sculpting mesh question
hi all.
I'm trying to create a morph that gives the figure a smooth neck with a couple of folds under it. I sculpted it in Zbrush then imported using GoZ. The result was kind of bumpy, not the smooth look I was hoping for. Is this because I am pushing the limits of where this base mesh can go? The figure I want to create finally is going to look almost cartnoony. I've been looking at examples of the various figures people have created on here and there is a huge variety, like aliens and cartoon figures, so I'm wondering how these non-human looking figures where created with features that depart so radically from the original base Genesis mesh? Have entirely new meshes been created for these?
any advice would be really appreciated.
thanks.
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If you were working on a divided mesh in ZBrush then any details you added will be lost on conversion into a morph, which affects only the base cage. You could create displacement or normal maps from the higher resolution detail, but that's a bit fiddly as Zbrush (at least up to ZB4R8) doesn't dierctly support the way the daz figures are mapped
the non human examples sold at DAZ3D largely use HD morphs which only Premier Artists have access to.
I personally would suggest a higher poly legacy mesh like Victoria or Michael 4, is a quite different workflow to using the Genesis range but as creatures if not fitting clothing they are quite awesome,
Philosophers egg is a site that sell morphs for them that gives an idea of their flexibility.
Even in the DAZ store you can find some brilliant morphs PA's of the past made.
The great thing also is they and their content are frequently on sale very cheap too.
https://www.daz3d.com/super-physical-female-bundle
is currently free and includes V4
https://www.daz3d.com/freak-hero-pack
also currently free includes M4
Thanks for the advice th3Digit :) I just bought Victoria but she looks the same as Genesis 3 in terms of mesh detail, just thinner more muscular shape. I can't see any new geometry that would make for more versatile sculpting...There's something I'm not understanding in the process here...the figures on philosophers egg for example, they were made by modifying Victoria?? I'm not understanding how Victoria is a more verastile model than Genesis...could you please explain?
So Richard Haseltine you are saying there is really no point subdividing in zbrush and them reimporting that mesh into Daz because only the base mesh will be brought back, right? What would you suggest if I wanted to make changes to the mesh like the one described above (folds under the neck) without using displacement mapping ?
If you don't want to use displacement, or normals, then your options are limited. I think you could sculpt the base mesh, then project a posed shape onto it (or vice versa) but I'm not certain, and have no recollection of how - then you could load that as a static mesh in DS and reapply the materials.
"she looks the same as Genesis 3 in terms of mesh detail"
Not by a long shot. If you are looking at the base meshes (wireframe) the difference should be noticeable at base resolution (the genesis figures tend to load in DAZ Studio at high, rather than base resolution, so that may be what is misleading you).
Victoria 4: base resolution 66,830 polygons
Genesis: base resolution 18,872 polygons
Genesis 2 Female: base resolution 21,098 polygons
Genesis 3 Female: base resolution 17,000 polygons
Genesis 8 Female: base resolution 16,368 polygons
Oh this is interesting SixDs . here is a wireframe image of genesis 3, a wireframe iage of victoria 7, and an wireframe image of both together superimposed. They look very much the same to me in terms of mesh structure and polygon count and when i bring them into zbrush I basically have the same polygons to work with. Is victoria 4 radiacally different that victoria 7, or is there something I am not seeing here?
yes V4 is a much higher poly figure
she predates the Genesis range and their Victorias, was a different technology aimed at the program Poser
most prefer the versatility of the genesis range as there are many clothing limitations with the legacy figures as far as morphs though you can get around those using the transfer active morphs action, it still is not as accurate as autofit though which does not work with those figures.
free is a great price though and you can convert the results to weighmapping too.
It can be confusing for someone less familiar with the various figures, see devi. Here's how it works:
Victoria 4 was the base female figure for DAZ3D generation 4 - other characters were available based upon her mesh.
Genesis was the base male and female figure for DAZ3D generation 5 - other characters were available based upon the unisex mesh. Victoria 5 was one such main character morph instead of a figure in her own right.
Genesis 2 Female was the base female figure for DAZ3D generation 6 - other characters were available based upon the her mesh. Victoria 6 was once again one such main character morph instead of a figure in her own right.
Genesis 3 Female was the base female figure for DAZ3D generation 7 - other characters were available based upon the her mesh. Victoria 7 was once again one such main character morph instead of a figure in her own right.
Genesis 8 Female is the base female figure for DAZ3D generation 8 - other characters are available based upon the her mesh. Victoria 8 is once again one such main character morph instead of a figure in her own right.
SixDs and th3Digit , your explanations are super helpful ! thanks for clarifying. I'll take a look at V4 and see what I do with that one.
Could you attack this by designing a higher-resolution geograft for the area that’s giving you problems?
oh interesting idea rames44, im new to this so i'm not familar with the process of geografting but i'll look into it now, thanks