=682726&postcount=20