3D Iterations Part 7

Since I planned my gargoyle to be old and worn, I thought it would be a good idea to try and put some lichen textures on it.

My first attempt did not look very great since I didn't consider how the lichen would form. Plus, I feel I did not achieve the right effect for lichen, since it is usually quite pronounced against the stone, unlike here where it blends in too much. I also needed to tweak the material, colour and lighting as here it does not look like any kind of stone at all.

Here is the second attempt with the textures, whilst also changing up the lighting and reducing the specular on the material. I did a much better job this time around, but I had to create new alphas both for the lichen and the cracks as I could not achieve the desired effect with what ZBrush had by default. I am please with how this came out, so I may keep this as my final sculpt.

This is the alpha I used for the lichen. I wanted quite a rough texture so I did not blur as much as I did with other alphas. Plus, I kept the inside of the lichen less bright so as to utilise the gradient option when polypainting (darker areas will use more secondary colour, lighter areas more primary colour). This produced a nice variation in colour and tone, which I believe created a fairly realistic lichen texture on my sculpt.

I also created my own alpha for the cracks, which I dragged out with DragRect and my brush set to ZSub. I didn't want too many cracks so I kept the image rather sparse, which I believe created an overall better outcome in the end.

ZBrush - Lightbox

Aside from PolyPainting your mesh, there is a way to layer images directly onto your mesh. This method is called Lightbox.

Our egg

An egg texture

Today, let's paint an egg. The first image is the mesh we are going to paint on, and the second image is the egg shell texture we are going to apply onto our mesh.

The option to turn on Lightbox is in the 'Texture' tab

To start up Lightbox, you must go to the 'Texture' tab at the top of the window. Then, you must import your texture into ZBrush, where it will appear at the bottom of the available textures. With this texture selected, you must then press 'Add to Spotlight', which is the right-most button on the top row.

The wheel is a set of tools which will let you manipulate the texture directly

Your window will look something like this. The wheel that will show up is a group of tools which will allow you to manipulate the image, such as adjusting the opacity, how much it tiles, the contrast or the size. However, you don't need to do most of this.

Use your brush to paint the texture on

In order to activate painting mode (Making sure that your brush is set to RGB only and that 'Colorize' is on) simply press Z. The editing circle will disappear and your brush will re-appear. Simply edit the mesh to paint the texture on. You can also turn the mesh and re-apply from different angles if a specific area is stretched.

A happy egg!

To turn off the display, press Shift + Z. This will hide the texture and allow you to see your model.

ZBrush - Polypaint

Normally with texturing a model, a UV Map needs to be created onto which a texture is painted. However, there is another method that can be used within ZBrush, which has its perks and downfalls.

Polypainting is a method of colouring a model in which each vertex is assigned a colour. The colour will form a gradient with the vertices next to it. This method is also known as vertex painting. The main downfall of this method of texturing a model is that it requires a high-poly mesh to get any sort of detail out of it, which means it is not yet used within games.

Turn on PolyPaint by clicking 'Colorize', making sure to turn on the 'RGB' setting on your brush

To activate PolyPaint, you must go down to the 'PolyPaint' menu and hit 'Colorize'. You must also set your brush to paint 'RGB'. You should also turn off 'Zadd' so that you only paint colour, and avoid modifying the mesh.

Change your colour with the palette

You can change the colour you are painting on your mesh by using the colour palette on the left side of the screen. Normally, this would colour the entire mesh, but since PolyPaint is turned on, this will no longer happen to this SubTool. If you are working with multiple Subtools, this will change the colour of them unless they are already painted.

Lots of gruesome texture

Polypaint is easy to use since you can paint right onto the model. You can also use it with brushes to add texture. This is achieved by turning 'Zadd' on whilst painting.

No longer looking so sharp...

However, one thing to be aware of is that detail will be lost if you go down in subdivisions. This can be avoided by using UV Maps, though this will mean you will have to map your model.

3D Iterations Part 6

Since I have finished the general shape of my gargoyle, I have begun work on detailing. I've been working with alphas to speed up the process of producing the scales, with some success.

I used this image I created to attempt to create an effect like what is on a chicken's foot, which is like small scales.

However, I didn't like how it came out, since it stood out too much against the stylised pattern that I have used on the rest of the gargoyle, so I decided to not carry this through and left it out.

This is the piece, with the texture work mostly finished. I went and put on all the scales, then used a scattered brush to add erosion before smoothing it all out. I may end up smoothing some parts out even more to get a more pronounced erosion effect, but I think it is looking good so far.

A little bonus, trying out a downloaded MatCap with some lighting set up, just to see how I might approach this when I start polypainting next.

ZBrush - Alphas

Sometimes the standard brushes in ZBrush do not quite get the effect you want in an efficient amount of time. A way to improve this is by using alphas on your brushes.

An alpha in image format, before being imported

This is one way of creating an alpha. Alphas in ZBrush work by using a displacement map (the lighter the area, the more that is displaced) which you can import in. You can make these yourself by just using a greyscale image.

A plain mesh, which could do with some detail

Here is a sphere with a little sculpting work done on it, but it is feeling a little empty, so it's time to add some surface detail.

Select the import button and navigate to your saved alpha, then import it. It will appear on the bottom row of the Alphas list

Select the 'Alpha' box on the left side of your screen, and a window should open up. In this window, you must select the 'Import' button at the bottom of this window. This will allow you to navigate to your image file. ZBrush is compatible with .PSDs, JPGs and most other formats, but so far I have not been able to successfully import a PNG file, so avoid using these if possible.

Now you're thinking with alphas!

Now select your imported Alpha, which should appear in the bottom row of your opened window. Now you are able to use the changed brush to add more detail onto your mesh. You can also change the Stroke of the brush to apply it in a different way. DragRect is best used for singular detail, whilst Dots is better used for larger patterns.

Mood Board - Limestone Statues

Since most gargoyles are made out of limestone or marble, I decided to go with limestone as I feel it would add a better texture and encourage me to, in effect, 'destroy' my sculpture with erosion and lichen growth. Because of this, I needed to collect some images so that I can get a feel for what limestone looks like so I can better represent it when I come to paint my gargoyle.

ZBrush - Topology and ZRemesher

Whilst sculpting in ZBrush, it is likely that DynaMesh has been used to create the base form, upon which subdivisions have been created to add detail. However, as explained before, DynaMesh does not take topology into consideration when dividing the object, which can be an issue in game assets which are intended for rigging and animating.

Looks normal...

At first, this sculpt looks absolutely fine. You would probably be happy with this level of detail unless you were going into super high-level detail work, however...

Awful topology

There is no efficient topology because of the use of Dynamesh. Trying to animate or pose this sculpt will prove extremely difficult to get lifelike movement. There is also the issue that the amount of polygons is very high. In this image there is about 1.312 million active points. Putting this into a game engine (in 2015) with other assets will more than likely put a severe strain on the system.

The difference between good and bad topology

Here is a diagram detailing what good and bad topology is. Good topology follows the muscles of the face, so as to make it easier to animate fluidly. So, there are loops around the mouth and eyes to that they are easier to open and move about. Good topology should minimise the areas of 'pinching' (where more than 4 or 5 edges meet) as well as tearing whilst animating.

So, how do we fix this in ZBrush?

Thankfully, there is a tool within ZBrush which will analyse your mesh and create a more efficient topology for you. However, it is not perfect and sometimes you will have to make some adjustments yourself.

Hit the ZRemesher button. Don't forget to duplicate your SubTool first

Before beginning the re-topologising process, you should duplicate your SubTool. This will be useful later.

The tool ZRemesher can be found under the 'Geometry' menu in your toolbox. As stated before, ZRemesher will analyse the mesh, looking at possible curves as well as peaks and valleys and use those to create a more efficient topology. The target amount of polygons can be changed at 'Target Polygon Count' where the number (default 5) is multiplied by 1000. The other options do not need to be touched as of right now.

Much better topology

With ZRemesher, the topology of the model is vastly improved. However, it has lost most of its detail, going down from 1 million points to just 7 thousand. Despite this, you are able to get this detail back.

By subdividing the mesh and Projecting the Dynameshed sculpt onto your ZRemeshed sculpt, you can retrieve the detail from the Dynameshed sculpt.

Projection will allow you to take detail from your Dynamesh and put it into your ZRemeshed sculpt whilst maintaining topology

To do this, you must have your Remeshed sculpt selected, with the visibility of the Dynameshed sculpt turned on. Then, lower in the SubTool menu, there is the option to 'ProjectAll'. This will check from all points at a specific radius out on the Remeshed sculpt and, if it collides with the Dynameshed sculpt it will move the point to the position. Since our mesh is very similar we do not need to touch 'Dist', however this can be increased if some parts of the Projection are too far away. However, increasing it too much will cause some tearing.

Barely any visual difference, for under one quarter of the points!

As shown above, ZRemesher is very useful for cutting down on the active points with minimal visual difference within the model. However, it is better to use this tool when you are done with the overall shape of the model, as the topology will change depending on the shape, meaning that your ZRemeshed model is no longer as efficient and you may end up needing to Dynamesh over it.

3D Iterations Part 5

Having settled on the overall pose that I want my gargoyle to be in, I began working on another iteration. I am hoping for this to be close, if not be my actual final sculpt, as I am feeling confident about this design.

This image is pretty self-explanatory. Starting out with ZSpheres to get the overall silhouette in place.

On top of DynaMeshing and adding volume and shape to my sculpt, I also introduced the plinth on which it would hypothetically sit on. I created this plinth through the use of Shadowbox, but I still feel that the tool is quite clunky and hard to get a handle on with the masking tool - I used the rectangular mask tool and often it would erase the mask on another side that I wasn't working on. However, I am sure that with practice and time I will get more proficient at using it.

Adding detail in the form of scales. At this high resolution it's obvious that my previous technique for drawing out scales by hand is not working as well, so I am going to look into the method to create custom brushes next.

2D Iterations Part 5

After settling on a majority of the iterations for the gargoyle's features, I wondered about how I was going to sit it on the wall. I took one silhouette and turned it into a design (top-left) but I did not think it would look nearly as threatening, considering most people would be seeing it from below. Because of this, I picked another silhouette and painted over it (bottom-left). The overall silhouette was much better but I did not like the position of the wings, so I experimented with a few different positions and settled on the bottom right concept to try out for my more finalised sculpt.

3D Iterations Part 4

Here, I've been experimenting the use of Sub-tools to create iterations for my cockatrice design. I've been focusing on the wattles of the chicken head, as I believe the face should have the most focus because it will be the part that people look at the most. However, I felt like this method was rather inefficient at this moment in time as I am still trying to get used to 3D and I work faster in 2D, with a higher degree of accuracy to the original idea. Despite this, it was a good avenue to explore and I will definitely consider it in future work.

Mood Board - Snake Statues

Since I was quite unsure as how to create the scales on my cockatrice, I decided to gather some references from existing statues to get a better idea as to how they're done in real life. While these are not taken from the same culture, there is no reason as to why similar techniques would be applied across the world in sculpture. 

2D Iterations Part 4

Having settled on a pose for the Cockatrice, I decided to develop more facial iteration, focusing on the wattles. These iterations are based off of only a few variations but I am mixing and mashing them together to see which would fit. I expanded the top wattle, trying out making it more bulbous and more jagged. I settled on the bulbous design (top row, middle column) because I thought the jagged design (second row, middle column) was too much and was detracting from the idea of a chicken's head. I also added a wattle across the bottom. The first one (second row, left column) was too far back and looked like his neck was sagging, so I drew it again (third row, left column) and it looked better. I also tried expanding it a little (bottom row, left column). Then I tried combining them together by cutting and pasting them together.

Overall, I was most happy with the designs on the right column, in the first and last rows. I felt that these were the most solid designs. Considering the fact that a lot of medieval gargoyles look like animals but not, I think these two capture the design of a cockerel's head best.

3D Iterations Part 3

Having decided not to experiment further with Shadowbox, I have instead decided to work with ZSpheres, as they are a quick way of mapping out a form that can be quickly posed and reshaped, without the blockiness of Shadowbox.

This was my first attempt, to get myself re-familiarised with the tool. I did not decide to pursue this further as I simply wasn't happy with the overall silhouette and proportion. I thought this looked too realistic as to what a cockatrice would likely look in real life, so instead I took a different approach.

This shows the ZSpheres that I formed to create the overall shape. As it is, there is no membrane between the wings since that is not easily achievable with ZSpheres. I got the overall gesture of the gargoyle down before I started work on adding detail.

This is the first pass, before I started adding too much detail or including the eyes into the sculpt. It was during this stage that I was wondering how to get the scales in, such as what scale to do them at and how close they were to each other. I already had most of the form to a state I was happy with by this point so I had nothing else but to add more detail.

This is about part of the way through the second pass. By this point, I had ZRemeshed the model to give it better topology so I didn't have to work at such a high resolution. I had also added in the eyes as a separate subtool and started painting the final scales.

The second pass is finished, and now I can get a better idea as to where to take this next. Firstly, I should look to find a better way to create scales rather than painting them in by hand. I should also look to see how I am going to be mounting it on the wall, as well as pose, as I am happy with the overall shape and idea of the cockatrice.

2D Iterations Part 3

Here I'm focusing more on the tail designs, as I wanted to deviate from the standard tail that is seen in a lot of cockatrice designs. I created a few deviations before I thought about the idea of trying out the tail of a scorpion. While this isn't traditionally part of the cockatrice design I thought it would be interesting to see incorporated. However, upon drawing it with the rest of the design I have so far, I did not think it meshed nearly as well as it clashed with the overall flow and silhouette of the cockatrice, so I decided against it. Instead, I am going to stick more with the original design, with a few deviations as shown above.

ZBrush - ZSpheres

Unlike most digital modelling programs, with ZBrush it is very easy to start from nothing. One of the ways to achieve this is by using ZSpheres, which allow you to create rudimentary forms out of spheres.

You must select the ZSphere tool from the tool palette

To access ZSpheres, you must go to the tools palette and select the ZSphere tool from the palette. You then draw one out onto your canvas. At this moment you are in 2.5D drawing mode, so you must only draw 1 sphere.

Drag out only one sphere, then hit the 'Edit' button in the top left

Now, after drawing the sphere out, you must click the 'Edit' button to enter edit mode. This is very important, so do not skip this step!

To add additional spheres, draw them by clicking and dragging on an existing sphere

Now you can create your form. By clicking on the Sphere, you can draw additional spheres. The Move tool (located next to the Edit button shown previously) will move spheres around, whilst scale will scale them. One thing to keep in mind is that symmetry is not turned on by default, though you can easily toggle it by pressing X.

Creating a basic shape is very quick and easy with ZSpheres

Press 'A' to preview your mesh

After you get a form created, you can hit A to preview your mesh outside of ZSpheres. You can also edit in preview mode.

Pressing 'Make PolyMesh3D will turn your mesh permanent

To turn your model permanently into a mesh, you must press the Make PolyMesh3D button. This will allow you to do anything to your mesh that you would be able to do with a primitive, such as enable DynaMesh. However, once you hit this button, you must re-enable symmetry by pressing x. You can now work on your newly created mesh like you would a sphere primitive.

Mood Board - Scorpion Tails

Since there is no other real-life reference that I can think of for the tail of a cockatrice, I thought it would be interesting to experiment a little. As I said before, I will exercise caution with the inclusion of other animals into my interpretation of the cockatrice, but I will work on some iterations for the tail so that I can see what it would look like if I were to take inspiration from the tail of a scorpion.