Lee Greatorex Photo/3D blog

This was the first time I've limited myself timewise for a sculpt. I set aside 1 hour of my day to just focus on sculpting. I initially didn't like the idea of doing speed sculpts or similar (after always seeing the end result from artists it's very easy to feel you mayswell not try with some of the talent out there).

But after watching a webinar by Danny Williams regarding the reasons behind doing a limited time study (He uses the term Lunch Crunch and there is now a community based around this study ethos found here http://www.facebook.com/groups/lunchcrunch/). It really does allow you to focus on the task. I could prepare my references and for that hour just get something done.

Here are my results. This was done in Sculptris (see the image below).

  I used 3 spheres, 1 for the abdomen, chest and shoulders. To add new objects in sculptris just go to Add Sphere > Add object. It will automatically mask out the other objects in the scene so you can get a basic shape. After getting the basic shape just using grab I remove all masks in the scene by ctrl+click dragging anywhere outside of the object. Originally I used to just make everything from 1 model in sculptris thinking blending wouldn't really work as you might get with a dynamesh but the results aren't terrible.

Using a clay brush you can go around the visible seams and it will give the effect of blending the object. The great news is though that your individual objects can still be hidden (h+click on the object you want to hide). Also if you want to mask individual objects again just add another sphere to the scene. It will let you seperate them again for more detail if needed.

For rendering the sidebysides and turntable I just used GoZ to take it in to Zbrush. From here I added a custom material (I like the cavities to be visible in best and regular movement). To make it one object I just used Dynamesh and set the res to about 500 (Really not needed for this low detail model but it was just for a quick render). I also used claypolish>Edge 5 then re dynameshed just to get rid of a little artifacting which will happen when moving stuff from sculptris to zbrush.

Ok so here are a few of many done this week. For this week I only sculpted ears in Sculptris, with various references and starting points.

While I didn't exactly improve with it overnight I do think I've reached a point where I can at least add ears to a sculpt roughly, then be able to add detail as I go. The results of practise are below. Note some of these are really bad, and it's a learning process. I'm putting these up to hopefully give some people confidence that yes although they may suck they will get better over time!

 Test 1: This was my first attempt using a reference found on the net. I was using masks and getting pretty detailed too early on, making smaller adjustments pretty hard. The end result at least looks like an ear which isn't too bad!

 Test 2: This was actually following an ear modelling tutorial for maya. The first 5 minutes the guy explains the key lines in the ear so I tried to sculpt with an emphasis on the lines and curves. It was sculpted a little quicker than the first and the simpler style gives it a little flow. (Sculptris doesn't like too much masking or pushing geometry back in on itself, lesson to self remember to save!!)

 Test 3: This to me is a little step back but an experiment. I followed a clay sculpting step by step for a small toy head. It was 3 images next to each other and had the steps laid out above. It 'kinda' works in terms of exterior shape however it is stuck on to the side of the head and whereas in clay you could stick a palette knife behind and pull it out it can't be done easily in 3d sculpting.


The below test wasn't from reference but using the key areas from above. It was a 10 minute speed test just to see if I could make something with a start point so that from here a more detailed model could be made with the rest of the head.


Test 4: This was more about the characteristics of the ear to me, I used a regular standard brush to pull out the Tragus (the little knobbly bit on the right) and then a mound for the general ear. From there I used the standard brush on that mound to drag out the lobe and helix (helix is the curved bit at the top left/ the main arch). Doing it this way already pulled the ear out of the model and gave enough room to sculpt inside. A quick crease tool to extenuate some lines and emphasis on the lobe and it seemed to be ok.

I think the below test is my favourite. While not the most accurate it was the quickest with average results. It would fit in to the style of a more cartoony model which is fine and more detail can be added.

All of these (and all my sculpting in previous posts) has just been with a mouse for now (wacom on loan to a friend) so hopefully that should encourage others to try 3D sculpting!

Here are my thoughts on it all:

• Practice! Keep at it and things do improve. Keeping a log is great to show before and afters. I have my first ever zbrush sculpts in the first or second post on here as a reminder.
• I think that using reference is great for this however it can get easily confusing, the geometry just doesn't make sense when trying to convert it to 3d at times! Modelling it in a 3d package like maya may help give a sense of which bits are lower or higher in the ear extrusion itself.
• To me after trying this it helps me realise that in a lot of sculpts the ear while an integral part of the head isn't that needed to nail as much as say the face. It is still important (particularly if basing a sculpt of another) but the 'feel' of the ear tends to be acceptable, especially if just doodling. It does improve your head sculpts even if basic, adding to the overall shape and feel of the model.

Finally I completely forgot to add this in a previous post but here is a very basic doodle in zbrush using a base mesh Danny Williams use. It was just a basic orc with a helmet but the mesh is a great starting point to practise some basic busts. Danny also sometimes runs seminars and lessons which hopefully one day I'll take!

My biggest challenge is my most avoided areas when sculpting a head. Namely the ears (as you may have seen by other posts). They almost seem inaccessible so most times I'll hide that by adding hair or just doing a rough 'sketch' and hold the ears till later (if using zbrush insertears tool can be handy too!)

Just like anything else though it is only daunting due to not practising it enough. As the anatomy of the ear is uncommon most first tests go pretty wrong and can end up ruining some perfectly good front face modelling.





I'm currently trying to break this avoidance habit by learning how to do ears. Sculptris, while not ideal for this is a great place to start.

Here are some workflow tips I'm trying to follow myself now in future models/sculpting when it comes to ears:

• Use reference! I'm usually terrible at this but I'm using it more now. Ears are all unique so try and get the same ear but multiple angles. Anatomical drawings are good as well or just get a mirror and use reference.
• Start the ear as soon as possible. It doesn't have to be at full detail immediately but work with it along side the head as a whole. The heads will then feel more as 1 complete model rather than a head with stuck on ears. You also have the benefit of working in symmetry early on in a sculpt (in 3D software like sculptris) so it may save time. The top image shows the ear on 1 side of the face, as I'm not using symmetry I now have to try and replicate another ear in a similar style with no starting base.
• Practice. Avoiding doing something because it is hard is something most of us do. We won't improve if we don't try. Remember you don't need to upload every image to the net if you're not happy with progress. Perhaps make a folder called 'ear tests' and save all your images as earwip_x then see how your own sculpting is improving.
• The ear isn't drawn on the side of the head. What I mean by this is a bad technique I've done myself (and seen others do). Masking off an area on the side of a head (sometimes a C shape), pulling it out = 1 ear. This doesn't produce good results, using references as noted above can really help with this bad habit and will greatly improve your work (it will stop looking as if all your characters have clip on ears!)

The next sculptris post I make I think I'll just show Ear sculpting progress and see if I've learnt a standard approach to it in sculptris. If you have any tips or suggestions (or questions!) Let me know in the comments or on twitter! (@lgreatorex)

Today I added the hair using a separate sphere (I find hair pretty tricky anyway but masking off strands along the hair then grabbing/using clay draw with the mask works).

The bust and head are from the same sphere, masking largely used for the collars. Really helped me understand how clothing is sometimes done in sculpting as I've never tried it before!

I need to start working in the texture/ruffles and while the head is mostly done add a little more expression as well as some hint of eyebrows. Then I'll see how it handles going in to zbrush and rendering.

Quick update!! Just thrown in to Zbrush via goZ to test rendering in a sketchy style. Will explain more about goZ and matcaps later!

Getting back in to sculpting. While I have Zbrush I still find it more fun to use Sculptris. It is a little easier to get to grips with as a beginner and is a little more forgiving.

The biggest thing to learn for me is using masking. It dramatically helps with work and is something I believe beginners miss out. In Sculptris to mask you hold control then click on the area you want to mask, then if you want to invert the mask just ctrl+click anywhere outside of the model. Clicking and dragging outside of the model will then remove the mask!



I have GoZ to use which I'll test out with the top bust (as I'll be adding clothing to the character which may not be possible fully in Sculptris alone). I'll post some GoZ tests at a later date.

Base mesh done in Maya based on a quick tutorial found in the book 'Zbrush Digital Sculpting Human Anatomy' by Scott Spencer - You can find it on Amazon here

The book itself is great for learning how to sculpt anatomy (I have no real traditional training so learning as I go). Although it is based around using Zbrush the same sculpture lines /techniques still basically apply.

I just started working on the torso for a heroic/comic style character and kept proportions in mind.

With a base mesh done and a basic form created you can just start tweaking with the grab tool to make quick prototypes for other body shapes. (Click images for larger view)



The preview render style I am showing here is just a few different materials (still in sculpt mode) rendered out and layered in Photoshop. I then make a smart layer and duplicate that, one of the layers I apply a cutout filter (then choose soft light as the layer type) for a hint of cel shaded/hand painted shadows then the other I created a very think glowing edge using Filters> glowing edges. You then switch the layer type to linear dodge(add) or Screen for the desired effect.

Have a play around yourself anyway, enjoy!

Sculpted in sculptris. PC still crashing a few times when going in to paint mode (My knackered pc and not Sculptris' fault). Click for full view to see profile shots and passes:




I just added some Colour balance + contrast in PS as well as a poorly shaped eye grabbed off the net just to see how it would look if I added a decent eye model/texture to it. It is a bit out of shape but good to at least get an idea.

Done this evening, sculpted from a sphere in Sculptris. Going to add ears soon!

Having a few PC problems at the moment so this took a bit longer than it should have (need to buy new bits to stop it crashing!)

Anyway this was done in an evening from a sphere in sculptris. Rendered in sculptris as well (tried multiple materials and masks to emulate passes, see previous tutorial post on technique used).


In paint mode I also used multiple materials with different masks to give a different material type for the skin and eyes. It can be a bit fiddly but it works ok now!

Here's a quick idea for those wanting a bit more control over the final look of your sculpt if rendering in sculptris. Paint your object as normal, texturing and adding bump where you want. Once this is done clik options > save image and it will render out what you have there at the time. Then simply change the material type and save the image again (perhaps describing what kind of pass it would emulate ie image_ambient).

After you have multiple images saved open them in photo editing software (gimp is completely free if you want the free route, in this case I used photoshop but most photoediting software comes with the ability to add layers). Using layer types you can then start combining your rendered images in to one. Ideally start with a flat texture /ambient pass on the base layer adding different ones on top. Some materials emulate rim lighting and such which can be to your advantage, others may offer some nice specular properties. You can also mask parts of these to get the ideal look you want.

Below you'll see a simple sketch on a sphere with some texture and bump added, along with the passes used to create the overall image.


Above - the final composited image. I used the rim light render last and duplicated it to get a nice crisp edge where I wanted it. Rather than a completely flat ambient pass I used a 50/50 pass which just adds a tiny bit of depth to increase the texture.

Below - The 4 passes used Left to right, rim and specular, Kicker, key and ambient (50/50 pass in this case).



Give it a go anyway! All of this can be done with completely free software such as Sculptris and Gimp. Enjoy!

There is a great option in sculptris when painting which allows you to pain with bump. By default this is turned on but can be found in the options menu (when in paint mode go to options > combine color and bump).

This tool is great for perhaps adding small parts of detail such as nuts/bolts combined with a texture or to add emphasis to areas. A darkened seam would work well with this style or if you want to closely follow the bark of a tree texture you have you could paint the colour with it.

I've been using it mostly to create some simple planets using the default sphere. All of the highlights are just gained from the bump map (no sphere deformation done)




Finally a little more base geometry sculpting. This time from a horn created in maya (originally I was going to make a bone horn for a demon model I am working on but the mind wandered).




Hope you continue to enjoy using Sculptris, remember it's completely free so give it a go!

Still working on this but I've started to work on the head and test some face shapes.

I started out with an extremely simple (it ended up being a little too simple) basemesh composed out of a cube with 2 extractions.

I was hoping the cube structure would make it simple to convert to Colossus' head from this but I didn't even add proper proportions and after smoothing it went a bit wrong so pretty much ended up smoothing it in to a flat faced sphere and built the face then rounded it after.


I tried to use the flatten took particularly on hairline, eyebrow 'mounds', cheekbones and nose just to get his cubic feel. He looks a bit like a 40 year old version of Colossus but this is the first test so I'm pretty happy with it.

After doing this I thought I'd test a pose using the 3 sculpts created. The idea I had was maybe him leaning in to bust down a wall/door or having 1 arm up in defense while holding off others to protect them. sculptris is good as you can add other scene files as shown before to test different poses and such. The image below works out at about 215k polys and there were no crashing problems so far which is great!

Carrying on with the previous tutorial theme I made a simple cube in Maya then moved the vertexes in to the shape below. I DELETED HISTORY then this time as my model was already Quadrangulated I thought I'd see what it was like to import straight in to sculptris as an OBJ, it worked!



Here's what I ended up sculpting using that base mesh;


I then added the arm created in the previous scene just to see how it looked and it didn't look too bad! I've decided I'm going to work on a sculpt of Colossus from x-men so this is a good example/practise shot!


I changed my material to a metallic one then instead of using the crease tools for the lines (which would have upped the triangle count substantially) I went to paint mode with both objects and painted an inverted bump. Hopefully I'll refine/neaten this technique when I start to work on the proper model!

All in all this took about 30-40 minutes so I think it is really good for concept modelling. Give it a go! (remember you wont really be able to use these for games or animation, adding multiple items can be a bit of a bodge job like the arms but no harm if just for fun/ one particular angle!)


Update above!: Just tested out meshmixer07 another free piece of software to extrude parts of the mesh to make the clothing to test it. Just a quick painting test will work more with both packages properly soon!

I'm planning on writing a tutorial on creating a 3d statue/sculpture with multiple models to build up the overall image using only completely free software but thought I'd start with moving models from Maya to Sculptris just as a starter;

Find Sculptris for free here: http://www.pixologic.com/sculptris/

Why use multiple models?

As there isn't the ability to create layers or use zspheres it can be tricky to make a complete figure from 1 base sphere. If you can create full models from the base sphere you get from loading a new scene you'll find it can give you an extremely high poly count.

Using multiple models allows you to concentrate and practise if starting out (remember it won't be usable in games/animation really, sculptris is really just an entry level/free flow practise tool but will get you going with digital sculpture/ moving to something like Zbrush). You can take them in to your selected 3d package and put them together like a multi-part action figure to render.

Again as a note this is just for practise and for proper modelling use regular 3d techniques or build it in zbrush/ use the GoZ feature in zbrush.

I did this in Maya but this should work with all main 3d programs. I'm going to work on doing one for Blender as well for the completely free route (using only open source/free software)

Step 1:

I only use the 3d programs (I use Maya) to make a very simple base model to work on as if it were a basic trad sculpture armature. I build it out of basic geometry (in this case a Cylinder with a few simple rotations and scaling) then before exporting I Triangulate it (Not sure if this is needed any more but you used to need to when exporting as .objs for some sculpting software).


Step 2: Exporting

You should just be able to export as OBJ in whichever 3d package you use. If you are specifically using Maya you may come across an issue where OBJ isn't visible when trying to export. If you have this go to Window > Settings/Preferences > Plug in Manager and make sure OBJexport is loaded/auto loaded (see image below)


Step 3: Importing

Nice simple step - load up Sculptris and go to import - tick New Scene. It may ask you that UVs are loaded, Go to paint? Tick no. Make sure symmetry is turned off. Remember when importing tools like grab will have Global switched on as default (which will make the whole imported model move) - to turn this off untick Global (or with the tool selected press 'g' to toggle global < a good shortcut to remember!)


Step 4: Sculpt!

Sculpt away! The imported models will be a workable 200-9000 triangles generally if working with simple models which will give you loads of room to add detail without crashing the software or your pc! Just remember to use reduce selected or the reduce brush now and then to keep the triangle count low and to allow you to use those saved in more detailed parts!

Not going to teach people how to sculpt but will do a tutorial on the basic tools for people if needed. Here's what I knocked up in 10 minutes with the imported model. My main idea is to do a Warhammer Style Ork eventually. Very basic R.Leifield style arm (muscles on muscles!)

Hope this helps get you started with sculptris anyway! Using the sphere alone is great fun (see examples in posts below as they were all from spheres alone).

I had a dabble with Sculptris earlier in 2011 and enjoyed it. I've now got a keen interest of eventually buying Zbrush so will continue to work/ practise with Pixelogic's Free software; Sculptris. Here are some of my most recent sculpts.




These are rendered in the tool itself. I just added some overlaying texture and colour via the Snapseed app on my ipad (imported the photos to it and saved them back out).

For those wanting to give it a go you can get Sculptris completely free here! It has Zbrush integration if you do have access to Zbrush (I'm going to buy it after I am fully comfortable with sculpting).

Sculptris is currently a free to use 3d sculpting program (currently in Alpha stage). It is slightly more basic and raw compared to the big sculpting tools (mudbox/Zbrush) but it still has a great charm and excellent ease of use.