Captain America - Normal Mapped

fiart

Hi all, this my first post here but I know that on this board there are a lot of talented people.I hope you can help me with my current model. I'm going to model Captain America and I wanna use this work to do my first normal mapped character. I started the high poly model and this is what I have got so far.




Comments and suggestion are really appreciated, thanks.

-Fabio

JO420

looking good so far,although i comend fixing the crotch before people start saying cameltoe

Jeff Gran

The torso is looking pretty good from the front. The stomach muscles look a bit odd to me... I think they start too high... there should be a small gap where there is bone just under the surface, below the pecs.

The transition between the ribcage and the pelvis looks wrong... I realize it's still in progress but I think your legs start to high also. And give him a "package"! It looks like he has a vagina.... and a pretty bad "front wedgie" at that.

fiart

Thanks for the comments guys. The lower half is only a place holder I didn't work in that area, I'll give him a "package" for sure The ribcage needs a lot of work like all the model. Update soon!

-=Warhead=-

Agreed with Jeff and JO420.. The Stomach muscles are WAY To high
Allso with JO420 the crotch area looks a little misshapend..
Overall its pretty good.. the next muscles are very good

KevinCoyle

Looks good so far, in addition to what others have said, the lower back looks a bit flat

fiart

About the stomach muscles, I'm using these images as references and all these guys have abdominal that start immediately under chest straps. Do you think that I should change the model?



I'll post new images tonight.
Thanks for the help

Jeremy Lindstrom

Im worried about where you are getting your reference pics.. bottom right looks a bit ummm.. nekid..heh

cholden

Hey, Fiart, you'd benefit the most from good anatomical reference. Those pics you are using are nice and all, but you're interpretation is turning it into a flat detail on a box. Study up on your male anatomy, unlying bone structures, etc. It may help to get the whole body down before you start detailing like this.

Josh_Singh

cool. now make it look like captain america.

fiart

Here is an update


No really big changes but I modified the chest muscles and the croch area.

Dekard: the men in the references are not naked, if they were women... but not men

I'm going to model whole body to practice modeling and muscles definition, then I'll change the model adding accessories and all the other stuff to make him looks like Captain America.

fiart

Long time without update, but now I have the time to work on this character.
I have completed the first pass on the body, still a lot of details to add(the head, boots,hands,etc), but anyway here it is:

JO420

the model looks great,only suggestion i have is to make him a little less body builderish and a little more athletic.

adam

[ QUOTE ]
cool. now make it look like captain america.

[/ QUOTE ]

Daz

The musculature looks good, but the whole thing feels srangely flattened? Like the entire model has been squished in Z?

mr.toast

i think his pecs should be a tad more rounder, like the top left bodybuilding pic you have above, i like the front legs though

usagi

looks cool but the proportions remind me of the old he-man action figures

fiart

Thanks to all for the help and encouragement

some people have said that it has too much muscles, so I'm posting the images that I'm using as references.



I changed a little bit the pectoral, added the boots and shorts but I have to create the folds.

I'm also posting the side view so you can view the depth.

Update:


Daz: do you think it is ok now?

notman

I like it. I think people remember the old captain america, and that's what they are comparing it to. I also didn't realize he had evolved into such a muscular character, but I think you found a good balance. The top left image you posted, I think is to ripped (mainly the neck).

Something still feels a little odd about the chest/stomach area. For me, it seems like the chest should be down a little further. The nipples should also seem like they should be closer to the center, but then again, I'm not ripped, so I don't know where the nipples go when you work out a lot

Satan Fish

it seems really cool, but i think you coulda smoothed the leg muscels into his boots before you showed us the screen, every time i try to consentrate it catches my eye and i cant focus on to much else(i have ADD). But still, a very good replica, i hope you get another screen up soon, that way i could see more and tell you in comparison.But right now all is god, i remember seeing a old cartoon with cap. america on Xmen..seemed kinda lame but he had changed a bit, maybe you should make his muscles a bit bigger? im not sure, im new at these things.

fiart

I have almost completed the high poly version, it took a while but this is my first high poly
I have changed a little bit the pectoral and removed the nipples because usually they are not visible under the overalls.
The colors are just to see how it looks like

Now I'll work on the low poly and the details.

notman: thanks man.

Satan Fish: what do you mean with smooting the leg muscles into the boots?

calbar

His forearm/wrist/hands need be reworked; it just tapers into what almost looks like an empty, floppy glove. His lower legs do this, too, but not nearly as badly.
The reference pics also show what looks like a more chiseled, square look to the features on his head than what you have.

fiart

you are right about wrist/hands and lower legs, and I'm already reworking them. I'm not sure about changing the head, there are so many images of captain america and he always looks different, but I like the head enough...at least for now .I'll post the update later, thanks.

Mark Dygert

You have made some amazing progress on this model, and it does look quite good. However (there is always a but) I think you have made him too wide in an effort to "bulk him up".

- If it where my model (and its not) I would really slim down the Latissimus dorsi or the muslce that goes from the ribs to the armpit. From the back view it gives him a hulk or jugernaught look. It looks way over developed and throws off the siloette of the model.
- I would also slim down his face and move his eyes a smidge lower.
- I would move his legs/knees closer together. I understand it makes it hard to work on a model when parts start to get close together but he looks pretty bow legged.
- I would also bulk up the heal part of his hands and give his wrists some thickness. If he has been working on his Latissimus his forearms and hands would naturally bulk up also.

I did a paint over to show how I would change the silloette of the model.

fiart

Thanks a lot Vig, nice critics I really appreciated.
I changed a little bit the model here and there following your suggestions. I'm working on the low poly right now and I hope to complete also the unwrap by tomorrow.

fiart

In the last few days I tried to create a decent normal map, but I'm having some trouble.I don't know why, but there are always errors when I try to generate the map(I'm using max7).I also tried to generate the map with separated pieces but nothing.I think that some images can explain better than words what I mean.

This is the low poly mesh:



the normal mapped version:



the normal map(without the wings):


and some details to show the errors:


I have mirrored only the lower boots,the gloves and the small wings in the mask.To avoid errors during the normal map generation I moved the mirrored parts outside the uv space like someone suggested in some thread on the forum.Any advice to solve these issues is really appreciated, thanks a lot.

EarthQuake

try using smoothing groups on your low poly.

fiart

Thanks for the suggestion Earthquake I have already tried,but the result is the same. In the image that I have posted the model has a single smoothing group because I have read that this is a better solution.
I think that the problems with the boots and gloves depend from the inside that is modelled in the lowpoly but I don't know why for example the belt looks so bad.

CheapAlert

Is it me or is the forehead too small?

Jerome

i think the ears should go up a tad, eyes in a tad and the head less block in the side view

fiart

thanks guys, I have changed the face proportions a little bit.
I solved the most part of the problem with the normal map and I added the shield and started the texture. It's only a base and I wanna try to add the details to the normal map using the photoshop plugin.

fiart

I rigged and posed him,my first rig but I think it is not so bad ). I still have to work on the texture, but I posted this to show an update. C&C welcome.

fiart

I have worked the proportions again and I think that now he should be better. Let me know what you think.

Left = NEW
Right = OLD

cholden

He seems a bit more ape-ish in this new version. I'd scaled the head up, bringing it and the tops of the shoulders down. Brought the arms and bottom of the pecs up, and pulled the tops of the stripes around the waist up. Here's a picture of what I mean:
http://chrisholden.net/captainwip09copy.jpg

Personally, I think you should make the feet stronger by giving them a thicker booted look. While this may be off exact Captain America, it could help this character overall as a normal mapped scene. You could also get more out of the gloves, shield and belt. The knee and surrounding area look good, taking advantage of the normal map. It'd be great to see more of that strength in detail used more consistently.

JO420

and captain americas upper shirt portion is made of scales

fiart

cholden: I'll try to modify something about the shoulder area and pectoral.I'll take a look at the head too,but all the proportions were builted accordingly that size. I have to disagree about the arms that I think are too short in the picture that you posted.Thanks for the advices.

JO420: if you look I have posted an image with different versions of captain america,with and without scales,with different clothes,etc.The original version has no scales and I went for that.

fiart

My captain is still alive
About 60% texture done.

fiart

If some is interested here is the final model in some poses.I'm calling it done and started a new project.

stoofoo

Hey bud, this is a pretty sweet model. It seems like the poor bloke could use some texture overlays--it seems a bit plasticy from the treatment of the spec map.