need workflow advice to add detail while retaining multiple subdivisions

[CdeV]

Hi guys,

I’m wondering if you could give me some workflow advice?

I’m trying to sculpt fine detail in the toes of a figure. The small toes are currently joined together, but I need individual toes with gaps in between and more detail. I’d love to be able to just sculpt the gap back using dynamesh or sculptrispro but I need to preserve the low poly base mesh because I want to be able to rig and pose the figure once it is finished. If I dynamesh I’ll lose the basic topology required to pose it, but the topology isn’t there for me push and pull the mesh into position, so I’m feeling kinda stuck…

Could you offer any ideas for how to move forward with this please?

any help would be much appreciated

Christian

(working on a MacBook Pro with Zbrush 2018)

[Altea]

You need to edit the low poly without subdivisions with low poly edit tools as Zmodeler or external poly editors.
If you have done the model of the feet in low poly you should know how to do it. If not and you don’t want to learn it get a better base model, even the ones included with Zbrush in the tool section.

There is a way to edit the low poly retaining the subdivisions, freezing the subdivisions. But keep in mind you will have rather messy artifacts in the low poly edited areas.
Another possibility is clone, delete the high res subdivisions, edit, subdivide again and project the original high res model excluding with masks the areas that have been edited in low poly (to avoid a mess)

[CdeV]

Thanks a lot for your suggestions Altea. I just edited an existing base mesh, but unfortunately I had done a lot of work on it before realising this geometry problem with the feet. Regardless, it’s looking like starting again with better built base mesh is the way to go. Really appreciate your advice. Thanks again.