ZBrush Tip: Custom Alpha Surface Noise Workflow for Pores and Fabric

Quickly add believable pores and fabric weave by driving Surface Noise with a custom alpha. It’s fast to preview, safe to iterate, and production-ready when you bake it to geometry or export maps. If you don’t own ZBrush yet, check out NOVEDGE for licensing and support: NOVEDGE.

• Prepare a clean, tileable alpha:
  • Use a seamless, high bit-depth (16–32 bit) grayscale image; mid-gray (0.5) as neutral height.
  • Normalize levels so white = peaks, black = valleys; avoid clipped highlights for easier tuning.
• Unify scale for consistent pore/weave size:
  • Use ZPlugin > Scale Master to standardize real-world size before adding noise.
  • Keep a note of Noise Scale values to reuse across SubTools.
• Add Surface Noise with your alpha:
  • Tool > Surface > Noise > click Noise.
  • Choose 3D mode for world-space uniformity (great for heads and bodies), or UV mode for precise tiling and direction (ideal for garments). Inspect seams with UV > Morph UV.
  • Import the alpha, set Mix Basic Noise to 0 if you only want the alpha, then adjust Strength and Alpha Scale.
  • For fabric, rotate and scale the alpha in UV mode to align the weave; for skin, prefer 3D mode to avoid UV-density differences.
• Keep it non-destructive while you dial it in:
  • Create a new Layer (recording on) before Apply to Mesh; you can later adjust layer intensity.
  • Use Mask By Noise to convert the preview into a mask for controlled inflation/polish and wear patterns.
• Bake to geometry when ready:
  • Subdivision matters. Aim for 6–10M points for pore-level fidelity on a head; garments typically need less, but enough to preserve crisp weave.
  • Click Apply to Mesh, then fine-tune on the active Layer or blend with the Morph brush.
• Exporting maps for lookdev:
  • Use ZPlugin > Multi Map Exporter for tangent-space normal and 32-bit displacement maps (mid 0.5). Keep the same render subdivision level used at bake.
  • Combine with a cavity/curvature pass to enhance micro-relief in texturing.
• Troubleshooting:
  • Visible seams: ensure a truly tileable alpha, use UV mode with Offset adjustment, or switch to 3D mode.
  • Detail mushes when smoothing: apply noise on a Layer after final subdivision; reduce Smooth intensity or use Smooth by Groups.
  • Scale mismatch across SubTools: unify scene scale first; reuse Noise Scale values for consistency.
  • Performance dips: preview noise while hidden SubTools are off; bake only when final.

Pro starting points: Strength 0.02–0.06 for skin pores; fabric weave Strength 0.03–0.1 depending on cloth thickness and camera distance. Use small, layered passes rather than a single heavy bake.

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