UV Mapping and Introduction to Zbrush

Week 3

For week 3 we moved on to UV mapping. UV Mapping is projecting a 2d image onto a 3d object to create a texture. The 3d object is unfolded by adding seams and making cuts along the model. Our professor did a quick demonstration by holding up a literal box and unfolding it to help us understand and make clear the entire process of unwrapping. From what I learned through some of my own personal experiences is that you always put seams on the 'back'. By this, I mean that when we are picking sides or edges where we want to put our seams, we should choose a side or edge that is in the least focus. The area where won't matter as much compared to the 'front', where having a cleaner look and undistorted texture is necessary. Our professor too reiterated that it is advisable to not put seams where the texture cannot be compromised. 

These are some good examples of UV Mapping,

Following the explanation, I watched and followed a couple of UV mapping tutorials which are available on Canvas until we were instructed to move on to the workshops. It was definitely very confusing and difficult to comprehend on the first try but our professor gave us some time to try to do it on our own and then did a detailed explanation on how to best approach it. We first worked on a wooden pallet. The model itself was simple with boxy shapes as should be expected in a hard surface model. To simplify it, it was just a couple of cubes put together so if we managed to figure out how to UV unwrap one, the rest all would follow the same process.

Feeling more confident, I moved on to the next workshop where we had to UV unwrap another hard surface model but this time the model was more complex compared to the previous one. 

Now we move on to the UV unwrapping of a character. Characters are understandably more complex because they are organic models and they have no proper or sharp edges where we could cut. It's more difficult to UV unwrap an organic model because we have to make sure that there are no 'visible' seams or cuts. This means we have to make cuts in such a way that they are not noticeable. We watched an in-depth video tutorial and had our professor explain simultaneously the UV unwrapping of a 3D character. The tutorial followed a brilliant breakdown process of unwrapping a 3D character in Maya. I took the pointers and the explanation and tried UV unwrapping my own character that I created for my final project. 

I also tried UV unwrapping clothing,

Week 4

For week 4, we went ahead with Sculpting in Zbrush. For this particular part of the module, we were advised to loan out a pen tablet because Zbrush was much more optimal with a pen tablet rather than the mouse. 

Zbrush is one of the most advanced and self-contained 3D sculpting software out there. The reason is that it literally mimics traditional techniques used for sculpting and does it all digitally on a computer. Sculpting in Zbrush is like moulding a lump of clay in real life but digitally on a computer. The sculpting tools in Zbrush or brushes as they are called, offer more than just the standard version. It offers creative freedom in terms of being able to customise existing brush presets available in the library. Not only does it allow artists to create more detailed and organic models but it also does a much faster job than Maya. Maya itself has an extensive toolset for sculpting but it lacks in many areas where Zbrush excels. However, Zbrush is purely focused on 3d modelling and sculpting whereas Maya offers a more complete package such as rigging, animating, and texturing and also includes modelling and sculpting. This is why it is always advisable to explore different software and discover and implement their best features.

For the first part of the class, we opened Zbrush for the first time. We were given some time to explore the new software after explaining the basic interface and some hotkeys such as-

Although the interface was really overwhelming and needed much time to get used to, I knew I could rely on the workshops to help me get familiarised with the software and also learn the interface. For this week, instead of trying to follow the tutorial, I just experimented and tried to get used to the interface and use a pen tablet for the first time. The process was quite new and foreign to me, so I didn't try to do too much but just tried the brushes and take stock of all the features Zbrush offered. 

For the second half, we delved a bit into Concept and 2D art. We didn't go too much into detail but did a quick but thorough overview, Then, we were given a task where we had to pick any character we liked and create its silhouette. 

(Made on Autodesk Sketchbook using a pen tablet)

Why having a character silhouette is important? 

It is said that before designing any character, it is very important for the character to have unique features that make them stand out. Every good character has a unique feature that sets them apart from others and can easily be identifiable in a crowd. This is where creating a character silhouette is a very important and easy-to-do exercise which will help you uniquely design your character. Below are some examples of famous characters and their silhouettes. 

It is very easy for anyone to identify these characters through their silhouettes. This is because each has its own set of unique features that sets them apart from the rest and you can clearly see that in their silhouettes.