General workflow when posing characters/creatures (anything)?

[tennet]

Hi, I have some ideas that I want to try out in Zbrush (incl 4-5 different characters together). It’s probably way too complex, but I want to give it a chance, mostly to practise different techniques and my sculpting.

So, just want to ask… When you (everyone!) create all your amazing characters in ZB… do you always start with your characters (humans, cartoons, animals, creatures etc) standing in kind of a T-pose (to be able to use symmetry modeling)? And then you pose the model once it almost finished? Using ‘Transpose Master’?

Or are there times when it’s better to actually sculpt your piece in the correct pose from start? Can that be done using some kind of symmetry also?!

I’d really appreciate any tips or inputs I can get, just so I know where to focus my practise.

[Spyndel]

@tennet

So, just want to ask… When you (everyone!) create all your amazing characters in ZB… do you always start with your characters (humans, cartoons, animals, creatures etc) standing in kind of a T-pose (to be able to use symmetry modeling)? And then you pose the model once it almost finished? Using ‘Transpose Master’?

Or are there times when it’s better to actually sculpt your piece in the correct pose from start?

This depends on your output goals. If your goal is a more artistic, “sculptorly” piece that is supposed to look like it was hand sculpted, then sculpting in pose may help to achieve this look.

If you are sculpting a figure that you would like to pose in a variety of ways, or that will eventually be animated, you must create that figure in a neutral position like a T pose.

@tennet

Can that be done using some kind of symmetry also?!

Kind of, but not really. Don’t count on it. There is poseable symmetry for meshes that are topologically symmetrical, but this has limitations, and in order to create this sort of mesh you’ll still be starting with a mesh in a symmetrical pose.

There is no escaping that sculpting a figure in a posed position requires a higher degree of artistic skill and anatomical knowledge, as you’ll be working without quite a few safety nets you might have otherwise. What I have seen a number of artists do is block out a rough figure symmetrically to establish general proportions, then pose this figure and do the rest of the sculpting in a posed position.

[tennet]

Thanks Spyndel! Then I’ll go for the T-pose, not exactly sure what pose I’m going for yet. Many thanks for your input!