Clothing basic issues

agakas

Hi! I'm quite new to the organic modelling. I am learning by watching tutorials and I have some basic questions that I didn't find answers to.  For now I use 3dsMax as I used to prepare architectural visualizations in it and Photoshop for making UVs. 

1. I model clothes as a separate object on my character, than in Photoshop I prepare UVs textures: one for the body and the other textures for the clothing - one texture for shirt, one for pants, one for shoes etc.  Is it the right way?  

2. Is it okay for the rigging to have the character made of separate elements (body, cloths) or should I attach clothes to the body mesh? If  the correct answer is to attach them, how do I prepare UVs, is it just one map for the whole character that includes skin and clothing?

3. Should I remove polygons of the body that are under the clothes and are not visible? 

rollin

You can do the one or the other. It depends on what you want to do. If you want to be able to change clothes you should not attach them. If you never change clothes and you want to optimize the model you probably want to delete what's under them. 

Btw about terminology: you don't 'make' the UVs not in Photoshop. You do the unwrapping (the UVs) in a 3D software and the textures in a 2D software (e.g. Photoshop). 

kanga

Like rollin said, Depends on how high rez your character needs to be. Unless the character needs to be very low rez normally you would separate parts by position so that you get a clean bake. Normal costume like a suit I would keep it as one mesh. A costume like a robe I would separate the robe. If you are going to animate the model then I would delete all hidden polys so none become visible during animation.

agakas

Okay, thanks for the reply. Btw can you recommend me some tutorials/websites/courses about correct topology for characters for animation and techniques of unwrapping?

kanga

Not too difficult to google, Check out the wiki here as well. There is a link in the top menu.