8]
The hair was made using aplha channels
in conjunction with color maps on planes.
To start with I created a plane. Then
in Photoshop I drew strands of brown hair
for my diffuse map. I then copied this
image. Using color selections I whited
in the positive space and blacked out
the negative space. This black and white
copy was used for the opacity channel
in the material. For those of you who
do not know, an alpha channel is a way
for 3dmax to interpret opacity and transparency
within maps. 100% white equals
total opacity and 100% black equals total
transparency. I then created a variation
of this black and white opacity map for
the specular level slot. This is important
even if you don't plan on having very
much spec on your hair. If you don't have
a spec map that mimics the alpha channels
the edges of the geometry will show up.
This was exactly the process used for
creating both the eyebrows and the eyelashes.
9] Once I had a good look for the hair
on the flat plane I added an FFD box modifier
to it for the manipulation of its shape.
You can see here what one of the clumps
of hair ended up looking like. I actually
created several variations of clumps of
hair as different shapes were needed for
various parts for the head.
8]
You can see here how the final sculpture
looked after I had manipulated all of
the hair clumps and positioned them on
the head.
3DTotal
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9]
The skin texture was the hardest part
of the whole project. I do not think I
was successful in creating realistic skin,
but non the less I am pleased with what
came about.
I used the uvw unwrap modifier to put
the texture on the model. By creating
several Planar maps( one for the front,
one for the back, and one for each side
of the face) I was able to pull the uvw
coordinates around to fit the model almost
exactly. Some people create a checkered
map for quick real time uvw coordinate
placement accuracy. This is an effective
way for the most part to get your planar
maps lining up pretty closely. However,
when you are dealing with human anatomy
and skin tones, which have many many intricate
details you have to take your mapping
job to the next level. This meant a long
process of pulling a couple of uvw coordinates
and then rendering after each adjustment
to see if there was any noticable line
between the planar maps. It was basically
just common sense and anal retentive work.
10]
For the diffuse channel I created a texture
from the photos that my friend had taken.
Carefully using the clone tool and painting
in details where needed proved sufficient.
The Bump map actually took the longest
time to create. As seen above it was a
black and white derivative of the diffuse
map. The most intricate painting took
place on this map. Using slightly feathered
brushes to create a tiny amount of falloff
of each brush stroke translated into the
bumps channel with the most realistic
effect. Also, I found that when possible
painting in the lighter tones on a dark
ground, as oppossed to the vis versa had
the most realistic outcome. The specularity
map was almost identical to the bump map.
11]
This map was used for a very slight self
illumination. It created the illusion
of sub surfuce layers of the skin. You
have to be careful with self illumination
maps though, because if they are too strong
the skin will appear to be glowing.
12] Once these maps where created they
where layered and manipulated within a
Standard type material with a Multi Layer
shader. You can see here that I layered
a lot of the same maps on top of one another,
namely the specualar and glossy channels.
This was done basically to control the
area on the map where the two layers of
the multi layer shaders spec levels would
appear. You can also see that I created
a mix map within the self illumination
channel. This mix map actually contained
the same map twice (the self illumination
map shown above). A mix map, if you do
not know, is a type of map that allows
you to mix two bitmaps together at whatever
percentage you wish. In this case I altered
the RGB outputs of one of the self illumination
maps so that it was relatively green in
tint. The other map remained the redish
purple tint you see in the picture above.
If you did not know, red and green are
complimenting colors. When placed next
to or on top of one another they create
a visual buzz. At the same time they neutralize
one another and appear somewhat grey.
This, in conjunction with a slightly greenish
self illumination (within the Multi Layer
Shader basic parameters rollout) created
a livelyness to the skin. You can also
see here how the specular levels where
treated within the Multi Layer Shader
Basic Parameters rollout. There is a slight
anisotropy to give the overall highlight
a slight oval shape that mimics the shape
of the head. The first Specular layer
was given a high glossiness and an orangish
tint. This was to pick up the very hot
spots of the highlights. The second Specular
layer was much broader as the glossiness
was only set to 40 giving the face an
over all sheen. Again here I used complimenting
tints of color as the second specular
layer was tinted slightly blue. The effect
here is extremely subtle but effective.
13]
In the end I was very pleased with what
came about. I hope that this tutorial,
an over view of the process of how I created
a self portrait serves you somehow. Bye.
