People have achieved some great results with tri and quadshaders to achieve a fleshy sub-surface scattering effect. One drawback I have found is you generally have to work blind with the model getting part of its colour from the shader and part from the texture. It can get a little tricky to control with a render required to see the true appearance.
This shows a quick way I have used in the past to get more of a fleshy look when using just the basic shader. It’s maybe not as realistic as other methods but it is easier to use. It allows you to texture your model in the workview knowing it will more closely resemble the final render.
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Turn off all lights(including ambient) and turn the materials specularity down to zero. Add a centrally positioned radial light with shadows turned off. This will illuminate the surfaces of the model turning away from the camera. Render this as another pass. Technically this is just a backlight effect but it can be used to make a model look more ‘alive’.
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In photoshop or other compositing app, put the radial light pass over the base and set it to linear dodge. Adjust opacity of the radial pass to get the desired look. You can also try adjusting the hue and the levels of the radial pass. The colours in the radial pass make the colours of the base richer when composited this way. This gives a nicer effect than if the radial pass was rendered in one go with all the other lights. It also allows you to easily control the look via compositing rather than performing endless test renders.
Any questions…post away.
Hope it helps,
Paul