A little challenge...

[Hami]

Hi Jason,

Thanks for that last explanation, I’ve been reading your thread for a while but didn’t really understand the aplication. Your process sounds awsome, I’m busy for the next few weeks but I’ll have to post some experiments with this when I get around to it. I think when they roll out 2.5 this will even be a more powerful technique!

one problem I’ve encountered with this technique is loosing all my sculpting work due to manipulation of the zspheres, even after saving the tool:(
how are you dealing with this aspect of it?

Thank again Jason great thread!

[Jason_Belec]

Hello Hami, make sure before you do any sculpting you save the morph in zsphere mode! Or else! Now even then, if you rotate a joint in 2 many axis, it may mess up. Treat the zspheres as underlying armature of wire - but made of brittle wire. Be gentle. If you go back trhough the thread you will see this mentioned many times and issues to watch out for posted by many people. Once you understand the structure, it is easy to mass up geometry and know that it will work when posed, jsut like any other application.

Can’t wait to see your work.

[Jason_Belec]

Well I’m pretty much done playing with this little fella. Made from scratch several times slightly different each time to push things. I’m very happy with each and every iteration. I will make one more with the goal of pulling fur out of the level 6 and 7 as earlier tests looked good, based on my old stuff on other threads and here. I hope this really is helping some of you.

Either way, its a hoot for me, in-between things.

[50_sKID]

Oh, Jason, that guy’s great! Looks like a roughed out wooden sculpture. Finely modeled,…more! 50.

[Jason_Belec]

Here is an earlier version, also posed somewhat extremely… Starting to see consistant results, no matter the model.

[Jason_Belec]

Well going back over all this, input from myself and everyone else who has contributed some effort I have come up with what seems to work very well.

The next step will be to use this ‘templant’ to generate several characters now that it appears all the tear and twist issues are wiped out.

Essentially I have the armature setup worked out for various types of characters and I will employ it on various characters as a final master test.

From these ‘templants’ one should be able to quickly model various characters all the while knowing the final results for posing in Zbrush and how it relates to your favorite animation app. I’ll probably post a few of the ‘templants’ based on these armatures up for everyone interested. Of course you Windows users will have to do a little tweaking at that time.

[Atwooki]

This character’s really going from strength to strength, Jason

Be nice to see some torso-twists (side-to side) also, but I’m sure these’ll hold
up well for your templates…

Wiil his limbs and neck also be suitable for any ‘squash-and-stretch’ type defs
that might be desirable at a later stage?
Just a thought, especially as he looks like he’s gonna get ‘heavily-morphed’
into quite a number of different characters quite soon

Chris

[system]

The earlier posts that show the underlying ZSphere structure for the meerkat (you don’t say what it is but it looks like one) would benefit my kids’ visualization of how to make an animal. Thanks in advance!

[Jason_Belec]

Hey Atwooki, you are so right…
Here is twisting on the first 2 and add weird stretching on the next 2.

Hello scaramouche, anytime you want to use any of this stuff for your class, please feel free. They are all very talented and very lucky to have you for a teacher. I’ve also attached a better zsphere setup that has all the basics for animal, humanoid, bird, etc. and can go from 2 foot to 4 foot or more with a little bending/rotating. (ps - I won’t say what this fellow is for sure, but your students will probably recognize him soon enough…) You will need ‘THE XYZscript’, IRES=6, MBR=2, MC=on, these are all level 3 and of course remember the morph before they actually alter geometry. I’ve added the key zspheres and the xyz settings that work best for current feet and hands.

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[system]

You are waaayyy too kind - thank you!

[SNARK]

Jason,

Great thread. In this last ZSphere image post I don’t see spheres for the eyes or any magnets. Have you abandoned magnets for this stage and are you now free-hand modeling the eyes? Could you post some views just of the ZSphere head showing your current thinking on the mouth/jaw arrangement?

Thanks!

~S.~

[Jason_Belec]

Hellu SNARK, eye zsphere’s are in the head!

No magnets right now, still experimenting with them. The main issue is that they are attached to the zsphere, and we tend to rotate the joint with the selection between zspheres. This often causes new geometry to be affectedd by the zspheres, so I’m exploring the options.

I’ve gone back to the simple head setup actually for Nos, in earlier posts.

We have found simpler is most flexible, as no matter what morph you store, Zbrush actually lets go utilizing certain features.

The images posted recently have no modeling done to them as yet, all zsphere.

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[Jason_Belec]

Working through basic facial gestures while the body goes through contortions, also I have modeled some of the detail back into the head quickly. No apparent messy and errant polys, so all seems a go.

It’s really nice having a base armature approach worked out that can easily be applied to various characters, solves so many issues to do with modeling and later animation. I hope some of you are realizing success with this seemingly never ending tut.

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[SNARK]

Thanks, Jason!

~S.~

[Jason_Belec]

Well things are progressing well. Here is a simple test, detail withheld on arms and paws - level 3, along side the same image - level 6.

I’ll finish this rough and try a few other characters next, based on the same zsphere geometry.

Then pose in a storyboard scene to see where are trip has taken us.

[Jason_Belec]

OK, OK, couldn’t refuse this, it just was so cool! Thanks for those amazing wood materials Froyd.

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[froyd]

i love this thread! and your latest model is simply cute! I have a soft spot for anthropomorphics - reminds me a bit on a scetch by rifka:

I’m always happy to read new posts in that thread, keep it up! small_orange_diamond

greets froyd

[Jason_Belec]

Hey froyd, glad your still around and enjoying this thread.

That sketch isn’t too far from the concept art, I’ll probably be able to post some at a later date - too much changing at present.

I did a quick pose, two friends sharing a laugh…

[Yainderidoo]

Hahaha…I still enjoy your findings and ongoing search too Jason…wonderfull stuff…and so much to learn…

For the time being you can reach me on Tschai, traveling with a guy named Adam…maybe you know him…Adam…Adam Reith.

Yainderidoo

[Jason_Belec]

Hello Yainderidoo, glad your enjoying the process. My apologies to Adam, still tring to find a reference. Been awhile since I was over yonder. The more the merrier to keep this party rockin.