HOW CAN I EASILY CREATE CHARACTERS FOR PRESENTATION?

Benjamin Johnsson, Norway

When it comes to presentation rendering, you can render out all of the elements you need in Zbrush, without really leaving the software. I often use Zbrush and just a handful of other programs to accomplish this, which is a great time-saver as you don’t have to extract normal maps or subdivide, you can just show the high-res sculpt in its full glory. However, if you do want the character to move for some reason, then using this workflow may not be so useful.

In this tutorial, accompanied by a time-lapsed video series, I will go over my entire process of creating characters for presentation. I’ll create a fully sculpted character in Zbrush, use Marvelous Designer to come up with a quick dynamic cloth simulation, and then bring that back into Zbrush to make further enhancements.

When deciding on a given task, I always begin with reference – that being the single most important thing once the design brief is given or an idea is imagined. If you are doing this as a personal project, you decide what road to ultimately take, and therefore you have the final say. If you’re doing this for your employer or a client, then be really particular about time management and progress.

If you’re doing this as a portfolio piece, try your best to make something dynamic that potential employers will remember, or if showing it online or on social media, aim for something pleasing on the eye. Spend a fair amount of time on your work, take pride in it and harness your skill and creativity. I always strive to make my work memorable and to the best of my ability.

When creating, have an aim or at least a direction in mind. That always helps you with getting to your goal, which is ultimately to finish the project. When I was just starting out, I struggled with completing my work and have a lot of unfinished sculpts and characters that I sometimes go back to. As an aspiring artist, you ought to strive for completion over everything else. I think of that as another one of the single most important things – next to my reliance on reference – to get to the end of your project.