Figure Sculpting Tutorial Zbrush

10
Body his issue’s themed tutorials commence with a guide to sculpting the female form in ZBrush. Over the next ten pages, we will explore the anatomical principles that inform an efficient modelling workflow, starting with an overview of the base mesh, then gradually refining it to recreate our statuesque cover star. The female figure is generally smoother than the male, requiring attention to detail. The form is less about definition and more about planes, concavities and convexities. Correct volume and proportions are even more important, since there are few muscles to distract the viewer from inaccuracies. As ever when sculpting, start with good reference material. The best reference would be a live model, but this is rarely practical for a digital sculpt. The next best option is a set of images captured from multiple angles. Working from good reference helps prevent over-generalisation of form and gives believability by introducing small imperfections that would be hard to reproduce from memory alone. In this tutorial, I will set out two key ZBrush techniques. The first is a clay-like approach in which you work at high resolution, building up shapes much as you would using real clay. This is useful for sketching in anatomical landmarks and establishing volume. The second involves working at multiple levels of subdivision, and is used for refining the model to a smooth, high-quality finish. Follow our masterclass in sculpting the female form to recreate this issue’s cover star. Full supporting videos can be found on the CD BY SCOTT EATON FACTFILE FOR ZBrush 3 DIFFICULTY Advanced TIME TAKEN 4 hours ON THE CD Scene files Full-size screenshots Time-lapse videos ON THE WEB Bonus scene files can be found at http:// tinyurl.com/5urckz ALSO REQUIRED N/A The printed walkthrough assumes that you have some previous experience of ZBrush, providing a high-level overview of the process. However, screen-capture videos covering the entire sculpt can be found on the CD, while ZTL files showing the model at successive stages of refinement can be downloaded from the 3D World website at http:// tinyurl.com/5urckz. Refer to these for more details. A final word to the aspiring artist. Even an extended tutorial like this cannot cover all of the issues that arise when creating a sculpture, digital or otherwise. Even if it were possible to present all of this information, there needs to be an understanding of form on the artist’s part. This understanding is only achieved through diligent practice and experience. Commit yourself to learning something new with every sculpture, and you will progress quickly. Scott Eaton is an artist, technical director, and anatomy consultant. His clients include Pixar, Sony, Microsoft, The Mill and many other major studios www.scott-eaton.com electric T 042 | 3D WORLD 3D WORLD July 2008 ZBRUSH ZBRUSH C O V E R T U T O R I A L S C O V E R T U T O R I A L S C O V E R T U T O R I A L S C O V E R T U T O R I A L S BODY SHOP TUTORIALS TORSO FACE HANDS TDW105.t_torso 042 TDW105.t_torso 042 1/5/08 10:37:56 1/5/08 10:37:56

Transcript of Figure Sculpting Tutorial Zbrush

Page 1: Figure Sculpting Tutorial Zbrush

Body his issue’s themed tutorials commence with a guide to sculpting the female form in ZBrush. Over the next ten pages, we will explore the anatomical principles

that inform an effi cient modelling workfl ow, starting with an overview of the base mesh, then gradually refi ning it to recreate our statuesque cover star.

The female fi gure is generally smoother than the male,

requiring attention to detail. The form is less about defi nition

and more about planes, concavities and convexities. Correct

volume and proportions are even more important, since there

are few muscles to distract the viewer from inaccuracies.

As ever when sculpting, start with good reference

material. The best reference would be a live model, but this

is rarely practical for a digital sculpt. The next best option is

a set of images captured from multiple angles. Working from

good reference helps prevent over-generalisation of form

and gives believability by introducing small imperfections

that would be hard to reproduce from memory alone.

In this tutorial, I will set out two key ZBrush techniques.

The fi rst is a clay-like approach in which you work at high

resolution, building up shapes much as you would using real

clay. This is useful for sketching in anatomical landmarks

and establishing volume. The second involves working at

multiple levels of subdivision, and is used for refi ning the

model to a smooth, high-quality fi nish.

Follow our masterclass in sculpting the female form to recreate this issue’scover star. Full supporting videos can be found on the CD BY SCOTT EATON

FACTFILE

FORZBrush 3

DIFFICULTYAdvanced

TIME TAKEN4 hours

ON THE CD• Scene fi les• Full-size screenshots• Time-lapse videos

ON THE WEBBonus scene fi les can be found at http://tinyurl.com/5urckz

ALSO REQUIREDN/A

The printed walkthrough assumes that you have some

previous experience of ZBrush, providing a high-level

overview of the process. However, screen-capture videos

covering the entire sculpt can be found on the CD, while ZTL

fi les showing the model at successive stages of refi nement

can be downloaded from the 3D World website at http://tinyurl.com/5urckz. Refer to these for more details.

A fi nal word to the aspiring artist. Even an extended

tutorial like this cannot cover all of the issues that arise

when creating a sculpture, digital or otherwise. Even if it

were possible to present all of this information, there needs

to be an understanding of form on the artist’s part. This

understanding is only achieved through diligent practice

and experience. Commit yourself to learning something new

with every sculpture, and you will progress quickly.

Scott Eaton is an artist, technical director, and anatomy consultant. His clients include Pixar, Sony, Microsoft, The Mill and many other major studios www.scott-eaton.com

electricT

042 | 3D WORLD3D WORLD July 2008

ZBRUSH ZBRUSH

• COVER TUTORIALS • COV

ER

TU

TORIALS • COVER TUTORIA

LS • C

OV

ER

T

UTO

RIA

LS

BODY SHOPTUTORIALS

TORSOFACEHANDS

TDW105.t_torso 042TDW105.t_torso 042 1/5/08 10:37:561/5/08 10:37:56

Page 2: Figure Sculpting Tutorial Zbrush

● Recreate our cover star with the help of our ZBrush masterclass, which sets out a robust workfl ow for sculpting the female form, with an emphasis on anatomical principles

Screen-capture videos showingkey stages of this tutorial in more detail can be found on the CD. Requires QuickTime 7

WATCHTHE VIDEOS

Modelling the female form | TUTORIALS

July 2008 3D WORLD 3D WORLD | 043

TDW105.t_torso 043TDW105.t_torso 043 1/5/08 10:38:041/5/08 10:38:04

Page 3: Figure Sculpting Tutorial Zbrush

Mak

e yo

ur b

ase

mes

h as

low

-pol

y as

pos

sibl

e an

d st

ill c

aptu

re a

ll th

e es

sent

ial f

eatu

res.

A v

ery

low

-res

olut

ion

mes

h is

gre

at f

or e

asily

mak

ing

chan

ges

to a

scu

lptu

re b

y pu

shin

g, p

ullin

g, o

r m

ovin

g si

ngle

ve

rtic

es a

t a

tim

e. F

or p

rodu

ctio

n w

ork,

I of

ten

use

a ve

ry

low

-res

mes

h to

sta

rt m

y sc

ulpt

, but

exp

ort

at S

ubdi

visi

on

Leve

l 1 o

r 2

for

rig

ging

and

ani

mat

ion.

02

Stri

ve t

o al

way

s us

e qu

ads

in y

our

base

mes

h. T

hey

subd

ivid

e ev

enly

and

hav

e un

ifor

m t

ensi

on. I

f yo

u m

ust

have

tri

angl

es, h

ide

them

aw

ay in

an

arm

pit

or

on t

he b

otto

m o

f a

foot

. Bas

e m

eshe

s th

at o

rigi

nate

fro

m

ZSph

eres

are

nic

ely

quad

rang

ulat

ed, a

nd c

an b

e us

ed a

s a

good

sta

rtin

g po

int

for

mod

ellin

g. C

erta

in t

opol

ogie

s su

ch a

s fi

nger

s an

d to

es a

re d

iffi

cult

to

achi

eve

usin

g ZS

pher

es, s

o yo

u m

ight

nee

d an

ext

erna

l mod

elle

r to

fi ni

sh y

our

mes

h.

01

he b

ase

mes

h is

the

sta

rtin

g po

int

for m

odel

s in

ZB

rush

. Es

tabl

ishi

ng s

ound

top

olog

y at

thi

s st

age

mak

es p

osin

g an

d sc

ulpt

ing

muc

h ea

sier

. Lik

e cl

ay, Z

Bru

sh is

a

forg

ivin

g m

ediu

m t

hat

enab

les

arti

sts

to e

asily

mod

ify

the

shap

e of

the

mes

h.

The

topo

logy

, how

ever

, rem

ains

fi xe

d fr

om

the

begi

nnin

g. (T

here

are

too

ls fo

r rew

orki

ng

topo

logy

and

tra

nsfe

rrin

g de

tail,

but

the

se

are

beyo

nd t

he s

cope

of

this

tut

oria

l.)

Like

real

cla

y, t

he c

onsi

sten

cy o

f di

gita

l cla

y

can

be s

moo

th o

r lum

py, a

nd t

he b

ase

topo

logy

is t

he c

ritic

al f

acto

r in

dete

rmin

ing

this

. A m

esh

that

is c

ompo

sed

of o

dd-s

ized

, tria

ngul

ated

poly

gons

wit

h irr

egul

ar e

dge

fl ow

s w

ill s

culp

t

like

lum

py c

lay:

it w

ill b

e ha

rd t

o co

ntro

l and

diffi

cul

t to

refi

ne, r

egar

dles

s of

how

man

y

subd

ivis

ions

are

in t

he m

esh.

If y

ou a

re w

orki

ng o

n pr

oduc

tion

mes

hes,

esta

blis

hing

sou

nd t

opol

ogy

from

the

sta

rt is

esse

ntia

l, no

t on

ly fo

r the

reas

ons

men

tion

ed

abov

e, b

ut a

lso

for t

he b

enefi

t o

f rig

gers

and

anim

ator

s, fo

r who

m s

ound

top

olog

y is

vit

al

to e

nsur

e th

at t

he m

odel

def

orm

s co

rrec

tly

whe

n an

imat

ed.

Keep

in m

ind

that

the

re is

no

one

perf

ect

topo

logy

for a

fi gu

re. A

gen

eral

top

olog

y, li

ke

the

one

used

her

e, w

orks

for m

ost

char

acte

rs,

but

the

idea

l top

olog

y de

pend

s on

how

the

fi gu

re a

rtic

ulat

es. A

cha

ract

er t

hat

wal

ks

arou

nd w

ith

his

arm

s at

his

sid

e ha

s a

diff

eren

t

idea

l top

olog

y th

an a

fi gu

re t

hat,

thro

ugh

som

e un

know

n af

fl ic

tion

, alw

ays

has

thei

r

arm

s ra

ised

ove

r the

ir he

ad.

So w

hat

shou

ld b

e re

pres

ente

d in

the

bas

e

mes

h? I

gene

rally

thi

nk t

hat

a ba

se m

esh

for

digi

tal s

culp

ting

sho

uld

be a

s lo

w-r

esol

utio

n

as y

ou’re

abl

e to

get

it. H

owev

er, y

ou w

ill

inev

itab

ly h

ave

to c

ompr

omis

e oc

casi

onal

ly

to p

rope

rly re

pres

ent

crit

ical

top

olog

ical

feat

ures

like

fi ng

ers.

Tak

e an

arm

as

an

exam

ple:

idea

lly, i

ts lo

w-r

es t

opol

ogy

wou

ld

be ju

st a

n ex

trud

ed c

ube

wit

h eq

ually

squ

are

face

s fr

om t

he s

houl

der d

own

to t

he w

rist.

But

whe

n yo

u ad

d fi

nger

s to

the

han

d, t

he e

dge

loop

s ar

e pr

opag

ated

. The

resu

lt is

an

arm

tha

t

has

mul

tipl

e si

des,

not

four

.

The

impo

rtan

t th

ing

to b

ear i

n m

ind

whe

n

sett

ing

up y

our b

ase

mes

h is

to

mak

e su

re t

hat

all t

he fe

atur

es a

re re

pres

ente

d, t

hen

adju

st

your

pol

y si

ze a

nd d

istr

ibut

ion.

Her

e ar

e a

few

thin

gs t

o co

nsid

er w

hen

cons

truc

ting

you

r ow

n

base

mes

h fo

r pos

ing

and

scul

ptin

g in

ZB

rush

.

We

will

cov

er k

ey p

oint

s su

ch a

s th

e ne

ed

to a

chie

ve e

ven,

squ

are

quad

s; e

ffi c

ient

arra

ngem

ent

of e

dge

loop

s; a

nd t

he c

orre

ct

leve

l of

deta

il to

use

in d

escr

ibin

g di

ffer

ent

part

s of

the

bod

y. O

verle

af, w

e w

ill b

egin

to

refi

ne t

his

com

plet

ed b

ase

mes

h.

TSTA

GE

ON

E |

The

base

mes

h

TUTORIALS | Modelling the female form

044 | 3D WORLD3D WORLD July 2008

TDW105.t_torso 044TDW105.t_torso 044 1/5/08 10:38:091/5/08 10:38:09

Page 4: Figure Sculpting Tutorial Zbrush

Get

into

the

hab

it o

f pu

ttin

g de

cent

ed

ge lo

ops

in y

our

mod

el: t

hey

help

w

ith

the

scul

ptin

g pr

oces

s. A

nic

ely

edge

-loop

ed m

odel

requ

ires

few

er

poly

gons

to

repr

esen

t fo

rm, a

nd y

ou w

ill

neve

r fe

el li

ke y

ou a

re fi

ghti

ng a

gain

st

mis

alig

ned

edge

s. T

he e

dge

loop

s sh

ould

br

oadl

y fl

ow a

long

mus

cle

grou

ps a

nd in

the

di

rect

ion

of d

efor

mat

ion.

I al

so u

se s

peci

fi c

edge

loop

s to

repr

esen

t cr

itic

al s

kele

tal

land

mar

ks in

the

fi gu

re.

Stri

ve f

or c

orre

ct p

ropo

rtio

ns in

the

bas

e m

esh,

but

do

n’t

be o

verl

y co

ncer

ned

wit

h th

e sh

ape.

The

mai

n th

ing

is t

o ha

ve t

he la

rge

feat

ures

repr

esen

ted

and

the

maj

or p

ropo

rtio

ns c

orre

ct. I

f yo

u do

n’t

have

goo

d m

easu

rem

ents

of

the

prop

orti

ons

of t

he m

odel

in y

our

refe

renc

e, m

atch

a c

lass

ical

can

on o

f pr

opor

tion

s in

whi

ch

the

heig

ht o

f th

e bo

dy is

7 t

o 7.

5 t

imes

tha

t of

the

hea

d.

06

As

muc

h as

pos

sibl

e,

crea

te ‘s

quar

e’

quad

s ra

ther

tha

n lo

ng re

ctan

gles

. Wor

king

wit

h re

ctan

gles

is a

wkw

ard

beca

use

they

reta

in t

heir

ori

gina

l asp

ect

rati

os, e

ven

afte

r a

larg

e nu

mbe

r of

sub

divi

sion

s: t

he

shor

t si

de m

ay b

e su

bdiv

ided

to

sub

-pix

el re

solu

tion

, but

the

lo

ng s

ide

will

sti

ll be

fou

r or

fi ve

ti

mes

as

long

. For

long

app

enda

ges

like

the

arm

s, p

ut in

a c

oupl

e of

ext

ra

edge

loop

s to

squ

are

off

the

quad

s.

03

Avoi

d ov

erde

scri

bing

det

ails

in t

he b

ase

mes

h. S

mal

l fe

atur

es, l

ike

fi ng

erna

ils a

nd t

oena

ils, s

houl

d no

t be

de

scri

bed

in t

he b

ase

mes

h, a

s th

ey w

ill s

ubdi

vide

in

to m

illio

ns o

f po

lygo

ns. T

he f

eatu

res

shou

ld b

e le

ft o

ut a

nd

scul

pted

in la

ter.

That

sai

d, if

you

kno

w y

ou a

re g

oing

to

have

an

are

a w

ith

a di

spro

port

iona

te a

mou

nt o

f de

tail,

you

wan

t th

e ba

se m

esh

in t

his

area

to

be p

ropo

rtio

nally

den

ser

(or

you

can

use

ZBru

sh’s

Geo

met

ry H

D f

eatu

re).

05

04

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Page 5: Figure Sculpting Tutorial Zbrush

Load the 01_baseMesh.ztl Tool. Create a new layer via Tool > Layers > New, and call it ‘transpose’. This layer is going to store all the posing edits so that

you can turn the transformations on and off as necessary to revert back to the original bind pose. It’s a good idea to add layers for each signifi cant edit you perform. This way, the workfl ow becomes non-destructive and fl exible.

01[Ctrl]-select the upper half of the body to mask it. Next, transpose the legs forward to 90 degrees, establishing the sitting pose. This helps to position

the hips and rib cage. Tilt the pelvis by transposing with no mask. Counter-rotate the rib cage to maintain balance. Do this by masking the lower body up to the waist, then rotating the upper body so the spine is bending forward.

02

STAGE TWO | Establishing a pose

Transpose the legs. They rotate on a point midway up the hip, where the femur articulates with the pelvis. The left leg requires a simple, but extreme,

rotation to get it into position. The right leg requires an axial rotation, with the rotation bone in the centre of the leg and the mask gradually softened in strength, along the length of the upper leg. [Alt]-click and drag the end of the action line.

03Use the Move Brush on the lowest Subdivision Level to re-establish the feeling that there is bone underneath the mesh. The Transpose tool can give

round bends on limbs depending on the masking, so you need to restore the structure of the joint. This is especially important for the elbows and knees.

05Transpose the arms into place using Rotate. Twist the forearms by masking halfway down, placing your Transpose bone in the middle of the forearm

and twisting using the middle rotate handle. This is a ‘naïve’ twist that can collapse the volume of the arm. You will need to go back in and restore some of this volume.

04

Enable the transpose layer and click Delete. This applies the transpose permanently. Now subdivide the mesh up to Level 6 (roughly two million polys)

via Tool > Geometry > Divide. At Level 6, create a new layer called ‘torso’. Creating your layers on the highest working Level captures all edits from all levels on that layer.

07Polygroups help workfl ow. Toggle off the transpose layer to restore the default pose. Sequentially hide the limbs: [Ctrl]+[Shift]-drag a selection box,

then release [Shift] to hide inside the selection. Create Polygroups using Tool > Polygroups > Group Visible. Make Polygroups for the torso, head, arms, hands, legs and feet.

06

STAGE THREE | Working with the torso

EXPERT TIPTranspose benefi tsMaster the Transpose tool early. Once you have control of it, it will help you with posing, but also with correcting a great many proportional problems. Topological masking is a powerful tool that goes hand in hand with the Transpose bones, but requires some practice to employ effi ciently. The smoothness of your transformation depends on the sharpness of your mask. You can get sharper masks in two ways: use topological masking at a higher Subdivision Level, or go to Preferences > Transpose and turn down the Mask Blur Strength setting.

i

EXPERT TIPAll-round referenceReference from multiple angles makes a huge difference when posing a digital sculpture. A complex pose is like a 3D jigsaw puzzle, where the solution is thrown off if one piece is out of alignment. Carefully establish the correct joint angles from the pelvis to the extremities: the hands, feet, fi ngers and toes should be the last consideration. When the fi gure is in position, compare negative spaces in the pose with your reference to diagnose accuracy. Reassess the pose as the model progresses. You’ll be surprised how much you notice.

i

TUTORIALS | Modelling the female form

046 | 3D WORLD3D WORLD July 2008

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Page 6: Figure Sculpting Tutorial Zbrush

Switch back to Subdivision Level 1. With the Move Brush, refi ne the edge loops for the torso. Pay special attention to the edge loops for the scapulae

(shoulder blades) and under the armpit. These suffered a bit of damage during posing, and need to be restored to their appropriate shapes before we can start sculpting.

08The clavicles (collar bones) form an elongated S shape, starting at the pit of the neck and curving out to the points of the shoulders, where they attach to

the scapulae. In this pose, they are rotated forward from their ‘joint’ at the upper edge of the sternum (breastbone). Use the ClayTubes Brush to sketch in the gesture of the clavicles.

09

STAGE THREE (Continued) | Working with the torso

In this pose, the scapulae have slid laterally and forward along the rib cage. Here, the major evidence of them is their inner border. Locate these

on your model. They appear as a relief on the back and need to be massed in. If you are not comfortable doing this, fi nd an anatomy book and study the shape of the scapula. This will help you understand the upper back.

10

Next, you need to establish the volume relationship between the hips and the rib cage on the model. Try to imagine the actual bone

structure underneath the skin and sculpt the mesh out to fi ll this volume. It’s important as you do this to maintain the appearance of a coherent skeletal mass underlying the smaller forms. Pay particular attention to where the rib cage

is rotated forwards, creating a crease between the hips and the ribs: there is a compression of muscle and skin on top of the rib cage and pelvis. Creating believable transitions where the skin folds around this area requires a delicate touch, plus detailing at a later stage. Use the ClayTubes Brush to establish the volumes, then refi ne with the Standard Brush.

12Use the Polygroups to hide the legs and arms, leaving only the chest and ribcage visible. Use the ClayTubes Brush to sketch in the arch of the

rib cage. The costal cartilage of the ribs projects forwards slightly, and the abdominal muscles transition this plane downward. Sketch in the planes of the costal cartilage and abdominals, building up as much volume as necessary.

11

EXPERT TIPCorrect subdivision levelsZBrush’s Subdivision Levels provide artists with a good workfl ow for constructing our levels of details. Each Level represents a tier of detail; as you subdivide, you get more ‘clay’ to work with. When I am building up muscles, I often use the ClayTubes Brush, which requires a high Level for a clay-like feel. Once I start to refi ne the model, I switch to the more disciplined approach of working at different Levels, depending on the size of the details I am sculpting. This helps keep the mesh organised and gives greater control, even at high subdivisions.

i

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Locate the deltoid muscle area on the shoulder. It originates on the outer third of the clavicle and wraps around the point of the shoulder to the back

(on the scapula). It also inserts halfway down the upper arm on the outside. Use the ClayTubes Brush to sketch marks on the model for both these locations.

13The deltoid overlaps the biceps and triceps on the upper arm. Neither is noticeably defi ned here, but they still contribute critical volume to the arm, so

the fact that they are relaxed and acted on by gravity must be captured. Use the Standard Brush at a low Subdivision Level to capture this subtle form.

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On both arms, the shoulder is rotated inward, causing the humerus (the upper arm bone) to rotate axially. The result is that the elbow now

faces outward and not rearward, while the insertion of the deltoid faces forward. The mass of the deltoid needs to ‘twist’ to accommodate this. Mass in the twisting form using the ClayTubes Brush.

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STAGE FOUR | Working with the limbs

Working down the arm, concentrate next on the bones of the elbow. There are three bony points exposed on the bent elbow – the olecranon (elbow

bone), and the medial and lateral epicondyles. Together, they make an inverted triangle. Locate the area and build these up on your model.

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Working down to the forearm, trace the length of the ulna (one of the two long bones) from the elbow down to the wrist on the pinky side of the

hand, where the bone terminates in a small bump. Sculpt both of these bony landmarks onto the model. Depending on the pose, the length of the ulna creates a furrow on the outside of the forearm; it’s not too evident here.

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You need to often re-employ the Transpose tool to bend fi ngers believably. Position the edge loops at Level 1 to get the proportional relationship

between the joints correct. Then step up to Level 3 for sharper topological masking, and use the Transpose tool to bend the joints into position. Pay attention to how much each joint articulates in relation to the previous one.

18Refi ne the volume of both feet using the Move Brush at Subdivision Level 1. When blocking in the volume of a foot, think about the shape of a

footprint, and how the outside edge of the foot rests on the ground while the instep is elevated. Also remember that the main contact points with the ground are the heel and the balls of the toes.

20Use the Transpose tool on the right foot to rotate it at the ankle so that the top of the foot starts to face downward. You also need to transpose

the outside half of the foot (the metatarsals and toes 3-5), as they are pressed against the fl oor and have rotated to accommodate, leaving a longitudinal crease down the bottom of the foot.

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EXPERT TIPTalking handsHands are second only to the face in expressiveness, conveying a wide range of emotions depending on their gesture. Because of this, we are very attuned to reading these gestures and can easily spot hands that don’t look right. Therefore, you need to spend time and attention making sure the proportion and articulation of the hand and fi ngers are correct. For female hands, few artists captured them better than Alphonse Mucha (www.muchafoundation.org). A good exercise for learning the subtlety of gesture is to copy the hands from his drawings.

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Use the Infl ate Brush to emphasise the crease in the bent legs, where the hamstrings are pressed against the calf muscles. Remember that the

inside of the bent knee shows more bulge, owing to fat and tendons. Once the faces have been infl ated together, refi ne the end of the crease with the Pinch Brush.

22Detail the forms of the knees using the Standard Brush at higher Subdivision Levels (4 and 5). The main points to emphasise are the condyles of the

femur, the patella and the kneeling point of the tibia (see Expert Tip for more on the anatomy of the knee). These are small planes, so subtlety is required

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STAGE FOUR (Continued) | Working with the limbs

Use the Standard Brush at Subdivision Level 4 to add a gentle curvature to the shins on both legs, as they descend from the knees to the ankles.

Sitting on the inside of this curve is the mass of the calf muscle: add volume here if necessary. Legs complete, its time to turn your attention to the feet.

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Although the nails of the toes represent a small detail in the scheme of things, they are important for making the feet believable. They aren’t present

in the topology of the base mesh (see page 45) because they would add too many polygons during subdivision, so you have to build them from your subdivided polygons. Switch to your highest Subdivision Level and paint masks

where the nail beds are. With the Standard Brush, sculpt around the back half of the nail bed, raising it above the level of the nail itself. Now invert the mask, and sculpt the shape that makes the end of the nail, taking it slightly beyond the end of the toe. Painting a mask is a powerful tool for detailing specifi c forms: you’ll use it again later to help with getting the eyes right.

25Adjust the toes on both feet using the Move Brush at Level 1. Constructionally, the smaller toes incline towards the second toe, which is generally the

longest, or is equal in length to the big toe. The tips of the fi rst two toes are elevated at the end, while the last three point towards the ground, almost gripping it.

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EXPERT TIPAnatomy of the kneeKnees require an understanding of the bones and joint to sculpt. Get familiar with the shape of the end of the femur: there are two protrusions, or condyles, that show when the knee is bent. Between these is the patella, or kneecap, which slides into the cavity between the condyles when the knee is bent. All this sits on top of the bony plateau that is the enlarged end of the tibia, the main bone of the lower leg. The plateau edges are directly under the skin and taper as they descend, eventually turning into the ridge of the shin.

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Working at the lowest Subdivision Level, refi ne the shape of the face, paying special attention to the profi le. This is the simplest way to establish

the vertical alignment of features. (Always try to capture reference photos showing the face in profi le.) Select the Move Brush with symmetry enabled (Transform > Activate Symmetry) to sculpt both sides together.

26Check the space between the nose and the mouth. This is often exaggerated, giving the impression that the mouth is too low. As a guideline, the lips

should generally be two-thirds of the distance from the chin to the bottom of the nose. Use the Move Brush at the lowest Subdivision Level to reposition the mouth and the surrounding edge loops.

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STAGE FIVE | Refi ning the head

Establish the form of the eyes by moving the edge loops into position. The upper eyelid needs to have the edges and fold established; the lower

lid has an edge and transition into the cheek. Start at the lowest Subdivision Level and work your way up the Levels, keeping your creases tight. Use the Pinch Brush with Stroke > LazyMouse enabled to help you with creasing.

28The pupil and cornea are created using the same technique as the nails. At Subdivision Level 6, paint a round mask that outlines the cornea, then invert

the selection. Use the Standard Brush with a large radius to pull out the cornea of the eye. Smooth around the border of the mask to eliminate hard edges.

30Like the other features of the face, the lips should be treated as small sculptures in and of themselves. Move the edges into place fi rst,

capturing the main lines of the upper and lower lips. Then step up to Subdivision Level 3 and use the Standard Brush to sculpt in the small volumes. Next, we’ll look at one of the most expressive parts of the face: the eyes.

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Build the ears with the same approach. At the lowest Level, use the Move Brush to establish the broad shape. Move to Subdivision Level 3 or 4 and

sculpt in the remaining form, using the Standard Brush. Ears are not diffi cult once the structure is understood. The critical thing is to sculpt them in three dimensions, giving them depth and moving them off the plane of the skull.

32The chin and jaw line are delicate, and need subtle handling. The jaw line itself is sharp, but there are subtle transitions between the underside of the

chin and the roundness of the neck, and from the back of the jaw into the ear and neck. Use the Standard Brush at Subdivision Level 3 to sharpen the jaw line, but introduce a gradual concavity to the transition into the neck.

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EXPERT TIPStructure of the noseThe nose is a complex shape, with small planes that must be accurately described to capture its character and individuality. The nose starts where the nasal bone joins the glabella (the keystone transition to the forehead). The nasal bone extends about halfway down the length of the nose, where there is a transition to cartilage that should be described, although it’s often subtle. The ball of the nose interlocks with the lower end of the cartilage and gives a nose much of its individuality. Abutting the side are two pieces of fatty tissue that enclose the nostrils.

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EXPERT TIPProportions of the faceThe relationships between features on the face are critical for creating a believable face and matching a likeness. As with the rest of the body (see page 45), it is best to start with a standard canon of proportions and only then determine how your particular face varies from that. In general, the face can be divided into thirds: the top third from the hairline to the top of the nose, the second third to the bottom of the nose, and the last to the bottom of the chin. Within this fi nal third, the mouth sits one third of the distance down from the nose.

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The female forehead has subtle plane shifts that must be captured to keep it from looking too smooth. Using the Standard Brush at Levels 2 and

3, capture the angle of the forehead and where it transitions to the hairline. Establish the break in planes along the temporal line, which generally starts above the outer apex of the eyebrow and runs diagonally backwards to the hairline.

33The bun is not represented in our base mesh, so we need to block it in using existing polys. The best approach is to move down to Subdivision Level

1 and use the Move Brush to pull out a mass of hair. This gives you the base form to sculpt on at higher resolution. It stretches your topology a bit – but with six subdivision levels, you still have suffi cient ‘material’ to model with.

35For the hair, use the ClayTubes Brush but set the BrushMod value (Brush > BrushMod) high – around 60 – to put volume into the brush. Vary the brush

size to give larger masses of hair. If you have a pressure-sensitive tablet, varying the pressure along the length of the stroke helps create the impression of wavy hair. Next, we’ll sculpt the bun of hair at the back of the head.

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STAGE FIVE (Continued) | Refi ning the head

Use the Move Brush at level 1 to angle the ear so that its long axis tilts slightly backwards. Turn to a rear view and use the same tool to make sure the

cup of the ear stands off from the head. This makes room for the mastoid process, a prominent bony landmark directly behind the ear, where the main neck muscle attaches.

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Now sketch in the neck muscles. In this pose, the neck muscles are active on the right side, turning the head. The muscles on the other side are

relaxed. The main muscle, the sternocleidomastoid, forms a strap-like bridge, spanning the pit of the neck to just behind the ear. These forms require a medium level of detail, so sculpt them with the Standard Brush at Level 4.

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Modelling the female form | TUTORIALS

July 2008 3D WORLD 3D WORLD | 051

Finally, go back and do one last check of planes and proportions. Many small problems will have been noticed and corrected working through the various stages of construction, but new problems may have been

introduced as well. Check the fi nal size of the head and the relative lengths of the limbs. Compare this against your reference. Also check the overall balance and weight of the pose: have you put too much mass in one place? Vary the material and lighting conditions on your model to help diagnose the planes and continuity of surfaces. Fix any problems you encounter, and continue to iterate until you are happy with the result. ●

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