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What polycount to aim for when rendering stills?

ZBrush Usage Questions
#1

Hi, I have some questions about polycount needed for fine detailed renders. Most of my renders end up as still images in one way or another and I wonder what is a “good” polycount to aim for when using Normal maps or displacement for the fine details? Also, should I use both the Normal Map and the Displacement Map in the same material for best result or just one of them at a time?

I have imported some 10K poly models and also some 35K+ version of the same model, but I don’t really see that much details when I apply my normal maps to any of them? Displacement makes a difference to the detail, but I still don’t find it “as good” as it looks in ZB. Is it stupid to import a 300K poly model to the 3D application I use (Cinema 4D) to get more details? What kind of poly count is used in all of those amazing renders I find here?

Also, could someone please explain to me what the different Nomal map modes do - Tangent, Adaptive and Smooth UV? I am reading some books about Zbrush (ScottSpencer’s “Character Creation…” and also “Introducing Zbrush”) and there they mostly mention techniques used with the Zmapper-plugin (which has been replaced in ZB 3.12B for Mac).

Sorry for the long post, but hope someone can help me with this or give me some tips. Thanks in advance!

// tennet

#2

there is no set polycount limit for anything that is a still image. If your 3D app can handle a 2million tri model in it and you can still work, then go for it. If you get better results faster with a highpoly than a low poly with normals and displacement maps, then use the highpoly.

And yes…always use a normal map and a displacement. The normal map is for the crazy fine details and such, the Displacement should only be used for the shilouette changes…you can do it all with a displacement map but you will feel it at render time.

I don’t have 3.12 so I can’t help you on the normals inside Zbrush for that point.

Hope this helps

#3

Thanks for helping! So if I some crazy fine details, like skin pores, how do I create a displacement map without including all of those details? I mean, if the details have been sculpted then they will be included in the displacement map also, not just the normal map, right?

Also, could someone please explain to me the different modes for the normal map - tangent, adaptive and smooth?

Thanks again!