Hi! I too would add details that don't contribute to silhouette during texturing, as it allows for faster iteration. Looks cool! I think the definition of the helmet is a step behind the rest (layering of the plates), probably because it's wip.
So, I partnered up with the nice folks at 3dscanstore a while ago and they asked for realtime hairstyles. They also needed them to match up with their very detailed scans. So all my efforts in managing complex shapes are being tested here. To the limits - and then some...
Examples (all images rendered by 3dscanstore.com in Toolbag 4):
i think in many cases you'd rather handle such details at the texturing stage so that you have more flexibility.
if you just want to sculpt it because it's only portfolio work and doesn't matter, there is a few approaches...
one, you just match the concept as you see it, whether or not it makes sense. In this case I don't think you need to do anything fancy, these don't really read as deep scratches. Just have to subdivide really high and do light little passes with dam standard or one of the carve brushes. This will be tedious but you just put some music on and in a few hours it is done. The problem is, say you realize that all the scratches are slightly too big... now what? No flexibility.
You could instead use some grunge maps to add as displacemnt but I cant think of any good reason to fuss with that in zbrush. Why tie up the resolution of these details to the baking process?
another approach would be to get more realistic. for that the first question I'd ask is "well what sort of material is this, and how does it actually look when damaged?" To that I can't exactly answer because I'm not sure if this is leather or something else. Maybe some fantasy material. Like chitin or something. If that was the case maybe these arent really scratches from use but just the natural organic patterns you find on things like shells.
Again there I'd prefer to just find or make some organic patterns like that and non-destructively apply them during the texturing phase.
It's complicated. Without access to a profiler it would be difficult to narrow down why. Could like lighting, differences in shader complexity, differences in optimization, code optimization.
Thanks a lot to all the artists that reached out to me, position is now filled!
Hi there, I'm currently looking for an artist that is able to create differently themed blocks like these that have a similar artstyle and fit into the game world as good (or even better!). Looking forward to hear from you! Feel free to contact me here or at team@runordiegame.com
Before even seeing the ref image i thought: this round hole above the stairs.. is somehow weird.. and indeed in this scene it is more to enlighten the area beside the stairs.. IDK if this is actually architectural accurate.. i even think the stairs should have some round ending at the bottom.. or even a more curved corner.. but that's just my two cent..