ZBrushCentral

Modeling a smooth, detailed torso, how?

ZBrush Usage Questions
#1

After almost 10 months, I’ve reached a bit of a standstill. Yes, each figure is bit better than the last, but there are “information” issues. Below is the ZSphere construct I used to model a female (and a figure made from that construct). It worked fairly well, but not as I liked. Partially because of memory constraints, I have never achieved the level of detail and smooth modeling I wanted in to torso. I tried a variety of techniques to increase the number of polygons, but each has created problems of its own. I tried subdividing a masked area to model a better navel, only to have uneven areas of concentrated polygons inexplicably show up in the mesh, not just over the navel. I asked what caused these? I was told subdividing a masked area did. I was also told, “Don’t do that.”

So, I don’t do that any more. I tried polygroups, and increased the polygons in the torso independently. The result gave me enough information to model a nice navel, but also a visible line at the margins of the torso.
So, what should I do? I’ve altered my ZSphere construct and the torso is stacked with spheres (but no breast spheres), and it seems to be working, but will I reach a point when there isn’t enough information and my added RAM can’t handle it? How do you folks model such exquisite figures so packed with details? Do you remesh and then take it further? What? spherel1.JPG
Katherine Dewey

#2

Have you tried HD Sculpting? There is a video describing it in ZClasroom that you can watch here.

#3

You’re on the right track there.
Zspheres aren’t meant to be used as your final topo, just a starting point. A quick way to sketch an idea, as it were. The same goes for drawing, light quick lines to start, followed by more deliberate lines after that,clean up, then shading.

Think of zspheres as your quick lines, then the first stage of sculpting as your outlines. Retopo would be your clean up, and then you can finish the piece in the last stage of sculpting.

If you need a more dense mesh in a certain area…the breasts or belly button, then you need to make sure that you are adding the topology you need in those areas so you can support the level of detail that you would like.

Also, as zber mentioned, you can use HD sculpting which will let you get billions of polygons.