 |
| |
|
3DTotal: With respect to the games industry, it is very common to model the characters in ZBrush these days, if only to generate normal maps. Do you find the modelling process more restricting compared to film work or is this no longer the case?
Francois: Since the launch of the next gen consoles, modelling characters and sets has become very exciting. The modelling process is the same. I could even say that it offers more freedom. The fact that the high definition model is not being used means we can work without caring about the number of polygons because all the details will be baked onto textures. The main problem in the process is the extraction and the retouching of normal maps. Normal maps are not as standardised at all, and may differ a lot from one 3D application to another, or to a game engine. What raises most of the problems is the way seams are managed between UV islands.
The second problem for me is that there is still no 3D paint which allows retouching of normal maps. The only software which allows it is made within the framework of university research and I hope that it will soon be integrated into software such as Body Paint or 3D Brush.
The third problem is that to compensate for the distortions which appear on normal maps due to the low number of polygons of the real-time models which are used to extract maps, there is sometimes a lot of retouching work needed in Photoshop. I’ve worked recently as a freelance character modeller on a game based on the Unreal Engine 3. I sculpted all the characters in ZBrush 3.1, and used ZMapper (which is one of the most versatile and powerful normal map extraction tools) to extract the normal maps.
Because I did not know the exact parameters that the Unreal Engine used, I could not reproduce them in ZMapper, and nor did I have access to the game engine. Regrettably, I could not verify if these maps worked.
Creating and working with normal maps is a recent development, and unfortunately the existing |
|
|
| |
|
software has not yet been adapted to be able to work without any problems.
3DTotal: What would you say is your forte and why?
Francois: Well, I focused on character modelling, and I don’t have any regrets. To sculpt characters is an artistic challenge, because it asks for a good knowledge of anatomy (even if it is about cartoon characters) and it’s also a good way to express emotions. I like spending my time creating a character or an illustration, finding the best pose, shape, expression, mood, and paying attention to the smallest detail that can make my model believable. It is something that often demands a lot of patience, and a great sense of observation.
3DTotal: You have outlined some of the challenges inherent in character modelling and the various skills necessary for creating good models, but which characters by other artists rate amongst your favourites, and why?
Francois: There are many talented artists |
|
 |
 |
 |
around. I’m in love with Rick ‘Monstermaker’ Baker’s fantastic work,Jeremy Engleman’s painterly ZBrush renderings, Sebastien Legrain’s technical and artistic skills, Damien Canderle and oDDity, a very talented Mudbox artist. Each of them possesses something more which makes them unique.
3dTotal: Of all the sectors of the CG industry you have worked in, what have been your favourite areas?
Francois: So far, I’ve enjoyed working on animated features. Generally they leave us much more time to make quality work. It’s something that matters to me, even if a rather short production time can be rewarding by urging me to find shortcuts and means finishing the work in time |
|
|
 |
|
|
| |
|
3DTotal: Have you ever rigged and animated any of your own characters at all?
Francois: I’m a poor animator. I can’t even animate simple things. Previously, when I worked on an illustration, I spent some time rigging and skinning the characters I worked on. It was something which took time and as a result I now pose with ZBrush and its ‘Transpose Master’. |
|
| |
|
A few years ago, I worked on some hi-res characters for ‘L’ile Noyée’ (Sunken Island), for a French games company. They sent me a couple of designs and a basic skeleton, and I had to deliver completed characters, ready to be animated and rendered. This work was the only occasion I had to fully skin and rig a character.
3DTotal: Which artists inspire you?
Francois: Many artists inspired me. I love classical and 18th Century sculptors, modern ones like Rodin and Jacques le Nantec, artists like Claire Wendling and Brom. I also spend a lot of time browsing the traditional clay sculpture forums of ZBrush and Mudbox.
3DTotal: You mention Rodin, but how do you think some of these classical and traditional artists would find modern software such as ZBrush?
Francois: I would not like to speak for them. I sincerely believe that certain artists would be enthusiastic (at least, I hope so) – others not. I practice sculpture from time to time, and the physical, organic and tactile sensation that you have when you feel the sculpture under the fingers is still missing. But on the other hand, these sculpting applications give you a fantastic freedom. The freedom to work symmetrically, or not; the freedom to ‘undo’ the last actions; the freedom to work at your own rhythm without worrying about the topology of your mesh, or without being afraid that your sculpture can break or collapse; the freedom to work with powerful and versatile tools with almost an unlimited amount of polygons.
At the very least, I think their work would have been different. The possibilities offered by software such as ZBrush, Mudbox or 3D Coat allow the artist to rid themselves of constraints and to go much more further into detail, or create fantastic sculptures. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
