Super fine skinning??

[SETMENU]

I have only just obtained Zbrush so my question is based on limited experience.

I am at present experimenting with the Daz Vicki3 fig.
In its un-smoothed form this fig has varying degrees of polygon resolution,so that areas
such as legs etc will be represented as fairly course faceted surfaces.
I have been trying to find a quick way of
smoothing this.

I have tried skinning in z brush and this does seem to produce a far finer set of facets.
But it is rather a blunt instrument when used in this way, as fine detail is removed,
giving a rather 'dipped in wax' look.

Question is this:
Is there a way of applying this sort of mesh
so that fine detail is retained, or some-such.
I know this question itself is a little crude but it is really just and opener to get some input.
No doubt I shall learn more myself with time.

Finally for those who are going to wonder why
an earth I require such super fine meshes.
The proposed purpose of the models is to produce files for stereo-lithography.
Models produced by this process reproduce the faceted form seen on screen.

Cheers

Setmenu

[TVeyes]

If you are going to export the figure again you should use Tool modifiers deformation divide to divide the mesh, followed by Tool modifiers deformation smooth to remove facets. Repeat the above until you reach the desired mesh density. However the current polygon limit for an object is around 250.000. You can get your objects polygon count by letting the cursor hover over the tools icon.

If you are staying within Zbrush you can set Tool Modifiers smooth to 1 and Tool Modifiers divide to an appropriate value.

Not sure if that was what you were after.

[Flycatcher]

Sorry, Setmenu, I can't offer any assistance myself, but you may find it useful to exchange ideas with Stonecutter here on this forum or at TrollzBane.

He is a professional gem-cutter, and has also recently purchased equipment for producing real-world physical models from computer meshes. All a bit beyond me, but I'm sure he'd be happy to chat with a fellow enthusiast.

[aurick]

The current limit also has to do with the amount of RAM that you have available. The folks at Fisher-Price (who are also using ZBrush for rapid prototyping) have managed to push it higher since they have 3 GB of RAM. The next version of ZBrush (which is a free upgrade to all registered users of the current version) will also be able to go over a million polygons.

You can control what portions of your mesh will be divided using the Divide command through masking. Hold down the Ctrl key and you will be able to paint a mask across the surface of your mesh. Masked areas will mostly remain the same when you use the Divide function.

For your use, the Divide function is certainly the way to go. Tool>Modifers>Smooth only affects the way a model renders. It doesn't effect its true polygon count.

[SETMENU]

Hi Folks
Thanks for the replies.
The division function tends to divide what is already there [in experiments thus far] ending up with the same faceted mesh but with a far higher poly count.
Smoothing ,can help a bit, but really just slightly alters the geometry.
I had the most success in the previous mentioned 'wax dip' sense with the 'make unified skin' function.
hence my question about refining this function[lots!].

I am sure that making from scratch [a super High rez poser fig] would give me the most control,but I am looking to avoid this if pos.

Anyway thanks again, I will certainly contact Stonecutter as he will no doubt have had to tackle some of these issues himself.

Cheers

Setmenu

[Ctrl-Z]

Dang, Aurick. You just made my day.

I meant to ask whether anyone was using ZBrush for stereo lithography. Spent a good many hours at Siggraph drooling over those machines. And, have you read this article? Exciting stuff. So, the news that Fisher-Price is already using it for rapid prototyping.. I can't really explain why that's so cool. I guess it's proof-of-concept on one of my long-time fantasies.

[aurick]

Here's the best workflow:

1) Mask any areas that you don't wish to have a high poly count.
2) Press Tool>Modifiers>Deformations>Divide
3) Remove the mask
4) Do Tool>Modifiers>Deformations>Smooth with a value of 100. You can do this several times.

Repeat as necessary.

The Divide funtion increases the mesh density. The Smooth deformation (as opposed to the Smooth modifier) averages adjacent points to give you a smoother mesh. Believe me; after a few times at 100% your figure will be starting to take on that dipped in wax look!

Please see my post in your other thread for illustrated examples.

[3DArtToPart]

Ctrl-Z, we do RP and we're (at least I am) drooling a the prospect of building some of the ZBrush models that we've seen.

Visit our site at www.3DArtToPart.com, we're currently running a contest as well.