Action Hero - 1N/Human (non/hero)

[Nera]

Hi guys!

Another newbie to enter the contest :) and I am new to ZBrush too. Actually I had hoped for the 3.5 update to be released because I use a Mac and read it in the forums that there are still some unsolved issues with version 3.12. But alas, it seems like it can't be helped so let's hope for the best and here is my entry:

Artist name: Nera Stelliger

Hero name: 1N/Human

Age: 0 (synthetic clone)

Backstory:
The not so distant future: Ongoing guerilla wars against increasing numbers of terrorists call for a new class of task forces. Robot warriors proved to be too unreliable and costly to manufacture which led to the breeding of fully synthetic clones. After some failures and drawbacks concerning the neural stability of the subjects eventually a first prototype with a very simple brain structure came to life:

Series name: 1 N / Human.

His abilities: superhuman reaction speed and strength.

His specialty: detect and eliminate entrenched human targets.

His weapons: since the army had to succumb to criticism concerning civil victims he does not carry any other weapons than for close combat, meaning the razor-sharp claws which prolong his hands and feet. He is also equipped with a brain-scanner built into his helmet to download memories of further hidden terrorists from his kills.

His armor: He is actually sealed inside the suit which serves as a kind of exoskeleton which protects his muscles from bursting at effort. He can break through walls with it, cut through glass and climb up vertical planes, but it is also imprisoning his senses. All he perceives of his environment he does through his eyes and even those are restricted to predator-like sight in black and white. However in time, as he kills more humans he gradually assembles an image of the world as seen by his victims and starts developing an own consciousness and understanding for his deeds: How many humans does he have to kill to be human himself?

As usual I get a bit carried away with philosophies behind what could actually be a simple plot :D and I guess my hero is more like a wild mix of some of my favorite games (Assassin's Creed, MGS, Tenchu etc.) than a true comic book hero. However, I hope he is somewhat original and you like my idea :) The suit is actually the one thing I gave most consideration to because I like the concept of the hero not being able to be anything else outside of it. So I think of designing it with weld seams, rivets and straps binding him inside.

Thank you for reading my entry and also lots of thanks in advance for any form of criticism!

1N-Human Concept Art1.jpg

[SolidSnakexxx]

Wow,,,I like the red beams from his eye. We've got an eye on one common thing...the "exoskeleton" Yours could be very nice and futuristic exoskeleton...It's going to be cool to check out this thread. :)

[snoopalu]

Cool stuff =). Looks like it will be fun to model all those curves and stuff on his costume.

[Nera]

First of all sorry for a rather lousy update but I only got to buy and install ZBrush two days ago. It's fun to work with but the most bugged program i ever tried! :lol: So to any Mac-users out there who work with it I will be infinitely grateful for any kind of advice.

As you can see I have used the downloaded base mesh by Pixologic, simply because the topology suits perfectly my concept (I can even use the toes) and was afraid that fussing with ZSpheres would cost me too much time. I hope to be able to work on the model this weekend and post more screenshots :D

FBM screenshot1.jpg 1NHuman first screenshot1.jpg

[Nera]

I think of making plenty of use of mesh extraction for the layers of the armor, however I am not sure if there may be other more suitable ways because of the very clean geometry I would like to achieve. Any other suggestions?

Thank you in advance! :)

[Nera]

Hi there,

again some work in progress. I have been experimenting with the brushes and made my first ZBrush head :cool: . Next time, I guess I should rather try to build it by using ZSpheres, since the area around the eyes requires own edge loops and was very hard to clean out because I merely used a cube to start with. Before trying out this software I have used standard 3D programs, so the face still lacks details. I guess I've been trying to get the same clean look as you get from polygon modeling. What brushes do you use? I have mainly worked with the standard brush, and yes, a lot of smooth brushing :lol: .

Second picture is a small update of the suit. I would have liked to make the helmet slightly transparent, but I guess that's not possible in ZBrush yet?

Comments and critics very welcome.

1NHuman first screenshot3.jpg

1NHuman first screenshot2.jpg

[pitchepuck]

nice update.
the face is ok. the only thing I would mention is that the hips and legs are a little slim. what do you think?

[SolidSnakexxx]

Nice progress. :cool: For me my favorite brushes are Clay Tube and Standard Brush. I think with these you can sculpt almost anything.

BTW, With the tight suit like that, you can further bring out the anatomical landmarks and he'll look even cooler. Look forward for more :)

[Nera]

Thank you for your comments! Maybe I should have mentioned that it was meant to be the inner layer of the suit from which I was planning to extract more layers of armor. And that was where my problem occurred: even though I used the simple .OBJ still there were edge loops in it which produced some artifacts when I tried the mesh extraction. So here is a fresh start with ZSpheres. Cost me half my weekend :lol:

Next update should (hopefully) be some nice layers of the suit. Still he will not be Hulk, more something like Spiderman :)

1NHuman screenshot4.jpg

1NHuman screenshot5.jpg

[SolidSnakexxx]

Hi there Nera, I think the new base's looking good and will be more than sufficient for a great sculpt. BTW, since the ZB 3.1 with its retop capability, I've been using ZSphere to do base more than any other apps.. Simply because this method is real efficient and real fast.

[Nera]

Yes, well unfortunately Topology does not appear to work on my ZBrush. I am following the simple steps of: insert ZSphere, (Rigging) select Mesh, (Topology) edit Topology, but as soon as I start painting over the Model (holding Shift of course) the program crashes, even when I use entirely non-subdivided models of a few thousand polygons.

Here's my thread concerning the problems I am facing:

http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/showthread.php?t=67377

And to be able to smoothen those edges INSIDE ZBrush is crucial for the look I want to achieve on my model, since I am not allowed by the rules to use another software.

This is a fast example of what I mean:

1NHuman screenshot6.jpg

[Harmonic]

I might just be dumb, but I am so confused by what you said in you post. It is not clear to me if you are trying to do mesh extraction or create armor plates with the topology tool.

And why are you inserting a zsphere?

So I might be way off but, I would recommend not using the hold shift and draw topology method. I would carefully draw the new topo by hand, I think you will get a much cleaner result.

Again a my be completely misunderstanding you?

[Train22]

Great work Nera! Looks good so far :tu:
When i saw his face, it reminds me of the "Twiligth"-Poster
http://backseatcuddler.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/twilight-movie-poster.jpg
:D :D

[Nera]

To Harmonic: I know it sounds odd to use ZSpheres for topology, because that's what I thought first too :lol: but it seems to be a normal method to add topology (or clean up) to an existing object without having to build it entirely again. There is at least one tutorial here in the forum that describes how to:

http://www.zbrushcentral.com/zbc/showthread.php?t=48689&highlight=topology+tutorial

and also a video on youtube explaining the same thing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=im0fWQv6NhY&feature=related

To Train22: I hope you mean the boy on that poster :lol:

[Harmonic]

Thanks Nera, I am fairly familiar with how the topo tool works. I am just trying to understand your problem so I and other members can help. Your post is confusing to me, but it sounds like you are going about it wrong. When I use the topo tool, I start with a zsphere and then select the mesh I want to rework in the rigging tab. As far I remember you would insert a zshpere if you want to rig it for posing with zspheres.

But maybe I am misunderstanding you?

[Nera]

Yes, sorry if my description is rather unclear. But I do it exactly the way you say it in your post. The only difference I see is that you probably usually build new topology on top of the old one? I was trying to modify the existing one without deleting more of it then absolutely necessary (in my case, I wanted to get rid of the triangles next to the margin of the armor plate). That is why the first thing, as described in the tutorial, is to select all of the existing topology by "painting" over the model and then reconnecting lines or erasing points. My problem is that the program crashes as soon as I begin that "painting" process.

I hope this is a more accurate description of the issue. Thank you a lot for your help! And again sorry if I was rather unclear :)

[Drakelot]

Xcellent looking base model ... good luck !!!

[Harmonic]

Hey thanks for the clarification. Yeah I have never had any success with that method. I st ear clear of it. I would definitely just redraw the topo instead. If you draw big polys it will only take a few minutes, you will have more control and better luck, and it will come out super clean. :D

[JUPITER]

In my experince with topo paint if my model has lower sub lvl's the and say i'm a model with 3 sub,s and i want re topo on the third then i delete lower after i clone so if i mess up i still have my model,hope this helps..

[Nera]

Thank you all for your help! The right solution came from the Pixologic support team and it works fine :D

These are the instructions:

"To edit existing topology, you need to do one more step.

Before turning on the Edit Topology button you also need to press Tool>Topology>Select Topo and select the model again. (So you select it twice -- the first time in the Rigging menu and the second time in the Topology menu.) Then when you turn on Edit Topology you will see all the lines.

Now you can add your additional edge loop. Shift won't work. What you need to do is move your pointer so that it's on a line where you want to put a new point. It'll snap to the middle of the line. Click. Then move around where you want the edge loop to go, clicking on the middle of each line that it crosses."

[Seavannah]

I like your concept and the start of your sculpt. I really like the face. Keep up the good work and happy zbrushing.:D

[Nera]

Hey Seavannah, thank you a lot for your comment! I tend to make rather handsome male models and am continuously afraid they could look too feminine :lol:

Speaking of which:

1NHuman screenshot9.jpg

I have started sculpting her out of the base mesh I created for the man to practice drawing steady curves and then I began adding wrinkles to the skin-tight suit. My first time sculpting wrinkles, so go easy on me :cool: Just kidding, criticism is always welcome!

And this is what I am planning to use as a base to pose my character. Since he can break through walls I intend to have him jump through the concrete. I am not very happy with it though, maybe you have some suggestions for improvement?

1NHuman screenshot8.jpg

[Nera]

Yes, and there is progress on the male character too:

1NHuman screenshot7.jpg

Self-made MatCap-material. He looks so solid now I am afraid to carve into him :lol: I am looking forward to a busy ZBrushing-weekend! :cool:

[Moni-Poroni]

Hi Nera :) Good progress... love the materials of both and the red eyes and the shoes of the female character are very cool. :tu:

I´m looking forward to your next update Nera
and I wish you all the best and good luck in the contest!:)
Happy Zbrushing! Yesssss it´s weekend ;)

[spimmy]

looks great, like the materials and live the stretching suit details on the female character, great work!! :cool: :tu:

[Nera]

Thank you for your comments :)

Artsy claws update:

1NHuman screenshot10.jpg

[SolidSnakexxx]

Nice ground base...Looking very cool..and love the pearl like material.... :tu:

[Nera]

Helmet update.

It sure would have been nice to have one or two more weeks to finish this properly, now that I am becoming friends with ZBrush :)

1NHuman screenshot11.jpg

[luis2008]

damn i dont think i saw this thread :confused:. the renders are looking really nice. i like the hand details too. keep it up

[SolidSnakexxx]

Wow...I really like the red...contrasting the white pearl..of the rest. Looking hot there~ :cool:

[threetails]

looking good, will the choppy edges of the reflections go away with higher sub divisions or is it an artifact of the evrionment alpha your using? other than that this is looking really slick.

[Super Glitcher]

really dig the style you have going, nice work! :tu:

[Nera]

Cool that you like the style :cool: The rest will look similar – if I manage to finish him, that is :)

Base update:

1NHuman screenshot12.jpg

[spimmy]

Really nice base and details!! I love the way the reinforcement is bent up and out of the slab!! :cool: :) :tu: :tu: :tu: Great work!

[Nera]

Character update:

1NHuman screenshot13.jpg


1NHuman screenshot14.jpg

Btw. how big are your files? I've been wondering how much sense it would make to sculpt the whole model out of one single piece vs. lots of subtools? :)

[goldo_O]

Very cool shaders! :):tu: Hurry up for the pose! ;)

[SolidSnakexxx]

Very beautiful...I love the material...would you share it once the contest's over? :)

[neurogenesis]

I love the shaders, too. The hips and legs and buttocks on the male still look pretty female, though.

[JUPITER]

NICE!! Hope you finish that base look's good...

[Nera]

Formerly a polygon-pusher, I am now marvelling at the possibilities of high resolution modelling. This would be my first humble try, since I learned the software during the making of this project.

Thank you for taking the time to evaluate my work!

Also lots of thanks to Pixologic for putting up a great contest and many thanks to the ZBrush Community for being such a bunch of cool people! :cool: :tu: It will be a pleasure to continue to post my work here! :)

My Turntable Video:
NjCUd7z-Tas

And the Transpose Movie:
Q6BkJbc3Zkc


Sorry for the choppy edges but I had to reduce the poly-count to be able to pose the character at all.

Final Entry 1.jpg Final Entry 2.jpg Final Entry 3.jpg Final Entry 4.jpg

Without the shiny teapot surface:

Final Entry 6.jpg

Final Entry 7.jpg