Zbrush

I've been playing with Zbrush all weekend. Here are the best results. I also re-sculpted the Bird Queen model that I was working on in Mudbox now that I've got the hang of Zbrush. The results are very different as you can see in the comparison image. It seems like Zbrush has better pressure sensitivity so sculpting in that software is more akin to digital painting where in Mudbox I'm always aware that I'm working on a 3D mesh which likely accounts for the stiffness. A note of interest: I spent twice as long working on the Mudbox version accomplished much less in that time. Hopefully I'll have time to get Buster the spaceman into Zbrush before I finish this project.

Also attached is the new concept art for the Bird Queen. I changed it around so that there would be more sculpted detail than in the original.

One last note: the female bust is based on a somewhat iconic Richard Avedon photo of Jacqueline de Ribes.

Buster's Colors (A Start)

Heres the first shots of Buster painted up. I've painted his face and hair, the body and jetpack are up next. Also tested out the normal map transfer for his body... a lot of artifacts are showing up that I have to figure out.

Buster's Hands

Did some work on his hands. Still need to tighten the design up, his fingers are losing a lost of volume from all the sculpting.

Buster Updates

Got some feedback on my model and incorporated some edits on the anatomy as well as a sharpening up of many features to make it more geometric.

Buster: Model

Here's a preview of the Buster Model. The first image is from Mudbox with 5 levels of subdivisions and the second two images are exported normal maps on the base model in Maya. Still tweaking him in Mudbox. This was an (unsuccessful) test from Mudbox to see how a normal map would render out for a base level mesh, but there is not nearly enough geometry to support it, causing the ugly shadows. Also a little lost on the textures. I'm caught between wanting to do photorealistic textures and stylized painterly look and just need to decide.

I am, however, pretty happy with the way that helmet is picking up light!

Mudbox vs. Zbrush

Starting a new project that will focus on using Mudbox (or Zbrush?) for Game Design. The goal will be to create a series of concept paintings that inspire 3d models for a handful of characters and a set. I want to explore the idea of a more painterly look to 3d texturing but at the same time want to create different types of convincing materials (i.e. leather, hair, metal, glass, satin, velvet) Will be concepting and exploring different solutions.

Here is my first concept painting of what could be one of the characters or inspiration for them. I used this as a guide for modeling and painting in Mudbox. The goal was to create a fairly simple piece of geometry sculpted entirely in Mudbox (without and help from Maya) and use Trompe L'oeil painting techniques to create the illusion of depth. The painted render below uses no lighting, the entire effect is painted onto the model.


After completing this test I wanted to give Zbrush a try. I've chosen a completely different subject so it's not a perfect 1:1 comparison but Zbrush is certainly a better sculpting tool. Something about the way the tools impact the 3d form is far more natural. Additionally it has an array of beautiful "materials" that look remarkably like different types of clay. I think this helps me get in the mindset of sculpting, whereas Mudbox materials always look like 3D models. However I'm not impressed with Zbrush's user interface and think its "2.5d" paradigm is very confusing. Will continue exploring.

Gaston

I've been slowly chipping away at this model for a couple weeks and finally finished him, did UV layouts (what a learning process that is), and custom maps. I'm regretting my decision to make his poodle puff a separate piece of geometry. Would be nice to see it smoothly flow from his head, but I think changing that will completely ruin my UVs and I don't want to take a step back at this point.
I played with a couple ideas for how to do his hair, actually. Was considering making it out of transparent layers of polygons like in a video game. Also played with "Fur", but didn't think the results would mesh well with the rest of the scene. I ended up sculpting it in Mudbox and hand-painting finer strands in Photoshop. Looks a little plastic-y, need to play with that when I get it into the correct lighting situation.
Added in a lot of little details like his belt buckle and shoe laces that were fun to put in, but probably are too small to be seen in the final render. I blew the bump maps out a little bit more than they probably should be just so that when he's rendered from a distance you can see the texture better. Next time I design characters I'll put more thought into scale!

He still needs a shirt or jacket or something. I also need to make it look like he's bloodied up...

Thinking about Hair

As I'm about to jump head first into my final project for this 3D study, I'm trying to formulate a good solution for hair. I spent some time last evening playing with Maya's fur engine, which feels somewhat limited in it's offerings. I also spent some time experimenting with Mudbox to sculpt hair. This turned out to be a great lesson in what not to do with Mudbox modeling! While I like the hand-drawn hair, I'm concerned it will feel too stiff and statuesque.