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RageOfAges
04-13-2010, 09:13 AM
Hypothetical situation:

Ok, so I've got this kickass concept floating around in my head. I mean, this thing, when done, is gonna blow the socks off of the entire CG comunity. I do a lot of mental sketching, then I've got a good solid idea on how I'm going to go about it. It's time for the Prep work. I spend the next hour or two scouring the web for reference images and then....That's it. It just ends there.

So now I've got an idea, a bunch of pictures to look at to help the process, and nothing else.

Now that I've introduced the thread topic, How do you guys go about setting up for the latest model. I can't draw. I am a late bloomer to the artistic field and have nothing on folks who have been illustrating since they could walk. Instead I usually do a few zb sculpts to flesh out my idea.

You guys have a secret weapon for the prep work? Or does everybody just grab a bunch of references and have at it?

I guess what I'm looking for here is that little something that you thought of yourself, such as:

"I take pictures of cheese because when I look at cheese I see really cool patterns in it that give me inspiration".

So what's your process for the prep work?

-rage
Zickar
04-13-2010, 04:33 PM
Its a question I can ask as well because I'm new to modelling myself . However I'm good at drawing and although not very good but I used to draw when I was younger and always doodle . I usually get my ideas done but that's mainly because up until now I had references ... However One way I think would be helpful to start working on an idea is to immerse yourself in it specially if its the only project you are working on ... You might not have reference material for the model in your head yet specially since its an imaginary creature but your creature definitely lives in a certain environment , your imagined model will definitely have some traits you can use to research .. Get enough images and print them out ... Print out as much images as you can and paste them around your office ... put them on the edges of your screen , put them on the walls facing you , put them on your desk , put them as your wallpaper and so on .. the idea is to surround yourself with the general ambience of the environment you are trying to model for ... So basically if your model will live in water surround yourself with images of marine life and weeds and so on .. these will not be used as Reference material but just inspiration .. Hope this helps as this is not experimented by me but I think it can help
Psyk0
04-13-2010, 05:35 PM
I have mediocre concepting skills at best, but what works for me is:

-Thumbnailing to get initial idea
-Blocking out shapes with primitives in a 3d app + paintover
-As you said, concepting a few zbrush sculpts
Zickar
04-13-2010, 06:06 PM
I have mediocre concepting skills at best, but what works for me is:

-Thumbnailing to get initial idea
-Blocking out shapes with primitives in a 3d app + paintover
-As you said, concepting a few zbrush sculpts

What is thumbnailing ? I heard it thrown around a few times and a quick search explained to me what I already know ... "Thumbnails are reduced-size versions of pictures" so Thumbnailing is the art of making them but hhow exactly does it help and is it a practice I should learn ?
Psyk0
04-14-2010, 04:36 AM
It's just quick drawings to find interesting silhouettes, you can scribble a bunch of them and pick out interesting ones / combine stuff that could work together.

Stuff like this
http://www.rhemrev.com/blogspot/Robo_thumbnails.jpg

More detailed
http://www.staceydclark.com/lupiblogger/roboshmmooo.jpg
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