Free M4 textures. Opinions on skin types?

[Hellboy]

Hi!
I’d really like to try to do free textures for M4, but I have never done that and was seeking advice.
Here are some things I’d appreciate someone discuss here: :evil5:

1-Do you prefer painted or more photographic textures (not that I have many choices by the moment)

2-I think it’s easier to darken than lighten colors if necessary in Poser/Daz. But what kind of skin color do you like in your textures?

3-Does anyone uses references from 3dsk? Do you like to work with them?

4-How do you manage to make the seams coincide?!

5-I’ve heard bad things about bigger maps. What sizes do you prefer to work with?

6-Do you like those realistic details like moles or little spots and wrinkles and stuff?

7-You may have noticed this topic floating on the air. Do you prefer textures with or without body hair? I’m not messing with the rest of the body for now until I learn more about seams. But what about pubic hair?

This is an example on what I’d like to accomplish. I like the lighter skin color and details, and when we talk about hair, personally I prefer the right one, If I ever need a hairy texture, I think it’s easier to add than remove.
Plus, I really think the shaved look is WAY much SEXIER! :)
But I wanted to be fair and made a variant with hair. I'd appreciate opinions on this and other things you can think off, please.

http://work01.dtgstudios.com/rotica2.0/pix//8/8/comparison.jpg

By the way, just wanted to say thanks to Manifest Men for being so nice and the kind permission on using one of their beautiful photos and allowing the retouches needed to make the comparison. You rock Manifest! :notworthy:

[markr]

I think Daz maps are overly large and I try to use around 1500 to save memory. For extreme closeups though the big textures are really nice. It is a matter of how much of the map is actually used by the texture.

It would be a nice feature to have the hair done on one or more layers that could be combined in photoshop or even blended in Poser.

I believe sultans(?) seam guides are easier to work with than the basic uv template.

[Hellboy]

I think Daz maps are overly large and I try to use around 1500 to save memory. For extreme closeups though the big textures are really nice. It is a matter of how much of the map is actually used by the texture.

It would be a nice feature to have the hair done on one or more layers that could be combined in photoshop or even blended in Poser.

I believe sultans(?) seam guides are easier to work with than the basic uv template.

That was something I was thinking about. I am a little worried about pubic hair, because Satanica's genitals are not meant for M4 and I'm not sure how the maps on both could coincide.
I could try with the M4 genitals, but is someone using those?

By the way, I'm not too familiar with the second skin thing. This could help with hair, or maps variants? Or tatoos for example?

I just downloaded sultan's guides, they seems to make guessing the unions easier!

Tks!

[manleystanley]

I like my renders to be photo representational. Photo realism is too had to get right, but I don't care for the toony effect unless I am doing anime.

I generally work in 1024, and 2048; unless as stated previously, I'm doing an extreme close up.

For seems I usually do a color match. As in I do a sample of the most dominant color of the skin and fill the rest {blank} part of the texture with this.Then I do a color sample of the seam edge on one side, then very lightly spay and blend that color on the other side. Most of my time spent working on skins is in seam blending.

I'm not sure what you mean about bad things with larger textures, the only real problem is prolonged load and render times.

Pubic hair I would leave up to the individual. I know several of the Daz figures have a pubic hair morph, so a trans map for this may be all you need. But body hair could be a problem, as it is there or not. This is one of those thing I wish there was a morph and trans maps for, Of coarse you could always make a hair suit using one of the body glove/suit models, but I am sure that would depend on how tight the fit is..

[Hellboy]

I like my renders to be photo representational. Photo realism is too had to get right, but I don't care for the toony effect unless I am doing anime.
I don't really mean toon type, I mean more, the type which looks more like handmade or painted than a pasted photo, like what we were discussing lately on the postwork thread. I am thinking in a mix of painted map with photo details like the nails, or nipples, or those kind of harder things.
I generally work in 1024, and 2048; unless as stated previously, I'm doing an extreme close up.

For seems I usually do a color match. As in I do a sample of the most dominant color of the skin and fill the rest {blank} part of the texture with this.Then I do a color sample of the seam edge on one side, then very lightly spay and blend that color on the other side. Most of my time spent working on skins is in seam blending.

I'm not sure what you mean about bad things with larger textures, the only real problem is prolonged load and render times.
Thanks! I'll keep that in mind! That's really helpful!
Yeah, the render times and stuff is what I meant mostly!
Pubic hair I would leave up to the individual. I know several of the Daz figures have a pubic hair morph, so a trans map for this may be all you need. But body hair could be a problem, as it is there or not. This is one of those thing I wish there was a morph and trans maps for, Of coarse you could always make a hair suit using one of the body glove/suit models, but I am sure that would depend on how tight the fit is..

Another thing that keeps me away from doing body hair besides that it seems harder to work the seams, is the fact that it looks painted on the skin ('cause that's what it is!) and with specular and stuff, this is more visible.
I totally forgot about the pubic hair morph! I have never use that! That will make things easier on that part!
Thanks manley!!

[Gini]

There have been threads/mentions of using displacement maps to help body hair look less painted on.... I'll see if I can find them again in case you do do a hair option ?

Curious to hear how you get on with this project !

[rwandew]

I can't give advice on making textures unfortunately as I've never made one. But, for what it's worth, I can answer some question as an end-user of textures:
1. I definitely prefer photographic textures: the more realistic the better.
2. My personal preference would be for a Mediterranean skin tone.
6. Moles, wrinkles etc: oh definitely! I think they increase the realism in a render (they help to make the body look less like a plastic doll)
7. Hair: again, definitely! As above, body hair makes a render look more real.

Hope this is of some use. Looking forward to using your texture!

[Lzy724]

I must be different, I prefer painted looks... but thats just me. I use what ever, and change it in postwork.... I just hate huge ass textures. I dont need no 4000x4000, 1024 works fine for me.

[Hellboy]

Thanks for all the help! I sure would like to do a hairy version, actually, the only thing that scares me a little is working the unions with all those parts M4 use now. I did an Abe Sapien texture for M3 and never got the seams quite right, and M4 have the map separated in more parts (torso, limbs etc) which I'm sure will give me even more troubles!

If a "second skin" works like I think it does, maybe I could do something like that, maybe I could even scan my underwear and do some for M4 too that way! At least for Poser users -__-)

[trailfire]

I must be different, I prefer painted looks... but thats just me. I use what ever, and change it in postwork.... I just hate huge ass textures. I dont need no 4000x4000, 1024 works fine for me.

Well I guess that makes 2 of us lol. I like the textures with hand painted detail (jepe's for example). I don't know if this makes a difference to anybody else but it just makes me happy using a texture has been finished by hand. And I'm with Lzy724 again..."I hate huge ass textures" and on top of that they add a specular map and a displacement map!!! To me your just using lots of memory to make your character look like they have very bad skin. I would just as soon have a single texture and use a skin shader with it. I guess people that do large high rez portraits may find some value in having such huge texture maps but I've never rendered a close up at 4000x4000. Most of mine are 2000x2000 tops and further reduced to post them here..

[Hellboy]

Well I guess that makes 2 of us lol. I like the textures with hand painted detail (jepe's for example). I don't know if this makes a difference to anybody else but it just makes me happy using a texture has been finished by hand. And I'm with Lzy724 again..."I hate huge ass textures" and on top of that they add a specular map and a displacement map!!! To me your just using lots of memory to make your character look like they have very bad skin. I would just as soon have a single texture and use a skin shader with it. I guess people that do large high rez portraits may find some value in having such huge texture maps but I've never rendered a close up at 4000x4000. Most of mine are 2000x2000 tops and further reduced to post them here..
I think I could do them as big as possible without suffering slowdowns and add a small version option too so people don't have to resize 'em if needed.

Sometimes I use the same color map as bump and it works fine!
But what does specular maps do? I have seen those but can't find a use for 'em!

[trailfire]

I think I could do them as big as possible without suffering slowdowns and add a small version option too so people don't have to resize 'em if needed.

Sometimes I use the same color map as bump and it works fine!
But what does specular maps do? I have seen those but can't find a use for 'em!

I think they use them in place of a decent skin shader but personally I like to use the texture map as the bump map and the "real skin shader" with the large and small spots turned down to the minimum and the granite displacement option turned off. I'm not after a realistic image, I just like the look it gives to the skin. Lately I've been playing around with the vein displacement maps as well..

[markr]

specular maps are a way of setting different specular values in a image mapped texture. Example , may be an image map of a stone wall with polished timber trim , you make a map of white for th trim , and black for the stone. The trim will show highlights like a polished surface while the stone will be a matt appearance .

[Hellboy]

specular maps are a way of setting different specular values in a image mapped texture. Example , may be an image map of a stone wall with polished timber trim , you make a map of white for th trim , and black for the stone. The trim will show highlights like a polished surface while the stone will be a matt appearance .
:salut: That sound really cool! But what good is on a skin map? :question:

[trailfire]

:salut: That sound really cool! But what good is on a skin map? :question:

It makes the skin looks like it's reflecting light like when you postwork an image with a white brush set to overlay....I guess it's great that texture creators are adding all this stuff but it sure would be nice if they gave you more options but on the other hand I'm getting better at making my own mat poses :scratch:

[manleystanley]

:salut: That sound really cool! But what good is on a skin map? :question:

You can use them for all sorts of things in the object's shadier, like say, beads of sweat.:)
Check out my B.B.B pics in the gallery here, that oily sheen is done whit a specular map.

[Gini]

LukeA Maps Tute (http://www.renderosity.com/mod/tutorial/index.php?tutorial_id=2216)
HB- I saw this tute yesterday ... though its for architectural pieces I think it does a good job of demonstrating what bump, specular and displacement maps can add to a total texture. Might help some how... made it clearer to me anyway.:happy3:

[Hellboy]

LukeA Maps Tute (http://www.renderosity.com/mod/tutorial/index.php?tutorial_id=2216)
HB- I saw this tute yesterday ... though its for architectural pieces I think it does a good job of demonstrating what bump, specular and displacement maps can add to a total texture. Might help some how... made it clearer to me anyway.:happy3:
COOL! Thanks Gini! I'll check that too!
I basically knows about bump and displacement, but I've seen some specular maps for characters that looks a lots like the bump map, and I have wondered if they really makes a difference, because I have noticed not everyone includes them. :question:

Maybe I should just try one and see how it looks like!!

[Hellboy]

Hello! :grin:

One more silly question... :rofl:

1- Does the head map really should be the same as the body ones?? :eek: I always wondered, specially with gen 3 figures which were less fragmented. Would a 3000 pixel maps look bad with a 1500 head one?? Not just the render, I mean more if it looks... unprofessional?!

:scratch:

[Begmysweet]

I personally use 1500x1500 for most of my work. As stated. Bigger textures are good for closeups.

I like darker skin tones. There are a lot of light skins around and its hard to find the "Tanned" or as I call it "Hispanic" skin tone. Yeah you can darken it in photoshop but its just nice to not have to.

I don't like hair its nicer without hair. Can add hair if needed.

I'll grab whatever you put out (sounds so so wrong lol)

Smaller skin maps can work if you use a high resolution. Not sure if the smaller map for the head would work with a larger mapped body. I'll have to try that out myself.

Know what else would be nice, that no one ever does. Put little arrows pointing to and saying what each area on the skin map are. Where the back starts, where the butt starts (Only a moron wouldn't know where it ends) for those that are new and want to try changing the skin or placing tattoo's on the skin.
Its just an idea.

But hope to see what the end result is with your freebie.