Zbrush Dynamesh Smoothing Not Working

ChristheLancer97

Hi there, so I'm just recently wanting to get into the High to Low poly workflow, which means I am starting to learn about dynameshing and other Zbrush features.

Im currently having issues figuring out how to apply smoothing after dynamesh is applied, as it barely does anything at all even when I use Smooth Stronger. It does work, but barely. My goal is to basically block out the mesh with a lower polygon count but I can barely do that with the subdivision cranked up to like 4 or 5 to dynamesh it properly.

I also wanted to know if there's a way to use dynamesh on a lower subdivided mesh? (Level 2 or even 1 preferably), if I use anything lower than 4 it gives me a faceted high res model. Any help would be appreciated 

cryrid

For something like this, especially with more stylized models, you'll probably want to use Dynamesh as more of an intermediate step only to merge the shapes together. 

Start with very basic shapes. I find it helps to keep the vertex count as low as possible on each one, and instead let the subdivision's algorithm do its job to create nice smooth curves and clean surfaces. Dynamic Subdivision can really help with this, as it will let you work with low-res cages while previewing the smoother subdivided result. 

Using basic shapes alone, you can establish much of the character before you even begin to merge anything: 

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/fd/c3/19/fdc319506001887387cd433466028ecb.png

Once everything is blocked out, then it is time to merge them together. You can use Dynamesh for this, or even Livebooleans (which can automatically apply the dynamic subdivision for you). Either way, you're just looking to actually weld the vertices of these shapes together for a single water-tight surface. 

From there, hit it with ZRemesher, again aiming for a relatively lower resolution. This will give you a flowing topology that is much easier to sculpt on and smooth out. You can try to stick with dynamic subdivision for simpler models, or use classic subdivision in case you need to sculpt in some finer details.

Shane Olson from 3dcharacterworkshop.com does streams every Monday where he does stylized characters. You'll be able to get a good idea of what I'm talking about from some of his videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMjnnUF3eJFdf6Lyh_ZfTUJ7_zccZpgLk 

ChristheLancer97

@cryrid This is super useful stuff, I'll definitely be using this reference while doing the blocking out, thanks a bunch man! I also managed to fix the smoothing problem I was having by using the base Dynamesh sphere instead of increasing the subdivision for it. My bad, but that removes a huge hurdle for me.