Last week, I reorganized and improved all the 2D designs for the animation and made a plan for the timeline. This week, my main job is to finish my character model, complete rigging, and UV clipping.
Re-sculpting of 3D models:
Because the character’s hair is glowing, the details are almost invisible if you use emission material, so I focused on sculpting the face. You can see that I organized the features, then carved the eye sockets, reduced the size of the eyes, and made the edge lines of the parts more pronounced, which clarifies the shape of the character’s features and makes the model look more detailed.
Including the bodice, I created a more pointed shape for the bra to add variety to the elements through this design. Because of my preference, I also sculpted the shape of the breasts.
I added more muscularity to the model by studying the structure of the human upper limbs. I sculpted the shapes of the ribs, abs, mermaid lines, etc. The revisions took a lot of time and gave my new model some details to add to a more refined look.
This includes the carving of the belly button, the carving of the waist, and the shape of the muscle that wraps around each piece of bone.
The mermaid’s tail does not do many carvings because the muscles of the fishtail are not particularly obvious, but I carved some simple patterns for the thinnest part of the tail fin. I hope that the bake can be rendered a kind of relief effect.
I also did a more intricate carving of the entire tail fin pattern to make it look more realistic.
Reflection & Challenge:
This is my first time using ZBrush to sculpt such a detailed model. To improve my skills and my understanding of this software, I have consulted a lot of information and tutorials, studied this software more deeply, and paid particular attention to a lot of Brush application skills, such as how to extrude smoother shapes, how to map, how to handle facial features more delicately, including the sculpting of the bridge of the nose and eye sockets, etc.
During the sculpting of the model, I gradually became proficient. I mastered various ZBrush functions and technologies, such as topology, masking, UV automatic cutting, manual coloring, cloth simulation, etc. I also learned how to use these tools to give me Models that add realism and level of detail, making my models more alive and look simple yet refined.
Through this study, I can make models faster. I have mastered many methods and techniques that I have never tried before to improve the efficiency of my model sculpting. I realize the importance of continuous learning and practical operation. This allows me to express my ideas and designs better.
This week, I finished sculpting my design. After confirming the plan, I will spend the mermaid’s hair directly in Maya. Next week, I will do the model topology of the entire character.