The Helmet

So I have been spending a lot of time working with ZBrush during the last few weeks. I even took my laptop with me on vacation. Granted there was no internet or cellular coverage but there was electricity.

This project started out as just a warm up, you know to get back to creativity and imagination. These are things that I have neglected due to long hours at work and video games. The things I want to help create.

So I took a polysphere in ZBrush and just started sculpting. After a while I just kept going. Bouncing between this project and a few others. But it is this project that I have probably devoted the most time to in the last week.

I have learned more with this 'warm up' than on some of my other projects. After I got the proportions worked out I added more detail with the ClayBuildup brush, took some mass out with the Rake brush, flattened some surfaces with the Flatten and hPolish brushes.

The reason I say this project has taught me a lot is because I learned how to use Topogun within the ZBrush pipeline. This took me about four hours and burning the midnight oil last night.

Google provided little bits of information here and there and my student access to Digital Tutors expired on the first. So it was mostly trial and error. I worked out the low res mesh and once I was satisfied with the topology I subdivided it. I then took these two meshes into ZBrush and reconstructed my subdivisions. This took the project from 1,572,000 polys to 393,000. I know that 393,000 polys is nowhere near ready for a game engine but I am still learning. I will be working on this until I am satisfied with it. I will also be giving this guy a body. What game character is complete without a body?

This is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of learning. I still have many late nights of sculpting, reading, wandering the forums, and fighting off sleep. But the end result will be a completed game character bound for a portfolio and maybe even a demo level.

I will be learning about Normal Maps, Lighting, Ambient Occlusion, Depth Maps etc. I already know what these things are but actually being able to make them and see how they are used in a pipeline to produce an awesome game asset will be a rewarding experience.