Rafael, In my post above, ther is a link that says how it works. You can read some logistics there. Thank you Pix for the new shader! I am on it right now, checking out how it can help. 
This link was posted on these forums some time ago.
Subsurface scattering of human skin
It describes how to fake SSS and translucency. Although it refers to Maya and talks about options not available in Zbrush it does offer some insight into how one might proceed.
For example, a similar process might be achieved using Pix’s new colourised trishader (thanks Pix ) by using one shader to control the diffuse and specular colors of the colouriser and the other two shaders to control the different specular highlights.
I tried this with the quadshader but found it hard to control the colour well. This new shader by Pixolator looks interesting though 
That’s interesting M.G. I’ll have to keep that in mind when I start texturing my heads.
Thanks for the info Mike and Bonecradle. Sounds interesting and complicated. I’ll have to read it carefull and see how I can apply it.
Meanwhile here is my lastest effort with the colorizer-trishader material. I don’t know if I’m simulating much here but it does look better to my untrained eye.
Maybe I am doing something wrong but the colorized trishader seems to have too much of a wax/plastic/glossy look. I will keep at it, though, I have also been working on curtain stones with translucency like jade and marble with this one.
Some slight adjustments. Some feedback would be helpful.
Glad if I can be of any help Rafael :).
You want some feedback…well I think reading through the link Bonecradle sent says everything I could, and studying some photos is also very good. Your skin looks better than the second step in that article, (im personally having great troubles getting the bump right, there is very little bump in this version tho). The skin you got is good skin, only its a little dead perhaps. If you try to incorporate the following steps aswell it may help breath some life into it.
And that was a good read btw!, turns out that was how I had been thinking aswell. I simply looked at some daylight photos of people tho, and I got to the same conclusion (well almost atleast, but im having troubles getting the deep red shadows).
This is what I got so far with the Trishader, no texture this time, only a flat color.
Im going to leave it at this for a while as I go out of town for a couple. Although the endless tweaking is almost like meditation by now, heh ;).
Have fun tweaking!.
Thanks for the feedback M.G. The only problem I have with the article is that the images shown, while excellent CG work, don’t look quite right to me (I’m an amateur so I might just not be getting it). The colors look too saturated and too redish. The theory is probably sound but very technical and kind of hard to translate into practice with my limited knowledge of even Zbrush’s materials( What is the multiply button on the colorizer shader suppose to do anyway?). So I’m left trying to approach to what I think looks “right”. Your comment about the skin looking dead helped me though and I tried to compensate for that. The bump is kind of tricky to get right. Especially since if you test an image at a small resolution and then best render it at a higher resolution the bump needs to be changed. I’m all tweaked out for tonight so this will be my last one for now.
Hi,
The thread is getting longer, looks like there are more ways to ‘skin’ the cat
Mentat7: That is excellent, I like the contrast between the skin material and the exposed material
Rafael Hernandez: Even though I am familiar with the technical details I prefer - same as you - to modify the material by ‘feel and look’ and not by ‘math’ Here is my initial test of the ColorizerTriShaders material…
I have used the same steps described in my previous post… A 3D head-model was imported into ZBrush and drawn in the canvas with flat white color. The modified skin color is a result of the colorizer shader within the material and other color modifiers within each of the other shaders. I have added a bit of red/pink color to the lips/cheeks and the upper eyelids and created a secondary shinier material for the lips. The two spheres on the left are the two materials that have been used, the spheres on the right are the base material drawn with different base colors. In order to get a realistic render, more texture/surface details will be required. I have slightly increased the contrast and intensity of the image by using ZBrush’s ADJUSTMENTS palette. I still need to tweak the diffuse/specular curves and other material properties in the shaders. I will continue ( as soon as I have more time) to adjust this material and when ready, I will post it.
At this stage the object is lacking surface details and therefore your monitor settings will have more impact on the perceived skin-color. Please let me know how it looks on your monitor… Is it too dark or too light? Too much or insufficient contrast?
Thanks,
-Pixolator
Hi, Pix
The color/contrast looks just right on my monitor.
There is detectable sphere rings on the 2nd & 4th spheres (more noticable) and less (more blended) on the 3rd and 1st. Although as a general, I tend to prefer the first sample at the top.
I like the more diffused specularity, I guess it’s the one you used on the model. (The enlarged). I say, well done. Looks great.
PS It’s easier to get a good “look and feel” when you know what you’re doing.
That looks darn near perfect on my monitor. This thread is fantastic!
Pixolator–could you export and post your modified TriColorShader, as used in the image above, so that I can see what you are doing with it? I’m having trouble getting a similar feel to mine, and since yours is closer to what I am going for, I’d like to see the specific settings that you are using.
Another test…I believe this one is very much where it needs to be. Nevermind the deformity in the neck…it is a Poser figure. Additional skin flaws were painted in.
A Close up
This is the material that was used:
ColorizerTriShaders Human Skin 1.zip
And the Light settings:
Real Skin.zip
Some slight color adjustments:
Wow,
A great thread and topic MTB.
Your latest efforts are very real looking.
Pix… that looks great on my monitor… a very silky and smooth skin material!
Mentat7… That totally looks like the real thing dude!
Great Job,
Here is my first attempt at messing with pix’s ColorizerTriShader material.
This is cool beans!
I modeled the head out of Zspheres with adaptive skin.
I added some extra color and wrinkles and used a duplicate mat with more wet looking specularity to do the lips.
Thanks for the inspiration everyone!
Here’s my Material and lighting files for anyone who wants to see them:
Pus_ColTrishaderskinmat_Studiolights.ZIP
Back in town for a quick update, I got a couple of extra hours before departure to tweak today. Actually I did a total remake this time, as I noticed many flaws in the latest…15 versions of skin. I realised this was mostly because during these I never did a new start from scratch. Also I had been working on these for a long time without any substantial breaks so I could not spot the obvious flaws and I was… cornered I suppose you could say.
So I started over with the Quadshade today (I prefer this one over the Trishadecolorize, don’t know exactly why tho).
One white light, one color.
But I’ve been working on this version for too long already, perhaps it does not look as “Sub Surface Scattered” as I think it does, but I feel like I got the colors -pretty much- how I want them. Nevertheless Its been a very rewarding and enjoyable exercise!.
I’d like to thank you, Mahlikus, for bringing the subject to attention and the inspiring posts.
Bye for now!.
Thank you all for contributing in this. This has been an amazing exploration. I love everyone’s skin test. I have come to accept that as diverse and complicated this skin can be…so can those who choose how to make it fit for themselve. Its a great thing to see so many realistic and widespread results. I havent really had any luck with the colorized trishade but love what pix and lonnie have done. I have, however, had tons of luck with the quadshader but I wanna hold out until I get a hold of that colorized shader pix is working on. I have played around with Lonnie’s but, like I said, it doesnt fit my lighting preferences (thoough it is wonderful man…don’t get me wrong! 
)
Well I am off for more material tweeking theropy.
EDIT-Great results mike!!!
Here’s a trishader I made:
It seems a little dark but I haven’t done any light testing or actually used it for anything. I will in the future. You can change the tone of the skin by changing the base color, but you probably will have to tweak to get it looking natural.
Here’s the 512 tilable texture i used and skin material (361kb):ktprskin.zip
cheers
ktpr
Here is a trishader I have been playing around with…and the lighting setup too.
Enjoy!
awesome work, mtb!! ;o)
Well, here’s my initial experiment with the TriShader Material. A simple head, textured with TM and a very basic light setup. Inflate was used to give more surface detail.
Excellent material very much worth exploring. Based on what I’ve seen in this thread so far, it’s something that seems to have captured many of us
hi everyone!
I’ve been playing around with that great new colorize trishader, and this is what I’ve come up with. The head is part of a scene I’m currently working on - no texturing here, just the material applied. Any comments, suggestions?
