Character Design and Creation - Online (Week 4)

This project focused on modeling different assets in ZBrush and Maya, ranging from complete characters to accessories for them. There were also smaller assignments that had to be completed, such as modeling hair onto premade figureheads. This was meant to help me become more familiar with the modeling process in both programs and learn what workflow works best for me.

When modeling, I discovered that using Dynamesh was the best because I could easily sculpt the characters without worrying about running out of material to work with. Honestly, this came as a surprise to me because during my first time using that modeling technique, it was nearly impossible for me to get the clay to stretch where I wanted it to. The model just looked jagged and messy. But after plenty of practice, I am now finally able to utilize ZBrush comfortably.

If I had to pinpoint something specific that did not work as well as I hoped when I was completing these projects, it would have to be when I was resurfacing the heads of my two characters. While I am proud of what I was able to accomplish, I am still aware that there are areas that could be improved on. If I had the opportunity to work on them again, there are several things that I would do differently. Such as being more careful when exporting the head of my character from ZBrush into Maya. The first time, there were appendages on the head that did not need to be resurfaced. They got in the way when I was placing polygons on the surface of the head. Having to go back into ZBrush, smooth out these unneeded details, re-export the head, and reposition it properly in Maya, took valuable time away from my modeling. Not to mention, caused me to have to alter the resurfacing that I had already completed because the scaling was slightly off. However, I learned from this mistake and did not run into this problem when working on my second head.

While I did run into several problems during the course of this project, I would not consider any of them to be more major than the others. They were all bothersome in their own right and required hard work to fix. Whenever I ran into a problem, I would adapt by investigating until I found a way to solve it. Sometimes this meant exploring the program until I figured out what tool needed to be used or what had gone wrong. Other times, I would go on to google to use forums, videos, and company websites to my advantage.

I am pleased with the end result and proud of what I was able to accomplish. Having not been comfortable at all with modeling in ZBrush when this class began, I am overjoyed that I was able to complete so many different models in the allotted time. As well as understand the program better and feel more prepared to use it in the future. However, I do know that there is plenty more for me to learn and improve on. A few examples of areas that I want to practice more are sculpting hair and working on the facial features of characters. UVing and resurfacing in Maya are also areas that I still have difficulty with. I am excited to continue honing my skills with these programs so that I can create even more models.