DESIGN STRIKING SCULPTS AT SPEED

Learn how to build 3D characters that balance visual quality and efficient workflow with pro advice from Oh Holy Mary

- Oh Holy Mary

Over the two years that I've been working in the video games industry, I've increasingly realised just how highly valued it is to work on projects efficiently. That's why I've decided to take some time to perfect my working process.

To enhance my skills, I chose to model the Fat Baby Boto design by artist Fred Rambaud. When I discovered his art, I knew it would be perfect for improving my process. Baby Boto is simple yet impactful in terms of shapes and design. The blend of hardsurface and organic elements also makes it ideal for practise.

The workflow I've developed helps me to create projects so much faster while improving my finishing techniques, which is an equally important facet.

01 BLOCK OUT THE MODEL

In the blocking phase, we need to create our 3D model using basic primitives, which will allow us to save time on details and avoid putting in unnecessary work. At this stage, it's crucial to ensure the silhouette and the overall feel of our character work well. Once we're satisfied with the result, we can apply a DynaMesh and start sculpting some general details, obtaining a rough version of the final outcome without worrying too much about the geometry.

02 CLEAN THE TOPOLOGY

When we're satisfied with our sculpt, we can perform some quick retopology in ZBrush. The most important aspect of this step is to get a good geometry flow and a low resolution, which will allow us to work with subdivisions more easily. This will be especially useful during the posing phase, as it will facilitate masking the parts of the model that we want to move. Once satisfied with the remesh, I usually project my old blockout onto the new mesh to retain the details I created in that phase, but with clean geometry.

03 SCULPT THE DETAILS