Bad Alien - Work In Progress

[Svet_P]

This is an alien that I am modelling right now.

Still don't know how to add more polygons to the head - thus the blocky ear.
Tried with making the head out of three (instead of just one) ZSpheres - apparently this didn't add enough geometry.
The model is subdivided up to level 7. Still, the ear is quite blocky, damnit.
Guess that I must somehow re-topologize just the ear to get more geometry in that area?

Anyway, this is a WIP and I will appreciate your tips, critiques and advices, guys.
I even intend to animate this model. Some day...







_

[midost]

Nice start. Looks like you have some good, clean lines starting there. I might recommend having the eyelids hugging the eyeballs a bit more closely, though.

As for the ears, you are going to have to retopologize him anyway if you want to animate him, so that is your best option.

Zbrush 3.5 does have a great feature where you can export your lowest subdivision to an external program, make changes to the topology, and then reimport the obj. You can then reproject the details from your other subdivisions. It's a lifesaver if all you want to do are make some small changes, like adding a little more geometry around the ear.

[Svet_P]

Sure, I was just about to fiddle with the eyelids.

Retopology in another application sounds cool.
But just started learning Cinema 4D and I don't know if this app has the tools for the job.

Here's a new progress pic.

[Svet_P]

Some progress.
Oh, and before you ask: no, this is not a female alien.
The creature has boobies because it has been taking anabolic steroids. As a side effect, it developed gynecomastia (also known as "bitch tits", "man boobs", "gyno").

[Svet_P]

I removed the man boobs.
Added a belly button and messed a little more with the anatomy.
Small changes but they kind of add variety.

[dragotron]

cool man, maybe tone down some of the texture of the skin... and don't use mirror in noticable places such as the forehead!

[Svet_P]

^ Thanks man.

The texture you see on the model is temporary.
I added it just to be able to feel the character a little bit better. Helps me see where I am going to.
I will remove this texture and I will add a fresh one when I get close to the final thing.
Still experimenting with different alphas and approaches.
Scales? Bumps? Just normal pores?
I still don't know which one of these will be best. But the demo bumps it has right now work kind of cool for this alien, so maybe it will be bumpy after all.

The final texture will be applied without the mirror function.
I will mess-up the symmetry of the character itself too. Just a little bit but enough to make it look more organic and less computer generated.

_

[Svet_P]

Zbrush 3.5 does have a great feature where you can export your lowest subdivision to an external program, make changes to the topology, and then reimport the obj. You can then reproject the details from your other subdivisions. It's a lifesaver if all you want to do are make some small changes, like adding a little more geometry around the ear.

Now I am confident that I need to use this.
What is the name of this feature in ZBrush 3.5?
How do you fire this function up?
Any tutorials / tips / tricks?

Thanks!

[Svet_P]

Some experimental "progress" out of boredom.

Cmon, I really need to know how this trick with exporting the low poly to another 3D program and then re-projecting all the subdivisions back in ZBrush works.

[evillair]

Some experimental "progress" out of boredom.

Cmon, I really need to know how this trick with exporting the low poly to another 3D program and then re-projecting all the subdivisions back in ZBrush works.

To export just go to the lowest subdivision and press the export button. Do your changes then use the import button with your current tool in edit mode. It may ask you if you want to transfer you detail to the new mesh (or something similar), just say 'yes'.

[Svet_P]

^ I just tried this.
Used Cinema 4D and exported the modified low-poly as Wavefront OBJ from the C4D menu.

When I re-iported the tweaked .obj in ZBrush, it got messed up.

The polygroups were literally separated from one-another and the fine detail in the high subdivisions was gone and was replaced by just a high-poly representation of my lowest subdivision poly model.

[evillair]

The only thing I can see is that something messed up when you exported. I'm not familiar with Cinema 4D.
Also check your export options in zbrush before exporting, make sure you select 'merge'.
This is the setting I use:

Hope this helps.

[Svet_P]

^ This solved the problem with the separated polygroups (because it merged evrything in one single group, I guess) but the re-projection of the higer subdivisions was a mes again.

All the detail was gone and again I only ended up with a high-poly version of my low-poly. No real re-projection of anything.

I guess GoZ can be a nice bridge between C4D and ZBrush for solving this kind of problems but it seems that the Windows version will never be released, damnit.
Or is it out?

[evillair]

Odd.
Also make sure you're on the same subdivision level as the exported mesh was when importing. If you exported a level 1 then go to level 1 when you import.

[Svet_P]

^ Yeah, I normally do it like that. I just go to lowest subdivision, then export. Then I do work in Cinema 4D and then go back to ZBrush which is still open an at subdivision level 1 - the way I left things after the export.

I suspect that Sinema 4D may be re-sizing the obj to its own size standart.
So, when you re-import it back in ZBrush and try to re-project the high subdivision details, those problems do appear.
But this is just a speculation of mine.