[WIP] Critique Wanted! My first human character...
Hey, Polycount! I'm new here and I'd like your help. 
Right now I am working on this girl, who is my first attempt at a human game character. I crave any critique that my fellow game devs and 3D artists can provide, so if something sucks, please be brutally honest!
My overall goal is to create a character who is a "real girl" - naturalistic, believeable, and not hyper-sexualized like many female images in games tend to be. She's a tough chick and a tomboy; she likes to play in the dirt and hang out with the guys. Her main hobby is riding dirtbikes, so that I can model some sweet motocross boots and incorporate lots of hard-surface details into this organic character model. The costume design will be visually very bottom-heavy, with a value gradient that darkens from top to bottom. I will include plenty of interesting wear-and-tear details into the clothing textures and on her skin. In-game, this character would probably be more suited to a sidekick or "best friend" role, not so much the main protagonist.
I'm working on her costume & tattoo design at the moment, trying to figure out a color scheme that works. Here's her basic attire; I still need to add all the little details like rips, scuff marks, dirt, zippers, buckles, and pins:
And here are some screenshots of my Zbrush sculpt so far. I have not worked on the hands or feet much yet. I really want some critique on the anatomy before I move on to sculpting hair and clothes:
Thanks for looking! Let me know if my anatomy can be improved!
Right now I am working on this girl, who is my first attempt at a human game character. I crave any critique that my fellow game devs and 3D artists can provide, so if something sucks, please be brutally honest!
My overall goal is to create a character who is a "real girl" - naturalistic, believeable, and not hyper-sexualized like many female images in games tend to be. She's a tough chick and a tomboy; she likes to play in the dirt and hang out with the guys. Her main hobby is riding dirtbikes, so that I can model some sweet motocross boots and incorporate lots of hard-surface details into this organic character model. The costume design will be visually very bottom-heavy, with a value gradient that darkens from top to bottom. I will include plenty of interesting wear-and-tear details into the clothing textures and on her skin. In-game, this character would probably be more suited to a sidekick or "best friend" role, not so much the main protagonist.
I'm working on her costume & tattoo design at the moment, trying to figure out a color scheme that works. Here's her basic attire; I still need to add all the little details like rips, scuff marks, dirt, zippers, buckles, and pins:
And here are some screenshots of my Zbrush sculpt so far. I have not worked on the hands or feet much yet. I really want some critique on the anatomy before I move on to sculpting hair and clothes:
Thanks for looking! Let me know if my anatomy can be improved!
Replies
I'm not especially in any position to give critiques, haha, but I think maybe the lower ab/hip area seems a bit iffy. It seems like the abs and obliques aren't really making the shape I'm used to seeing, the V shaped muscles down to the crotch. But then again, that's where the fat goes, so if she's supposed to have just a little bit of flab, it's lookin' cool.
Maybe the lats on her lower back are pinched in a bit too much.
The chin and lower jaw seem a bit manly-ish and square as opposed to a more dainty one. But she is a tomboy, right?
All in all, I think it's going great; you can totally avoid my ideas if you were aiming to do that. You seem to have a good grasp on what you're doing!
Keep it up, and hope to see more soon!
P.S. I checked out your portfolio, haha. The Ki-Rin character is gorgeous.
Stoop: I did make her abdomen less defined on purpose, but that is an area I've been having trouble with in particular. And yeah, I tried to make her somewhat androgynous with the chin and such. :P Thanks for checking out my portfolio, too!
Kosh: I intentionally made her mouth a bit wide, just so that she has some quirks to make her facial structure less generic. Do you think it's too wide to be believable? I'll definitely work more on the back - thanks a lot for pointing those things out!
I'm going to post an update later tonight... I spent ALL my free time yesterday sculpting her top over and over. Making convincing wrinkles and folds is not nearly as easy as all the tutorial videos make it look. I'm going to keep trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong for a few hours, and then I'll probably need some more Polycount expertise!
I'm still struggling to sculpt convincing clothing. I want her top to have some pretty intense folds, as if it is bunched up a bit between her curves. But I know I must be doing something wrong, because the process is sooo slow. Could anyone share their workflow/brushes for creating wrinkles and folds?
I also spent some time figuring out just how I want to construct her pants:
I still need to fix some clipping issues and such...
I'm pretty proud of how her motocross boots are coming along.
Next, I'm going to re-work the basic shape of her body before moving on to smaller details... I wanted to make her a little different than the generic, idealistic female body type, but I think I got so wrapped up in sculpting clothing that I lost sight of her shape. I would love some critique on the costume if you guys have suggestions!
some things i see are this: the mouth looks a little too wide the elbows look too sharp. So do the cheeks, and there is something weird about the tear ducts.
Keep up the good work!
lol ?
Critiques from me are that there should be less folds between the pants and the boots considering that she would tuck the pants into the boots...maybe? Also, I don't know if you've noticed the small hole in the shirt (At the front, above the right breast), unless it's supposed to be there?
Other suggestions, the beanie could be pulled down a bit at the front. And for other accessories I think a couple of straps around the arms would be good, to hold knives, tools etc.
That's all I got! Keep up the great work!
I thought that too ..but seems like it depends on the jewelry..
Looks goods..I would try to push the character in the face a bit more
I dont think there's too big of a problem with the piercings, the indentation should be softened a tad but based on what Im seeing on google, they would push in a bit on the cheek:
Watch the corners of your mouth though, yours are super sharp right now I think.
dan: Yes, the pants are supposed to be tucked into the boots, and spilling out over the top of the boots a little bit. Does it not look like they're tucked in? And yeah, I have a few clipping issues that I haven't had time to correct yet. Thanks a lot for your suggestions!
gir, low odor, & MrHobo: I will try to make her piercings more believable! But as MrHobo said, they really do pull in on the cheeks a little bit, and I'm not sure how I could improve there.
Just not so much fabric hanging over.
this one seems way too much like those indents are exaggerated by the position of her lips.
edit: i just realised something if shes not wearing a bra wouldn't there be some nipples poking out ? :P
I'm really digging those piercings.
Needs a bit of definition on certain areas (elbows for instance) if you're going for a realistic look. The mouth, specially the corners, is a little off, but I kinda like it... Gives her some personality. Maybe just needs a bit of finessing to look intentional.
The cloth folds at the bottom of the pants are a bit blobby. Unless these were flannel pants, they need to have more defined, angular shapes.
The breasts and nipples would also be a bit more defined if she's brawless wearing a shirt like that. Emphasis on "a bit."
As far as what she's missing, maybe an arm-band or mini-pouch. But I wouldn't go overboard, texture her first and then take a look and add more accessories if needed.
Can't wait to see the finished piece!
"Almond shape" - that's the perfect way to describe it!! Thank you so much; I couldn't figure out how to fix it on my own.
And more angular shapes on the pant folds... noted!
only one thing i have to say, the piercings in all the girls in the pictures are on the same level with the lips, while yours are a little higher. i think on the lips height makes it cuter.
I really want to go back and add more detail/color variation to the diffuse map, and there are also elements that I want to add that are completely missing right now (like leather panels on the inside of her pant legs) I don't know if I can find the time -- I might wind up just starting on a new character. I've already learned SO much from working on this girl; I know that what I make next time will be 10 times better!
Low-poly mesh with normal map applied:
Low-poly with WIP textures:
By the way, great work! Came along very nicely and got a nice unique look and personality.