[Space Viking] First time poster and first model using zbrush & maya (ex-blender user)

MoostifurArt

Hello there!  I'm a new poster here but a long time polycount peruser.  I got my BA in fine arts a few years back but started messing with 3D in November of last year (so I have a LOT to learn in that department.)  Started with blender, which I loved, but I knew I needed to transition to zbrush and maya at some point.  That point was was a couple of months ago when I started my latest character.  Basically, I have been learning from youtube videos and google searches (poor man's college).  I did however dish out a little bit of $ on Michael Pavlovich's zbrush tutorial series which were super helpful.

Up until this point I have been very intimidated to post anything on polycount because of the extremely high level of work on here (used to posting on lowly subreddits) but for the first time I am relatively happy with a character.  It may not be the most adventurous character idea ever but I wanted to get my bearings before getting too weird with it.  I'd love to get some critiques from the polycount community so I can put new ideas and techniques to use in my next portfolio piece. 

Syncopnix

That looks pretty cool, I'm a student working on my Bachelors of Fine Arts in Game Production and I can understand how much work something like this takes.  I really like the textures you used on this model, do you have any tips for how you created them?  I'm not familiar with the Quixel Suite, they have us using Photoshop to paint and work textures, but it can be a bit difficult to paint with in my opinion. I'm always looking for better ways to do things, as any time I can take out the process the better.

- Zach

MoostifurArt

Syncopnix said:

That looks pretty cool, I'm a student working on my Bachelors of Fine Arts in Game Production and I can understand how much work something like this takes.  I really like the textures you used on this model, do you have any tips for how you created them?  I'm not familiar with the Quixel Suite, they have us using Photoshop to paint and work textures, but it can be a bit difficult to paint with in my opinion. I'm always looking for better ways to do things, as any time I can take out the process the better.

- Zach

Thanks for the reply Zach.   Man, I wish the art program I attended had a focus in game production.  If you don't mind me asking what is the school? 

Anyways, yeah, Quixel is great.  It's good that they have you using photoshop in school because all those skills are essential for texturing, especially with the Quixel suite (which is basically a giant photoshop plugin).  The suite is comprised of 3 main programs: NDO (for painting normal map information), DDO (painting all pbr maps) and 3DO (live 3d renderer).  NDO is awesome because you can draw in shapes (with your photoshop toolset) and then bake it into the normal map.  Before you take your model into DDO it's a good idea make a color coded material ID map.  This map allows you to assign materials to every part of your model with the same RGB profile.  IE: A worn painted steel will be assign to green (r=26, g=68, b=8), a rubber material will be assigned to blue (r=8, g=30, b=68), ect. My favorite part is the fact that it dynamically generates wear and scratches masks based on the curvature of your mesh and high normal map contrast.  Each preset material lets you adjust sliders for every component of material, whether it be the dirt mask specularity, the scratch mask gloss map, the overall hue/ brightness of the paint, bla bla bla.  Once you have the basic material you like you can go in and hand paint albedo, gloss and specular either directly on the photoshop document of the pbr maps or in 3DO, which is on the model in real time.  I could delve deeper into my texturing process and how Quixel works but I think their youtube tutorials are way more effective than me babbling:

https://youtu.be/dw4IJuu0XSg

Syncopnix

Unfortunately the School i'm going to is in a teach out, so they are not accepting any more students, however I hear the Full Sail or the AI online progams are really nice.

Quixel sounds amazing.  Apparently I have been doing it the hard way, I'm going to have to get Quixel when I'm done with school in here soon, I'm working on building my portfolio right now, so I'm trying to get my textures to look amazing, sounds like that program would help tremendously.

Thanks for the Info!