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Here is what I have accomplished so far:

  1. I have sculpted out what I wanted my dragon to look like
  2. I re-topologized the dragon into a much less dense design.
  3. I tried my best to unwrap this design to no avail.
  4. I crafted a normal map (Which works very poorly)

I currently still use Blender 2.79 because I really like it, the main thing that I am trying to accomplish is to just one time get one model done all the way through.

I have sculpted a lot of my works, but every time I retopologize and then try to unwrap I always get a disgusting mess as a result. I have seen tons of tutorials on the entire process and I have never seen anything like my result.

So, sometimes when you have no other options you just have to take a step back and throw yourself on to someone's feet and beg for help. I really love this kind of art and have been stuck on this for months.

I have no idea what I'm doing wrong or even how to correct this issue. I can even send you my blend file for further observation if it will help.

This is my original completed sculpt This is my original completed sculpt

This is my re-topologized mesh This is my re-topologized mesh

This is a representation of the unwrap that I have This is a representation of the unwrap that I have

These are the steps I took to apply the normal map These are the steps I took to apply the normal map

The seams are pretty bad and that you can still see that my dragon is polygonal as ever This is a tad dark, but it doesn't take a lot of light to see that the seams are pretty bad and that you can still see that my dragon is polygonal as ever

https://drive.google.com/file/d/12t99_Vl1bkYhNsxou2SUD3qYkjIGotnd/view?usp=sharing

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  • $\begingroup$ Hello and welcome :). You can share the .blend file through our Blend-Exchange site. Just remove all unnecessary parts and images to keep it as small as possible :). $\endgroup$
    – jachym michal
    Commented Mar 18, 2020 at 20:18
  • $\begingroup$ Can we have a look at the texture, you're using? Also you might want to switch to smooth shaded when trying out normal maps. $\endgroup$
    – Frederik Steinmetz
    Commented Mar 18, 2020 at 21:09
  • $\begingroup$ Jachym, I will go ahead and share it now! I didn't know that we could do that! $\endgroup$
    – Michael
    Commented Mar 18, 2020 at 21:54
  • $\begingroup$ Fredrick! I will put the whole blend file up on the blend exchange for you two! Thank you both for considering helping. $\endgroup$
    – Michael
    Commented Mar 18, 2020 at 21:55
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    $\begingroup$ I am currently attempting to get this thing uploaded and have been for the last hour. It keeps getting stuck about a third way through. $\endgroup$
    – Michael
    Commented Mar 18, 2020 at 23:05

1 Answer 1

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To get useful answers try to ask more focused questions.
It's not really clear where exactly you're stuck.

Feel free to post as many specific questions as you need, that's what this site is for :).

To adress small technical issues:

  • Repair non-manifold vertices (Select > All By Trait > Non Manifold)
  • Align the centerline more precisely (to mirror properly)
  • Correct Face orientation, as some are pointing the wrong way
  • To get rid of the rough polygonal look, you can use 2 levels of Subdivision Modifier.

To align the centerline enable Absolute Grid Snap.
You can use Scale tool to align more vertices at once.

enter image description here

Other tips

  • Use more circular edge loops on your model for easier unwrapping
  • Add more seams when possible, to limit the stretching
  • Learn more about making Normal Maps (you can learn a lot on this site)
  • Try the new Blender Remesher (since Blender 2.82)

For art critique, you can try BlenderArtists.com.

Repaired mesh with some simple materials and a new UV map.

enter image description here

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  • $\begingroup$ Thank you so much for at least taking a look at correcting the issues I had with my mesh! I really appreciate you even considering helping me. $\endgroup$
    – Michael
    Commented Mar 19, 2020 at 18:59
  • $\begingroup$ No problem, I'm trying to unwrap it and it's really fun :). I'm learning a lot here, because I don't sculpt myself. $\endgroup$
    – jachym michal
    Commented Mar 19, 2020 at 19:46
  • $\begingroup$ Jachym, Thank you so much! Just out of curiosity...how did you align the center-line more precisely? I am not sure how to do that. $\endgroup$
    – Michael
    Commented Mar 19, 2020 at 21:58
  • $\begingroup$ I used grid snapping. I'll add a gif to the answer :). $\endgroup$
    – jachym michal
    Commented Mar 19, 2020 at 22:23
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    $\begingroup$ Jachym, you saved me a big headache. I am going to take what you have done and apply it to my own model and then take it a few steps further. Thank you so much for taking some time to help a struggling novice! $\endgroup$
    – Michael
    Commented Mar 19, 2020 at 22:41

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