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SSS Skin - Cinema 4D SSS Skin test

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#1

Hey everybody. Since I got started in working in 3D I’ve always wanted to try and create a skin material that would react properly to light. It is extremely hard as you guys already know.

I’ve spent about two days working on a material that will be universal for my future models. I’ve tried to keep it as easily editable as possible but still allow fexibility for major adustments without having to rework the entire material. All of the images that I post here are made up of just the plain material. Keep in mind that a majority of the variation in color and bump will come from the texture. What you are seeing here is the SSS material mixed with about 6 different effects reacting to the light in different ways. Each of these image are the same material with different light settings.

I chose Doodle (you can look at the post about him in my gallery) as my subject because of the thin membrane on the back of his head where light scatters the most.

If any of the masters in here have extinsive experience in this area please post suggestions and techniques here. I would love for this thread to be a wealth of knowledge on this topic. Thanks in advance.

White lighting - 70% back, 50% front

[img]http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/uploaded_from_zbc/200402/user_image-1076090290wmd.jpg[/img]

White lighting - 70% back

[img]http://www2.zbrushcentral.com/uploaded_from_zbc/200402/user_image-1076090345idp.jpg[/img]

HDRI - Forest with 70% white back lighting

#2

love that HDRI, cool stuff
great material

have you read this thread, nothing but skin and SSS with a few materials provided for ZB
http://www.pixolator.com/zbc-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=1&t=010026

#3

Th9s is cool image thank you for this!
What i’d like to know if it’s something that you could do in zbrush only? Or what part you need c4 for it?

#4

Yeah. HDRI is the greatest. I did look at that thread a while back and it is awesome. I found, however, using the TriShader, QuadShader, And ColorizerTriShader adding bump and texture is crazy difficult. Plus, it’s still not actually translucent. I’m a perfectionist so that drives me crazy. Check out my “Butterfly Dragon Series” picture of the worm in my gallery. That’s the very best I could do with it.

Well, Jimking. Unfortunately, that is something that I tried to accomplish in zbrush but because zbrush converts the model to pixols after its dropped, the model actually doesn’t have a back. That makes it impossible for zbrush to interpret things like reflections, refractions, or SSS (In this version that is, I don’t know about the next).

SSS stands for Subsurface Scattering, just in case you didn’t know, and the name speaks for itself. It is what happens when light passes through a translucent object like wax, a glass of milk, or flesh. It scatters causing “self illumination”.

In this case. look at the middle picture above. Notice how the light hits the skin on his face then seems to illuminate it from the inside. Or how it seems to make the fin on the back of his head glow. That’s what SSS is all about. And it can’t be done in Z. Yet.

Thanks,

Adam

#5

Cool research!
Beautiful portrait of extraterrestre :cool:
I have thinking about the same link like K salami :slight_smile:
Pilou

#6

From what I’ve heard, reading about the way Gollum in Lord of the Rings was done, is a great way to find out about skin. Those guys had some unusual techniques, but I haven’t as yet gone looking for the information. One thing I know they did find, is that skin is essentially a transparent layer on an underlying surface, and until they realised that an implimented it, Gollum just didn’t look real.

With your pics (which look quite good) I think the specular is a little too sharp in places, and the shadows a little too pronounced. Skin (for a human being anyway) is more matte than anything, unless of course you’re sweating, and then it’s the water on top of the skin that produces a shine.

#7

Ok. I have done a lot of revisions to the skin. The only problem I’m having is getting the skin to look good in natural HDR lighting and standard white lights. The red color in this material here comes from the SSS. the base color for the skin is more yellow. So when placed in HDRI it usually turns completely yellow. I can’t change the skin color to more red tones because the standard lighting makes it look to red. What are your suggestions? Does anyone have SSS experience in C4D?

Here is one of the revisions.

#8

Hi Nalrac have you try with Highlither tool pressing alt, or Ctrl with low RGB intensity?
How to do this beutiful model ZB? Render in CD4?
Thanks
Andreseloy