How do you tend to clean your hard surfaces in Zbrush?

Ruflse

I tend to break the mesh into subtools that I then retopo with Zspheres and sometimes with Zremesher or the topology brush, then I arrange the vertex of the mesh to fit nicely, make polygroups with Zmodeller and crease them to then make some subdivisions and delete them for nice bevels. Then I detail every piece.

I get clean parts with subd and polygroups that could be used as a low poly but most of them have polygons from inside, so it's not a continuous mesh, just a lot of pieces put together, and that would be a huge waste of polygons for a lp.

I'm looking to improve my workflow for hard surfaces because I think I'm just spending too much time for every little thing (the retopo system with Zspheres doesn't help neither) when it could be done much faster and with more or less the same result. I also end up losing a lot of detail of the sketch restricting myself to get a clean mesh.

So, how do you guys tend do to it if you are thinking about making a low poly? 



I did this with this technique and it took me a lot, even if it's just the high poly:

Joao Sapiro

using Zbrush for HS can be super fast to prototype and actual finished product but like you said, to have to do all that for each piece of a mech for example, it can be a nightmare. Id suggest learn subd modeling and combine that for a more optimal workflow