Subdivision modelling in Gravity Sketch
Bring the power of subdivision modelling to VR design
Glen Southern dons his VR headset for some creature design
V Rcreation tools have been around for a while now. As artists we can sculpt, sketch, layout, design, iterate, paint, animate and do a whole host of other cool tasks right inside our VR headsets (HMD). While most of the sculpting is done using voxel-based modelling, very much akin to using spray foam in the air in front of you, Gravity Sketch focused on a splinebased workflow that really suited Cad-based modellers, and you can easily see how automotive designers can benefit from that sort of technology in their day-today work.
But what about character and creature designers? Or artists coming from 2D and wanting more of an organic workflow? Well, as mentioned there is always programs like Oculus Medium (soon to be Adobe Medium) and Masterpiece VR that have focused on voxel sculpting. You can get amazing results in both of these, but what if you want more control? What if you want subdivision modelling in VR? That’s what Gravity Sketch have been working on last year and the resulting new toolset inside the core Gravity Sketch program is amazing. Subdivision modelling has been around for well over 25 years now and is the way that we can get rounded or smoothed shapes driven by a lower polygon model. It is how programs like Maya, Max and Cinema 4D (and pretty much all polygon modelling programs) allow you to make stunning models without the polygon count killing your machine. In this tutorial I go through the core toolset and how to use those tools to make a rhino beetle.
Collect any reference imagery you might need and put it into the Gravity Sketch folder on your PC (usually Docs>gravity Sketch>reference images). Any JPGS or PNGS that are saved in that folder will appear in your interface. If needed, add them to the scene from the Reference Images icon on the nondominant hand. You can add as many images as you need for the project and either hang them in the air in front of you or anchor them to the model you are working on. That way they move with the image as you are working.