Help with big tree roots

ParoXum

Hey everybody, I've got to model two huge trees for a map, but I ran into troubles getting the shapes right.

Here 's the roots I want to model :



I tried to go through creating a heightmap/displacement from them and then reduce the mesh polycount to rework it but it fails (due to the perspective into the picture, I have no photos of them from top). I also thought of putting the reference picture on a plane I would deform and cut into according to the shapes of the roots.

I also thought about splines, anyone has an idea on the best workflow on this ?

Thanks

Unleashed

3dcoat sculpt with voxels or zbrush with zspheres(probably multiple then retopo to one object

Mark Dygert

With so much merged it would be crazy to do it with splines. I'd go the zspheres route like Unleashed suggested. Or model a rough low poly base mesh and sculpt in most of the details. Either way I'm not sure I'd try something like that without a sculpting app...

Tumerboy

ya, seriously, I'd go mudbox/zbrush over a low poly, or maybe just right off the bat on a plane, then once you bring it into your modeler of choice, and reduce it down, you can pull the deeper bits around back under things to round it out a bit?

ParoXum

I think i'm going to model them using zsphere like Unleashed said. That's a good idea to give me control over the volume for each root. Shame on me I forgot I could do it that way.

Tumerboy: I did some sculpting over planes too. I'll do it zsphere and show what I get

Edit: started tru Zbrush :

http://tof.canardpc.com/show/bebe5eee-a902-41c1-b05a-03b5fe47a55e.html

Think i'm gonna take that into 3dcoat now for a first retopo to work with.

ParoXum

Just a quick reply to let you know how far I went today on this:

It's a pretty hard work tho.

Mark Dygert

But its paying off nicely

SinisterUrge

I would make a bash mesh comprising of about 3000k polys and then detail it out in zbrush

rooster

i think 3d coat alpha was a good call btw, its made for squiggly intersecting stuff

A-Train

Hey ParoXum, I was wondering. After you completed the zbrush HP mesh and created the LP to project it to get your normal map. How did you go about attaching the base root area that you're showing here to the trunk without getting normal map seams?

I've always wondered that. This is the perfect example to ask the question. I hope you can illustrate with a small image tutorial of some kind, or perhaps someone else would be so kind. Thanks!

BradMyers82

A-Train, In this case I would build the low poly as one continous (soild) mesh.
So if you where using say two seperate high poly peices (the roots, and the tree trunk) just line up the high polys together as best you can. If you bake and get a seam, just edit it out in photoshop.
The uvs should be on one solid island so its easy with clone brush or smudge.
I think this is what you were asking,right?
Hope this helps.

ParoXum

Hey, A-Train, the higher part of the trees were not sculpted, I used a generic wood with PS normal map. To blend both UV islands I simply faded the edges to RGB 127,127,255 where it meet on the model. Nothing exceptional but it worked well.

onionhead_o

ParoXum: very nice. i like