artist toolkit 3d - character sculpting process

Character Sculpting Process Blog Document

In this blog, I will document all the steps and parts of the sculpting and modelling part of my character design project. This blog will include a timelapse video uploaded to youtube showcasing each section of my process, as well as a few screenshots and more in depth descriptions of the different techniques I used, as well as shortcuts I learnt or problems I encountered!

Youtube Video - Part 1 (Sculpting)

I made a series of Youtube videos (which will all be linked throughout my blogs) showcasing a timelapse version of each thing I did in my sculpting and modelling process. This video is part 1, showing how I sculpted finished the base of my model, getting it ready to fix the topology of, as well as UVing and texturing.

 Useful Tools in ZBrush

Throughout the process of creating my character sculpt in ZBrush, I hadn't really experimented in the software much. I knew the basics, but I still felt quite confused when it came to using the software. This also went for the brushes, as I wasn't sure which ones to use for certain things.

Over the course of experimenting and practicing working on my model, I became quite familiar with a wider selection of the brushes and found a small selection of brushes I liked, which I used consistently throughout my entire sculpting process. Below, is a selection of all the brushes I mainly used and what for:

Smooth : Smooth out rough areas or areas where polys look bumpy or stand out.

DamStandard: good for adding smaller details, like creases or smaller extractions.

CurveTube: I used this tool to create my models hair (I will go more in depth about how I used this later on in the blog!)

Clay Buildup: good for adding details, and building up the area of the sculpt

Inflat: inflates the area of the polys, giving you more area to work with. It doesn't actually add more polys, just makes the area of them bigger (I learnt that the hard way.)

Move: I used this tool for 99% of the things I did. Moves the mesh around, and lets you freely shape it. Depending on the size of the brush you use you can do lots of different things with this tool!

Using a Base Model

Okay, now it's time to begin working on my model! To save time starting my model, i began using the base female body mesh built within the ZBrush LightBox. Since this body was similar to my characters build, I thought it would be a good place to start. Though, it wasn't perfect. So, i altered the proportions mainly using the move and smooth tools, to get it accurate to my character. 

I projected my character into ZBrush by using a tool in the Texture tab. this allowed me to import my concept design as a texture, and project it into my workspace, making it easy to reference against my sculpt.

This was the version of the model after I had altered its proportions and smoothed features of it out! Since the base is a realistic female body, and my character has more of a cartoon like anime style build, her proportions are slightly unrealistic. This can be seen in areas like her bigger head and smaller neck, smoothed arms and legs that bend outwards slightly. This can be seen at 1:22 in my YouTube Video.

Clothing Modelling

After completing my models body to a standard I was happy with, it was time to begin modelling her clothing. Her outfit was relatively simple, consisting of a top, corset, skirt and socks. at 1:27 in my YouTube recording, I begin modelling the clothing. To do this, I begin by masking off the area  I would like the clothing to be and using the Extract tool within ZBrush. This tool creates an Extraction on top of the mesh in the shape of the mask which is a easy way to make clothing.  I altered my extractions using the Move and Smooth tools to get the desired shape and form I wanted. I also used the symmetry tool to create her clothing, as the majority of her outfit is symmetrical other than the patterns (which I will create later on when I begin texturing.)

For her skirt, I used a different method. Instead of making an extraction, I inserted a mesh of a cone as a subtool. As the cone had a low poly count when I imported it, I firstly upped the poly count using ZRemesher to an amount that would be easier to work with. It is important to not create too high of a poly count but also not too low, so finding a good balance is important (though this can always be changed later on).  I altered the cone shape to look similar to the skirts design using Move and Smooth tools.

One issue I encountered when making the clothes was how to create the frills and ruffles along her skirt, top and socks. I decided to leave this issue for now and decided it would be easier for me to print the frills onto the skirt when I textured them rather than modelling them separately.

Hair Modelling

After modelling the clothing, I began modelling the hair. I used the CurveTube brush mainly to create the hair. Since my characters hair was quite blocky and stylised, I decided creating thicker strands and shaping them would be the best way to go. 

I started by creating thick tubes using the CurveTube brush, and then spilt them to parts so every strand was a separate subtool. I then highered the Poly count using ZRemesher, and shaped them using the move, smooth and clay build-up tools.

When I was happy with the hair strands, I once again lowered the poly count to make sure they would be easier to fix the topology of later on. 

Shoes, Bows and other Details

Time to start modelling the accessories! The last things I needed to add to my model were things such as the shoes, bows, cream hair clips and bracelets.

To start with the bows, I started by creating a separate project, starting with a cylinder model. I then shaped this into a bow shape and when I was happy I exported it as a tool, so that I could easily import it and duplicate it across my model!  I also slightly resized and moved around a few of the bows so they sat better against the clothing and the body using the Move tool.

Sculpt Turnaround

Here is my final turnaround of my sculpt! A video turnaround can be found at 6:50 in my YouTube video. When I was happy with my final model, i merged all the subtools down into a singular layer so it would be easy to export into Maya. I also made sure all the topology was low enough that I felt it would be easy to retopo later. Now it's time to retop, UV and texture!