Dear Steemians!
It‘s been a while since I posted something, because I was working on a new character based on @w0olf ‘s Reimagine Challenge Contest, which is already long over. As usual I tried to create a 3D model to get better at my skills. It‘s always a challenge with a deadline and it was again a bit too tight for me, but this time I used the opportunity to prepare a model, that I can animate.
I decided to reimagine Katara from Avatar, The Last Airbender, as I always loved to watch it on Nickelodeon. I even watched it again 2 years ago on Prime Video and started the new series The Legend of Korra, but I prefered the original- you are never too old to watch animations ;)
At first I wanted to create an elder version of Katara with a long dress and high slits, but quickly changed my idea in turning Katara into a surfer, changing her clothing into a wetsuit, controlling the waves for the best ride!
So here are my first sketches- I didn‘t give much detail to it as I like to change things up when I sculpt the 3D model in Zbrush.
After the concept you usually sketch a turnaround, but I skipped that part and started to create a form with ZSpheres, then turn it into a mesh and started to give the model more and more details. When the body was quite ready, I added Subtools by masking the mesh and extracting the desired area (wetsuit & nails). I added an extra Subtool, by inserting a Sphere and forming in into one eyelash. After getting the right form, the the Deformation tool, I placed the lash, copied 2/3 other lashes and placed them correctly to form a group of eyelashes. I duplicated the group and adjusted them, until everything together looked like complete eyelashes.
I exported the Subtools separately as obj-files and imported them in Blender. The model is quite detailed, so a retopology is the step of creating a lower poly version of the model. I started creating the retopo manually, but this step is so time consuming. I started using the ZRemesher in ZBrush, to clean and lower the topology for a faster result. To give re the remesh a bit more control, I used the Topology brush to draw on some curves were it was necessary . Well never be too lazy, because you will regret it afterwards, when you want to animate your character. But well, it was done and to keep the details of the High-Poly, I "baked" it on the Low-Poly.
I UV-wrapped the mesh to flatten the Low Poly. This step is necessary to create a UV-Map where you can decide to color in the model precisely. I stayed in Blender and used the Texture Paint-Mode to texture Katara. To make the look of the render more interesting you have to start shading (in my case I used the Cycles Render and mostly used the Principled Shader). I just found a FREE HDRI MAP to light up the scene and also for the background of my title. But for the gif I disabled the camera visibility, so that you can only see the reflection of it on the materials.
What is missing? Right! Hair!! So this is the first time ever I tried to create sort of realistic hair. I used particle systems before, but never for a hairstyle. The braided hairstyle was a bit complicated and it was driving me crazy, so I decided to give Katara a typical wet and curly surfer-hair look and positioned it already in the way the hairstyle would flow, while surfing and added to little braids, to give the character something from the original.
To give the model a pose, I had to rig it = give it a skeleton/joints! The next step is binding the skin to the rigg to determine, how the body moves and what will move if you rotate a certain joint. For this I used the Weight-Paint Mode: blue for no motion and red for the biggest influence. As I mentioned your model shouldn‘t be too detailed, but I used the Remesher and it was apparently not enough. It wasn‘t laggy, it‘s just more complication and you make more mistakes you can‘t fix that easy when there are too many polygons.
With the use of EasyFX I was able to composite the render a bit, which is a great and easy way to do compositing for beginners.
I rendered the simple turnaround animation with the help of SheepIt!, a render farm for Blender. I hope you like my result! It‘s really a challenge with a small timeframe:D I spent too much time tweaking the sculpt in ZBrush and also finding a pose, but it‘s so much fun using my knowledge or refreshing something I forgot or didn‘t use a lot. I even learned something new for this challenge!
Please check out the other entries, as the other characters given were Hades from Disney‘s Hercules and Gaz from Invader Zim! Here are the top three and the winner with the most votes is @cartoonistpandan! I loved so many of the entries, but my absolute favorite is @oreille-pointue 's version, because I also went with the surfer idea, but her‘s is so much more magical and fun and I admire how good she is with coloring!
Here‘s my post of the last challenge:)
Until next time!
Great work i follow and upvote !!! i just need to know somthing how you do this ?
https://steemit-production-imageproxy-upload.s3.amazonaws.com/DQmTUc6TwNLq1a3U74iFAtDupaCA4v6HqgwgSbGCP8sR5TM
I have some 3d model characters , and i wanna do somthing like this. its really cool !!
You said you model in 3ds Max, right? I learned it once, but don‘t use it anymore. So I would search for Camera Setups Tutorials in 3ds Max. In Blender I added a circle and rotated it a bit. Then I added a camera and tracked the path to the circle by clicking the camera first and with shift the circle and then ctrl+p. In the Properties Panel for the Camera, I tracked it to the model. You have to set the Axes in the right position and you are done! The only thing, you can do next is choosing the time frame and how fast the camera ist turning around the character. This is how you roughly do it in Blender. I guess it‘s similar in 3ds Max:)
@jellenmark thanks for the tip, i will try it on this model that i created i called the tanned hawaiian minion ahahahha.
Sehr cool! Avatar war meine absolute Lieblingsserie damals und ich finde du hast Katara sehr gut getroffen. Vorallem die Haare find ich super und man sieht absolut nicht, dass du das noch nie gemacht hast. Wenn sie jetzt noch einen Gesichtsausdruck hätte wärs perfekt, aber denke mal das war der kurzen Zeit geschuldet wie du schon meintest. Bin gerade fast versucht die Serie nochmal anzufangen. War Katara denn auch dein Lieblingscharakter?
Jaaaa:) hab mir die Serie so oft angeschaut! :D Dankeschön, Ich würde das model auch iwann mal animieren und shape keys hinzufügen:)
oh da bin ich gespannt :) was sind shape keys? sowie ik handles?
In Blender unter Properties Panel, gibts die option Shape Keys. Da kann man im Edit Mode Vertices verschieben und unterschiedliche Keys abspeichern und so dann ne Animation erstellen. Ist manchmal etwas umständlicher, aber kann auch natürlicher aussehen. Man kann dann vom Wert 0 (Basis/Ausgangsposition) zu dem Wert 1 wechseln und mit dem Tastenkürzel i Keyframes direkt im Properties Panel festlegen. Ist echt cool. Hab das für meine Ba gefunden, weil ich natürlich nicht an die Mimik gedacht hab und dann nachträglich mein Mesh so bearbeiten konnte.
Das klingt perfekt für sowas wie Muskulatur :O Ich muss echt mal mit Blender richtig anfangen. Alle sind so begeistert davon und dafür dass es freeware ist kanns so viel! Aber hab mich halt mit 3ds max schwer getan, maya fand ich dafür super vom Einstieg her und jetzt wieder umsteigen zu Blender... Mal schauen was ich so schaffe, vielleicht geh ich dann auch in den 3D Bereich hier :) Dir noch viel Spaß und viel Erfolg bin gespannt auf deine weiteren Posts :)
Wow awesome artwork!
It's a pity the contest is already over. That would have been a great entry! :)
Aww, it‘s fine:D Thank you for the idea!:)
OMG just saw this! It is so good!
haha:D thaaaank youuu
(=^ ◡ ^=)
Wow that's impressive!
Have you checked out the new contest for this week?! I'd love to see you try your hand at a cuddly kitten!
P.S.: oh wow... i just noticed kitten was already here a minute ago... so i guess you DID check the new contest already ;)
Yes I did, but the timeframe is a bit too short for me:D I always think it will work out, but then drag out the work, because there's so much to tweak:D I definately will try and start something today, as fur is another challenge for me:)
I'd love to see where you'd take it!
A full model/texture/render is probably just not feasible in such a short timeframe on the side. I see that! But the contest (at least from my POV) is about the concept of the character, so pre-viz quality is all I'd expect in your medium!
But hey, don't let me peer pressure you here, lol, I just want to see as many kittens as I can and I only have to look :P
All that aside, pretty impressive how far you went for that submission (albeit late) to last week's contest! Kudos again!
You are a designer with a difference
this is awesome
Nice work@jellenmark
Beautiful character....
Oh, thank you:)
you are welcome
Perfect! Could learn a thing or two from you
That's a nice compliment, as I still have a lot to learn:)
Your work is incredible. I love everything about this picture from pose, through face and final render. I need to finaly move to zbrush. I only use sculptris at the moment to design toys for 3d printing.
this was my favorite show growing up omgomg. It still is (besides Xena). Thank you so much
How joyful
Yes she is really awesome and good Art also nice keep it up.
Thank you for Post this.
this is real art. thanks!
Amazing! I thought it was a plastic model. Epic work...
Haha:D Kinda looks like a doll:D
my gosh, this is amazing
Wow, it looks amazing)) 0_0
Try sending it to Riot, they always look out for new model when they make their characters.
It is very awesome and the name of character is nice
Really good work!
Wow wow.
I'm speechless!
This is lit!
Awesome!! Could be from Disney ^_^
Noooooo! :D But I‘ll try!^^
Great work u have heree 😮
O Waoo So Nice !
only upvoting yourself, does not fit to your "social" name. Maybe you shouldn`t only think about yourself next time.
why are you doing this ??
You're so nice for commenting on this post. For that, I gave you a vote!
I am upvoting others Also !! ...
Awesome dear I am new hope you support ne and upvote my post thanks
WOWWW! GOOD JOB BRO! EXCELLENT! VERY GOOD! FOLLOW ME! AWASONE!