I wanted to use this module to document my process and workflow from concept to finalised game-ready character and hopefully help people curious about the process needed to be us3d in the creation of a 3D character that could be used within a game engine.

Having completed the pre-production pipeline of the developing of a character through ideation and planning as well as having a concept piece to work on for implementation within a 3D environment. Within the production of the 3D model, my goals are to illustrate the process In the pipeline of 3D character art from the use of software to areas of interest such as anatomy and the issues I have come across which will be able to demonstrate my journey in the creation of the character model and allow me to explain my choices and decisions which has led to my final character asset submission.

Zbrush Sculpt

Stage 1: Sculpting the Model

To create the base of the character sculpt I had two options for the creation of the character's anatomy this was to use Zspheres and create the basic form of a humanoid or to use a pre-build basic human and then add the detail and anatomy needed for the demon monk character. After comparing the two systems for creating the body for the character I decided to use the already created model from Zbrush's lightbox pre-build models through this process I was able to have an already scaled and proportionate human sculpt which would help in the accuracy of creating a character such as this as well as to save time within the scale I have for the project.

To accurately create anatomy that represents the style and influences needed for conveying the horror style the monk character requires means referencing imagery from online resources and comparing how our artists have produced artwork that can be useful in the creation of the sculpt needed for the 3d model. For features such as the hands and feet areas that will be visible on the character, I have looked at how more vampire influences bone structure is depicted such as showing thin shape bone structure and large veins to demonstrate blood flow. Through this, I can build, upon these areas within Zbrush and sculpt anatomy that illustrates these areas of design to give the character a more appealing visual design and demonstrate the gothic demonic influences.

Using referencing the research made in pre-production for the anatomy needed for the character I began by sculpting the desired anatomy needed to convey the thin boney aesthetic for the character this required observing the concept piece to secure accuracy as well as references to realistically convey the design needed for the monk. Within Zbrush, I used a variety of brushes to sculpt the detail needed for the model. From these images of the hands, I made sure to use the inflate tool and thin out the fingers and wrist to convey the boney aesthetic. I also wanted to highlight the fingernails as a feature of the monks as horror characters are known to show sharp nails to indicate danger and it's for this design reason that I wanted to include it and bring attention to the hands of the monks showing the demonic elements and gothic theme.

Using brushes provided by Zbrush including Dam Standard and clay build which are used to add depth and carvings into the sculpture which was useful in detailing the human anatomy required for the monk this process was essential in the build-up of the model into representing the concept art piece and to show the horror aesthetic on display.

The mouth of a character model is an area of the monk that I want to have expanded on considering the depiction from the concept art portrays a mouth that is horrific in design and shows a split on each side of the cheeks through this I have wanted to highlight this feature by masking the area of the mouth and chin which will allow for movement of the positioning of the jaw area that is important in the opening of the mouth this is done so when it comes the rigging an animator would need the mouth to be sculpted open as to allow movement of the area. Knowing this function I created the basis of the mouth to be open and depict the concept design of the wide mouth design.

Adding detail and texture for the character as well as the other assets found on the monk required the use of alphas which could be used to implement depth in the skin for example of the character anatomy. Using photoshop I created the alphas for the assets by taking a texture map from online resources and then grey scaling the image and sculpting the texture alpha on the models to demonstrate the material that is being produced. This process was done in Zbrush because if I were to create this effect in substance painter the quality would have been lower and noticeable from an industry standard and wanting to enhance the quality on the character model the use for alphas and sculpting onto the materials independently was valuable in the creation of my detailed and complex character asset sculpts within ZBrush.

Each asset shown on the character required a texture alphas for itself as other assets were made of different materials this included the skin, cloth and candles as well as the medallions this variety of materials needed to be realistically portrayed to illustrate the effects of the materials representing these assets. From this process, I was able to document the importance of understanding material textures and the best way to implement them on a 3D model.

Clothing

From using the dynamics cloth simulation it allows for cloth to flow and create realistic folds into the material which can be smoothed out using up to four Zremesh options including legacy and the alt key versions which will smooth out the cloth and highlight the details of the clothing I can then use brushes within Zbrush's such as crumble and dam standard to sculpt into the grooves of the material and further convey the folds of the clothing assets.

Understanding the flow of the cloth is important in capturing the weight and gravity of the material as a cotton clothing asset the monks main robes would be thickness but still allow for folds at the bottom of the edges which are in motion be of the time. From using real-world references of cloth in pre-production I am able to illustrate the clothing creating using Zbrush's dynamic cloth simulation system.

Blocking out the layers of cloth on display of the monks the majority of the character is covered of three layers of attire this being the main robe, under tunic and cloak band through the use of the Zbrush dynamics.

The process of blocking out the layers of clothing helped in building upon the different types of cloth reflecting in the concept piece and which then could be refined through adding depth with the sculpting of creases creating by the cloth flowing down the character which was useful in documenting the development needed in cloth creating with the Zbrush pipeline as this effects the quality of the cloth and how the character when animated could move when in motion.

The process for creating assets such as the bandages involved the use of masking areas of the model and then extracting the masked area and creating a base for additional assets in this instance the bandages for the face. Using the same process documented previous with using zbrush dynamic simulation This helped add the folds necessary for conveying the thine cloth material which the bandages are conveying.

The workflow for my zbrush process in production of the monk character was to start from a base using 2D planes and then added depth through continuous build up of the forms using the Zbrush software which would serve as the high poly sculpts for the assets of the demon.

In retrospect of my Zbrush workflow for the character, the use of Zbrush served as the main software for the creation of the assets and character model. My general workflow for creating 3D assets is to start by creating the 3D Zbrush sculpt which serves as the high poly model through this process I am able to have more freedom to sculpt and add details to the model as not wanting to worry about the tris count of models.

Each asset found on the character of the monk was created in the high poly using brushes and alphas for detail on reflective I believe this process is the most effective in creating assets for 3D assets my next task in the production pipeline will be downscaling the assets into the low poly versions of the assets which will serve as the in-engine assets once the details found on the high poly sculpts are baked onto them for.

(Update) Working with my animators required revisiting certain assets and lowering the tris count to allow for easier rigging and weighting when animating. It is also important as the tris count relates to how functional the assets are and the character as a whole in the realm of its game-ready aspect. Working with the animator highlighted areas of modelling that are needed to be considered when working on a project with multiple disciplines and this was useful in my continued development and improvement within the character artist pipeline.

Maya Modelling

Stage 2: Retopology and UV Unwrapping

There are two processes I have used in this module for the low poly version of assets the first was to import the high poly Zbrush models into Autodesk Maya and then proceed to use the quad draw tool and create a new topology over the live high poly asset. Through this process, I have control over the amount of tris the asset produces which can lead to issues if too low when baked however I feel this process is useful when needing more precision in modelling of an asset for low poly modelling.

The second option for producing low poly models is to use Zbrush and not Maya whilst having the high poly sculpt for the asset completed within Zbrush simply by creating a duplicate and then Zremesh the copy this will lower the quality and tris count of the model producing a simple low poly model which is topologized on comparison to the high version. This process can be an issue if the remeshing becomes too low however this process saves time in the production of the low poly models and allows for more focus on the other issues within Maya this being the UV unwrapping.

The cleaning of topology is an important factor in creating the low poly model for assets this is done so that the high and low versions are able to successfully be baked so that the detail found on the Zbrush sculpt will be properly added to the Maya model when it comes to the texturing of the assets. By smoothing out the topology to fit within the high and low models this process ensures the quality of the assets within the bakes and the visualising of the detail made within the sculping of the character in Zbrush.

When UV unwrapping the low poly models for the character the practice of keeping the UV's clean and organised is a process that ensures the quality of the texturing of the asset and how the geometry is observed.

The process for UV unwrapping begins with the cutting of the assets fro example the body with these cuts was made in areas such as the shoulders neck and legs. Its good practice to make cuts in areas that are less visible to the audience as these cuts will show the edges of the textures in the final model. Through the use of sewing the edges of the model, this process helps in the cleaning of the topology and creating individual sections in which can be textured later. Shown in Figure 49. Once the assets are cut up and organised the use of using the creation tool to use either a planar or normal-based will unfold the cut UV and then allow for the process of UV unwrapping of the asset in a clean manner.

From the use of the checkered map found in the Maya UV editor, I was able to observe the quality of the UV's for each asset. Unfolding the cuts of the assets along the horizontal and vertical axis was important in preserving the clean UVs for the assets that needed to be textured. Within the UV editor maximizing the UV texture space with one area a process necessary in ensuring the textile density of the UV shell is clean and easy to access with no sign of overlap within the UV shells this ensures the effectiveness of the UV's for use within substance painter when I begin the texturing process.

(Update) When reflecting on the assets for this module and the process's in which I have created them I have revisited certain areas for development one of these assets that needed redoing was the metal chain. Having created a chain for the waist of the monk instead of the rope depicted in the concept art this was done to add more variation in materials and also further indicate the gothic horror aesthetic and the chain I felt better fitted with these goals. The chain was created through the workflow of being creating within Zbrush firstly and then downscaled using the Zremesh system to create a lower poly version of the chain. The chain was created with the use of a brush that I found through an online source BadKing.com this allowed for a chain Brush Set which created a high poly metal chain for the character which I then added the high poly detail before creating the low poly version still within Zbrush.

However, the issue arises when discussing the animation for the character and I was told by my animator friend that the chain needed reworking it was too high poly as was inefficient to retopology as reducing the mesh would have taken too much development time and having this input gave me an opportunity to revisit this asset and start the process was the beginning to better help the animator with their work.

Having the workflow for the high poly sculpt become ineffective in the creation of more complex shapes for the assets found on the character model. I began to model the asset within Maya instead of creating the low poly model firstly before then upscaling and creating the dents and markings with Zbrush after the model was modelled within Maya.

From creating a simple link of the chain before duplicating the chained link effect for the wrapping around the body of the character shown with the final presented asset. This process for creating assets is effective as it prioritises the low tris count of an asset however from discussing effective ways in which to produce the assets within the production pipeline for this character I have attempted to use Zbrush for both the high and low models and while this has produced assets that are of high quality it also has produced more high poly assets which in the case of the chain was been an issue in the animation factor of the character pipeline.

For this project my workflow for Maya was to use it as an area to clean up the character and assets this was done through the use of retopology and UV unwrapping as this would allow for the lowering of the poly count for each asset and also serve to allow for the baking of the high poly sculpt which could then be baked once imported into substance painter.

As this character was intended as a game-ready model the importance of keeping the tris count low was essential in the effectiveness of a game engine running the finalised monk character model. From researching the desired tris count for a character including all props and clothing. Following answers from other 3D artists in the field is common to reach as high as 50.000-60.000 triangles from this target I have tried to have the character stay below this recommended poly count as having it any higher could result in a strain in pc performance and this is a common concern when creating a character for a game engine as having the character model optimized is useful in the implementation of a model into the game experience and has been an area I have wanted to illustrate through my production process within the monk's development.

https://www.cgtrader.com/forum/general-discussions/recommended-poly-count-for-game-models

Substance Painter Texture

Stage 3: Texturing

Having created the low and high poly models for the character the next step in my workflow for the creation of the demon monk was to begin the baking process with substance painter which serves as the software in which would create the realistic textures required for the character.

Having unwrapped the assets UV's within Maya and have the high and low models in equal scale and proposing to each other the next task was baking the maps needed for the implementation of the detail made within the high poly maps that were baked included the normal map as well as ambient occlusion and curvature these added the depth and bases in which the textures could be built upon and shows the development workflow from the creation of the high poly and there unwrapping and topology reworking from the low poly which all culminated in the baked character model and assets which require textures using substance painter materials.

For the texturing of the character and assets, it was important to understand the range of materials each asset represents and the way in which it interacts with light and matches the colour scheme indicated by the concept art. Through the use of the realistic art style intended for the project the textures required to be illustrated needed to demonstrate the complexity of detail conveyed through the materials realistically reflecting the real-world objects.

For example for the texturing of the medallion tassels the metallic reflective surface was a key factor in representing the medal object this was used as the light refracts off the surface and illustrates the metallic material through adjusting the metallic scale within the medal layer of the asset and having roughness lowered to convey the shine effect that metal creates.

The use of smart masks was a function with substance painter which helped in the process of creating a base material for the assets I could help, p add additional smart masks which would produce extra effects for the material this included such effects as surface wear, dirt and rust among others for the building up of detail for the production of texting the assets like the medallion shown above.

The building up of layers is a process within the texturing of an asset that produces the effect of more realistic textures maps. As I was creating a horror character I wanted to convey this through the use of rough and damaged assets as well as the use of darker colours and hues.

This was made to display the gothic inspiration and to also match the concept piece the character is based upon. The colour pallet this produced gave me a base in which to work off and create textures that show a worn and used design which helps enthesis the monk aesthetic considering the time period that the Christian iconography inspired is based upon and further illustrates the gothic themes on display from the colouration and design of the asset textures.

From observing the pipeline of the process for creating textures I can break down the workflow into three steps

1. Baking

2. Material base

3. Build up

Following this process, I was able to create textures for the props, clothing and character through an understanding of the materials needed to be conveyed and how the textures can best enthesis the assets they represent in relation to the character of the monk. From this, I believe I was successful in following a pipeline that created realistic material textures which show the assets they represent to a professional standard and which are accurate to the concept piece as well.

One area of the texturing process I have wanted to develop further was the range of textures that the monk could be presented with. Through the creation of additional textures maps for the character and assets allowed for the character to display a variety of different designs in which to present the model.

During my pre-production workflow in the ideation of the monk, I created different colour schemes for the clothing of the monk this inducing reds, browns and blacks colours which fit within the horror theme and add to the gothic influences highlighting for the monk. I also wanted to create extra textures to develop the character further and conveys a hierarchy of monks, as the red monk conveys a strong visual appeal this gives the character to portray a higher standing in the realm of demonic creatures and through creating optional clothing such as a brown clothing fabric which is more representative of traditional monk attire this provides a hierarchy of monks within the theme of the character model and also adds narrative detail towards the character producing backstory and lore behind the design giving the character model more context for its design and adding additional depth and detail for its unique function as a game antagonist character type.

The workflow I followed for the texturing process was to build up upon materials relevant to the assets depicted. The use of colour was accurate to the reference material I have followed through the concept and real-world imagery. The use of smart materials and brushes with providing depth and detail behind materials the production of texturing was simple in the flow of baking to building up of texture layers for the producing of realistic material assets for use of the monk character model.

On reflection, for the pipeline, I have followed in the production of the character model The main three software I have used include

1. Zbrush

2. Maya

3. Substance painter

In my production workflow, I have documented the process I have followed in creating the 3D high poly sculpt for the character, props and clothing. The retopology of the high tris assets into lower poly models for UV unwrapping for use of baking and textured keeping the detail and poly count of both models which could then be ready for the animation pipeline.

As I am not an animator and wanted to document my desire to show the industry practice of working in the field of game art. I have contacted my animator friend who agreed to rig and animate the character using the model I have documented producing animations that could then be placed within game-engine if taken further with the implementation of gameplay. This production pipeline has served in highlighting the many steps required in creating a game-ready character model for use and this experience has been useful in showing the workflow required in the processes of the production pipeline.

Animation

As an optional alternative if my animator wasn't able to complete the character in time I experimented with Mixamo a free software available that provides free animations for 3D models.

Importing an FBX file of the demon monk I used its auto rigger to examine how well the character animates in motion and contorts. Not being the more advanced process for gaining animation for characters. I would only use this software as a way to document optional software which could be used if people want to use a quick pose or animation for use within their portfolios. But wanting to highlight industry practices I will attempt to gain more high quality and professional animations for my demonic monk character model.

Following my research in the pre-production workflow in the befits of a pose for the game-ready character. I used Maya's auto-rigger for experimenting with poses for the doc monk taking inspiration from my research material and focusing on ways to visually convey the horror character with a pose that adds to the characters atmospheric presence.

Wanting to convey a more stiff and aged character model illustrating its demonic themes and design I also wanted the pose to show the monks more horror elements this gave me the idea of a pose that shows the character raising its hands towards the direction of the viewer this helps convey the fear element of the character and how its stance is very powerful and intimidating. This pose helps to convey these features and I believe the pose is useful in presenting the character in a portfolio and visually displaying the theme and style the character displays through its design.

This demo rig video is a useful resource in presenting the hard work my animator has done creating a rig for my demon monk character and showing its animation potential. However, due to time constraints, the extent of the animation has been limited however one future implementation I would like to pursue with more timer and collaboration for my animator friend would be the further of the monk's animation protentional.

This video is useful in presenting the character's usefulness in providing insight into the furthering of a character model and as this module has served to document my process and pipeline as a character artist. Working with an animator has served to highlight the process of giving work to others within the industry for further development and I believe that this documentation has provided in the illustrating of the carrying of taking a model further and its a function which I would like to pursue more in future character modelling practice.

Bibliography

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Pinterest. n.d. WGP LOST MULLET BOY VAMPIRE HANDS (DIGITAL RENDER) | Human head, Sculpting, Rendering. [online] Available at: <https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/535154368200723061/> [Accessed 13 August 2021].

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