What Method Do You Recommend to Model a Realistic Human ?
polycounter lvl 2
[ ZBrush 4R7] [ Blender 2.79 ]
I feel like there's really quite experienced artists here. What method do you recommend to model a realistic human ? I'm also going to make a lioness and more animals , but , one creation at a time.
I'm not looking for stylistic , I mean true realism , photo realistic.
I know the best way to sculpt details and place textures and materials. That's the easier - ish part. What I don't know is the best way to get that base mesh towards close - to - perfect anatomy.
Obviously , use references. Obviously , observe anatomy.
What I mean is ,
Should I use that method where they model the bones , then sculpt in the muscles , the merging them together to create the skin ? At least , that's what I think he does.
https://www.3dtotal.com/tutorial/2376-sculpting-realistic-animals-maya-zbrush-by-stavros-fylladitis-elephant-animal-making-of
Better to use ZSpheres ?
Better to combine simple objects in Blender and sculpt them more detailed in ZBrush ?
3D Scan ? Where do you even do that ?
There's also that extrusion method starting with a single face.
The problem with simply trying all the methods to see what works , is time , and being not sure if what I'm doing is correct , unless that's what most of you recommend is best , to try all. I'm looking for reassurance and advice. I've made lots of nature , and pottery , and scenes full of objects over many years , but not characters.
Tutorials help , but the problem is that they all have different reasons for what they are creating. Most of them make artistic heads , some that can't really be animated , and I'm looking to animate a full human in an animated short.
I've also never posted \ used any kind of forum , so please forgive any mistakes.
I feel like there's really quite experienced artists here. What method do you recommend to model a realistic human ? I'm also going to make a lioness and more animals , but , one creation at a time.
I'm not looking for stylistic , I mean true realism , photo realistic.
I know the best way to sculpt details and place textures and materials. That's the easier - ish part. What I don't know is the best way to get that base mesh towards close - to - perfect anatomy.
Obviously , use references. Obviously , observe anatomy.
What I mean is ,
Should I use that method where they model the bones , then sculpt in the muscles , the merging them together to create the skin ? At least , that's what I think he does.
https://www.3dtotal.com/tutorial/2376-sculpting-realistic-animals-maya-zbrush-by-stavros-fylladitis-elephant-animal-making-of
Better to use ZSpheres ?
Better to combine simple objects in Blender and sculpt them more detailed in ZBrush ?
3D Scan ? Where do you even do that ?
There's also that extrusion method starting with a single face.
The problem with simply trying all the methods to see what works , is time , and being not sure if what I'm doing is correct , unless that's what most of you recommend is best , to try all. I'm looking for reassurance and advice. I've made lots of nature , and pottery , and scenes full of objects over many years , but not characters.
Tutorials help , but the problem is that they all have different reasons for what they are creating. Most of them make artistic heads , some that can't really be animated , and I'm looking to animate a full human in an animated short.
I've also never posted \ used any kind of forum , so please forgive any mistakes.
Replies
But MY workflow goes like this (most of it is solid planning, but I'm always learning new ways to improve my pipeline, so there is some new thoughts about improving my workflow too):
1. A human base mesh, male or female, made in Blender by me. Usually quite low poly with a good sculptable topology, which always differs from the final animation-friendly low poly topology, because it's JUST for sculpting. Polygrouped in ZBrush for quick isolations. Contains also a mouth bag.
2. A simple base mesh for gums and teeth, being separated from each other, also made in Blender by me. Also polygrouped.
3. A good cage mesh for eyes, inner and outer eyes, made in Blender by me, once again. Can be detailed to be high poly meshes, and optimized to be low poly meshes... and they're polygrouped.
4. This fourth part is sculpting anatomy that takes A LOT of time, at least for me. References, books, lectures, tutorials, and all other anatomy material is in a heavy use at this point. I sculpt sub-d by sub-d to get everything consistently right. First two or three subdivision levels include basic proportions and shapes and bony landmarks as PRIMARY forms. Next subdivisions include muscles, tendons, ligaments, re-defined bony landmarks, and probably re-adjusting proportions and shapes too, as SECONDARY forms. Rinse and repeat, until you'll get there.
5. At this stage and on a previous stage as well, I may have been adjusting gums/teeth to fit in the mouth, and sculpting them to look final, but usually without micro details.
6. If I'm super happy with my overall anatomy, I'll separate inner and outer eyes for detailing, as their own subtools, because before this I'm most likely moving both parts of eyes as one subtool. There are millions of anatomical reasons to move them while sculpting the body.
7. Anatomy-wise everything is ready for TERTIARY forms, which are those micro details. This is something I'm studying how to appraoch nowadays. Like I could sculpt the biggest micro details, such as wrinkles on eyelids, forehead, neck, elbows, fingers, knees, feet, toes etc. on ZBrush's 3D layers. And THEN use Substance Painter 2018 for smaller micro details such as skin pores, when texturing the low poly later on. But before SP, I've always sculpted all micro details on layers in ZBrush.
8. This part may be a good stage to start creating hair, eyebrows and eyelashes, just to tackle through the hardest part of the character creation that it doesn't haunt you later on. With my latest character I did all the hairy parts as a last part, and that was a bit stressful.
I could go on, but I'm a bit tired to go through the whole pipeline of clothing, low poly creation (retopology), UVs, baking and texturing. Yep, too much to write. Maybe someone else wishes to continue. ;D
But this should get you started, and this more or less vaguely written 8. parts of my pipeline is already a lot of work, so good luck!
Some info here, though I haven't put much time into this page yet
http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/Anatomy_Reference
Study, draw, study, sculpt, study, draw, study, repeat. Drawing is faster, it will give you more opportunities to learn anatomy in a more direct way.
You will also need to understand good mesh topology for animation.
http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/Topology
But the anatomy comes first. And last, and all throughout.
Starting in ZBrush is absolutely fabulous for speed and flexibility. You can choose a number of ways to begin, and afterwards you can make changes both minor and major in a fluid way. It's pretty well the best way to sketch in three dimensions. Some will tell you to first make sketch studies on paper. Others will tell you to chuck a cube in the viewport and go from there. Who knows what's best?
I start by throwing a ZSphere on the canvas and building a form that approximates what I want. Once that's done I will append a polytool of that ZSphere base and start hammering out the shape with the move, simple and inflate brushes starting from the lowest subD level. Increase the subDs along with the detail, and if necessary remesh the model if I cant achieve the level of denial without increasing the resolution past level 6. For a model that has to represent someone I use a combination of movie footage and the transparent UI ZBrush slider.
Polypaint the skin parts at the highest subD using a combination of Spotlight photo projection and hand painting (well as close as it gets to hand painting without grabbing a paint brush).
Make a copy of the hipoly and decimate it.
Send the decimated version to 3DSMax and use Polydraw to make the game or higher poly film mesh making allowances for vertex count and animation loops for animation deformation.
Layout the uvs of the retopoed mesh in 3DMax
Send the uved mesh back to ZBrush for FBX export for use in Substance painter, or for a mid level mesh create a displacement map in ZBrush for import as a height map for use in Substance painter.
Rig the low/lower poly mesh in 3DMax using a skeleton from the game engine, or a CAT rig for animation In Max for a movie.
That's how I like to work. It's not a sure fire method for you though but I hope it helps.
Cheerio
Thank you for the very helpful advice.
I'm making a base mesh , shaping out the very simple proportions. Then , sculpting them. Features , details , a little at a time.
I'll definitely be trying new methods , and taking certain ideas.
Consider it for what it is - that is to say, something that amounts to about 5% of the final result.