Making Of ‘Demon’ by Jose Manuel Linares Lopez

Jose Manuel Linares Lopez talks us through the making of 'Demon'

In this tutorial I will try to explain the steps and workflow I follow when speed-sculpting with ZBrush; from the initial blocking stage to the final render and presentation.

Step 1

In most of cases I start with a single 64poly sphere

In most of cases I start with a single 64poly sphere

In most cases I start with a single 64 poly sphere. I find that that is the perfect shape to start almost every model, especially characters. I started by molding out the general shape with the Move Brush set with default parameters.

At that stage, it was just a rough draft, so I was free to experiment with proportions. The main goal was to preserve the general aspect of my initial ideas, so I sculpted as such so as not to lose his personality.

Step 2

In this character, two of the most prominent aspects are the face and the big horns

In this character, two of the most prominent aspects are the face and the big horns

I also began to analyze what anatomy elements I need and any special processes that might be required in each feature.

In this character, two of the most prominent aspects are the face and the big horns. To create them, I started with the MaskPen to select their sources, selected Invert Selection to make everything fixed except these areas, and then started to work with ClayBuild and Move brushes to pull out the mesh.

Step 3

I then needed to work with the Dynamesh tool to rebuild the mesh parts

I then needed to work with the Dynamesh tool to rebuild the mesh parts

I then needed to work with the Dynamesh tool to rebuild the mesh parts, (though the polygon density will change dramatically when we start to stretch it). The initial set values of the Dynamesh resolution is not particularly high (64). So when I needed to work on more detailed areas, like the face and neck, I found it was necessary to jump to a resolution of 80.

I continued working on the neck, shoulders and torso in the same way I did for the horns (mask tool and Move/ClayBuild and Dynamesh). I defined the boundaries and initial proportions for the mouth, eyes and head.
That concluded the blocking stage.

Step 4

I then used QRemesher, ZBrush's fantastic tool to clean the mesh and rebuild it

I then used QRemesher, ZBrush's fantastic tool to clean the mesh and rebuild it

I then used QRemesher, ZBrush's fantastic tool to clean the mesh and rebuild it. In this image you can see the before and after shots of this process. Dynamesh usually generates triangles and unwanted structure in some areas of the mesh, so with the higher subdivision level, artefacts will appear.

The solution to this is using QRemesher. I made a first attempt with the "Same" parameter active ("Same" means the same polygon account in the initial and final mesh). If some parts lose their definition, you can active "Double" parameters, or use the "Target Polygons Count" to tell the program the final density. In my case "Same" was my perfect solution.

Step 5

After that I divided the sculpture into polygroups

After that I divided the sculpture into polygroups

After that I divided the sculpture into polygroups. This allowed me to work on each part individually. This procedure was very simple with the symmetry activated. I made a selection that encompassed the horns (with Select Lasso Mode) to highlight them. I then went to polygroup panel and clicked Polygroup Visible, (for both the face and the body) to isolate each part.

Step 6

I used ClayBuild to build the general forms and finally, Flatter/Polish to get more clean and defined surfaces

I used ClayBuild to build the general forms and finally, Flatter/Polish to get more clean and defined surfaces

After that, I allocated the sculpture the first subdivision level and began adding more detail to the face mouth, eyes and shoulders of the character. To do that, I used the following brushes (I admit that these ones are perfect to work in almost any speed sculpt, the secret is being able to use each one appropriately). I drew general lines with DamStandard, using my base as a guide to know where to sculpt deeply. I then used ClayBuild to build the general forms and finally, Flatter/Polish to get more clean and defined surfaces.

Step 7

To generate the T-Shirt, I made a mask with the MaskPen tool and extracted the geometry

To generate the T-Shirt, I made a mask with the MaskPen tool and extracted the geometry

To generate the T-Shirt, I made a mask with the MaskPen tool and extracted the geometry (using Subtool panel /Extract) with a minimum thick value of 0.01. A new subtool was created with this new mesh. Around this point, approximately 80% of the character was done, and I just wanted to complete the character with respect to the original concept proportions and stance.

Step 8

Snake Hook brush helped me to get the spiraled shape at the end of the horn

Snake Hook brush helped me to get the spiraled shape at the end of the horn

It was then time to focus on the horns. I began by making the main breaks in the base with Orb_Cracks1. This brush is useful to create clean cuts with sharp profiles. After that, I used the Flatten brush to get flat surfaces.

Snake Hook brush helped me to get the spiraled shape at the end of the horn (I had to subdivide the subtool again as the mesh was stretched in this process. This helped me to increase the detail level in next level.

Step 9

To create the teeth and eyebrows I made the mask selection and extract process as before

To create the teeth and eyebrows I made the mask selection and extract process as before

To create the teeth and eyebrows I made the mask selection and extract process as before, but in this case I increased the thickness value, so as not to use the Dynamesh tool. You can see the brushes used in the next images (SnakeHook, Inflat and Move). I subdivided once and used the Pinch brush to sharpen the tips and used the same to create the eyebrows. SnakeHook alone was used for the chin hairs.

This character is not going to be used for animation so I preferred to sculpt the eyes in the same mesh and not as individual objects.

At that point, I could say that my sculpt was finished! I only had to make a good presentation. To get that final finished look, I chose to render it with 3DMax and V-Ray. The first was to make a unique subtool. Remember that I had a subtool for the head and horns, another ones for the teeth, eyebrows and T-Shirt (each had their own subdivision levels), but If I wanted to use Decimation Master I had to make a single object in the highest subD level.

Step 10

I exported it as an .OBJ file and imported into 3D Studio Max to work in the setup

I exported it as an .OBJ file and imported into 3D Studio Max to work in the setup

I used Subtool Master Tool and Merge box with the next parameters. After that, I was ready to apply decimation Master to optimize the mesh (2% of decimation was enough to preserve details). I exported it as an .OBJ file and imported into 3D Studio Max to work in the setup.

It was an easy but efficient setup. I used a V-Ray Material with V-Ray Dirt in the diffuse channel, with defined colors (which is completely reliant on personal taste, of course) in occluded and unocludded boxes. I made sure that ambient occlusion mode was active.

Step 11

The light setup was made with a Vraylight in dome mode and a composite map

The light setup was made with a Vraylight in dome mode and a composite map

The light setup was made with a Vraylight in dome mode and a composite map. This composite map contained the HDRI maps information. I rotated the HDRI orientation, so I could get different looks in the key and secondary lights. For the final rendering, I used V-Ray as the render engine (with the GI activated, and the irradiance map for primary bounces and light caché for secondary. The list of parameters is shown in the image.

Step 12

My final model is shown here

My final model is shown here

My final model and image bust is as shown here, alongside a full body model of the Demon character in a lit yellow render.

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