Fantasy creature sculpting

Rishikesh M Nandlaskar explains the sculpting techniques behind his fantasy forest goblin creation

The Mushroom Goblin concept is from a drawing by my friend Adrian Smith. I used ZBrush for sculpting, PolyPaint for Texturing and V-Ray for rendering.

Basemesh

I usually make the basemesh in Maya and get it ready to be sculpted in ZBrush, but for this project I used ZSpheres to make the basemesh.

Creating the base model

Creating the base model

Basic sculpting

I started sculpting on the base mesh until I felt it was time to unwrap and pose. The rest of the detailed sculpting would follow later. It's important not hesitate when changing proportions and forms in the process, I just kept visualising the form and how it read in the concept artwork.

Refining the base mesh

Refining the base mesh

Unwrapping

I unwrapped the model in Maya because I could quickly get it done as I'm familiar with the software. UVMaster in ZBrush is quicker though, and sometimes I use it in other projects - it depends on my mood as to where I unwrap my model.

Unwrapping the model

Unwrapping the model

Posing using Transpose Master

I also started posing the model using Transpose Master. After posing was done, I moved on to adding details to
the model.

The detail on the posed model

The detail on the posed model

Detailing

For detailing purposes I used DragRect Stroke with Alphas created by Kris Costa and Rick Baker and some created
by myself.

Some of the alpha maps used

Some of the alpha maps used

PolyPainting

I used SprayStroke brush and Alpha07 in ZBrush to paint the basic colors and get the overall character covered. Then I moved onto painting in layers.

Polypainting in ZBrush

Polypainting in ZBrush

Extracting maps

ZBrush has made it very easy to extract different maps together using the Multi Map Exporter.

Extracting different maps

Extracting different maps

Setup in Maya

Most of the time, real world scale is necessary to get good results in your rendering. I calculated that the goblin character was around 2 feet tall in a standing position.

I usually don't use displacement maps as it takes lot of time. Instead I exported SubTools from ZBrush to Maya with details on it. Subdivision levels will vary from SubTool to SubTool as per the distance of the details from the camera. This saves on a lot of rendering time, especially when the project is for a 3D illustration and the camera is fixed.

Setting up the scale

Setting up the scale

Rendering with V-Ray

V-Ray Rect Lights and Sphere Lights were used to light the scene. Lots of test renders went into process before I finalised the lighting setup. For the grass, I used V-Ray fur which is super fast and gives really good results with
few tweaks.

Some of the fur settings in Maya

Some of the fur settings in Maya

Compositing

Render passes were rendered in Maya and Photoshop was used for compositing all the render passes from Maya/V-Ray. A bit of color correction was involved too to get the desired final output.

The render passes

The render passes

My experiences

To convert the concept art to 3D, its important to keep the essence of the artwork, because if it has been approved, it will clearly have excellent qualities – such as the proportion, forms and shapes, or gesture and the pose.

It's also important to get the anatomy right to keep the shape and form true to the artwork. It's easy to divert from a concept art and call it an improvised version, but I personally feel that keeping the real essence of the concept art is also important and is quite a challenge. Once that is achieved and approved then the model can be
made production-ready.

the final image

the final image

Related links:

Take a look at Rishikesh M Nandlaskar's portfolio
Check out the ZBrush forums for advice on creature creation
Or have a look through the ZBrush books in our shop

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