Garagarape sketchbook

[Garagarape]

Yes, I manage to make the knees quite good thanks to some good reference pics.

Still it is less good and real than the creations of the Zbrush page you taught me about.

I don't know if I'll manage to reach knees quality on other parts. Especially the

folds could take years.

side and rear view:

[alvordr]

I don't know if it's too late, but I would smooth out the folds and crimps in the hood (not the helmet) and the tunic.

Edited July 2, 2013 by alvordr

[Tony Nemo]

I don't know if it's too late, but I would smooth out the folds and crimps in the hood (not the helmet) and the tunic.

Why? It's not as though they appear implausible. (IMO)

[Garagarape]

It is not too late. In fact, all this is very wip.

If you look at the very down part of the tunic you'll see it is very rough

(more sausage like than cloth fold like). I just definate the main lines. refining

is not done at all.

[artman]

great update!!

[Garagarape]

Thanks Artman!

I'm starting to refine the cloth folds (mostly abdomen for the moment)

and also add few items (weapon + rolled sleeping sheet carried on the shoulder left).

Voxel only for the moment (I want to keep the model light before refining details with live clay).

[alvordr]

Is he still separate pieces or all one piece? Nice improvements!

[Tony Nemo]

Dai jobu! He's shaping up very well.

[Garagarape]

He is made from fifteen parts.

Ha ha, a bit of Japanese is nice to read.

Thanks Tony and Alvordr.

[digman]

Yes, he is firming up quite well. As always I am curious about the total voxel / polygon count so far...

[Garagarape]

David, the polycount so far is 17 699 227 tris. My pc has started to slow down a bit.

Here is a screen shot to show how the soldier is done out of different pieces:

[Garagarape]

Refining the hood part now.

I don't know if it can help someone but I noticed that "move tool" was a great partner to shape-up cloth folds.

I used "airbrush" and "clay" in the beginning, but earn nothing but patterns drawn on the character.

Pushing and pulling the folds with "move tool" seems to work better.

I'm pretty sure that with more practice it is possible to express different kind

of clothes (silk, velvet or more rough stuff) by playing with the folds spacing

and sharpness. Probably no need to rely on a high defined model on which

you would stamps fabric patterns (this could be done in photoshop with an overlay layer).

[Tony Nemo]

If your intention is to retopo him for animation, I recommend integrating the hands with the tunic using your mesh. I didn't do it with one of my characters and the joint deformation exposed some forearm through the sleeve.

Right now the cloth texture resembles nylon, like that of a windbreaker. Presumably, it well be a coarser cloth later?

Edited July 7, 2013 by Tony Nemo

[Garagarape]

Tony, yes of course, I'll try to make it as monolithic as possible.

I may consider items like the flask and other stuff as different objects

to have them moving a little when he walks.

Here is a picture of the guy I use as a reference (dunno if it is coarser cloth).

The nylon like looks is due to the shader kind of humid aspect, no?:

This pic will probably break the charm for those who thought

I imagined the whole character. There's no creation. Just

a sculpt exercise.

[Tony Nemo]

The references appear too small to notice a fine thread texture but I do see a more crinkled surface like one gets with unironed cotton. Actually, I think trying to copy something in the real world is technically more challenging than freely creating something. There is less latitude for subjective possibility because everyone is hardwired to detect what conforms to the natural. This is really a fine project.

[Garagarape]

Thanks Tony.

I'm getting closer to the final result.

Tried a render of it:

[Tony Nemo]

The surface wrinkles are geting better all the time.The stockings are really 'there'.

[digman]

To me he is taking on a real life appearance. nice work...

You are not breaking the charm at all showing us the picture. Your style of work is very evident in all your works and we all copy from life, do not know of another way...

All my ideas come from things I see, touch, hear or read...

[Garagarape]

Thanks!

I add the last items, spear and sleeping bag (?).

Now only refining left.

[Carlosan]

this is really fast

how do you do the sleeping bag strips, that cover the body and the right side bag ?

[artman]

very solid!!

[Garagarape]

Carlosan, Artman, thanks!

This is not fast. I took a one day vacation

and spent lot of time in front of the PC.

For the strips, it is just a mix of "Snake" and "Toothpaste".

I navigate with the camera above the shoulder part

and chose an angle with which I know there will not be

too much deformations. Then I just "paint" the strip.

I go around the model like that until the bag strip is done.

Then I use "flatten" and "toothpaste" to get a regular

leather feel. That's not too tricky. But sometime the strip

goes into hollow areas. I then use the move tool to fix the problem.

It would be better to use "curves", but I don't manage to use them right

in that case.

In the end I use Shift in surface mode to get sharp shapes.

[Garagarape]

Yeah! I'm a Journeymen! But why plural? Oh shoot! I beginning to speak to myself!

"The word journeyman comes from the French word journée, which means a period of one day." WeekeeP

I thought that it was a term to describe traveling people. Like in "An unexpected Journey".

Anyway, this word sounds good.

Playing with render + mixing different shaders on different Photoshop layers:

[alvordr]

I love it. Super good job!

[TimmyZDesign]

Yeah this is starting to look very good!

Only one suggestion for the top fold on the sleeping bag (the area where a corner of it is folded down). Maybe make the crease sharper there? It looks like it blends in too much with the cylindrical area behind it.

[AbnRanger]

Looking really good!

[wave of light]

That's looking excellent mate. Also, it looks like the IPB support guys have fixed the follow post issue too, so I should be getting your updates via email again!

[Javis]

Very nice work. Excellent sculpture.

[Garagarape]

Thanks for the kind words. This soldier is not done yet.

I'll try to finish the sculpt during this week-end.

Then retopo time; I'll have to rotate all the parts

to 90 degrees for the symmetry behave strangely with Z axis in

retopo room.

I try to do something like Leigh did before.

I wonder what he his doing these days.

[Garagarape]

I finished the sculpt. If the camera get close to the model, there are still some rough areas left, but

texture work could make the trick.

Last version is on #743 pic.

By the way, did someone noticed this problem in the retopo room?: