Streamlining armor-scultping for games: Which is the best way?

Penfrei

Hi there guys!

I've been researching on ways to model armor for characters in games. The biggest issue I've been running into is that I haven't found any consistency. I would like to ask you for your wisdom since I am pretty new at this.

Some people tell me it is easier to import a naked obj (assuming it was already sculpted in fine detail in Zbrush) of your character in 3DMax/Maya and sketch out basic shapes and then load it back into Zbrush for finer detail;

I have also seen the tool extraction method, where you would also get a high poly naked version of your character, mask out the armor, extract it, Zremesh it, pop it into 3DMax/Maya to create more interesting edges, and then back into Zbrush;

Another one quite similar to the last one, but instead of extracting it, using panel loops and subgroups to work directly on the armor entirely on Zbrush;

The first thing that gets me confused: is it really necessary to have a naked model already finished in order to get started with armor? Can't you be working on the armor and the character at the same time? The reason I ask this is because I am working in a fan project, and the characters will have skins later on the development, so I have been told the naked character is a must.

The second question would simply be is if there's an easier and faster way to all of this that I an unaware of. Considering Zbrush made sculpting a lot less technical, that is.

Any input is greatly appreciated!

throttlekitty

You mention a naked model but also the skin, which I assume you mean textures? The only thing you want to be sure of is that the character(s) are more or less finalized in terms of proportion if they will have multiple outfits. In Zbrush that isn't so much of a problem, it's just less rework that you'll need to do for each change, typically.

There is no one true fastest workflow, it really depends on how you think and work, and what you want to make. Each style is going to have advantages over the others. But for the sake of argument, leaving Zbrush is going to slow you down in most scenarios.