Retoplogy inside Z-Brush
by Shawn Smith Full Sail University

I want to talk about something near and dear to hearts and that is Retopology. Yeah I know it is the word the can get you cast from the heavens, but If learned correctly it can be a valuable. For great and error free animation it is a necessary evil and I will delve into the abyss for you. While here at Full Sail University I have grown to have an appreciation for this process. If we understand the necessity we will understand the need.

Photo courtesy of Lester Banks

There are various programs out there that will aid in your quest for a perfect mesh. Companies like 3D Coat, Marmosat, and Mudbox are fan favorites while the tried and true of Maya and #D Studio Max is still the preferred. While attending school e focused on Zbrush and Maya with ZBrush being the most preferref route. It is new in the game of retopology buy it very effective in acheiveing the goal. It has a decent feature like ZRemesher for faster workflow and the Z Remesher Tool can help direct edge flow.

Photo courtesy of Pixologic

To re tool traditional in Z-Brush you can use a good ol’ z-sphere. Make sure to place it in or out of the object. Just as long as it is out of the way. Once that is done you can use transparency to see the z-sphere and began to the handle to create 3D planes which allows you to create a mesh. It takes some getting use to but in the end it will be all worth it. Someday all our dreams will come true when a software that will do all of this for you. Until then a guy can dream!

Photo from When What How.com

Compositing and Scene Finishing Week 3

This class was highly enjoyable and peaked my interest in Compositing. This took from what I learned in Compositing Fundamentals and expounded it exponentially. We had to composite the EXR files over the background and basically troubleshoot problem areas.

Compositing and Scene Finishing Week 4

In week 4 we had to finalize the shot. Adding grading, grain color correction, and smoke elements. I eventually added my own background and added a snow effect to fit the scene. I learned a lot of cool industry tricks along the way and want to continue exploring Compositing and Nuke software.

Portfolio 4

I wanted to do something challenging for my portfolio piece this month. I used this wonderful concept illustration from Dayne Henry. A wonderful and talented artist.

Character Design and Creation

     This is the short list of my accomplishments in this months class Character Creation. This course gets deeper into using Z Brush's tools and sculpting forms. I have learned so much about anatomy, fabric and cloth folds, deformation, hair, ears and first reads. This project consists of choosing two characters to model and sculpt from scratch with references. We later had to gather more references to add props for the characters as well as applying our studies of the ear, arm and leg. The month was a heavy workload for me as a new modeler and sculptor but also kept me very focused. I had a lot of fun.

Character 1

     I liked designing the first character based on Azadeh Eranban's concept drawings. I had fun with this character and chose it because of its variety of shapes. What worked well for me was the orthographic references I had. It was easier to get the feel of the character as I laid out its frame with z-spheres. I found out quickly that just adding z-sphere for the entire figure did not work well for modeling and I had to model the helmet separately.

     I would do a bit more planning next time and not let my excitement get ahead of my preparation. I would also think about my normals map and add a bit more facial detail because my normals map was non-existent. The only issue I came across with this model was defining the parts that make the character up. Due to the fact this character is made up and my time limit, I was able to compromise in some areas that were not essential to who the character is.

     The models came out very good and I would like to revisit them in the future. I would have like to seen a bit more detail on the faces and bodies. Overall, I am proud of my first character modeling attempts.

Prop 1 Glove

     This is one of the first props I made for my models. I never model a hand before let alone one modeled in Z Brush. As much as a powerful feature Dynamesh is, it just was not coming out the way I envisioned it. I found what worked for me was using z-spheres to get the shape I desired from the reference. I think next time I will start with something I am comfortable with to avoid wasting time trying make something else work.

     One major issue I had with z-spheres was getting the spheres to act independently of each other. For some reason they linked together and when I pulled or moved  one the corresponding sphere would react. I decided to scour the Internet until I found a very informative video about z-spheres that spoke to me and I finally grasp the concept. After getting the shape I wanted I then used Dynamesh to tweak it more. Overall I feel I did a very good job even though this was the first time I have ever built and sculpted something entirely in Z Brush.

Prop 2 Backpack

     This is probably my favorite of my props. Not because I think it looks spectacular it is because it was the one that challenged me the most. What I thought worked so well this is it made me really find out how the brushes worked in Z Brush. I got the hang of masking and tried to mix hard and soft surface modeling. What did not work so well was figuring out the folds and wrinkles. My particular challenge was to give it a realistic look of fabric with depth and weight.

     I think what I would do different with something like this next time is be more loose with my strokes. I feel I was being too rigid and precise with the folds placements drowning its organic feel.

The only issue I ran into were the buckles because I am not that good with hard surfaces in Z Brush yet. Along with the bag I modeled everything else in Maya then exported into Z Brush for sculpting.

I feel I achieved the look I was after but wish I had more time to explore this model.  More attention to the stitching, deformation in the back and the piping would bring the look out more. Overall it was a great experience.

Virtual Art Gallery

My Virtual Art Gallery for my Art History course. Enjoy!

https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/beta/favorite/group/dQKi7x9xEEhXKw