What causes this, and how can I correct it? If I can’t correct it, how I can I avoid this happening in the future? Neither Resym nor Smart Resym help; areas where mesh is asymetrically concentrated create visible projections.
Using ZBrush 4 on HP Laptop, running Windows 7 with 4G Ram. Figure has roughly 10 million polygons.
6 months into ZBrush and still a rank novice,
Katherine Dewey
http://www.elvenwork.com
you created localized subD levels.
There isn’t a way to get it back.
you create them by masking an area at the lowest subD level and then clicking divide (ctrl+D).
you can avoid this by not doing that.
hope this helps.
You can try (no guarantees) to explore the equalize surface area function in the geometry palette. It won’t magically make your model symmetrical again or anything, but it will try to spread around the concentration of geometry more evenly.
If I had this problem I would make a unified skin, or retopo (usually too lazy to retopo a full figure like this) then project the detail back on the new skin using project all and go from there.
I created three edge loops for this torso (one for the navel and one for each breast), subdividing those three only, and only once. Multiple areas of concentrated mesh (some symmetrical and some asymetrical) have shown up that were not there previously. Ironically, Equalize Mesh exacerbates these concentrations.
I don’t don’t how to Retopologize, but it’s obvious I need to learn. Perhaps now is a good time.
Thanks for your help,
Katherine Dewey
http://www.elvenwork.com
Do you have an earlier version of your model at a low subdivision level? If so you could subdivide that then project the detail from this mesh.
Where can I find/purchase a good tutorial on Retopologizing and Projecting? I was considering finishing this (hands, feet, hair) and then attempting to do as you suggested. It’s only my third full figure, but I rather like it would like to see it through. When you can’t see the mesh, she looks rather decent:
Thanks,
Katherine Dewey
http://www.elvenwork.com
I have a brief rundown tutorial of projection on unified skins (when you run into bad topology problems and need a quick fix) in my sketchbook here: http://www.zbrushcentral.com/showthread.php?t=84280&page=3
Post #34, 4th image down describes in brief (very brief) about projection onto unified skin. Honestly this may be all you need, I use skinning and projection all the time every day. In a model made of dozens of subtools, probably all of them have been reskinned and projected onto at least once during the process.
The flow is much faster than retopologizing, on complex meshes especially, and if you’re not concerned with animatable topology, it is the way to go.
Retopology on the other hand is a very valuable skillset and you can do it directly in zbrush as well. But Zbrush is about (has become and is becoming more and more about) removing the constraints of topological thinking and “freeing” you to just concentrate on the art. They’ve got alot of easy and powerful features for getting rid of this sort of prolem and letting you continue sculpting without stopping to retopo. Unless of course, your concerns lie in animation and game model rigging/creation, you will need clean topology for that.
So my recommendation is seriously, learn all you can about making skins and projection (Project All) first. See if it suits your needs. Get familiarized with that process, then move into learning about retopologizing by hand. I did it the other way around and it would have suited my needs to simply skin and project 99% of the time.
*edit to add: The reason I strongly recommend skinning/projection to you is that I know that you’re coming from the world of traditional sculpting, ( The Clubhouse forums) and this workflow is especially suited to people who just want to get on with the act of sculpting and not really fret over topology concerns.
I’ll see later if I can give some links to good skinning/projection tutorials, I don’t know of any off the top, but I’ve seen some in the past.
Oh, yes, I’ve been a Clubhouse member for years. You can tell, huh? Because my interest is sculpting and eventually realizing that effort with a “hold it in your hands” figure, your suggestions ring true to me. Can you recommend resolution and smoothness settings for a good Unified Skin that doesn’t yield webbed fingers and a null face?
Again, thanks to all who have replied,
Katherine Dewey
http://www.elvenwork.com
by goast666
you create them by masking an area at the lowest subD level and then clicking divide (ctrl+D).
you can avoid this by not doing that.
ROFL
Patient: Doctor! Doctor!, It really hurts when I do this…
Doctor: Well! Don’t do that then.
exactly 
I dont’ really have a magic bullet for that. I, like probably everyone else, adjust the numbers and sliders arbitrarily until I get the results I can work with on a mesh by mesh basis :lol:
One thing I’ve learned is that smoothing errors is a good way to adjust the problems as they occur. Typically I do alot of smoothing and even vertex by vertex adjustments on tight spots that didn’t skin or project well.
There’s still some elbow grease required, but it goes pretty quick. Create a skin, project, fiddle with the numbers and methods of projection until you get something good as a starting point, then smooth the distortions and push around the polys using the move topological brush until things get untangled, then subdivide and project again and repeat.
That’s how I do it, and to be sure in every instructional or tutorial video I’ve watched from the masters, they’ve done it the same way, adjusting the projections using smoothing and moving stuff around until it’s ok.
On places like the webbing of fingers, inside the nose, behind the ears etc…you can expect to do some manual resculpting to get the projections flowing correctly.