bms blog

Hi there fellow CG artist,I though I share a work in progress project I'm working on,this post will be an overview on the development of a "character creation" workflow and the how to's of the progress.

*disclaimer:the post will be edit periodically until the final render is in!

Game Character Creation Workflow:

1.Block in your forms,try to keep your faces the same size(even topology,square quads),don't worry about details,this mesh will be used as a base-mesh for sculpting and further refinement and the mesh will also be used as a starting point for the low poly mesh.

2.Adding details to your base-mesh,you can sculpt the details you want in this part,go as high as you want in your sub-divisions,the higher the better results,I recommend using the higher sub d for high frequency details e.g. pores,birthmarks etc.

3.Now,with the hi poly model done,we can now used it as a template for the low poly model,that's where retopo comes in,start modeling over the hi poly,but keep in mind that you only want to model over the major shapes and forms (blanketing) ignoring minor shapes and details,these will shine through in the normal map.Edgeloops should have their appropriate placement to help the mesh deform properly once rig.The used of proper edgeloops goes alongside creating a smooth silhouette,nothing gives away that the model is low poly more than having sharp polys protruding off a silhouette of an in game model.The goal with the use of normal maps is to achieve the visual impression that the in game model is much more than simply a lo poly mesh.By paying attention to these two things, this is achieved.

The base mesh:

The base-mesh is the starting point for work done in a digital sculpting application.Establishing a sensible topology early on,makes sculpting a lot easier.Like the traditional sculpting material 'clay',most sculpting apps are a forgiving medium that enables digital sculpting artist to modify the shape of the mesh easily,but the topology remains fixed from the start.

Like real clay,the consistency of digital clay can be lumpy or smooth,and the base topology is the determining factor.A mesh that consist of odd-sized,triangulated polygons with irregular edge flow will sculpt like lumpy clay:it will be hard to control and difficult to refine,regardless of how many subdivisions are in the mesh.

In production work,establishing sound topology is essential, benefiting riggers and animators,for whom correct topology is vital to ensure that the model deforms correctly when animated.Keep in mind that there's no single perfect topology for a model,but the ideal topology depends on how the figure articulates.

So,what constitute an ideal base mesh?
Generally speaking,the mesh should be as low resolution as you're able to get it.However,you will inevitably have to compromise occasionally to represent critical topology features like toes and fingers properly.Take a leg as example:it's low res topology would be just an extruded cube with equally square faces from the hip down to the ankles.But when you add toes to the foot,the edge loops are propagated.The result is a leg that has multiple sides,not four.The important thing when setting up a base mesh is to make sure that all the features are represented then adjust size and distribution.

Topology:

Topology:the study of underlying structure that makes up the subject (landmarks),(e.g. muscles in humans) you will want to model your subject accordingly if you want the mesh to deform the correct way when rig for animation.

Topology means topos, place and logos, study. So I would say that the topology is the study of how to organize the parts of an object (a model, organic or not) in the space they occupy (their structure) so to obtain functionality and balance between themselves and the whole object. In CG that I suppose that would mean how to organize the structure and flow of edges, vertices and polys.

PS: "The relationships between surfaces in a solid model: for example, between loops, edges, and vertices."

Hair:
Pic:coming soon!

Game Characters need to be low poly for most game engines and hair is no exception,Epic Games uses the same method for their Unreal Engine Games; 1.create the hair using hair particle system 2.render images are assembled into one texture to be use as the overall diffuse map 3. by using this process you're able to save out the alpha channel along with the diffuse,the alpha is then use as an opacity mask to achieve the sense of hair strands when apply to the poly hair sheets 4. The texture is then apply to the simple meshes that will be manually placed onto your model.

It's a time consuming process, but well worth it in results.