Round 2 - A New Character

zearou

After doing my first one I got some critiques and I tried again, here it is:





Wireframe/Polycount: (2K textures, 4 Sets)



High Poly From ZBrush:




The Concept I worked from, I didn't try to do exact match:



I would like to thank BagelHero and PyrZern for helping me out with tips & guides for doing her hair!

Based on what you guys said about my previous character, the goals were to:

1. Make the clothes feel like they are worn, not a "lump" on her body.
2. Make her look more realistic and with different material definitions.
3. Make her interesting to look.

Please give me your opinions and thoughts.

Thanks!

zearou

Should I take the fact that I didn't get a single comment as a hint that maybe I should look for something else to aspire to be?

tierzilla

as i see, you need to bump up the ao , the topology is not the best and i suggest you to dont go on the easy way and use downloaded alphas to make the cloth a bit worn out , try making it with some reference , matching the concept is a very good way to improve and learn.
dont get angry with my critics , english is not my native language , hope it helps you.

zearou

tierzilla wrote: »

as i see, you need to bump up the ao , the topology is not the best and i suggest you to dont go on the easy way and use downloaded alphas to make the cloth a bit worn out , try making it with some reference , matching the concept is a very good way to improve and learn.
dont get angry with my critics , english is not my native language , hope it helps you.

Not angry in the slightest. I rather be bashed around and screamed at that I'm no-good to my face then been ignored.

Bump up the AO? to make it brighter or darker?

lotet

Ok, here we go.

I dont know how to say this, but your character is boring. And im not trying to insult you or just say it sucks, because that is not true at all.

If you look at the concept its really stylish, it has some nice exaggerated shapes and a great edgy color scheme, your model does not.


for exemple see the very pointy nose in the concept? you went somewhere in between the concept and reality, and you end up with just a bland mix of them both. same with the colors, for exemple the eyes you went for a more natural green while in the concept its almost a toxic looking color that really pops.

Your model is right inbetween styalized and realstic and en up failing at both.
I would suggest you either look at Ysalex and how he manage to create really amazing pieces though his subject matter is quite ordinary.

or, you look at people like Hazardous, who is amazing at stylize stuff and create some really cool exaggerated sculpts.

good luck!

Stirls

Make the AO darker, but also less dense. Don't go overboard on AO, I feel like subtlety is key in these situations!

As for your model, I'll provide a few crits

- Very clean. No shadows. No variation in colour of the cloth. Look at your reference. The jeans and singlet are both a bit dirty, so there's a mix of colours to give it more appeal.

- Topology is not dense in places where it should be denser, and visa-versa. Example, the beanie has a visible edge to it, yet you've dedicated a higher amount of polys to places where there's no detailed silhouette (such as the legs). In cases like this, it's good to be consistent ^_^

- I like how you've done the hair, but perhaps look at adding alpha cards to it, in order to give it some depth and softness?

- Finally, a gradient in your model would be super beneficial, I think.

Here's something I read a while ago, and has been making its rounds on PC for quite some time: http://media.steampowered.com/apps/dota2/workshop/Dota2CharacterArtGuide.pdf

The gradient of a character can contribute to how it's (visually) recieved by the player. Darker colours at the feet transition to a lighter colour at the head very slightly. It drags the eye around more!

Keep up the hard work!

tierzilla

zearou wrote: »

Not angry in the slightest. I rather be bashed around and scream at that I'm no-good to my face then been ignored.

Bump up the AO? to make it brighter or darker?

having a possitive attitude on critics is one of the toughest steps.

darker AO , to give a bit of volume but not too much!

keep it up!!

btw , dont hurry a character to end it , is better to make an elaborated model and learning than having tons of models and didnt learn anything.

i still have tons to learn but hope this words helps you.

zearou

lotet wrote: »

Ok, here we go.

I dont know how to say this, but your character is boring. And im not trying to insult you or just say it sucks, because that is not true at all.

If you look at the concept its really stylish, it has some nice exaggerated shapes and a great edgy color scheme, your model does not.


for exemple see the very pointy nose in the concept? you went somewhere in between the concept and reality, and you end up with just a bland mix of them both. same with the colors, for exemple the eyes you went for a more natural green while in the concept its almost a toxic looking color that really pops.

Your model is right inbetween styalized and realstic and en up failing at both.
I would suggest you either look at Ysalex and how he manage to create really amazing pieces though his subject matter is quite ordinary.

or, you look at people like Hazardous, who is amazing at stylize stuff and create some really cool exaggerated sculpts.

good luck!

I see. Thank you. I checked their protfolio and I'll try to not fall in the middle next time.

Stirls wrote: »

Make the AO darker, but also less dense. Don't go overboard on AO, I feel like subtlety is key in these situations!

As for your model, I'll provide a few crits

- Very clean. No shadows. No variation in colour of the cloth. Look at your reference. The jeans and singlet are both a bit dirty, so there's a mix of colours to give it more appeal.

- Topology is not dense in places where it should be denser, and visa-versa. Example, the beanie has a visible edge to it, yet you've dedicated a higher amount of polys to places where there's no detailed silhouette (such as the legs). In cases like this, it's good to be consistent ^_^

- I like how you've done the hair, but perhaps look at adding alpha cards to it, in order to give it some depth and softness?

- Finally, a gradient in your model would be super beneficial, I think.

Here's something I read a while ago, and has been making its rounds on PC for quite some time: http://media.steampowered.com/apps/dota2/workshop/Dota2CharacterArtGuide.pdf

The gradient of a character can contribute to how it's (visually) recieved by the player. Darker colours at the feet transition to a lighter colour at the head very slightly. It drags the eye around more!

Keep up the hard work!

Thanks for the tips and the pdf I'll read it right away. Can you tell me "less dense" for the AO, what does it mean? like less greyscale variations? less resolution? I upped the brightness of my AOs because it was darkening my entire model and I figured it wasn't good.

tierzilla wrote: »

having a possitive attitude on critics is one of the toughest steps.

darker AO , to give a bit of volume but not too much!

keep it up!!

btw , dont hurry a character to end it , is better to make an elaborated model and learning than having tons of models and didnt learn anything.

i still have tons to learn but hope this words helps you.

I see thanks. And it's fine really, never had a problem with constructive or any kind of criticism. As long as there's feedback I can keep adjusting and improving.