Leprechaun Lady: My first 3D model

josfield

I decided to join the Monthly HaintPainting Art Jam. The topic is Ireland and I decided to do a model of a Leprechaun.





Thanks to Megacorpse I realized that there is still a lot of work to do, to do this the right way. Since I want to learn how to do a good 3d model I will work on the points I was given as a critique. I hope it is okay that I quote the advice here just to show what I will work on:

The two things I see that you should aim for are :

- more consistent mesh density : Parts like the hat or lower jacket tend to alternate between tight and large loop rows which isn't good as far as posing your character goes. The more even geometry you have, the smoother your cloth will look when posing, and there'll be less risk of stuff clipping through other stuff when you deform the mesh.

- more efficient vertex/edge distribution : best example is the knee joint, you'll see that there are a lot of edges on the back view that serve no purpose. You shouldn't hesitate to put triangles where they won't alter mesh animation, because otherwise you're wasting vertexes on big loops that you could have saved to get a smoother silhouette on different angles. If you look at your model from a perspective viewpoint, you might notice some anatomy parts will look a bit rigid.

here's a set of useful references for low-poly anatomy : https://www.pinterest.com/psjhhh/%EC...D%B4%EC%96%B4/

http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?p=2259798#post2259798

Please feel free to critique, that's what this thread is for ;-)

josfield

I worked on the hat and the back of the jacket first. I do not feel very confident with the density of vertices I need at certain parts to not do too much or less. Especially at the back of the jacket it is hard for me to tell.





I really hesitate about triangles. In which way can they alter mesh animation? And where must I not use triangles in my mesh?

Odow

I'm no character artist but isn't everything ended up being triangulate in the game engine anyway ?

Also for the elbow topology if this help https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/25/30/2d/25302db2b7801adaa45473019117e39c.jpg

josfield

That's what I thought too. But I found a few references that say, that it is recommended to avoid triangles when possible, because it simplifies the workflow and keep everything clean. Anyway, when not intending to subdivide or smooth the model it is no problem. For animation it says that triangles should be avoided where the mesh is altered much (joints for example).

Still, on the image to linked I would say, that the one with the triangles looks more natural.

http://blog.digitaltutors.com/modeling-with-quads-or-triangles/

http://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/2931/why-should-triangle-meshes-be-avoided-for-character-animation

darkmag07

When placed correctly, triangles can enhance the deformation on the joints. The wiki has a lot of good reference images. Having too many triangles makes it hard to work with a 3D model since they general break up "loop selections" so it is harder to tell how the surface flows.

There are very few "right" and "wrong" ways to do topology. Generally speaking, every edge loop should affect the silhouette of the character or support deformation during animation. If your loop does not do one of these things, then you should evaluate if you need it in the model.

In version 1, your character's coattails are fine, but imagine what would happen if they started blowing in the wind. It might look a little unpleasant because there wouldn't be a smooth transition from the middle of the coattail to the tip. Your new coattails will now animate more smoothly because there is more geometry, but costs you in performance by increasing the polygon count.

(If you're using a mesh in a sculpt, you want to avoid triangles and create square shaped polygons so that the algorithm can divide the model with equal detail.)

Edit: How many edge loops you should have boils down to what you want to be the focal point of the model.

josfield

That was very helpful, thank you! :-) It is definitely better to do the research and have someone explaining it in order to really understand the topology instead of simply trying to copy how other people do it in a tutorial XD

I used the references you posted to model the elbow of my character and also went over the whole model and deleted edges and vertices I think I don't need.





It looks better now, but the face is not finished yet. I want to work on the eyes, nose and mouth a bit more before moving on to the antisymmetric parts.

Megacorpse

Wow man, that's already miles better!
Personally I insist on adding a bit more geometry to the legs, those bright socks are gonna be something to look at.

darkmag07

As far as facial topology for animation is concerned, HippyDrome has some really great resource images.

Spacey

I would say the best advice you're going to get is to model each element of the character as its own object. You're modeling everything off of one solid object. It's a very restrictive workflow as you have to take into account an edgeloop running all the way down and around your model. It's nothing but one giant headache.

As an example, I would have separate objects for:
-hat
-hair
-head and neck
-pipe
-bow tie
-coat
-hands
-shirt and legs
-shoes
And then each of those I'd likely break up into smaller pieces (lapels, buttons, buckles, etc). In Max, this is as easy as selecting the faces you want and clicking "Detach" on the right panel. Not until the very end would I try and weld things together where it makes sense.

Working this way you'll be able to give each object the attention and forms it needs without having to worry about how it's going to fit into the rest of the model's edgeflow. The opening on the coat doesn't have to run down edges defined by the body anymore - it can drape and flow naturally over the body. You should feel more free and have more fun modeling. It should be fun! You're having fun, right?!

josfield

@Megacorpse: Done! ;-) I added a few more loops to the legs:



@darkmag07: Thank you for the reference on face topology! I will post an imgae of my character's face, when I feel I made some progress.

@Spacey: Actually I have thought about using different objects or just one for a long time. I just did not do it because I was not sure whether it is right. That is also the reason why I am so fraught the whole time. I want to do this right.
I think I finally get it, that there is not just one way to do this correctly, but that I just have to keep certain rules in mind when modelling and do it as I prefer. I'm still not there yet, but I am lighting up, I think ;-)
And yes, I am having fun. Actually I haven't done anything in a while that kept working for hours and researching without wanting to stop


You guys help me a lot, thank you!

josfield

A quick update on the face...