Gentleman Character Sculpt

After creating the Bandit head I began sculpting the head for the Gentleman. I applied the same process but followed the reference imagery for this particular character. I had designed the Gentleman to have sharper features than the more rounded nature of the Bandit’s head, and that is reflected in the basic shape of the initial sculpt.

Continuing with the sculpt I concentrated on the underlying skull of the character. He has prominent cheek bones but a less pronounced brow. The ears were created by masking and extruding the geometry in the same way as the Bandit sculpt.

By creating the muscle structure that flows around the mouth and into the bottom lip (the depressor Angil Oris and the Depressor Labil Inferioris) it gives a more natural appearance. The lips are then pronounced by creasing the border and slightly inflating them. Modelling the inner ear structure required studying photographic reference and then translating the volumes to the 3D sculpt. Breaking down the forms I carved in an ‘S’ shape, deeper at the base than at the top, then the branching structure of the ‘Anti Helix’ was built back up with the clay brush.

To finish volume was built up from the cheeks onto the sides of the nose to form the Nasalis facial muscle, the Philtrum was indented, and the nostrils defined.

There is still some sculpting that could be done to take this model to the next level. Wrinkles, skin pores, and breaking up the symmetry will further enhance the realistic appearance of the model.

Bandit Character Sculpt

Zbrush is another essential piece of software in a 3D artist’s toolkit. It breaks away from the traditional modelling techniques of programs such as 3DS Max or Maya.It is often referred to as working with ‘digital clay’ and simulates the more organic process of sculpture. I had used it to create the fine details of my pistol models, but needed to become more familiar with the software in relation to character creation. This process also requires an understanding of anatomical structures that I have been studying to become a better artist, but practice is essential to achieve realistic results.

Starting with a simple sphere I extruded a neck and shaped the head using my reference and concept sketches for my characters. I began building up volumes such as the jaw, cheek bones, nose, and eye sockets with the clay brush. At this stage it is important to establish the underlying skull structure rather than focusing on the details. Constantly building and then smoothing the forms prevents the geometry from becoming too stretched.

Once all the major structures of the face are defined the geometry is then subdivided to work on finer details. A cavity was created for the mouth and the edges pinched together to form the lips. I also gave the character a prominent brow to give him a menacing, thuggish look.

The eyes were created from spheres appended to the head. A circle was masked off and indented to create the iris, then the mask shrunk and the selection extruded to create the pupil. To create the ears a ‘C’ shape was masked off for the base, then the geometry was extruded and moved to form a basic ear shape. One of the most difficult parts of the model was creating the puffy skin in which the eye lid tucks into. The eyelid was created first by masking and then moving the geometry over the eye. Then the area above the eye lid was masked and then pulled over the eyelid.

I experimented creating hair for this character using fibermesh. It was my first time using this tool so this isn't the final model, but I'm pleased with the progress so far.

Unreal hats!

I'm taking some time out of my game development to create some assets for the new Unreal Marketplace.

Player accessories are big business and more platforms/games are coming bundled with a store front to sell user created content. With my current skillset and experience with the Unreal Engine it was the perfect time to get in on the ground floor of a new market.

 To fit with the entry requirements and after a little research I opted to do a homage to the Jason character from the 'Friday the 13th' franchise. Using a default character for scale I created a basic mask in 3DS Max.

I took this into Zbrush to add fine details like cracks and scratches.

I then baked the texture maps from the high poly model to the low poly mesh in 3DS Max, for use in Quixel.

I'm pleased with the final mesh, and it's been submitted for approval on the Unreal Forums. I hope to make more assets to sell on the marketplace as it's only going to grow.

Finished textured model.

A wireframe render to show the low poly mesh.