Should I model mesh first or sculpt it and then do retopo? Provide

depends on the level of detail.

sculpting a character right off the bat is near impossible. you would have to use zbrush for a substantial amount of time until you can make a good base mesh.
if you are just a beginner, start with regular modeling

>>579117
Thanks
So basically modelling organic with polys is just noob crutch these days? What if I have to make multiple similar characters with differing geometry but who will have to use same animations and skeleton?

>>579118
>So basically modeling organic with polys is just noob crutch these days?

i don't understand this question. im just saying learning sculpting depends on how you see yourself in 1 or 2 years from now, are you planning on making characters? or is it just to challenge yourself?
sculpting a character is fast compared to modeling organics, but having the proper zbrush speed to do so takes a while.
also modeling organics improves your modeling skills tremendously, and you don't have to make realistic characters, just stylized ones to begin with

>>579119
I'm just trying to figure out which is the industry's correct way to model organics properly
>also modeling organics improves your modeling skills tremendously
That's interesting point.

>>579120
yes. because it forces you into a position where you have to use 2 ortographic views and several modifiers to model which is great.

the industry proper way is this.

zbrush to model the base
clothes are optional in zbrush, or use marvelous designer
retopology in modo,blender or 3ds/maya (you can do retopology in zbrush nowdays)
baking in xnormal,substance painter or again, zbrush

>>579121
matter of fact you can do everything in zbrush without ever leaving the program, which have its upsides and downsides.
but you will never have to use any other program which is nice

>>579121
>zbrush to model the base
>clothes are optional in zbrush, or use marvelous designer
>retopology in modo,blender or 3ds/maya (you can do retopology in zbrush nowdays)
>baking in xnormal,substance painter or again, zbrush
That's helpful thanks.
What puzzles me, I want to do a human character with varying builds, i.e. beer belly, 6-pack, etc. Than I will do another human character, and I want to import zbrush sculpted details stuff from my first char to new base mesh so I won't have to start from scratch each time and then make multiple variations for that second character too. Is it possible? Should I bother trying to create "universal" base mesh in 3ds/maya first so I could keep the same rig between these 2 characters, or I'll have to individually rig and animate each one?

>>579123
that's a good question that i don't think i have an answer for.

generally speaking there are systems in the game engine (or render) that inflate the mesh when needed or use shape keys to change from 1 mesh to another, there are many ways to do this and its not set in stone.
for example: in elder scrolls oblivion the system didn't have 100 different meshes, they simply changed the dimensions of the mesh based on what you wanted.
in fighting games, its much more complex: they have the luxury of making characters bleed, ripped clothes etc. and its because the game is focusing on just characters, not environments.

>>579124
>that's a good question that i don't think i have an answer for.
Yep it's probably not correct question for this board, guess I'll need to experiment on my own.

>>579123
Sculpt base mesh in Zbrush.
Retopo for animation.
Create base rig as reference.
Use this retopo'd mesh as basemesh for sculpting.
Use the layer system in Zbrush to create your variations.
Important: don't change the topology and you can export each variation and they have same topology which means they should be working with the same rig (even the same weight map).

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>>579126
Thanks dude, that really helps
thread can be closed now I guess

>>579112
Depends on a lot of things, like what the subject is, what the output is intended for, and your own personal workflow preferences.
Sculpting first lets you block out shapes really quickly, but modeling makes sure you don't go off on a tangent, since ZBrush makes it easy to go overboard. You'll invariably need to learn how to do topology well either way, so it's best practice to start with poly modeling, integrate ZB as a supplement, and then if you like it, make it as large a part of your workflow as you need.

>>579122
Doing almost anything in ZBrush feels like flossing your teeth through your ass, so to me it's generally a good idea to keep those things to other programs as much as possible.

>>579129
Thanks, I probably should have formulated my question better - I just thought everyone would TL/DR through it then.
Anyway, it is fully answered.

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>>579128
>thread can be closed now I guess

That's not how things work here, newfriendo