For this years' Animation Techniques and Practice, I got assigned to make a 3D model. It involves sculpting a character in Zbrush and, using polygonal modelling tools in Maya, prepare them for poses and animations. The goal for the module was to learn step by step how to create a character from scratch and learn to use the 3d software. The task seemed pretty daunting at first, as I have never made anything in digital 3D. Additionally, there needed to be a lot of research done to help me get accustomed to the applications. There were challenges ahead, but once overcome, the project seemed to be quite rewarding.
The first step was to have a design for a character I would like to sculpt. I wanted to have characters that are easy to recreate but are visually interesting as well. To achieve this, I tried drawing them on a smaller scale and used lots of basic shapes to form them. The design that stood out the most to me was this idea of a young eastern European woman. I thought it would be more amusing to showcase the culture in which I grew up. Not only that, but the character also looked appealing and had a warm, welcoming feeling. She also had a determined expression which gave more personality to the design. The sketches turned out quite well for the most part. When it came to transferring them into digital work, however, problems arose. I am personally much more used to drawing traditionally. When showing my digitally drawn character turnarounds, I got feedback from my lecturer that the design lost its charm while being transferred. I took this observation into consideration and decided to play into my strengths. I ended up using my traditional sketch as a reference to bring into Zbrush. I did end up using my digital drawing as a colour reference later in the texturing bit. I am still working on my digital drawing and painting skills. Hopefully, I will deliver on that front if I am ever to do this type of project again.
After finishing my final design for the character, I had to move on to sculpting. Admittedly, at first, I procrastinated a lot on this part. I have never used Zbrush before. Sitting through hours of tutorials was quite the chore, but after binging through it and trying out Zbrush for myself, I was ready to go. I had to redo the general shape and silhouette of the model around three times. My biggest mistake was not selecting the Sculptris Pro Mode, which limited my polygon count as I used the snake tool. Though browsing forums, I figured out what the problem was and that I had to fix it by turning the mode back on. As soon as I got used to the software, I began to have fun sculpting. Although, I managed to run into other problems. The hair was a hassle at first since I designed it to be wavy and messy. I had to keep in mind how each curl and strand looked from all angles, which took some trial and error to get perfect. It took some time, but I most proud of this sculpture portion. The face was by far the most complex part. Not only did I have to transfer my 2d vision into a 3d space, but I also had to make sure my character looked attracted attention and appeal. I think that face sculpt is quite faithful compared to my original design. Part of me still wishes I had gone for something more distinctive and less like a modern Disney princess. Some proportions of the body also look a bit off to me. The hands seem too small compared to the face, while the wrists, ankles and neck could be thicker. If I had a chance to do this again, I would go out of my comfort zone. Perhaps I could challenge myself by making a person that has wrinkles or a more extreme body type. Regardless, considering it was my first attempt, I am overall more proud than disappointed by the outcome.
Working in Maya came with its own challenges. Although I have worked with this app before to make animations, I still had to get readjusted to the software and do further research. Retopology took the longest time. I especially struggled to work on the hair. Initially, I did it as one giant piece. As a result, the retopology became very dense and messy, while the smaller hair strands were tricky to connect to the big hair mesh. With advice from my lecturer, I solved the issue by separating the hair into four individual parts. With that, my work process sped up immensely. Although, I still had other problems that popped up. Areas, like the back of the head, tended to snap when I would slightly move a polygon. Going off of advice on forums again, I resolved the issue by temporarily turning off the symmetry. In Places where parts connect, such as the fingers, the hair, the ears, I spent the longest time working, as they required different polygonal layouts. Currently, I would say that retopology was probably one of my sloppiest jobs from this project. I could have placed the lines more carefully and could have afforded to make some areas less dense than others. Knowing what I know now, I would apply the separation of more tricky places like the ear and the face, were I to do this again. All in all, although, not perfect I managed to get the job done. I was ready for the next portion.
I had a much smoother time working on UV mapping and texturing. To me, creating textures and applying colour was the most fun part. While following the provided tutorials, I tended to rewatch the videos several times to fully grasp what is expected of me to do and how to go about it. For this section, however, I got the whole process after just one viewing. I, of course, still ran into problems. Because I had to cut my model to unfold the mesh, I needed to keep in mind where everything is. Even a slight colour change would be very noticeable when put on the model. I had to apply and change the texture as much as fifteen times in some cases. Nonetheless, I enjoyed painting and trying out different colours on my maps. I wanted my character to have a few bold deep colours that stuck to a limited palette. I also didn't want to overwhelm my character with bold textures, so I opted to have the hair, vest and apron to have the most noticeable textures applied. I quite like how the colours turned out. Although I had fun colouring and texturing, I could have included more detailed paintings if I had enough time. I learned that time management and motivation are the most vital parts for completing projects. Next time I will give more importance to these things.
On the whole, Applying the advanced skeleton was a trouble-free process and took quicker than expected. I applied the skin and was eager to see how my creation will move. While testing out the movements, I noticed a fatal flaw that my design had. That flaw was the skirt. The program classified the skirt as part of the right leg on my model. As a result, interacting with the right leg was dangerous, as it deformed if moved too much. Being too far into the project, this was not something I could quickly remove, so I had to keep this glitch in mind while posing my character. I solved the rest of the issues with ease with the help of weight paints. At this point, I felt like I knew Maya enough to get on top of each malfunction.
This project taught me how to navigate in Zbrush and Maya, but that was not all. For one, this opened my eyes to how much goes into making 3D objects. Admittedly, with the oversaturation of 3D animation from big companies, I had this deep-seated impression that this medium does not take as much effort as working in 2D does. It was a silly belief, to begin with, but after almost a year of work, I can confidently say I had my mind changed. I can see how fun working in this medium can be and the different options it can offer. Working with such complex-looking programmes seemed intimidating at first, but once I have had some practice, I realized that all that worrying had been for nothing. Using sculptors mode on Zbrush showed how easy it is to create something that matches your vision. The work that I have seen my peers and other people put out left an impression on me. Anything, ranging from regular realistic humans to fantastic mythical creatures, could be easily made with a bit of practice. The potential for creativity is abundant. I also gained valuable experience which I could be able to use for future projects. Using 3D for illustration purposes, for example, could help me stand out from my other peers. With more practice, this could become a great medium to utilize. I could show off my design, drawing and painting skills, along with my sculpting techniques and awareness of how 3D objects work.
When working on something entirely new, we tend to get insight into our character as artists. On this project, I noticed some of my strengths and weaknesses come to light. Starting positively, I think that I have improved in areas where I used to struggle before. I have gotten better at making more fluid and diverse characters designs, although I will need to explore drawing more unusual characters as well. I did not expect to do any good in digital painting but had a smooth time working on it. Currently, I have better linework working with traditional mediums but get better results colouring digitally. Combining these two skills would work great in my other projects, but I should not rely on them. Currently, I will try to perfect my linework with the help of my tablet and search for the best ways to colour my works with traditional means. Maybe I will not end up having the best of both worlds, but I would not know unless I tried. I think that my biggest issue was procrastination to begin work. Everyone does this to some extent, but mine was applied when it came to working digitally. It could stem from me not having enough experience and fearing the unknown. Whatever the case, I need to tackle this problem head-on. Not only would it be unprofessional to continue this work ethic in a work environment, but it could lead my personal projects astray too. I have been trying to go more out of my comfort zone recently. In my illustration modules, I have been trying to include more digital and traditional 3D work. With some practice, I should be able to get on track with my future projects. Motivation and time management seems to be a universal problem for each artist. I learned engaging with the one-on-one tutorials each week with my lecturer helped me tackle this predicament. The pressure to have something to show was a huge motivator for getting on track with my work. I will need to keep this helpful habit for the following year as well.
All in all, it was fascinating to work on an assignment like this. Not only did I get to try working with mediums I never even considered before, but this also gave insight into my own flaws and achievements and how I can go about improving them. Overall, I feel joyful that I managed to create something so complex in almost a year. Even when problems popped up, they helped me learn from my mistakes. I will do my best to improve each day and explore new paths that could impact my artistic journey.