Original Character Model

DrNanite

Hello everybody! I made this high poly model in zbrush for an assignment in school.

It does not yet have the proper topology to be animated. I would like to retopo this character but keep this level of detail. Use normal maps? Displacement maps? Also does anybody know the best way to keep this level of detail? This mesh is on mutable subtools as the only way I know how to merge the subtools into one mesh causes detail loss. Any suggestions? Also, any critiques on design?

I will be happy to take any advice.

Brian "Panda" Choi

1) Decimation Master high poly sculpt to more reasonable size.
2) Retopologize a Low Poly Mesh
3) UV map Low Poly Mesh
4) Bake normal maps and/or height maps from your high poly to your low poly mesh in xNormal

Any which one of those steps need clarification or do they make sense?

skodone

does merging subtool in zbrush really make you lose detail? if u merge them all at highest subdivision level and discard the levels to highest only while merging?

i would merge all the subtools, export as obj, retop (whatever tool u prefer) and then also
as panda recommended uvs, baking...

and for baking i wouldnt even use the decimated but the full high quality version of the high poly with ofc subtools merged at highest level

Steve Schulze

If you just want to fuse your model together and give yourself some subdivisions to play with: Merge your model into one subtool, duplicate it, run dynamesh to fuse it into a single piece, then project the detail from the non-dynameshed model.