I wanted to push myself on how far I could go, so I decided to build a piece capable to make an art statement; I didn’t want to feel that it was just another 3D model.

Being an automobile nut, I, like some of you, have had the idea of building a car from the first to the last bolt. I find out that for this task a good set of blueprints is never enough. I spent around a week collecting photographs before the beginning of the modeling process, and I was still collecting references at the end of the texturing and rendering steps.

My first advice to you will be, if you are trying to make a model above average, start with planes, boats or cars that had been restored. You will easily find part catalogues, illustrations, schemes and diagrams of objects with historic meaning. I made a quick selection of some of the GT-40 pictures I found during my research (Fig. 01).

I usually try as much as possible to start from spline cages. It comes very handy to have a tridimensional blueprint of your model; it will guide you making decisions about size, position, and where your components should be organized, even before you model the shell.

Later on, you can use the spline curves to loft panels that will be the base mesh of your car body.
Once I had my cage done, I started modeling the chassis using photo references (Fig. 02).

The next step was modeling all the components that have direct relationship with the chassis.

I always started creating primitives to establish rotation and proportions, and then I went in detail using pictures. Here once more I used techniques like nurbs revolves, lofts and extrusions than later on turned into polygons.

Finally, I used lattice and nonlinear deformers to achieve the desired shapes (Fig. 03, Fig. 04, Fig. 05).

Hey guys!
I did this image for the GNOMON Gallery Show: COGNOSCO. Feel free to find out more information about the gallery here:http://www.gnomongallery.com/current_show.php

So I used my old “Angel” model and just re-rendered it. Here is the final image:

I’ve also created a showcase tutorial article about how to create cool renders using ZBrush and Photoshop.
Let’s get started.

Preparing model and document.
Create new document with size twice as bigger as image you want in result. I do that every time I render any model in ZBrush because in the end I shrink the image at half size to get rid of “jagged” lines. I also press AAHalf button to see a preview for smooth-rendered antialiased image.

Set up your model on the canvas as you want to see it rendered. You will need masks for easier selections at further comp stage. So just go through all subtools one by one and export image with Flat render turned on.

As result you get bunch of images with masking for each separate subtools.

This is a multi-part tutorial on creating a Demon-like ‘Lok Warrior’ with realistic muscle anatomy. In the first day of this tutorial we created a base mesh for our character using poly modeling. Today we will take this mesh into ZBrush and sculpt intricate muscle anatomy. On day three we will texture the creature and add the finishing touches to the artwork.

Let’s begin day 2 of this tutorial.

Step 40

Open ZBrush and click on ‘Import an OBJ file’. Select our exported object (this way you don’t need to drag the object into the ZBrush workspace) and select ‘Edit mode’.

Step 41

Now subdivide the model by clicking Cntrl + D to create more polygons. Press X to select a symmetrical brush and start sculpting the torso while holding down the Alt key on your keyboard. The red lines below are where you have to sculpt while holding down the Alt key. The blue areas are where you have to sculpt without holding the Alt key down. Please pay attention to the brush size and Z intensity too.

Step 42

Use this image as a guide when preparing the back.

Step 43

We will finish the front part of the torso first. Press Ctrl + D again and now we are on subdivision level 3. Try to form the chest and stomach muscles using the inflat brush. You can increase the Draw size and Z intensity if necessary.

WARNING! This Making of Contains Nudity.

Software Used :

ZBrush

The original idea for this image came out of the references I’d collected. Whenever I start a new artwork, I do a lot of research and then I start the modeling (Fig.01).

Fig.01

With these references, I blocked the model with a simple base and I did some primary tests with the composition of the model (Fig.02).

Fig.02

As the idea matured, I really needed some specific references for the towel on the head and how its drapery would work. So I took some pictures of a relative of mine doing the exact pose with a towel (Fig.03).

Fig.03

I used the same real-life reference for the towel in the model’s hand (Fig.04).

Fig.04

Picture 1. The end result could look for example like this. Notice that this is a stylized head which is not exactly realistic. For example the eyes are too big.

Human head is one of the most difficult subjects to model believably. The structure and form of a human face is so familiar to everyone that even a small fault in the 3D model is easy to notice.

This tutorial covers the 3D modeling of a human head in 3D Studio MAX using polygons. The head is modeled roughly using polygons. The head will get its final form when Meshsmooth modifier is added to it. When the Meshsmooth modifier is added to it the face becomes a so called subdivision surface. Subdivision surface means a surface which is created by dividing the original surface into smaller polygons. Meshmooth modifier does exactly this. This way the rough surface can be made rounder and smoother. The end results is a head similar to the one in picture 1. Notice that this is a stylized head which is not fully realistic. For example the eyes are too big and the ears have been simplified. However, I believe that this model could very well work as a basis for realistic geometry of a human head.

Topology, Edge loops and Poles

Picture 2. In the picture above you can see the polygon construction of the model. By seeing the construction of the model you can conclude how well the model is suited for animation.

Picture 3. The picture above is rendered so that you can see the Isolines of the Meshsmooth modifier.

In picture 2 and 3 you can see the topology and edge loops of the model. By seeing the structure of the model you can conclude how well the model is suited for animation. Edge loop means a row of edges that goes through successive four sided vertices. Four sided vertex is a vertex where four edges meet. In my opinion, in an ideal model that is made for animation edge loops are parallel or perpendicular to the movements of the muscles.

There are almost only four sided polygons (quads) in this model which is good if the model is going to be animated. One should always aim to construct the model from four sided polygons when modeling a character. There are naturally three sided and five sided poles in this model. A pole is a vertex where less or more than four edges meet. Pole ends an edge loop and might sometimes cause trouble in animation. If you want to know more about the subject I recommend reading Bay Raitt’s instructions about 3D modeling and edge loops. Another great resource where to find more information about edge loops, head modeling and 3DS MAX is www.cgsociety.com.

3D Studio MAX Tools

Picture 4. Low polygon version of the human head. This is how the complete 3d model will look like before the Meshsmooth modifier is added.

Before starting the 3D modeling one should be familiar with the following concepts and 3DS MAX tools:

• Editable poly
  • working in sub-object modes
  • copying polygons
  • weld
  • cut
  • extrude
  • create
• Symmetry modifier
• Meshmooth modifier
• Basics about materials

Reference Pictures for the 3D Head

Picture 5. Reference pictures provide a lot of help when modeling a human head.

It’s best to use real photographs as reference pictures when modeling a human head but if real photos are not available you can download pictures below.

Create reference pictures in 3D Studio MAX according to picture 5. Change Left view to Right view. Create two plane objects whose size is 512 x 512 (the same as the pixel dimensions of the pictures. It’s relevant that the proportion between width and height is the same as in the pictures) and add textures to them. Set the Self-Illumination of the materials to 100 (material will become self illuminating and therefore is easier to see).

• Human head reference picture: right
• Human head reference picture: front

Prepare the Views

Turn on Smooth + Highlights (F3) and turn off grid (g) in all view ports. Set the width and height segments to one in both plane objects. The head is considerably easier to to create when we can model according to the reference pictures in the background.

Page 2: 3D Modeling a Mouth in 3DS MAX