[WIP] - UE4 - Female Samurai
interpolator
Hi!
Since the announcement of Ghost of Tsushima many months ago, I wanted to create my own samurai character.
I started working on this character a few months ago dedicating time to work on this mostly on weekends. My endgoal is to have a realistic character running in realtime (UE4) appliying what I learned by working in a studio for the last year and a half.
I'm not working with a concept so most of the design choices are try and error (offcourse using a lot of references in way)
Actual state:
Thanks for reading.
Since the announcement of Ghost of Tsushima many months ago, I wanted to create my own samurai character.
I started working on this character a few months ago dedicating time to work on this mostly on weekends. My endgoal is to have a realistic character running in realtime (UE4) appliying what I learned by working in a studio for the last year and a half.
I'm not working with a concept so most of the design choices are try and error (offcourse using a lot of references in way)
Actual state:
Thanks for reading.
Replies
After I got the head I moved into blocking the hair. I did different versions but at the end I choose this one. I liked because the different shapes and forms making it more challenging and also breaking the silhouette with the llose hair clumps.
At the end I didn't aim for getting everything clean and perfect in Marvelous. I worked on each piece separated and then adjusted them in Zbrush. Also, this is just for the rough version, once I'm happy with the simulation I got from marvelous and checked is working good with my design I clean the pieces in Maya to get even topology.
Other shots
with two koi fish following the flow.
Take into consideration my character has two katanas. Each one it's going to have a different design because based on my research it is really unlikely that a samurai would carry two copies of the same katana because it would be really expensive. Only samurais under a lord could afford it. This samurai is more like a ronin which would make sense she would carry two different katanas.
Blockout
HighPoly [WIP]
I tweaked the mesh so it can have a realistic blink transition by using the power of layers!!
Skin texturing WIP
Very excited to see you develop it further! Nice job!
No worries feel free to ask anything. I'll try my best to help you out!
Haven't been really active because I'm moving to another city and has been a hassle but the upcoming month should be full steam on this!
Well, here are some questions that come to mind if that's ok
For the cloth, you took the simulations you were happy with and added further detail in ZBrush (like minifolds)? How did you go about approaching the seams/pattern shapes to create the various articles of clothing within Marvelous itself?
What's the workflow/method that you used for detail in general, like the katana hilt and the ropes(?) tied around the handle, that straw hat, stuff like that? They turned out really nicely!
And lastly, any other tips for pushing to create a high quality character like this? How long does this take? It's definitely easy to become disillusioned with a long project for me so I'd like to form a gauge and be able to pace myself through it.
Your sculpting skills are also superb. Man I'm gushing. I have even more questions about texturing but I'll wait to see your work!
let me see, for the cloth, I usually just try to get a simulation I'm happy with and then add detail in zbrush you can see the meshes I ended up with on the previous post. That's literally what I take to ZBrush. when detailing the clothing I add thickness and start detailing using layers to keep everything organize and if the is something I don't like I can always come back. My layer order usually goes like this
- main shape improvements like adding some extra folds, big changes, making sure everything is making contact properly, and integrating into the model.
- memory folds, I usually use some alphas that I spread randomly across the cloth piece and take down the intensity with the layer slider. I do this because I want them to be really subtle just to complement the bigger folds.
-Finally, I do any wear and tear, adding imperfections this one really adds to the clothing and makes it feel more believable
when it comes to detailing the answer is pretty straight,
clean uvs + Alpha = quick detail
I use Rizom UVs because it's software that allows me to make my UVs and then import them into my mesh even if this one has layers or subdivisions. That's like the secret because with a tool like that I can always change the Uv's to fit my needs
The order goes:
- clean Uvs depending on what piece you are working on, Usually for straps a really straight UV island its ideal
- Use noise maker in Zbrush applying the alpha you want and tweak
- Finally, I like to apply the noise to the mesh but in a layer, that way I can control the intensity and even delete it in case I don't like the tile texture later on
as you can see my secret tool is the Layer system in Zbrush. once you know how to use it is an awesome tool. be careful because if you use too many it might become unstable so be mindful of your system limits.
another tip is to focus on having a solid shape first. remember the micro detail is to support and complement the main shape. For example the straw hat everything was old-school modeling. I made it in Maya because that kind of pattern was something really specific and just using UVs and a tilling pattern would't give me the result I wanted.
A good tip to work on this kind of long project is to have a backup one, that way once you are burned down with one you can jump onto the other. You don't have to be working on it 100% of your time, you can use your time to practice some anatomy or do a speed sculpt. keeping your interest in the project is key and working on it every single day can be exhausting, you might lose interest so diversifying your schedule really helps.
and thanks for your words!!