[REQ] Tuts / References - Stylized and toony modelling.

Bombshell

I'm trying to model a toony model, the reference looks good but putting it into 3D is a lot tougher. The head and body look strange (The legs, hands and feet look fine).
So I've been trying to find tutorials / tips / references on modelling in a stylized or toony form.
Here is the reference I have and the model so far.

Intention was with the head cap thing I would have a texture with an alpha channel.
Long story short, I need help with getting the model to look like the reference.

Any help is appreciated,
Thanks in advanced,
Bombshell

cryrid

Well here's how it's currently stacking up with the proportions and profile of the facial features:


I'm not sure how helpful they'll be, but you might want to check out some of the videos at http://www.3dappealblog.com/
In a few of them he goes over his students work, showing how to redesign the 3d model to better match the 2d style. Perhaps it might give you some ideas of what to consider.

Bombshell

I've looked through a few videos and they did help a bit but not so much that I could understand how I could go about changing toon into model. as for the proportions I tried doing it as it was drawn but the head looked far far too big even though in the sketch it looks cutesy rather than grotesque.

cryrid

It's a big head to begin, and something like that can be key to capturing the same feeling as the sketch (the head is what immediately jumps out to me, as there is little else to really go by from just an outline of the side).

Usually for stylized characters I prefer to work with simple primitives in order to quickly block out and test the volumes first to get that out of the way. Since you pretty much have the whole thing modeled already, you might find it easier just to isolate the head's verts and scale them or play with a lattice deform in order to try and find a size that is more to your liking. I'm confident that with some some small adjustments you can find a bigger cranium that wont seem too grotesque. Here's a very quick stab I just took at it:


But really other than the proportions I'm not sure what else I can give for advice on matching the style. There's not a lot of information to go by on the reference to tell the kind of details that should be put into the folds, or what parts of the texture need to be played up or kept minimal.

A bit of a side note: If you have some spare money, I find it helpful to have a few figures/statues/etc laying around the desk. Preferably from several different styles as you can use them to get a good idea how another artist went about translating a stylized drawing into a 3d model. Maybe ones like these to examine for bigger headed and simple characters.

Bombshell

wow that "quick stab" looks perfect!
thanks, now I have a better idea by seeing it in 3D. I've not tried blocking out, though its my usual approach I assumed this model to be simple (which I now know not true) so I'll give that a go (as for the model already been made, I'd rather try 100 times and get it right, than try once and finish it bad.)

As for the dolls I might do that, I'll get some figures in styles I like (obviously I'm more likely to work in those styles) I've not got much money but I'll be getting paid some time soon and I'll look into it.

Thanks for the help

Bombshell

I need help again (same subject different mesh) I can't seem to get my head around modelling the face:


I'm lost for what to do, I'm not sure how to shape the face and maintain a good topology flow and silhouette. I keep getting strange shape around the cheeks and attempts at avoiding that I get horibble topology flow. -.-
I can model a torso hands, arms, legs, feet, etc. fine, textured and ready for animation but faces screw me over every time!

Steve Schulze

You might be better off modelling in the details that you need without worrying too much about mesh flow initially and then cleaning up the errant edges once you've got your forms down.

Bombshell

if you look at cyrids go at it (which is spot on what I want to model) there aren't really many details and the problem is mainly the form of the face.

pior

There is no such thing as a tutorial for toon modeling. All you have to do is ... think analytically.
Imagine the cross sections of every shape of your model, as if you were slicing it. Not a single curve should be improvised - but any solid concept has all that anyways.

Then once you have all these curves identified (kind of like this : http://assex.altervista.org/image/dalla.GIF ) then proceed to modeling. Dont worry too much about surfaces - just extrude edges to "close" the profile, the arc of the brow, the fullness of the nose, and so on. You can easily do that in max using shift-drag. Splines can help too. (this process is sometimes referred to as "stripmodeling")

You'll get something like that (but with thicker strips - kind of like tape)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/polyscene/414705064/

Then and only then, fill in the blanks between these curves.

Another radically different approach would be doing what Cryrid did and simply roughly sculpting it all roughly. But I think at your stage you would benefit from learning stripmodeling - it will train your eye.

Good luck!