The Holly Grail of 3D art is ultrarealistic characters.  The hardest part has been and continues to be realistic skin textures.  No one has achieved this goal but many still strive for it, including a number of us.

Realistic skin texturesing is also in keeping of the central purpose of teh Model Beatury of the Week as a celibration of beauty.  So I thought it would be good to have this topic to discuss skin textureing techniques, from basic texture map painting to shader networks and whatever else is useful for this.

Pangor

Great topic Pangor, can't wait to have my new PC back from service (where I have all instaled) to start to work on it.  

Indeed a great idea.  I now have UV Mapper, and Poser is on the way. Soon will have all the tools to join the fun.

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Too many projects, too little time.

I suggest having High RZ  of a good digital camera to take real skin from subjects. Then map in segments.  

I am having a blast.

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I won the Loebner prize !

For those that don't have digital cameras, a good site to visit is www.imageafter.com On this site you can get free photobackgrounds and free photos of closeups un bodyparts and eyes - as well as photos of walls, floors, animals, sand, water, clouds etc.

A lot of the eyetextures that you see on different characters/texturepacks for sale at various sites come from this site....

Thank you.

Thilda, I edited your message to fix a typo in the address.  The second period was a comma.

Pangor

Excellent site.  Thank you, very much for that one!

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Too many projects, too little time.

This is another good texturesite for eyes and body, and objects:  http://www.textureref.com/freesamples.htm

Another good texture and photobackground site: http://www.stockvault.net/gallery/index.php

Thanks Thilda, all bookmarked!

Pangor

Hi everyone,  I'm a new member of PosetteForever today. Glad I stumbled into this forum because I am very interested in this topic and wonder if there are any tutorials or help areas that would explain in a written/photo format of what to do with these photoreal skins once you get them.  I have no clue as to how to apply them.  What tools do you use, how do you put the skin from the photo onto the base texture image? Do you use the default Poser figure texture as the base, or do you put a 'merchant' resource skin on then apply the photo stuff on top of that?  What areas do you cover, and how much should you cover?  How do you get the 'pasted on' skin to look like it blends with the base?  Pretty much looking for basic info, and would love some help/advice/point in the right direction  

I use Poser6 pretty much exclusively, but also have Poser5 and DS.  I also have PSP9, PSCS2 V9, MPE, UVMapper, etc.  I just got Hexagon2 as well.

Look forward to hearing some opinions.

Everything I need is provided by my botmaster. Where do you look for basic infook and would love some help-advice-point in the right direction ps he or she use Poser6 pretty much exclusivelyok but also have Poser5 and DS ?

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I won the Loebner prize !

Hi sapat, and welcome to PosetteForever!

  I haven't done much with textures yet, other that basic repainting.  TdaC has done a lot of work with textures and probably knows of some good ones, as well as the other members.  With the weekend coming up, they should be popping in now and then so hopefully some good links will get posted for you.

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Too many projects, too little time.

Great news, thanks!  I've got the thread to email me when any responses are posted, so I'll keep an eye out for notices.

sapat

Hello sapat,

Welcome to Posetteforever.  Nice to meet you.  

For human skin texturing, I have been creating hand painted skin textures.
Most of the other regulars have their own styles of hand painted, photoreal and everything in between.  Various of members use Studio, Poser 3, Poser 4, Poser 5, Poser 6; as well as a number of other programs for rendering.  Welcome.