Little Pet

A piece of old work I got permission to share very recently. Zombie pets. A project intended as an augmented reality game extension to physical pet figurine.

 I have taken one of the designs through 3D character pipeline: modeling, UV layout, texturing, skinning and rigging.

(press the image below to see the virtual model using your mouse)

The following short video shows the puppy animated. I have created various lengths animation cycles for each body part. Essentially it is a looped animation, but because cycles are offset it isn’t repeating itself identically.

Details and Finessing of Vaiva's Model

Monday onwards, I was defining the character to its details. I have added amber chest, interior of the mouth, chicken feather part of the dress.

I have resolved body parts which needed great detail: chicken like feets, hair and face. 

In Mudbox I've created high rez meshes and imported those back to maya to extract normal maps.

Not without a reason many sculptors noted that essential mesh doesn't take too Long to build up, but the fine detail takes 10 times longer.But modelling, I believe is now finished and I'll  work now on texturing (!)

Vaivas Body Modeling Progress

It is nearly done and ready to be UVd and taken to Mudbox for fine details.

These stills are little bit dated, as I have talked to Alan and done some tweaks to her crown, face and general topology.

Sketching out Vaiva's Body Model

Progress in modelling Vaiva's body. So far it is only a sketchy map out, with only hands being modelled to the fine detail.
This is helping me now to see how 2d designs translate in 3d. I see which areas need to be more punchy.

Detailed modelling is on its way.

Vaiva's Head Model Turnaround

Vaiva’s head model  consists of head mesh, hair and the crown.

There are hints of chicken-like anatomy in her facial features: elongated sharp nose, round big eyes. Also royal grace is another intention: long thin neck, small chin in an overall thin face, but at the same time her face doesn’t lack volume in cheekbones or the hair for contrast. With some of the asymmetry in her model it is aiming to break from the “tidy’ harmony, for the character is of a twisted kind.

Hard Surface Modeling in Mudbox

Mudbox primary application is high-res sculpting, texture painting, and displacement and normal map creation, it is a great addition to the pipeline of character/environment based pipeline and works in a close conjunction to Maya. When comparing it to a similar-purpose program Z-Brush, Mudbox owns appreciation between Maya users, for its simplified interface, interrelatedness, brush assortment cut down to the essential 12-14.

This week’s tutorial was on hard surface modeling. The class was practicing on creating soldier armor.

Sketch of Soldier Armor, 1h

Doll Model

The hand-made doll  for representation of soul. The model is finished in its basic form. I suppose greater detail and some other little props will be brought in Z-Brush.

Good Wolf's Model

The base mesh of the good wolf now is ready. The details of the body will be added in Z-brush and exported as either displacement map or normal map. But before doing this, I’ll model the bad wolf in the same way. So then I’ll have both of them ready for rigging and skinning . We’ll be able to play with them setting for animation, while working on detail maps (displacement, colour, and so on.)

II also add here the progression of modeling. Again, much like in drawing : block out first, detailing later, finessing last.

It required me to learn the anatomy and topology for quadrupeds, to prepare this model. But it then was quite a straight forward process. I’m quite excited the bad wolf is going to be  of totally different approach, looking forward to nailing it :]

Start of WW Production: Shape Translation Test

This is the base layout of the good wolf. For now it serves as a shape test, how drawn designs translate into maya. If after discussions all seem ok, I'll move to detailed modeling. Also, quite clearly, I'll have to research  geometry flow for quadrupeds as deformation in animation depends on it. Both, me and Leo estimated a week for each character's modeling ( texturing excluded ). We shall see how it goes.

Modeling High-rez Human; Latest Progress

High-rez Male Modeling Progress

progressing on modeling male, mainly shaping in legs.

High-Rez Modeling: Torso

Modeling High-rez Head

High rezolution head model was made using same model reference images as  for games character . The final model seems to resemble original person better in this case . There was more freedom to bring in the details to the character as in the case of modeling for games, geometry had to be very limited.

Facial features:

 The Ear (part one):

And the head:

Modeling for games: Body

Human Modeling for Games; Week 2

The head is finished. I found the approach of softening edges instead of smoothing the mesh very interesting and useful for the near future. Especially that It gives similar effect ( especially if object is viewed from a distance) and you still have control over the level of detaill which is relatively quick and easy, just by adding normal angle values to selected edges, its crispness was controlled. For example, the lip line has a tight edge, whereas ears have mainly very soft edges.

Resolved Mustang Model

 

Car modeling tutorials  were such a set of confidence builders in modeling. Enjoyable and useful. I am quite happy to have finily finsihed this.

Car Modeling Progress Week 5

This week the task was to refine and even out geometry and add details.

Car Modeling Progress; Week 4

Its getting there..

Car Modeling Progress

These tutorials really add up to the previous  experience of modeling for the summer project. The questions I had then are now answered. Talking in particular, mainly about the correct  flow of geometry. There were quite a few  very useful tips for some geometrical solutions (for instance, diamond face structure to get the fluid transition from sharp edge to  flat surface). Still lot is left to be done but so far so good I guess.

Modeling is finished!

Today I've finished modeling the bird. At the very end I made sure the outcome is as close to the original drawings as it could be, since I really enjoyed the feeling and proportions captured in concept drawings. No its time for all the rest that's waiting.