[Please use headphones]
However, saving the .exr out from Photoshop heavily reduced the contrast of the map, so it took a bit of time to get all of the settings correct to give the arm a look that is consistent with the rest of the model.
Before finishing the model in Mudbox, I thought it was best to check on the displacement maps as I go to be sure that everything is working as it should. For the most part things aren't looking too bad, but the horns aren't retaining the detail they should be. And the face and horns are being quite fiddly, so I might need to take the displacement maps into Photoshop to sort out some minor problems - mainly around the neck, bridge of the nose, and brow line.
Overall, I'm pretty happy with how this model turned out. I used the Maya > Mudbox > Maya pipeline, with the final result being rendered in Maya with a displacement map to give it texture.
The only trouble I had was getting the UV seams to marry up, but it was really easily fixed by changing the UV Smoothing to pin borders.
I didn't like how noisy my previous wood tests were so I made my own stencil for Mudbox using some photos of bark for reference. I used four shades of grey to give different levels of depth to it. While applying the stencil in Mudbox, I used large broad strokes to get the right amount of depth, and then went over it all again with a smaller brush and lower strength for the smaller details.
To get the look I want for my character, Alan advised me to work with displacement maps using the Maya > Mudbox > Maya workflow. This was my first try using displacement maps and I ran into a few problems but managed to work everything out.
Next, I'll start working on maps that better relate to my character and work my way up.
