Hierarchy of Forms Part 3: The Rest Area (Tertiary Details)
We have arrived at the final stage. The stage where 90% of characters are ruined. Tertiary Details (Micro-skin pores, fabric weaves, scra... ...tches, surface noise).
This is the "candy" of the sculpting world. It feels good to drag a high-frequency alpha across the mesh and see all that detail appear. But just like candy, if you eat too much of it, you get sick.
The Problem: "White Noise" If you cover 100% of your character in high-frequency detail, you destroy the viewer's focus. When everything is loud, nothing is loud. If the armor has intense scratches, the skin has intense pores, and the cloth has intense weave... the eye has nowhere to look. It becomes visual static.
The Solution: The Power of Rest Areas Good detailing is not about filling space; it is about Contrast. You need "Rest Areas", places where the surface is smooth and simple, so that the detailed areas feel special.
Frequency Control: If the face is highly detailed (High Frequency), the collar next to it should be cleaner (Low Frequency). This forces the eye to snap back to the face.
Gradient of Detail: Don't apply noise evenly. Pores should be visible on the nose and cheeks, but fade away on the neck. Scratches should be clustered on the edges of armor, not the flat center.
The Technique: The 80/20 Rule Keep 80% of your surface relatively clean (Secondary Shapes). Put 100% of your detail effort into the remaining 20% (Focal Points).
Rule #3: Detail is not information; it is punctuation. Use it to guide the eye, not to cover up a boring sculpt.
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