madart
03-31-2006, 08:53 AM
So here it finally is.
This is a tutorial on how to make a facial bump and specular map. I want to give you a general idea of what to look for when creating a bump and spec map. This tutorial will work more as a guide for creating these textures, and is not a step-by-step tutorial.
My plan from the beginning was to make a tutorial for Photoshop, but more and more people are using Z-Brush for the finer details, quite a few people are using a photo as a base and painting on top of that or painting the whole texture by hand. I hope that which ever method you use, you will benefit from at least part of this tutorial.
The Character
There are a number of things you have to take into consideration before you create the textures for your character.
* Gender
* Age
* Environment
* Occupation
* Make-up?
* Health
* Smoker?
* Drinker?
* Habits
* Scars?
I am sure you can add other things to the list in regard to your specific character.
Naturally you will have made these decisions before even starting working on the character.
The skin
Now we will take a look at the facial skin in general.
A persons complexion varies greatly. These are just general guidelines.
Dry skin:
* Pores are less visible.
* The skin might be flaky.
* The skin is matte. Soft specular highlights.
Oily skin:
* Big visible pores.
* Shiny skin. Sharp specular highlights.
The sketch below shows the generally greasier areas of the face where the pores are more visible.
http://madartgraphics.com/web/bump_spec/01.jpg
Below are close-ups of two nose-tips belonging to two elderly people. One has visible dark pores. The skin is greasier and has more specularity, sharper highlights. The other has barely any visible pores at all. Notice how the skin is dry and flaky. It's quite matte looking.
Notice also how some pores are concave while some are convex.
concave= inward
convex= outward
http://madartgraphics.com/web/bump_spec/02.jpg
The forehead and cheeks
The face have smooth, firmer and thicker skin in younger people. As we get older the skin starts to loose it's elasticity and becomes thinner. The skin starts to sag and gets dehydrated. Wrinkles start to appear. At first fine lines and then deeper wrinkles.
In our late 30's and early 40's one can see a change in the appearance of the skin in the cheeks and forehead. Up until then the skin is quite smooth.
Look at the photos below and notice the fine wavy lines and indentations in the forehead and the cheeks.
http://madartgraphics.com/web/bump_spec/03.jpg
http://madartgraphics.com/web/bump_spec/04.jpg
If the character is a woman, and she is using heavy make-up, lots of powder and foundation (coloured cream), then the pores and the uneveness of the skin won't be as noticeable.
In real life some people's skin don't age as quickly as others, but you should only take that into consideration, if that is part of your character's story.
Wrinkles at the corner of the eye
Below we can see how the lines and wrinkles radiate from the outer corner of the eye, and how they follow the same direction. Notice how the finer lines have become deep wrinkles in the older woman.
http://madartgraphics.com/web/bump_spec/05.jpg
Creases in the forehead
In the photo below we can see a criss-cross pattern in the forehead of an older person.
http://madartgraphics.com/web/bump_spec/06.jpg
When you're texturing your character, you should know in what kind of environment the character has lived. Has the character been exposed to a lot of sun? Sunworshipping? Harsh weather? Then the character would have deeper wrinkles. Very deep wrinkles is best modelled (or normal mapped, displacement map).
http://madartgraphics.com/web/bump_spec/07.jpg
Note the little bumps below the eye.
http://madartgraphics.com/web/bump_spec/08.jpg
Notice the lines on the lips, deeper vertical lines and shallow, finer horisantal and vertical lines.
http://madartgraphics.com/web/bump_spec/09.jpg
This is a tutorial on how to make a facial bump and specular map. I want to give you a general idea of what to look for when creating a bump and spec map. This tutorial will work more as a guide for creating these textures, and is not a step-by-step tutorial.
My plan from the beginning was to make a tutorial for Photoshop, but more and more people are using Z-Brush for the finer details, quite a few people are using a photo as a base and painting on top of that or painting the whole texture by hand. I hope that which ever method you use, you will benefit from at least part of this tutorial.
The Character
There are a number of things you have to take into consideration before you create the textures for your character.
* Gender
* Age
* Environment
* Occupation
* Make-up?
* Health
* Smoker?
* Drinker?
* Habits
* Scars?
I am sure you can add other things to the list in regard to your specific character.
Naturally you will have made these decisions before even starting working on the character.
The skin
Now we will take a look at the facial skin in general.
A persons complexion varies greatly. These are just general guidelines.
Dry skin:
* Pores are less visible.
* The skin might be flaky.
* The skin is matte. Soft specular highlights.
Oily skin:
* Big visible pores.
* Shiny skin. Sharp specular highlights.
The sketch below shows the generally greasier areas of the face where the pores are more visible.
http://madartgraphics.com/web/bump_spec/01.jpg
Below are close-ups of two nose-tips belonging to two elderly people. One has visible dark pores. The skin is greasier and has more specularity, sharper highlights. The other has barely any visible pores at all. Notice how the skin is dry and flaky. It's quite matte looking.
Notice also how some pores are concave while some are convex.
concave= inward
convex= outward
http://madartgraphics.com/web/bump_spec/02.jpg
The forehead and cheeks
The face have smooth, firmer and thicker skin in younger people. As we get older the skin starts to loose it's elasticity and becomes thinner. The skin starts to sag and gets dehydrated. Wrinkles start to appear. At first fine lines and then deeper wrinkles.
In our late 30's and early 40's one can see a change in the appearance of the skin in the cheeks and forehead. Up until then the skin is quite smooth.
Look at the photos below and notice the fine wavy lines and indentations in the forehead and the cheeks.
http://madartgraphics.com/web/bump_spec/03.jpg
http://madartgraphics.com/web/bump_spec/04.jpg
If the character is a woman, and she is using heavy make-up, lots of powder and foundation (coloured cream), then the pores and the uneveness of the skin won't be as noticeable.
In real life some people's skin don't age as quickly as others, but you should only take that into consideration, if that is part of your character's story.
Wrinkles at the corner of the eye
Below we can see how the lines and wrinkles radiate from the outer corner of the eye, and how they follow the same direction. Notice how the finer lines have become deep wrinkles in the older woman.
http://madartgraphics.com/web/bump_spec/05.jpg
Creases in the forehead
In the photo below we can see a criss-cross pattern in the forehead of an older person.
http://madartgraphics.com/web/bump_spec/06.jpg
When you're texturing your character, you should know in what kind of environment the character has lived. Has the character been exposed to a lot of sun? Sunworshipping? Harsh weather? Then the character would have deeper wrinkles. Very deep wrinkles is best modelled (or normal mapped, displacement map).
http://madartgraphics.com/web/bump_spec/07.jpg
Note the little bumps below the eye.
http://madartgraphics.com/web/bump_spec/08.jpg
Notice the lines on the lips, deeper vertical lines and shallow, finer horisantal and vertical lines.
http://madartgraphics.com/web/bump_spec/09.jpg