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Step Five: Model Export

This step is pretty easy as you can see the settings that I used from the screen shot below.

Step Six: Model Import

This is pretty self-explanatory much like the export step. However, I did want to highlight the fact that I name my separate elements. I think it’s a good habit to get into when dealing with multiple objects. I'll subdivide the mesh to a workable density level once both objects are in my sculpting app.

Step Seven: Creating the Reference sheet and Paint Over

I find that it’s important to gather your reference materials even at this early stage and create what’s called a “Material callout sheet”. Generally this sheet is created before the texturing stage but comes in handy when you have to sculpt as well. I can’t stress this enough but it’s always good to be prepared and to have some sort of reference handy! I see way to many artists pulling out detail from thin air without any real appreciation for the surface their trying to simulate. With that said, the sheet should have a healthy mix of photos and illustrations. While the reference sheet isn't written in stone it'll serve as an initial guide for you and or a client, art director, etc. The last thing I wanted to address were the teeth. They were kept as a separate mesh group since they would just get in the way of the sculpting. Imagine trying to work up to nice level of detail in your sculpt while having to avoid little rows of little teeth along the way. This would be pretty annoying so it’s always best to leave small details like that off until the sculpt is near completion.

Step Eight: Creating the Digital Sculpt

Part One: Establishing the Detail Flow

The first thing you need to do when creating a sculpture is to identify your detail flow. This means you should visually breakdown where certain details are going to be placed on the object and how intense they're going need to be. This is an important step to master since it’s easy to lose your way when sculpting. Personally I believe this approach and level of observation will result in a more focused effort and a better sculpt when all is said and done. You can see from image below that I broke down what areas required what details and how they will be distributed throughout the model.

Minimal level of detail: This area should contain a subtle amount of surface detail corresponding to the surface and or material type. Usually this area is made up of broad sections on the sculpture and doesn’t contain much visual interest. In regards to Paragalis I made this area consist of stretched skin which at first glance may appear to be quite intense but will be pushed to the background once the model has been baked and textured.

Moderate level of detail: This area will make up most of the detail on the sculpture and will usually contain a tight sense of visual interest. As you can see from the image below, Paragalis is mostly made up of moderate detail, which contains general muscle, skin, and fat information.

High level of detail: These are the areas that should contain extreme levels of surface detail. Usually these areas are kept to a minimum to increase their visual impact and presence. I focused the high level detail to the tentacle like a mouth, tongue tip, back hump, feet and parts of the top skin.

In closing all objects whether they're are people, places, or things require different levels of detail, which can vary quite a bit since you can easily go from modest to the extreme. The most important thing at the end of the day is to recognize what you’re making and how it’s going to be perceived by the viewer. Now what that means in terms of game art is to always have your creation readable at various distances without losing its purpose.

Part Two / Building on the Curve

So now that I have a good idea on how to approach the model it’s time for me to start sculpting out the forms. You can easily see that I move in steps from the images below.

Base Mesh: This is my imported mesh that I’ll look over and make slight changes to, usually I’ll only adjust the proportions and positioning on certain elements here.

Rough Sculpt: In this step I’ll quickly start applying the rough muscle mass making sure to only make broad strokes and staying away from any high level details. I encourage you when in this step to shy away from going into too high of a sub division level. Make sure to pick a moderately detailed subdivision level and work on it until you can only see the rough forms taking shape. The reason you want to do this is so that you can avoid obvious lumpiness, misshaped details, pinching, etc. When it came to Paragalis I went from the base mesh “body only” which was 2064 polygons to the third subdivision level, which was 33,024 polygons. It was at the third sub division level where I spent a good deal of time roughing out the sculpture.

Refined Sculpt: I subdivided the mesh two more times and proceeded to the next step once I was satisfied with the rough sculptures forms and level of detail. This is the step where I focused on pulling together the details such as muscle mass, skin, nails, fat, etc. It’s important to keep your energy and attention focused on working with the detail you have and making sure that it’s what you want before moving onto the next step.

Polished Sculpt: Now it’s time for me to add the finishing touches to the sculpture. This is where I add the teeth and focus on the little things like the skin, back hump, tongue, or anything else that will make the sculpt feel more alive.