A quick update

In the past I started website / blog here and there and then it went down shortly after. Some of you who have been following are probably confused and the reason is that I was not in charge of the domain name. I didn’t have much control over it but soon I will have my own domain under my control.

Right now this blog template has some error that I can’t figure it out and I don’t have much motivation to post with problems here and there.

Anyway, just a quick update.

iPod touch

Been busy with photography lately and haven't got a chance to really get back to 3d. Anyway, I was playing with my ipod the other day and learn that it's a great tool for 3d artists or artists in general in that you can carry references with you!

You can easily log your ideas or download tutorials (html/pdf) and have it with you wherever you go and I find it very convenient. I find myself flipping through wireframe references (with the ability to zoom in/out). For 2d artists or those that does figure drawing, you can see how useful it can be to flip through references of poses or study muscles on the go.

If you got an itouch and don't know what to do with it maybe you should use it for art.

Breaking things down

This is how I look at CG:

MRZ Theory comprises of everything below:

modeling:
The Form
The Pole (topology theory)
The Tweak (sculpting with vertices)
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beyond modeling:
The Bone (mesh deformation)
The Map (texturing)
The Light (rendering and lighting theory)
The Frame (composition theory)
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template error

there seems to be an error in this template for some unknown reasons or maybe I didn't set it correctly but as I make more new posts then old posts will be hidden away. Like the very very first post of this blog titled "Nothing" is not listed anywhere here.

it might take me a while to find out why.

Attitude & Perception

The right attitude is key if you're young and just starting out.

References
Use references whenever you can. Don't be stubborn. IF you have a good reason for not using reference, then you're the boss. But don't model without references because you want to show the world that you can do without references. In the end, people don't really care whether you use ref or not, they really don't and by pointing it out that you don't will make you look a bit funny and strange too.

Using references is actually a skill because not everyone can just take out a blueprint and bring it to life. The more you use references the better you will be at using references and your art will improve. Use references and use it whenever you can.

Shock them with your result and not with the fact that you didn't use any ref.

Competition
The truth is.... we are all god of art. If you have all the time in the universe and all the resources you can have. The conclusion will be that you will become god of art, if your desire is to become one. Plain and simple.

Here's a secret: all things that human do, we do it is because it's easy. Finding the mindset and mentality for it is the hard part but once found, everything just flows. That's why, the mindset/mentality is guarded and rarely talked.

Your age has nothing to do with whether you can do art or not. Don't compare your age to others because it means absolutely nothing. What is important is your mind. Have the right attitude and perception when you are learning because it will brings you very far and fast even if you started late in your 30's!!.

You are already god of art. What's missing for you is 'right knowledge.'

Side by side: Poly vs Box

I was going through my harddrive and found this old pic.



If you got more ideas you can comment to this post and I'll add it to the list.

Mass: I'll post an example if I can find it again.
Poltrude: It's poly extrude..., poltrude is a word i made up. There's a famous lightwave tutorial of the head where the artist uses only the extrude tool and spinquad.
KFU: Key-cut, Fill-cut and Unpole. The technique I and a lot of others use.

The Tweak

Writing The Tweak will be very lengthy so I'm going to just quickly go over it and in the future if I ever got the time I'll probably write it. This post here is just a draft and for my own reference.

Regardless of the method you're using, whether it's Nurbs, Spline or Sub-D, you are constantly tweaking. However, The Tweak that I am talking about is 'Artistic' Tweaking. So there is two types of tweaking (artistic and non-artistic). But keep in mind that The Tweak is much more important in Sub-D than anything else because in sub-d you have total control over every polygon.

There is: The Form, The Pole and The Tweak for Subdivision modeling. Within sub-d modeling there are two methods: Box modeling and Poly modeling. The difference between the two is that Poly skips The Form and jumps right into The Pole. So in a way, Poly is the shortcut to having the final result (true but not always).

But regardless of box or poly, all roads lead to The Tweak because the tweak produces result! A lot can be said about a person's ability to tweak just by looking at his/her mesh.

There are a lot that you have to take into consideration when you tweaking, for example:

1: References! and blueprint
2: Fiction or non-fiction?
3: Viewport - orthographic vs perspective <-- very important. This is where Wings3D lost to Blender. Wings3D owns The Form and The Pole, however. Blender owns when it comes to Tweaking because it got all the proper tools for the job.
4: All the available tools for tweaking
5: Subsurf mode - on or off? (that's what it's called in Blender)
6: A trained eye!
7: Keyboard shortcuts
8: Viewport lighting - proper lighting brings out the form of your mesh. Allows you to tweak dark areas. You sure don't want to tweak polygons that are all white! Viewport lighting can be a guide or a cue to how well you're tweaking.

Here's a very old clip back in the old days showing how viewport lighting can help with tweaking. Also keep in mind that this clip is not about the anatomy of the neck.


The Tweak --> Key-Tweak, Fill-Tweak

Zone-S: ZBrush, Mudbox ect..

Now and then I come across forum posts where people say that Zone-S is taking over (in a way they're right but it's also a bit wrong). Create a form and bring it into Zone-S and finish it there with the proper sculpting tools and if need to you can always bring it to Zone-M or H via softwares like Topogun or what have you.

The thing about Zone-S is that it allows you to exaggerate things much more easily than you ever could in Zone-LMH. And you know, the head of a non-fictional character is not about exaggeration so Zone-S rules when it comes to creatures and fictional characters but not when you are creating non-fictional characters, the head for example, every SINGLE point and where it's located counts!

Sculpting tool doesn't move a single point, it moves a group of points because you're in Zone-S and the polycount is very high (200,000 poly and up), don't forget that. And yes you can move a single point in Zone-S but you wouldn't like it.

To write more...

Ideas

When you study 3d it's important that you don't pick side, who or what to believe in or follow, and remain static. Be dynamic and flexible not only in what you do but how you think. It's good to read tutorials and forum posts but always ask yourself: What can I do with this idea? Can I make it even better? Is this idea 'right knowledge' for me? Can I combine this idea with ideas that I already have? Ideas are good, welcome them.

When you have an idea then that's a great sign! Write it down and keep track of it (that's what I do) because one idea can create many other ideas and our mind works better when it has a lot of ideas. Some of the things I write are really common knowledge but what I do with them is putting it into a much more understandable format. Like the MRZ Theory, for example. We all know that a mesh can be low, mid or high and people just stop there... So I decided to put it into a format that can help explain things.

When it's clear in your mind, it will then be clear for others.

MRZ Theory (not done)

Before I left the 3d world I was trying to fix The Form thread and in doing so I came up with a theory called "MRZ" which has to do with Mesh Resolution Zone to help beginners understand mesh density and how it can affects modeling.

With this theory you'll quickly learn that theories are just theories and they're there to help you to make sense of things, nothing is fixed. This theory talks about Polygon count (polycount, the number of faces/polygons that make up the mesh/model) and Zones.

ZONES

This MRZ Theory consists of four zones (a lot can be explained theorically by just using these zones):

Zone 1: [L] - Low - Easy to manage, ideal for form study (Key-Cut) and low polygon modeling in general.
Zone 2: [M] - Mid - Great for Topology study and many other things.
Zone 3: [H] - High - Realistic tweaking. This is where you want smooth silhouette. This zone is for hardcore modeling, hyper real.
Zone 4: [S] - Great for sculpting. Not for general modeling.

MRZ from Box modeling perspective:
Zone-L: The Form (form zone) - In this zone you are limited. You can't create loops!
Zone-M: The Pole (topology zone) - When you start to create loops for your model this is the sign that you're entering Zone-M.
Zone-LMH: The Tweak (tweak zone) - When all the poles are in place then it's a sign that you're entering the Tweak zone.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Polycount increases as you move up the zone. The higher up the zone, the more details is allowed. The more polycount the more realistic the deformation of the mesh is. So we can say:

MRZ from 'The Bone' perspective in term of deformation:
Zone-H: Deforms better and more realistic


Zone-L: Game Modeling (The art of Low Poly)
Zone-LS: Digital Sculpting (A whole new world) - Zone-L for the Form.
Zone-MH: Hyper realistic modeling (more than just the look, it's the details)
Zone-M: General modeling

This MRZ Theory put things into perspective and it will make approaching 3d modeling a little easier for beginners because 3d modeling (that also includes texturing, animation, rendering) exists within these four zones, hence, the MRZ Theory.

For example, back then game modeling were in Zone-L. Now that CPU and graphic cards got better it has moved to Zone-M and soon it will jumps to Zone-H and stays there.






The Tweak is something you perform through out the modeling zone but is more concentrated in M and H.







Zone S is considered Sculpting Zone
Zone L to H is considered Modeling Zone since we're talking about modeling here. For deformation and texturing it might means something else, something specifically for def and text respectively. Let's take Texturing maps for example, in Zone-L artists spend less time on their polycount and more on creating good looking maps. Texturing is very important because it's the only thing that makes their low poly models stand out. As they shift to Zone-M and H they focus more on the polycount and less on texture maps.

So if we were to look at MRZ Theory from a Texturing map perspective, we would see that:
Zone-1: Very very important
Zone-2: Very important
Zone-3: Important
Zone-4: So-So

That is only in general if you're a modeler. If you're a texture artist then obviously it's important in all Zones.


Each Zone has advantages and disadvantages. It also has affect on the tools you use or will use. Take normal mapping for instance, you shouldn't use it in Zone-S or H and if you do it defeats the purpose of using it. Take the soft selection tool for example, in Zone-L it's easy to tweak vertices one-by-one because they're manageable but when you're in Zone-H and S it's best to use the tool that was designed for that specific zone. This doesn't mean that you can't use soft selection tool in Zone-L, in fact, you can and there are creative uses for it.


I'll add more details later.

Learn by Teaching

I find that whenever I teach someone something I learn something. One example is The Pole thread at Sub-D forum. That thread started with only an idea, a very small idea.

The idea is that a 'pole is the right knowledge (shortcut) for Topology comprehension.'

I ended up learning about Key-Loop/Fill-Loop and some other crazy ideas in the process of creating that thread. You were not the only one learning. I was learning too.

The law is very simple:
The more you teach the more you will learn. The less you teach the less you will learn. What you give will come back and that is very true with knowledge. Well, for me personally since I have experienced it.

Shortcut and Right Knowledge

Is there a shortcut? I personally believe there is but most people would say that there is no such thing as shortcut, you just have to study very hard and in a way that is true but in some cases no.

Left Knowledge vs Right Knowledge:
The shortcut is having the right knowledge (unfortunately, for me, I have to burn time and braincell to gain this knowledge that is right, for me)

Knowledge that is not right would be called 'left knowledge' because knowledge can't be wrong so it would be incorrect to call it such. The strange thing about these two is that they can reverse. Left knowledge can becomes right knowledge in some points down the road in your learning and vice versa.

Left knowledge are plenty, right are few.

What is right knowledge? Knowledge that really clicks you. A knowledge that is right for me might not be right for you either you already know it or don't need it or is not the right time (in that case, it's 'left knowledge') for you to have it and that is the problem with teaching.

How can we give knowledge that is right for everyone? Especially those that are looking for shortcuts.

C Head

Repost: This blog post is very old. It started way before 'The Pole' thread at Sub-D forum. It's here for references.



Looking back now I can understand why a lot of newcomers are having trouble with EdgeLoops. Reason is that there is no easy step-by-step to create a complete and workable loop, one that is logical. Not only that but the many type of loops out there actually confuses them and they don't know which is best and how to form it. Over the months I have collected many wireframe references and looking through it I notice that there is a common loop that a lot of artists use. I called “C-Loops” because looking it from the sideview it forms a “C” and if we all were to seek for an “ideal” loop to start with I believe it would be the C-Loops.

> Correction: To not confuse things this C-Loop is now known as C-Head (same with the other two: S-Head, X-Head). The word 'head' is there to remind you that it's only for the head and >nothing else<. The reason why it was called S, X and C is because from the sideview of the human head, the loops resembles these letters and that's what I discovered in my observation of topology wireframes.

If the topology of your head model is unique and you believe that it's different from the rest then just take note of the poles and where they are on your head.

Reasons are:

1. It's easy to create.
2. It can be used to form other loops slightly.
3. It's a good loop to get yourself comfortable with Topologies.

When we talk about edgeloops and topologies we are really talking about the human head since it's the one thing that gets the most attention and it's no wonder why artists have been trying to find “The One Loop”. This C-Loops is not the “one loop” because the human head is a complicated subject to model and all faces are different.

Later I'll walk you through on how to create this C-Loops, one that requires a lot of UnPolling but the logic behind it is very simple!

Extrude leads to...

Repost: Old stuff... (2006, jan 25) my experiment with wings3d



I am currently writing a lecture on “Form” for Sub-d forum (mentioned on day 17) and I needed a test model to go along with it so I took one of noyeT concepts and proceeded modeling. I started with a form and once all was done I then looked at it again and saw that I needed to make the leg more realistic since extrudes and rotate weren't good enough for me.

When you block out your forms you suppose to keep them simple but I didn't... I decided to complicate things and it got me into detailing and rounding, something I'm not really strong in it yet but I did it anyway and learned something new. Here's a step by step without explanation (I'll talk more about it later).



And with it you can do this:



I'll let you know when I'm done writing the tutorial.

Update: After re-reading this post that I just created I saw something:

Creative modeling

Repost: Here again for references.

When you model, be creative. A software that you use has features and in the manual it might say that feature A is for doing so_ and so but do not be narrow minded and think "so and so". Go beyond the manual and be creative with the features that are in the software you're using.

Weight Paint
Weight Paint in Blender is for storing selections and for Bones' operations, what I do is I use Weight Paint to mark my model to remind me of important areas (red). Now and then I enter Weight mode just to mark and erase... when all is done I erased the whole thing and all will be Blue again. Doing this to the head might not be necessary but imagine you're modeling a big creature or a city!

Solid/Smooth
In Blender you can select a face and set it to smooth. Some people smooth the entire model while others set it to solid for their entire model. If you do either one then you're not modeling creatively. What you should do is mix them... areas that you are done with then smooth it. Areas that are solid will need to be worked on, a reminder. There is a very good reason for modeling like this (Poles/Debugging) which I will talk about later in a thread called "The Pole" for Sub-D forum.

Creasing
Creasing is for making things sharp but not anymore. I use it to highlight important Loops (EdgeLoops) and for detailing muscles and so on. When all is done I turn off Creasing.

> Very (the creasing thing) useful for Zone-L: The Form

Multi-Materials
This is famous and you all know about it I'm sure. It's used for highlighting Loops (PolyLoops) as seen all over the web.

Brute Force modeling

Repost: I don't recommend brute force to beginners unless you want to see where it will take you and hopefully find some new ways to do things.

Brute force [anything] is time consuming but eventually you will make it and have the result. I have a habit of brute force modeling without planning out edgeloop/topology. I just get in and model and that's how I discover some things sometimes because same action same discovery, different action different discovery. To brute force modeling you should know what a pole does to your meshes and how to change flows on the fly.

I have brute forced an EAR because to me an Ear is not that important. For the hand I have brute forced many times and it was time consuming so I decided to come up with a Blueprint which you already saw on Day 34 (The Hand Logic). When you watch a video a modeler has either:


1: Planned OR
2: Brute force (rare)

Or even both (1&2).

Hand Logic

Repost: (this was posted on: 2006/06/20) it's here again just in case some people might need it.

I have been searching for the hand logic and at last found it. In total there are 7 Quads to begin with and this setup (to me) is very logical. Whether you're using box or poly try and get the 7Quads Grid first and from there just tweak and Fill-Cut.

Nothing

That was one heck of a break I took. I haven't touched Blender since I last left that means my knowledge on 3d hasn't improved but I'm sure a lot of you have. I will have to relearn Blender interface if I ever decided to get back.

I have much to learn.

The Form - How many "Cuts" and why?

State-of-mind :: How to follow online Tutorials

For this one I'm going to use Joan of Arc tutorial to demostrate the proper way of following a tutorial online because the thing that stops most newcomers from completing an online tutorials is the question "why". Such as "Why you made that cut there? Why made 3 cuts? Why not 2 or 1?". Questions like these need to be answered and if not they cannot go on. Then you have those who don't question, simply follow the tutorial and do as commanded by the tutorial maker. The people that questions most are the people that learn most because they go deep down right into the mindset of the tutorial maker.

And to be honest, I've never completed an online tutorial before because I was one of those people that ask "Why cut there? What is the mindset behind it?" and now I have the mindset through trial and error. Tutorials out there assume that you have this mindset that's why they don't talk about it or try to explain it to its reader but here I will explain it to you.

The key is "Mesh's Resolution" and I know I'm ahead of myself here for mentioning that because I haven't really talked about it yet but I will later for now bear with me.

There are two ways to follow a tutorial:

1. 1: Use the tutorial as a reference OR
2. 2: Follow it, same cuts and everything.

We're going to ignore #2 because we want to do things our way so we're only going to use a tutorial as a reference but to use it successfully you must know what is it that you're searching for and the things that you're trying to learn. For example, since I already know how to block out forms I will simply skip the form part and go right to the buttock since that is the area that I'm having difficulty with.

Alright, let's get back to the cuts and we will start with our first diagram.

Click to enlarge

The difference between A and B is that A is a "Form" stage. During the form stage we want to have as less cuts as possible and why is that? Because with less edges we can move them easily. Too many cuts will make it hard to shape the form and will slow us down. Beside, we're not really into detailing at the form stage. The question now is: How many are enough?

The answer is: How much you can handle and the type of Mesh Resolution you're going after. If you can handle 12 cuts then make 12 cuts because in the end you'll going to do it anyway so might as well do it now and if you do your form stage will look like that of "B" (in the diagram). I personally try to have less but sometimes I have more depending on the situation and the idea is to have less during the form stage so you can control it with ease.

KeyCuts / FillCuts

In Animations there are "Keyframes" which represent key poses then you have "in-between" frames which fill in the rest to complete the sequence. Look at it this way if you're having a hard time deciding on how you should cut your meshs.

On the left side of this diagram I have KeyCuts highlighted. KeyCuts is a low-polygon version of your meshs and with it you can shape the form easily. Isn't it amazing what having the right KeyCuts can do to your mesh? It makes it looks like a figure without tons of edges. Once you have enough KeyCuts you then can start increasing the resolution with FillCuts. If after having all your FillCuts and your mesh is not real enough then repeat. Make more KeyCuts and then FillCuts and repeat until it represents the details that you were looking for, recursive I would say.

After the FillCuts you need to tweak it. When you're creating KeyCuts, follow joints and the rest can be filled with FillCuts later.

Again, how many KeyCuts/FillCuts are up to you. Don't make 5 cuts because you see 5 cuts in the tutorial, start thinking "freely" and try not to remember the cuts. Every models that I model has different cuts to it, it's like drawing you just draw without thinking. However, there are people out there who actually remember cuts and repeat it everytime they model.

What you do is up to you since you are the in charge (You can even invent your own KeyCuts and reuse it!).

Dec 26. 2005