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DuncanFraser — Basic Workflow
Published: 2011-10-05 02:12:15 +0000 UTC; Views: 21675; Favourites: 313; Downloads: 474
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Description
Here is a super quick breakdown of my current character workflow. Just thought I would share.Related content
Comments: 42
Thanks for the workflow! I have been looking for a breakdown of steps. Cool character!
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Wow ya made it look so easy hahah xD I cant even scroll and rotate my model properly in zBrush lol!
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thanks for taking the time to share. helps everyone. you make really cool stuff, btw.
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Thanks for sharing this! Love seeing the steps. I've only made AO and normal maps. I'll have to try using the other 2.
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Your work is so accomplished and your tutes so helpful, I don't know why you haven't a much larger fanbase on Deviantart. I'm glad you have recognition on Polycount.
One quick question: why don't I see your art on ZBrushCentral? I'm on there a lot and don't seem to come across it, probably just missing it.
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PS: Have you tried Topogun's normal map bake? Seems to do a pretty nice job.
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Spot on piece of work. Very interesting to see the workflow that you use, many thanks.
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thanks for this great tutorial, I have some questions. How if I make a low poly model first in Maya as the base and I already UV unwrap it. Then, I export the model into Zbrush and add details there. Now, I realize that the totpology is not good, so I do retopology in Zbrush. After we retopology, we project the low poly to high poly in Zbrush right? My question is how about the UV that I already unwrap, is it become messy and do I have to rearrange the UV again? Thanks in advance
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yep, there may be some cool new process but I would just re-unwrap the UVs.
and with the projecting, yeah just project to the new LOW poly, divide project, divide project, divide project, until you are happy with the details. I hope that helps
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Thank you very much, it really help
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Hey Duncan, just curious, but how did you generate the hi-poly for those complex cables/hoses?
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There should be a workflow in my info section.
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Nevermind, tracked it down on your GA thread.
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Hey man, awesome tut, thanks for the insight 
Thanks again !
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Thanks man. sure. Do you use xNormal? if you do.... All I did was make a big ground plane under the character exported it and added it to the "high definition mesh" set and baked the AO. All it does is stop the light coming up from the bottom of the AO sphere.
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Ho, so when you actually get multiple highpoly mesh for the bake, Xnormal calculate the maps from all the high poly at the same time ? cheers, didn't know that
Thanks a lot
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Your modeling skills are really awesome! I love the way you've explained your workflow.
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Hey Duncan, thanks for sharing this, I tried the gradient thing but wondered if you could also share the way it's overlayed?
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Sure. I tend to have the AO in a folder set to Overlay in photoshop. Inside that folder is the AO bakes, and above that is a Gradient map "Adjustment layer". I like having adjustment layers because if you need to change something later on you don't have to try and remember all of your previous settings. ALSO you can mask out sections of one Gradient map so another one shows through eg... you would want one gradient map for the skin and another for the metal and another for cloth. That is it. ALL of those things go into a folder set to "OVERLAY"
That is how I do it, There are other ways of doing it but I like this way best, and it is NON distructive too. Here are a few external links to check out as well. They explain a little more about the whole Gradient map thing better than I can.
[link]
[link]
If you need me to explain in more detail I can whip up a quick diagram. I hope those links work
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Great thanks a lot! I'll try it next time
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So awesome!
This re-lit my passion for zbrush! 
Just have a question. After youre done with the zspheres, is it adaptive skin you use? And you do the retopoligising (a word?) in Zbrush?
Im not up to speed with the techniques in zbrush, there always changing.
Thanks.
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HAHA Thanks man. I am so happy something I made has moved someone enough to pick up and start running again.
Adaptive skin in Zbrush is basically a preview of what the mesh will look like when you convert the z spheres into mesh, you can play with the settings and change how the mesh flows but no matter how much you play with them there will always be areas that don't work so well.
Once you make it a 3D mesh I usually export out a .obj and do a the re-topo in TopoGun then import the new mesh back into z-brush for sculpting. You can re-topo in Zbrush but I find it too clunky and TopoGun makes it a little more fun.
Thanks again man it really means a lot to me
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ooh thanks for the reply! I had a feeling topogun was an external tool. I remember learning to use UVmaster last year but just coming to the conclusion that programs dedicated to UV mapping are much better.
I think Il do some experimenting now
No problem man, your work is awesome. Il let you know when I finish it!
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No problem man it is my pleasure
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awesome......one question though..........how long did it take you to get a hang of the software.....i know it differs from a person ti person...but just wanting to know........cause iam really interested in ZBrush and i tried it before but sadly i did not have a pen tablet.......now i do and i refer to a lot of tutorials.......and i need to adjust my timings of WORK and PRACTICE.....so just wanted to know how long...??
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Thanks man. Zbrush IS a pain to get into in the beginning and I hard a really had time breaking the fear it held over me. In many ways it is still daunting but I found that doing quick 1-2 hour sculpts daily soon got my confidence up. It is a massive program and there is a heap to learn but if you take it a little bit at a time progress can be quite quick. I would say about two weeks of 1-2 hr sculpts got my nerves under control.
Good luck and have fun.
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Zbrush is probably the easiest 3d software to pick up! Use the tutorials on their site, make notes and you could learn it in one or two nights. Taking notes helps, so you dont have to refer to the video again if you get stuck or forget something!
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hahah Thanks mr. I hope you are doing well
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hahahaha No worries. Glad to hepl.
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hahaha NO needs for sorry's man. Thanks
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