Update: Free Decimation Master Tutorial (registration required)
Ok, I want to sing the praise of Decimation Master.
For many years, I have wanted to get into Mental Ray and use my knowledge of it to create great renders. I knew it was possible. I knew how. I just, well, I’m just lazy. I didn’t want to retopologize my models. I didn’t want to deal with displacement maps. I know, I’m lazy.
But, I find it is important to be lazy. If you’re not lazy occassionally, then people might take advantage of you. You know, they might make you do things like render from the command line. They might make you push and pull verticies 8 hours a day while you dream of being a sculptor and populating the world with orcs and your own sexy elf chicks. In short, they might do what many 3d programs do to us everyday.
It is with this sense of entitlement that I stumbled upon Decimation Master on its release. Yes, you heard it. I didn’t even know it was coming. It just happened one day. I love that. I love to be surprised. After coming to know nearly every nook and cranny of ZBrush I am now getting the pleasure of rediscovering this app.
When i discovered it there on the top row I knew my prayers were answered. I had, in fact, prayed for it two months ago for some random reason and there Pixologic was: Delivering my dreams. 
So now my rendering pipeline is very simple. Don’t redo topology. Don’t make displacement or normal maps. Just Decimate that beast of a sculpture and send it over to Mental Ray for rendering!
To illustrate my point here is another render. It went from 14 million polygons to 300,000. So cool!
To further illustrate my pipeline here is a pretty little render for you.
Free Gnomon Workshop Tutorial
ZBrush to Maya with Decimation Master (registration required)
Mucho Happiness,
Ryan
P.S. This advertisement paid for by the Los Angeles chapter of the Top Row Praise Worthy Association.
Edited 6/5/09 to upload new image with less shine.
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great job