Finalising my model- Texturing process
Below is my model texturing progress in which I did using Substance painter which I thought would be best due to its advanced features and texture options. The texturing itself went reasonably well, however, I did come across some issues during the end of the process. For example, once I had finished the majority of the main body, I decided to add some cartoon-styled linework to indicate the flow of the fur and other little details such as the nose and eyebrows. This is when I ran into some issues with the leg areas. Somehow my model caused the textures in the lower half of the model to pixelize and have a lower quality rate in comparison to the head, and mid-torso area. I went back and checked my original fbx file and everything seemed fine. Due to this, I limited the amount of linework I used in this process, however, there are some areas the quality is less than others. If I were to go back and improve or tweak in any areas this would definitely be it. Due to the time constraints and other things that I have been involved in, there was no way I could go back and fix these issues on time. Therefore, I strive to learn from this experience, to ensure that future models don’t have this type of issue. Regardless of this, I am extremely proud of how this model turned out, as the colour choices, expressions and shape of the form itself is very alike to the original concept art. I definitely feel that this model fits the ‘cute’ category chosen for this theme, and I probably wouldn’t have been able to keep up with this if it weren’t for the research I conducted in previous posts. In comparison to the initial design, there were a few things that I did change, for example, I left out the horns in the headpiece and the single tufts shown in the tail. I planned to do these at first, however, I realised that the deadline was closer than originally sought, thus I left them out as I was running out of time. Not only that, but I felt that they weren’t exactly necessary.
Images of this progress
Blocking out the colour on the torso
Continuation of this, and also adding shading
Filling in the rest
Final outcome- line art and tree stump textures completed
Final evaluation of this course & module
In comparison to the beginning of this course, I feel as though I have made a lot of progress with my ability to 3D model. At the start, I barely knew how to use Maya let alone Blender or Substance Painter- I was unaware of these programs at the time. This is the complete opposite from now, as I am able to function well in all three of these programs to create models, animate and rig. Moreover, I would say that this module by far is my favourite. As I already loved making character designs in 2D, I integrated this passion and set of skills to aid me in the making of my models during this term. The tutorials that the tutors made for our weekly classes helped me a lot in the experience of learning these programs and further finding out the style I wish to continue forming after this academic year. Admittedly I did have some struggles here and there during my assignments, and one of the main issues I have had is balancing all of my tasks at once. There were a few moments that I thought I wasn’t going to submit on time, but luckily I pulled through with dedication and the commitment to finish. To show the progress that I have made overall this year, below I have included a photograph of the first character model that I did during the very beginning of this module…
From an appearance point of view, this model looks really well done with the shape and colours combined. However, there is evidently a lot of technical issues with it, including that of non-manifold geometry, an unnecessary amount of triangles and there are some polys around the nose area, which aren’t connected to each other as I messed up with the vertices at the time. This is something that I can confidently say I have improved on since. In comparison to this model, I am now able to sculpt without running into a huge amount of errors, and whenever I do, I know how to fix the problem- this indicates a huge amount of improvement.
In conclusion, this module and this year as a whole have helped me learn about animation in so many ways I wouldn’t have initially thought it would. Before I started this course, I had no idea it would go into so much depth and teach us so many things. It makes me feel more experienced as an artist to be able to animate both in 2D and 3D forms and also be able to sculpt and rig models. This is an amazing skill set to have from a first-year course and I would say I am very satisfied with the outcome and the productivity I have made this year.
Final model outcome on Sketchfab: Fire Elemental Goat Model – 3D model by Crowkles (@Crowkles) [50a7743] (sketchfab.com)