How to sculpt scales in zbrush?

ZFighter

Hello! Im a beginner to zbrush, and im working on a dinosaur project. My question is, how to make realistic scales using drag rect with an aplha, because i get some annoying overlapping effect and sometimes the alphas border is visible too?

Pabs

for visible alpha border go to alpha>modify>midvalue/rf and adjust as needed
you could also use noisemaker

ZFighter

Yes noisemaker is an option but it looks tiled, and i want to make it random as the scales in the back are larger and in the belly it becomes smaller.

JohnnyRaptor

There's a lot of automatic approaches, but personally, I would probably hand-draw a mask of each scale, either in sections, or the whole creature depending on size, then invert the mask, and then hand sculpt each one. It might take a lot of time, but nothing beats the quality you'll get by doing it manually!

ZFighter

Thanks for the reply both of you, setting the midvalue really helped, and i will try the hand-draw mask technique.

Loucidity

Granted, learning to use curve brushes is a level of pain in and of itself, still you can get some pretty decent results on scales and anything repeating via using them.

Do a "Google Zbrush Curve Brush Scale"

To see what I mean, enclosed, see link to an example.

http://www.badking.com.au/site/shop/organic-custom-brushes/scales-brush-set/

In general, I'd probably use a combination of the techniques mentioned, lay down a patch, blur, etc.

Masking, yeah it can work, would suggest taking the one of the alphas from one of the brushes and apply that to the masking brush to get the amount of edge detail you'll need.

Also of course, dynamesh it, make sure you have sufficient resolution to support the carving. And I'd split it into a series of subtools to allow for that level of detail in any given area.

Oh yeah, and make **** sure you have smooth under control (turned off) on dynameshing and elsewhere. Nothing worse than laying down the detail and having it blur itself out.

sogun

JohnnyRaptor said:

There's a lot of automatic approaches, but personally, I would probably hand-draw a mask of each scale, either in sections, or the whole creature depending on size, then invert the mask, and then hand sculpt each one. It might take a lot of time, but nothing beats the quality you'll get by doing it manually!

Yeah. Was researching various methods, couple VDM 3D Alphas, but they make less than satisfying fits, when I draw them beside each other in rows. The best looking 'fine-small scale'-technique for the body I found so far is the tiled alpha method via noise and that will need zremeshed polygroups.
 Finally hand-inserted scales and probably hand sculpting as well.  I just want to make a very unique looking lizardfolk character.

I was surprised how SHT looking scales most people sculpt with masks by hand on YT in their ZB tuts, they don't bother making overlapping scales at all.