156 chapter 4 ■ ZBrush for Detailing
As you work, I recommend that you not finish any view but keep picking up and rotat-
ing around the model. This will keep the texture unified and help you bring the whole char-
acter to a finish at one time. Figure 4.74 fades between the Bump Viewer material on the
left and the Flat Color shader on the right so you can see the color map under the material.
Notice that the surface is not sculpted at all; the color values are being interpreted by the
material to display bump detail.Another Take on Detailing
This section was contributed by featured artist Jim McPherson.
In detailing a ZBrush character, it’s important to arrange the details into a system. Too
often we see the same detailing at the same intensity all over the entire model. Variation in
the detail is important. But not just variation for its own sake—variation with a logic.
A cheek would have more detail than an ear. A forehead would have a different tex-
ture than a neck. Continuing this concept, a sculptor can divide a head into quadrants, with
an appropriate texture in each area. Transitions between the quadrants become important.
How does one kind of detail blend into another in a pleasing and believable way?
The form the detail is applied to is more important than the quality of the detail. The
details often follow the direction of the wrinkles. The pores and small lines will compress in
a similar manner as the wrinkles themselves.
An important concept is that the details are actually forms themselves. Just as you
would sculpt a well-defined nose, you should sculpt the detail with the same care. Are some
areas flatter? Are other areas more crisply defined? Perhaps the shapes of the eye wrinkles
are like tiny plateaus. What direction does the wrinkle cut in at? Does a wrinkle have more
weight on one side? Pores and bumps can follow a direction but also a spacing pattern.
A study of life casts can help make you more
sensitive to the details of skin and organic form. Or
you could carefully study your own face or the faces
of others.
An additional important concept to consider
is that, although most people do not sculpt, they
have a strong awareness and observation of details.
They perhaps would have an opinion of what kinds
of textures are pleasing and what types are ugly.
Therefore, you must consider whether your textur-
ing is complementary and appropriate to the char-
acter you are creating. For instance, does the detail
make a heroic character look a bit ugly? Does the
detailing call too much attention away from the
expression of the face?