Realistic texturing question

OtakuRuki

Hello,

I've started a model with intention to make a realistic skin textured real-time character. I've went through several break downs and tutorials to do so but got lost in the different processes and got several questions in the process of learning them.

Like in terms of setting displacement maps of texturing XYZ packages, when it differs when you apply them for a pre-rendered and real-time rendered model ? 

i've also wanted to know the difference regarding realistic skin maps making in both marmoset and UE4

here's the characters and the topics i went through that has the quality that i want to achieve!

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/Rk9rr

https://marmoset.co/posts/creating-realistic-skin-toolbag-saurabh-jethani/

https://www.artstation.com/jacob/blog/LqwR/realistic-skin-in-marmoset-toolbag-3-with-texturing-xyz

https://80.lv/articles/real-time-character-production-tips-and-tricks/

Thank you so much 

Eric Chadwick

Post images of your current progress.

musashidan

Texturing xyz can be either projected in Mari and the resulting map applied in Zbrush, to then be exported from there as your high poly, or you can create your own custom alphas from the xyz maps and do your tertiary in either ZB or S Painter.

Alex_J

^^^ XYZ does sell premade alphas for zbrush/painter.

musashidan

Alex Javor said:

^^^ XYZ does sell premade alphas for zbrush/painter.

Yes, but if he's already got a full res pack he can still make his own without having to buy extra alphas.

SP also has some xyz textures bundled.

OtakuRuki

musashidan said:

Texturing xyz can be either projected in Mari and the resulting map applied in Zbrush, to then be exported from there as your high poly, or you can create your own custom alphas from the xyz maps and do your tertiary in either ZB or S Painter.

Alex Javor said:

^^^ XYZ does sell premade alphas for zbrush/painter.

Thank you so much for your replies, I've followed several process of applying displacement from XYZ package that I have but was told thats displacement maps are too heavy for game characters which is confusing me cz i've seen some artists posting a real time game characters using XYZ displacements for their work like the below

https://www.artstation.com/jacob/blog/LqwR/realistic-skin-in-marmoset-toolbag-3-with-texturing-xyz

the variety in maps in the process confuses me x''o

OtakuRuki

Eric Chadwick said:

Post images of your current progress.

Hi Eric, thank you for your reply, my model is still basic, will post soon when i apply more details!!

Obscura

Those displacement maps are applied on the highpoly, and then baked into the normal map of the lowpoly.

OtakuRuki

Obscura said:

Those displacement maps are applied on the highpoly, and then baked into the normal map of the lowpoly.

Hi obscura, Thank you sooo much for noting that !! i always thought detailed will be baked as AO , thats why i seeked for more information about displacement maps, while am new to this too can I also ask about the process of baking them in zbrush, while researching this i stumped onto several processes which made me really confused

Brandon.LaFrance

Baking in ZBrush is rarely recommended. I think these days most people are baking in either Substance Painter or Marmoset Toolbag. Knald is popular, too.

OtakuRuki

Brandon.LaFrance said:

Baking in ZBrush is rarely recommended. I think these days most people are baking in either Substance Painter or Marmoset Toolbag. Knald is popular, too.

Thank you so much!!!!! 

musashidan

As I mentioned above, the disp map is imported to ZB from Mari and applied as deformation to the mesh. This is then used as your high poly to bake your normal map from in Painter or marmoset or wherever.

You could also use the Mari disp as a height map in Knald or designer to rip a normal map from. There are multiple workflows.

OtakuRuki

musashidan said:

As I mentioned above, the disp map is imported to ZB from Mari and applied as deformation to the mesh. This is then used as your high poly to bake your normal map from in Painter or marmoset or wherever.

You could also use the Mari disp as a height map in Knald or designer to rip a normal map from. There are multiple workflows.

thank you so much for your reply, i was just confused about displacement wither painter could handle the displacement map export file from zbrush while i read its heavy for painter. i also want to ask whats differnce if the displacement were to be baked as normals or height map ? 

thank you

musashidan

A displacement map actually deforms the geometry. A height map can be used as displacement also, or as a bump map without deformation. 

The latest Painter supports displacement but I haven't tried it yet.

But back to your original goal of a real-time character, you shouldn't have to deal with displacement unless you go the Mari>ZB workflow I described above.

Painter can easily handle a 10-20 million high poly because it doesn't need to load the mesh into the viewport, but remember that a 4K map can only capture 16 million points of information anyway so you don't need to go higher than that. It helps to plan all this in advance by knowing your base level mesh multiplied by 4 for every level up to what your final output map res can capture.

OtakuRuki

musashidan said:

A displacement map actually deforms the geometry. A height map can be used as displacement also, or as a bump map without deformation. 

The latest Painter supports displacement but I haven't tried it yet.

But back to your original goal of a real-time character, you shouldn't have to deal with displacement unless you go the Mari>ZB workflow I described above.

Painter can easily handle a 10-20 million high poly because it doesn't need to load the mesh into the viewport, but remember that a 4K map can only capture 16 million points of information anyway so you don't need to go higher than that. It helps to plan all this in advance by knowing your base level mesh multiplied by 4 for every level up to what your final output map res can capture.

thank you so much that was really helpful !!!