Body topology

#761

Do this, create a poly sphere, then deform the surface, using bones or so, the normals will stay at 90degrees with the surface, if you do a set to face and an average normal, this will not e the case anymore, the normals will stay along the vector they had initially… can’t seem to find a solution

#762

Not sure if I’m understanding your problem? If you want the normals to adjust with the surface, you need to “unlock vertex normal”. The “set to face” has em locked. You shouldn’t need to average the normals really. I could see certain instances in a face that you might want to adjust normals though. Also, even though it looks funky in maya, if it was converted for a game engine it would probably work fine. Don’t know why that is, but locked normals work fine in our game engine.

#763

I’m talking about vertex normals here. When I do “Set To Face” the vertex normals are set to the face, making them hard, then I do an average normal to make them smooth again, soften/harden edge, results in terrible shading mostly. Anyway, it doens’t matter what I have done to it, whenever normals are locked or unlocked, my deformation happens like this:
The vector of the normals doesn’t change, what am I doing wrong?

#764

i got a problem, im modelling the body of an old man, hes going to be very skinny…
but when skinny… the chest aint muscled anymore like 99,9 procent of models you would make.
and when skinny the chest doesnt form with the ribcages but the flesh hangs between shoulder and ribcage…

but now i dont know if that is right, or with what i should go, following the ribcage doesnt seem right at all, but than looking at refs it seems just to be allmost flat when skinny… but that looks weird… hhmm maybe im just not used to it

#765

hmmm wow lol thats funny ivo i was thinking about working on the tummy area of a woman today and i wanted to change how it conformed i came up with and idea similar to what you just posted

With your situation i was working an oldguy ( http://www.geocities.com/balbless/chuck.avi) like two weeks ago skinny with the typical old guy pot belly

I saw the same thing but i found if you modeled it typical and go back adjust the chest so that it conforms to the stomche having some what of a arc similar to a sunset or horizon …it worked out fine

and most old men unless they are on the brink of die from starvation have sagging skin i under the breast …:slight_smile: they have muscles but they sag

if he is not goiing to have a pot belly model it normal and use a lattice or whatever max has to adjust…i think ur ribs will be fine

#766

i got my problem fixed a little… hope im on the right track, find this very difficult , not really used to model skinny…

this is what i have now.

for the interested people… who want to know where its for
check here http://www.cgtalk.com/showthread.php?p=1458419&posted=1#post1458419

#767

qoute of Dave Cardwell post on pixolator forum:
“I really want cg modeling to move in a form first edgeflow later paradigm”

and the whole topic is here:
http://www.pixolator.com/zbc-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=1&t=016267

I really cant to work in this way, I always think about the topology as much as I think about the form.
What do you think?

#768

he has got a point , but topology is the form, caus its the flow of the muscles, and you want to trace those for later deformation.

hes just doing twice the amount of time, if the topology is right than tweaking is allways the same, same muscles same angles, its just how round,m wide and high you make every poly ring.

i would just try to get it right the first time as much as i can.

#769

Goldenarm: It finally worked, I started to read some about the unlocking of the normals, indeed averaging normals locks m, set to face too I guess, I just unlocked them and softened the edges and it worked, thanks a LOT man, this solves a lot of problems for me

#770

IvoD, here’s an overpaint on your old man, hope you don’t mind. I think you have to make his chest more like the prow of a ship, and the ribcage and collarbones more visible. The big tendon in the neck is called the sternocleidomastoid, because it has 3 ‘heads’, at the sternum and clavicle, and at the mastoid. Separate the sternal and cavicular heads. There are 2 smaller tendons down the center too, that usually become very visible in older people, hyoid something, I forget the name. In the face, I think the lips should be less visible, and the wrinkles deeper.

About that thread, I can see his point. And it would be really great if it didn’t take so long to redo the topology. probably will be easier in the future, I think this is the way modeling will go.

#771

thanks for the crits point.
ill see what i can put in,

ive done the lips, and the tendons on the neck a little, did them very subtile.
it looked kindah weird when i made them as you deed, i missed the tendon part. looked at some ref images for to long, and at my work, you know how that goes :wink:

for the chest, what you did is very cool. but im afraid he will look to weak than for my image.
i see youve defined the middle of the chest, the bumps on his chest in the center… ill try to get that in, kindah where the muscle and bone get togerther.

for the abs, it will be difficult, ill try to do something.

in the end, he has to look weak, but again also strong. his face needs to look old… but also heroic. therefore i kept the lips in the beginning, and the build of his face this way… little hero kindah head look(i think)

most difficult will be the hips, now im really noticing, that making an abnormal body is a lot more difficult hehe… but eej its funn.

if you all got some advice for the hips ,topology wise, just post it.

edit: all the little wrickles ill make with a bump mapping.
going to model in a vain over the side of his head do, to give him some extra character

#772

Not sure if you saw it, but there’s a perfect example of the ‘aging hero’ body type here,
http://www.pixolator.com/zbc-bin/ul…ic&f=1&t=016267
the thread just mentioned above

#773

link is dead… :S

but i think i know the model you mean, it was in the thread about the way to model, with or without right topology from the beginning

#774

Hey all! It has been about a week or so, but I have been rather absent! I feel bad :frowning:

ivoD: Nice mesh! I think you have really hit the aged hero look on the head. Youve kept the aged physique without too much wrinkling which would generally depict weak/aged. I think my only crit would be that the abs seem to forward on the z-axis; if you were to sink them just a touch I think it might look that bit more realistic. Otherwise, awsome :slight_smile:

AlexandreM: Thank you for the recommendation to the tuts… the ear tut was particularly useful!

I too have some images for crit… This time with the head… at last :wink:

Thanks in advance :slight_smile:
Deeb.

#775

deeb’s, in gerneral your modeling is good, but your porportions are not quite right here. study the female’s hips, should be more of a 32 24 32, instead of a 32 24 26 you have now, the lower body looks a bit squished in fact. inner arm for the rotation of the elbow has no lower elbow joint, its like twisted upward visually in the front perpersective.
the upper chest is looking good, and so are the feet, the nech connection to the head seams like there is a fat behinde the lower ear, the vally like cavity in the back could have shoulder bones.
the face looks like its doing fine, i would decrease the eyebrow cavity more, to be more female.
the top of the knee, seams to be a strange bump on the upper right of the right knee.
you also might want to bring in the ear, and jaw line in a 1/2 inch or so…
dont give up, u seam to be learning alot here… work on bringing more femalism to your character, especually the face, and lower body.
I am not to keen of the biceps and forearms. the strike me as being un-natrual

untill next time deebs, keep up the hard work it will payoff in the end.

#776

Wow… awsome crit :slight_smile: Thank you very much!

I agree with all you said… you have commented on the areas to which I ponder about ‘whats wrong there?’, if you know what I mean :slight_smile: Only thing im not sure about is what 32 24 32 means. Is that in reference to the ration between shoulders/waist/hips?

I will work on the other suggestions though :slight_smile: Thanks again, and yes I am learning a lot off this forum… Its a wealth of knowledge and should by no means be overlooked.

#777

I think what kryoboy is saying is 32 inch chest 24 inch waist and 32 inch buttocks…please correct me if i’m wrong

#778

looking better…:wink:

but still some tweaks to do.

ears are flat… must get more volume, and attached to the head right, so you dont see and edge, it just flows over.

there is to much of a line coming from her bellybutton.

wrist is little to bocy, and has a visible mesh seem, between wrist and hand.

uppper arms could be a little thinner.

to make her more female you could try giving her a little more hips.

for the head give more volume to the cheekbone, and nex to the nose, i see the mesh coming up flowing to the cheek, but that has to inward.

i think thats it for now.

tweaking tweaking hehe… pff im still modeling to… just slowly. ill be so happy when i come to the tweaking stage… its more funn.

hope your having funn with it to, aldo we have lots of adjustments for you every time, to ad to your list :bounce:

#779

Hey again all! Once again thankyou for the crits… most useful.

I have added some new images, with many updates made according to the recommendations based on the crits. One most stupid thing which has now been rectified is that my monitor, although at a correct ratio in windows, was stretched horizontally on the screen itself. As such, my character was actually thinner than she looked to me. I realised this when I loaded it up on my friends laptop! Skinny she was! AHHH! Anyhow, shes now the way she should be, and as such may seem a little more correct in many respects. I have completely restructured the jaw as is seen in one of the new images (you can notice especially if comparing the new and old wireframe), worked on wrists, ears, neck, bum, chin, elbows and eyes a little. Unfortunately I dont have too much more time on the mesh cos I really should get going on texturing. If i could ask a bit of advice; should I rotate my arm so that the hands are facing down, leaving a twisted (not messy) mesh so as to make rotation easier later on?

Thanks in advance!!

#780

did some minor adjustments in the neck, and the ribcage, and started with the back and shoulders.

the back still needs some work, but this is what i have for now.
Not yet happy with his armpits, will try to make that work when i have more of the arm, so i can put a cylinder shape as armpit, going inword.