Bringing Stylized Characters to Life: The Journey of a Character Artist

Embarking on the Character Creation Journey

Welcome to my submission for the 2023 Rookies of the Year competition in the 3D Animation category.

The process of making characters has always been a captivating journey for me. The ability to bring ideas to life and evoke emotions through these creations is truly fascinating. Within this entry, I proudly present two meticulously crafted characters, each embodying contrasting emotions and personalities: Brokkr Úlfarr, a melancholic Viking, and Mandy, a cheerful young girl.

Character 1: Brokkr Úlfarr

Project Overview

Brokkr Úlfarr, a Viking warrior conceptualized by the talented artist Julen Urrutia, represented a significant challenge and an exciting journey in my character creation process. The aim was not just to create a 3D character, but to closely replicate Julen's own 3D work from his original concept, focusing particularly on the lighting and rendering aspects to capture the essence of Brokkr's melancholic nature. 

This project marked a substantial leap in my personal learning curve, having only familiarized myself with ZBrush a month prior and undertaken a single day's grooming course before diving headlong into the creation of this character.

Softwares: ZBrush, Maya, XGen, Substance 3D Painter, Arnold, Nuke, Photoshop, DaVinci Resolve.

Creation Process and Techniques

Developing Brokkr was a complex process that not only involved the use of various tools and techniques but also my ability to quickly adapt and learn.

1. Reference Research

Having undertaken the task of closely imitating Julen's 3D work, my initial step was to diligently search for all the helpful references the artist shared on his Artstation.

Afterwards, I heavily relied on extra references to guide me in areas such as anatomy, clothing textures, posing, and even the paw on Brokkr's leopard fur.

(Below is a selection of my actual references.)

2. Modelling

For the modelling stage, I used ZBrush and Maya. This process involved careful sculpting to accurately depict Brokkr's strong, Viking features.

2.1 Blocking and retopology

I initiated this project with direct blocking on ZBrush, progressing from body to clothing layers, with frequent switching between Maya and ZBrush facilitated by GoZ. Eyelids were closed for texturing, and the body's retopology was handled in Maya using Quad Draw.

I paid careful attention to loops at articulations and key facial regions, while also maintaining low poly counts: 4 for fingers and toes, 8 for wrists, arms, eyes, ears, and legs, and 16 for torso and neck. The final retopology of the body was then subdivided once to give a little more resolution. A cavity was also crafted for the mouth interior.

For the eyes, I outlined the eyelid thickness and orbital cavity, using the eye mesh in live surface mode for a smooth curvature. For efficiency, only one side was retopologised before mirroring in the X-axis.

The clothes retopology replicated the body's for skin-contacting assets, with ZRemesher for the rest, except for some assets that were manually retopologized for better results.

2.2 Creating the Chainmail

The chainmail creation process required a unique approach, where I employed nanomeshes. 

To construct the chainmail, I first crafted four chain links in Maya, confirming they formed a continuous pattern when iterated. Then, I used meshes as the base for these links and retopologised them into visually square polygons.
Switching back to ZBrush, I converted the links into nanomeshes and applied them onto the base meshes. After dividing them for size and realigning for order, I resized them to interweave, creating the final chainmail.

I initially tried using 8 polygon chain links but chose to use 12 instead to keep the high-poly count manageable for computation, despite the increase in the low-poly count.

2.3 UVs

The UV unfolding process for each object was executed in Maya, with GoZ ensuring a rapid transfer from ZBrush. I grouped all body parts (excluding the eyes) into a single UDIM, and then I applied the same texel density to Brokkr's coat. To ensure the texture wouldn't blur when zoomed in, I quickly tested and validated the size using Substance Painter.

After this validation, the same texel density was applied to the UVs of all the clothing items. The UVs of each clothing item were carefully organized within the UDIMs, grouping them together as much as possible and ensuring that they shared the same texel density as the validated one.
The chainmail needed tighter packing to fit within a single UDIM, and the fur was placed in the first UDIM for future grooming in XGen.

Overall, the layout consisted of 10 UDIMs for clothes, two for the eyes (one for the cornea and one for the iris), and one for the body.

2.4 Final Details

To finish off the modelling, I sculpted the remaining details, such as minor clothing folds. I used alphas for the sleeves and vest and refined their sculpt using Morph Target among other tools.

Finally, I made a brush to sculpt folds between the vest cushions. I first sculpted folds on a plane, converted them to alpha, touched them up in Photoshop, and then created a brush based on it. The step and size of the brush were then adjusted for a seamless stitch, and the grid was retraced with this brush. Morph Target in ZBrush assisted in refining the sculpt and enhancing realism by introducing irregularities. The displacement maps were then exported and checked in Maya.

3. Texture

Starting with the texture work, I initiated the process by painting the body, eyes, and fur on ZBrush using polypaint. To prevent any colour gaps in the texture on Substance Painter, a basic uniform colour was applied to the remaining clothes.

For the body, I used reference images to identify the red, yellow, and blue zones for my first layer of paint. I concentrated on the most visible parts: the face, neck, and hands.
The eyes were hand-painted based on a mix of realistic and character-specific references.Instead of strictly adhering to the reference, I opted for a color pattern that more closely resembles reality, aiming to enhance their visual appeal. During a Maya test, I adjusted the eye albedo in Photoshop to tweak the colour and add radial symmetry.

Fur was painted using ZBrush's Spotlight tool, employing a projection-based technique for a more realistic effect.

The polypaint maps were exported and the black background was automatically filled in Photoshop.

Once in Substance Painter, I created a base texture that collected the colour of my polypaint maps. Then, I used smart materials for most assets, adjusting each parameter to closely match the reference. Finally, shaders were set up in Maya to tweak hues and roughness of certain assets to adhere as much as possible to the reference image.

4. Groom

When it came to grooming, I relied on Arnold for validation, particularly for the brow area due to its substantial displacement. At that time, I wasn't aware that a displacement map could be directly applied to XGen, so I manually displaced the brow area. Using my high-poly body as a live surface, I adjusted the position of the support mesh.

The moustache and eyelashes required separate descriptions due to their unique shapes, positioning, and the specific growth direction, which couldn't be effectively controlled using a region map.

While dealing with the peach fuzz, I took precautions to prevent hair from appearing on Brokkr's closed eyes by creating a dedicated mask for the eyelids. Later on, I transferred the description to the model with open eyes to better facilitate the look development process.

For the character's hair and braid, which presented one of the most challenging aspects of grooming, I relied on the 2D concept references to establish the desired hair length and style. To manage the different variations in hair, I made use of region maps and masks.
To create the braid, I used the Tube tool to generate the grooming guides. Starting from an initial block-out, I shaped and arranged the tubes to form the braid. Additionally, I used a cube to neatly cut the braid at the point where it enters the elastic band, ensuring a clean and precise result (as depicted in the images below).

The fur pelt was created in the same way as hair, paying extra attention to the paws. While I kept the reference in mind, I opted to make the fur slightly fluffier than the reference as I felt it gave the character a more appealing look. Additionally, I achieved the appearance of a collision effect by manually simulating the "flattening" of the fur on the back, imitating the effect that would be caused by the weight of the braid.

For secondary grooming tasks on the collar, trousers, sleeves, and coat, I employed groomable splines which semi-automatically produce fur throughout the support mesh. With this approach, I only needed to adjust a few parameters to achieve convincing fur on the garments.

5. Look Development

The look development process was intricate and thorough. I made adjustments to Brokkr's fur albedo using Photoshop to enhance the markings, resulting in a more authentic appearance.
To handle the groom animation, I employed interactive grooming, which produced splines that followed the animation and worked with Maya rendering.

I took great care in crafting each shader to faithfully recreate the materials and surfaces of Brokkr's clothing and accessories. Texture adjustments were carefully executed to closely align with the reference images, adding depth and character.
Throughout the process, Arnold provided real-time previews and validations, allowing for immediate decision-making based on the character's rendered appearance. This meticulous approach, blending creativity with technical understanding, contributed to Brokkr's visual depth, texture, and personality.

6. Posing and lighting

To prevent any confusion in XGen descriptions, a dedicated production folder was created specifically for the posing stage. I created the character's pose in ZBrush, drawing inspiration from images of men showing nostalgic or sad expressions.

The process of transferring the grooming descriptions and maps proved to be quite time-consuming, demanding careful attention. Some maps needed to be redrawn, and certain description guides had to be manually replaced due to disruptions in the groom caused by the transfer.

Lighting was handled in Maya, with my main objective being to recreate the cinematic rendering achieved by Julen Urrutia, thereby enhancing my lighting skills.
I had a specific vision in mind, desiring to produce two distinct renderings for Brokkr. The first rendering showcased Brokkr's intricate details and form through a wider turntable shot. For the second rendering, I carefully made a close-up shot to capture the essence of Julen's original artwork, doing my best to imitate his artistic style.

I began by setting up the camera and Maya to best suit the close-up. After testing various focal lengths, a 90mm focal length was decided upon as the most optimal. Subsequently, I positioned the lights one by one to emulate the reference as closely as possible, while still maintaining a clean and uncluttered scene.
There were six lights in total: an HDRI of a night sky and five area lights (a fire-coloured key light, blue and yellow fill lights, and blue and yellow rim lights).

I made several modifications at this stage. Specifically, for the close-up, I adjusted the character's eye position towards the right side of the image to avoid a cross-eyed impression. However, for the turntable render, I returned the eye position to a neutral stance.

Finally, I managed the sampling and fine-tuned the render parameters to strike the optimal balance between computational efficiency and image resolution. The effectiveness of this optimization was tested by examining the quality of the diffuse, specular, shadow matte, and SSS passes.
The lights were configured with a resolution of 2000 and a sample count of 2 (HDRI with 3 samples). To maximise flexibility, each light was assigned its own light group for rendering, and all necessary passes were added.

(Below are the final lighting setups for the turntable and close-up shots.)

7. Post-production

In the compositing phase, I immediately noticed that the groom did not appear in any light group. To circumvent this issue, I created a Cryptomatte node tailored to the groom. I applied this Cryptomatte as a mask on the general diffuse, turning it into an additional pass for greater flexibility.

After reassembling all the passes, I was able to control the intensity of certain lights to ensure Brokkr's silhouette was attractively highlighted without causing any areas to be overly exposed. I specifically used a Cryptomatte with the leather objects to tone down the rim light on the right arm to prevent overexposure.

While I strived to stick closely to my reference, I made a few changes to better suit the overall look and feel of my composition. I added a subtle focus blur and a volumetric background effect using colour-graded cloud footage. I slightly blurred the overall scene to lessen the visual pull of the volumetric swirls. Finally, I added a cloud footage layer in front of the character to increase his blending with the background and the resulting realism.
In the turntable, I reinforced the studio's shadow to provide a stronger grounding presence for the character and avoid a floating impression.

The CGcomp node was then used for final tweaks such as vignetting and colour grading, ensuring the composition felt cohesive and visually striking.

For the final phase of video editing and colour grading, I used DaVinci Resolve. Given the high quality of my initial Nuke renders, minimal changes were required during the colour grading process. Subtle adjustments were made to improve and refine the final aesthetic, focusing on enhancing contrast and saturation.

Final Thoughts

Creating Brokkr was a rewarding experience. It deepened my understanding of character creation and sharpened my problem-solving skills.
This project marked my second endeavor in character creation and my debut in using XGen for grooming. The knowledge I gained from learning ZBrush a month before embarking on this project was decisive in bringing Brokkr to life.

While staying faithful to the original reference, I made subtle modifications to infuse the character with my personal touch. This artistic freedom allowed me to express my creative ideas, resulting in a version of Brokkr that truly resonates with my vision.

This project has not only been a significant milestone in my development as a character artist but has also provided me with a wealth of experience that I intend to apply to future works. My journey with Brokkr, driven by a strong desire to learn and improve, has left me eager to explore new territories in the realm of 3D character creation.

Character 2: Mandy

Project Overview

I'm glad to present you my latest creation, Mandy, a lively 3D character based on the captivating concept art by Hong SoonSang. In delightful contrast to Brokkr Úlfarr, my previous Viking warrior, Mandy embodies youthful curiosity and vitality.

Mandy's transformation from 2D concept art to a 3D model was a challenge that required a diverse set of skills, and an emphasis on adaptability. The objective was not only to craft a meticulously detailed digital sculpt but also to ensure that Mandy was fully animatable, allowing for the portrayal of a wide range of facial expressions. I am currently in the process of crafting the blendshapes for this purpose.

Softwares: ZBrush, Maya, XGen, RizomUV, DPK_bcs, Substance 3D Painter, Arnold, Nuke, Photoshop, DaVinci Resolve.

Creation Process and Techniques

In crafting Mandy, I adopted a similar approach to the one I employed while creating Brokkr Úlfarr. However, my focus was on ensuring she was fully animatable, adhering to industry standards. Additionally, I aimed to address any aspects of the Brokkr pipeline that needed improvement to elevate it to top industry standards.

This chapter explores the specific steps taken to achieve these goals, highlighting the enhancements made to make Mandy a seamlessly animatable character and refining the overall character creation process.

1. Reference Research

Following a similar process to my work on Brokkr, I began by reviewing the reference shared by Hong SoonSang on his Artstation. Subsequently, I conducted extensive research to gather additional references related to various aspects such as art direction, anatomy, and clothing textures.

(Below is a selection of my actual references.)

2. Modelling

In the modelling phase, I used ZBrush and Maya. Mandy's youthful features were carefully sculpted to stay true to SoonSang's original concept.

2.1 Blocking and retopology

I began the project by blocking out the shape of Mandy's body using ZBrush. After that, I focused on creating her clothing and detailing the inner mouth.

I dedicated a significant amount of time to meticulously refining the topology. I found great inspiration from the topology examples provided by Sergi Caballer on his website.
For this character, my goal was to create a facial topology that meets industry standards. I received invaluable help from Sarah Rivelli, a professional facial modeller, who greatly supported and contributed to the process. I am sincerely grateful for her assistance.

Aside from the positioning of the "stars", the main modifications to the facial topology, in comparison to Brokkr's character, were focused on three specific areas. Firstly, the number of vertical edges between the eyebrows was adjusted. Secondly, the inner part of the eyelids was optimized to be only a few edges wide, which would facilitate the creation of blendshapes in the future. Lastly, the inner mouth was modified to have a completely flat top and bottom sides, allowing for seamless integration of the teeth and gum.

Once I achieved the desired topology for the entire body and ensured its complete symmetry using the abSymMesh script in Maya, I utilized the DPK_bcs Maya plugin to craft the essential blendshapes for the creation of Mandy. This primarily involved lowering her hood and opening her eyes, along with creating a simple blendshape that allowed for the contraction and dilation of her pupils. This enabled me to precisely adjust Mandy's gaze as desired, in accordance with my intentions.
A cluster deformer in Maya served the purpose of opening Mandy's eyes. By employing the cluster deformer, I could exert precise control over the geometry, allowing me to adjust and shape the eye area to achieve the desired wide-eyed expression for the character.
To centralize the final modelling process, I transferred the blendshapes into ZBrush layers, consolidating all the completed components in one central location.

2.2 UVs

The UV unfolding process was carried out in RizomUV, which allows for a more precise and efficient layout compared to Maya. To enhance effectiveness, I transferred my meshes to and from ZBrush and Rizom using the ODZBrushRizomBridge plugin. Strategically placed seams were given priority to ensure both seam invisibility and layout efficiency.

Next, I conducted a quick validation in Substance Painter to maintain texture consistency and prevent blurring. The final layout consisted of 4 UDIMs for the clothing, two for the eyes (one for the cornea and one for the iris), and one for the body. This ensured a high resolution for each part of Mandy's model.

2.3 Final Details

To finish the modelling phase, I sculpted minor clothing details such as folds. Once satisfied, displacement maps were exported and checked in Maya for accuracy.

3. Texture

I initiated the texture process by painting the body, eyes, and clothes in ZBrush using polypaint, following the same approach as I did for Brokkr. The polypaint maps were subsequently exported. In Substance Painter, I employed smart materials to obtain the desired textures, making adjustments to each parameter to align with the original concept art and my references for clothing and art style.

It is worth noting that while rendering the coloured eyes and skin, I identified certain facial shapes that required modification. The inclusion of colours in the model proved beneficial in identifying any undesired shapes and facilitated improvements to the modelling work.

4. Groom

I used XGen for grooming, with a specific focus on creating Mandy's distinctive hair. The fringe and pigtails were treated separately, considering their unique shapes, positioning, and growth direction. I referred to the 2D concept art to ensure the hair perfectly matched Mandy's quirky and playful personality.

Similar to my approach for Brokkr, I achieved the braids using blocking meshes. However, unlike Brokkr's method, I did not use the Tube tool. Instead, I converted the edges to curves and then transformed them into XGen guides. I also observed that the outcomes were greatly improved when the blocking meshes accurately replicated real hair, extending from the roots to the tips, rather than only starting from the base and ending at the tip of the braid.

Unlike my previous project, I gained insights into rendering groomed animations. After consulting with professional groomers like Martin Behem and Alvin Arevalo-Zamora, I realised that interactive grooming is not well-suited for actual production. For the same reasons, I decided to discontinue the use of groomable splines.
Instead, I learned that wrapping the groom supports to the basemesh and having the guides follow them is a more appropriate approach. In certain situations, it may be necessary to convert the animation into an alembic cache before applying the groom. However, since I worked alone on this project, I was able to complete all the necessary steps within the same project file without the need to use any animation caches.

Consequently, I followed the industry-standard method for rendering my animation by performing batch rendering after creating dedicated patches for the batch using the XGen panel.

5. Look Development

Upon finishing the grooming process, my next step involved preparing the model for rendering. Using Maya and Arnold, I focused on fine-tuning the textures, colours, and light interaction to achieve the desired visual outcome.

For this project, I opted to utilize CAVE Academy's lighting setup, which provided a convenient way to quickly establish an appealing environment for an engaging turntable animation.

6. Post-Production

As Mandy is still a work in progress, with facial blendshapes being created to infuse her with expressive emotions, the final stages of posing and lighting are yet to be completed. However, to present an appealing preview of Mandy's character, I adjusted the lighting from the lookdev scene to illuminate both her eyes, infusing life into her gaze. I further refined the output during the compositing phase to create a captivating visual presentation.

My primary focus during post-production was compositing in Nuke, and Arnold's AOVs, including ZDepth, RGB masks, and cryptomattes, greatly facilitated this process. By arranging my lights into light groups, I was able to seamlessly adjust their intensity and colours, allowing for greater flexibility in the scene's ambience.
The techniques I applied were similar to those used for Brokkr, including the introduction of volumetric fog for a deeper atmospheric effect.

Finally, I used DaVinci Resolve for colour grading and video editing. This final step brought a subtle refinement to the visuals and marked the completion of the current stage of Mandy's creation.

Final Thoughts

The experience of turning Mandy from a 2D concept into a 3D character was a truly satisfying challenge that stretched the boundaries of my skillset. I approached each step with meticulous care, maintaining a strong adherence to industry standards and refining my understanding of facial topology and grooming techniques. Each stage of the creation process offered valuable learning opportunities, and professional guidance was key in overcoming challenges and elevating the quality of my work, enriching my proficiency as a 3D character artist.

Though Mandy's development continues, primarily focusing on crafting her facial blendshapes, the progress achieved is invigorating. Looking back on this journey, I am deeply thankful for the knowledge I have gained and eagerly anticipate incorporating these insights into my future endeavours.

Journey's End: The Beginning of New Adventures

Firstly, I would like to express my gratitude for your time in exploring my work. Each character represents my passion and dedication to evolving in the field of 3D character creation, and I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to share their breakdown with you.
I would also like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the professionals who have provided guidance along my journey, as well as to my fellow competitors in the Rookies of the Year contest. Your boundless creativity inspires and fuels my own.

Creating Brokkr Úlfarr and Mandy has shown me the value of perseverance, the importance of stepping outside of my comfort zone, and the potential of learning from others.
Looking ahead, I am excited to embrace new techniques, confront upcoming challenges, and delve deeper into the captivating realm of character creation. 

Thank you.