This is my first Blender project so I designed a character with simple shapes and a clear silhouette to focus on learning the software. In retrospect, I would have assigned greater time constraints to each stage of the process ensuring I thoughtfully completed them on time. Regrettably due to time constraints I could not manually retopologize. It was challenging to manage this project alongside the animated short and my job.
Mayas auto retopology tool saved me a lot of time but didn’t always act as desired, this is most obvious in the ribbon around the skirt. On the high poly model, this is a clean shape but on the low poly, it’s jagged and uneven. This also created asymmetrical topology which made hiding seams and making clean symmetrical cuts difficult. I am far more capable now at unwrapping UV,s than I was at the start of the year.
If I were to do this project again I would follow along with extra tutorials before attempting modelling. It wasn’t until I was midway through my Blender model and was struggling that I completed short youtube tutorials. Although I spent longer than intended in Blender that high poly model needed to be appealing because it would stand out in the final product.
Thanks to this project and the assistance from my lectures I exceeded my vision for the design and confidently feel able to create organic Models.
Sketchfab Link https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/ophelia-the-vampire-bat-3eb5ad67f55346aa82cb4292e754aff0