My first forays into custom characters (and other stuff)
TheMonk
Posts: 43
Hi.
I've used Daz on and off for years for various things, mostly as a great reference generator for traditional/Digital painitng, due to it's ease of use and the quality of the tools for posing (and its price :P ) Recently have become a lot more involved in using it, the Gen 8 models are fantastic. I've also started some training in other 3d modeling, textureing, animation etc, using Blender and some other software.
I've always been a massive fan of some of the models and artists, and have been buying up assets when and whee I can afford it, but I am not wanting to combine my new training with my love of this software to create my own characters, assets and eventually hair/clothing etc.
I've done some box modelling in the past, but not a lot so technically I am a rank beginner in just about everything. I can't texture, I cant rig etc etc.
My goals are to slowly but surely advance my knowledge and skills to the point I can create high quality assets and figures for as much my own use for several personal projects as anything else.
My first attempts, codenamed "Project Anna" named soley due to the very original photo that inspired this pariticular effort (the model's name of course) and she is based on Gen 8. SO far shehas had about 12 or so hours into her sculpt. I have made a few boo boo's, lost some work or reworked her face. Since I am learning everything as I go, work is slow and at times frustrating.
She has had several major changes in last two days alone, mostly in her face shape.
Images posted here are from Versions 0.1 and Alpha 1, with Versions 1c renders coming off my poor old PC as we speak, and will be added.
There are one or two NFSW images I will not post here, but what exists, soley to illustrate work done to her figure/breasts etc can be seen at my RenderFem dA page https://renderfem.deviantart.com/
But for now here are some earlier versions. Some renders may be fairluy low quality, being low iteration fast renders to simply test her in variants.
Very early 'tomboy' style version above. This point was mostly working on her figure and getting base shape down
Below is Alpha 1, and while I was pretty happy with her figure at this point, I was going for a round shaped face and my limited skills made it too round in certain areas.
I absolutely love this render above, and shehas the round face I was trying for, but at any other angkle she was wrong and had to take her back to the scultping tools.
So back to Blender I went, and this last pic I feel I went too far in taking off some of her jawline and she lost that "Jennifer Lawrence" shape I was hoping for (the saem shape which the original inspiration also possesed.
I was going ot leave her there for teh night when my internet died ruining my other plan for the evening so went back once more to the stylus and Blender sculpt tools. Thos images are still "in progress" but I added back some of the cheeks and jawline trying to find a balance.
At this time she is only working as a Morph Loader Pro thing, until I can get her closer to being finalised. Then my task will be to get her some of her own materials etc. These are skills I have yet to learn though.
Appreciate any feedback on her, or tips, links to info etc that may assist. I am trying to absorb a lot of things atm to get myself up to speed in this. She has been keeping me up all night lol, its almost 5am at the time of this post.
Thank you.
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Comments
Great start. Thank you for letting us see your thought process, especially where you discuss "I absolutely love this render above, and she has the round face I was trying for, but at any other angle she was wrong and had to take her back to the scultping tools." We didn't land on the moon with Apollo 1. Very encouraging in an odd sort of way to know that the creative struggle is universal, and that perseverence is usually the answer. I think your character is beautiful. I look forward to following more of your projects.
EDIT to add some random thoughts.
You are already more advanced than I am, but I have some links to tutorials and screenshots of my workflow starting here and continuing for a few posts.
https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/comment/2820726/#Comment_2820726
I'd appreciate any suggestions that you have for me.
BTW - Vyusu has a new merchant skin resource for G3F and G8F in the store. https://www.daz3d.com/genesis-3-and-8-female-s-texture-merchant-resource
I really like the shape you have the Anna Portrait wm. I can understand how important it is to get the details down in all dimensions, but this is a great look, and feels delightfully distant from the faces I usually see in 3D. It's hard to add anything else because from that view, the proportions all look within the range of "normal" human. Great work.
Thank you for your comments. I will check your thread out. I have Vyusu's product on my wishlist for when I canmake best use of it (and have the funds to buy it lol I am very poor)
It has been a struggle to get her the way I want (bascially what I personally would find attractive and yet still appealing to others) add to the fact that I am learning as I go. But I regret nothing so far.
I agree, I really love that shape, and that render, but yeah, she had many issues that needed to change, trying ot get that shape and look back another way. I have sculpted traditionally, but never with such 'realism'. Thank you for your comments. I will have version 1c renders ready in a little I hope.
Ana (her full name I have decided will be Analeine so have gone back to one N in her name) as a woman and cheeky teen. These are both last nights renders of Version 1c and I think she is getting closer to what I want.
She is proving to be very flexible and can get some great variants out of her. Have some more I am working on but its Friday night, I wanna play games (till I get sick of that and go back to Blender :P )
Tiny bit more sculpting to her last night, not alot, just small tweaks with her jaw and chekks. Gave her a different skin and look for this pic.
Full image of course at my dA page, won't post nsfw here. https://renderfem.deviantart.com/
Testing via render now teh full model, so doing some (hopefully tastefull) topless and nude work, to try a pick any issues up when exposed to various lighting and environments
its a hard life
So Version 1D, and physically she is 98% done. Waiting on some resoruces and new gen 8 specific skin building to do her own assets and materials.
Fantastic. Thanks for posting screenshots and discussion in your journal at DA. It is very helpful to get glimpses of artists' workflow. I hope you continue with more when you are done with this project.
Thank you. She has come along fantastically but now I am being gated by resources and skill cap lol. Resources I am sorting out this weekend, the skill cap...errr...
I have never done a figure before, so I still need to learn how to make her own skins and attached texutres, figure out shaders, eye variants and anything else Ineed to do to make her a complete package. I have no idea how to texture and it may take me some major pain and frustration to get her the skin I want. She currently uses Vivienne's skin (by Cherubit) as it is about as close as I have in my collection to the skin I want for her.
I am rendering off a nude atm, I know I cant post here but will be on my dA page sometime in the next day or so. Every inch of her bar her hands and feet have been scultped to the way I want, and she is looking fine and very versatile, so I need to show that.
Thanks for you comments, I hope to hear form others what they think. Feedback always welcome.
Can't really post the image here, due to much boobage, but did a render to check out her physical assets ina more traditional rude, and anothe ris coming off teh studio as I type.
I am pretty happy with her figure.
Full image at my dA and Renderosity pages, whichever you frequent
Edit: Oh yes, will be finally able to start working on her her materail assets this week. Yay. And probably a conversion to Gen 3 as well.
You are doing a fantastic job with your Ana. She's very cute and you and your renders of her are very lovely. I haven't gotten into sculpting my own characters yet. I mostly use merchant resources for my unique characters so I can't offer any advice there. If you have any specific questions, I might be able to help or put you in touch with some threads that answer any questions you might have. I did go visit your DA gallery. Very nice nudes of Ana. Did you do the skin yourself or is that borrowed from another character?
Keep up the good work. You're doing a fantastic job so far. I'm looking forward to seeing more of your work. :)
Skin is borrowed for Cherubit's Vivienne for the freckled mostly used one, couple were done with another charcters skin...I cant remember now....Evelyn by FWSA maybe....
My issue now is yeah doing her own skin etc, and something I have never done (even with some 3d modelling in my past, texturing was never my task so I have nfi lol)
I do have some merchant resources for skin and eyes, but only got them yesterday and with my kids here for their monthly visit I have had no time to really sit down and figure it all out. I want a skin very very simialr to the one from Viv that I have been using,
This is a really stunning render, the lighting is sublte and beautiful. The epitome of a tasteful nude I think. Really lovely! (I checked your deviant art page)
Edited to add, I thought I recognized this, I saw it on Rendo and loved it there too lol.
Thank you. I personally love nudes, of any sex or subject and in any media. Ana is the perfect model for me, physically "My Type" and with a few skin and hair or eye changes canmake many different girls. Fortunately I have some excellent lighitng assets from Daz, and they alwasy give me that look I want. I wanted the light to touch but not completely expose her breasts, to show of her petiteness with out being bawdy, have that one blue eye clear and shadow and lighten the right places. I have considered redoing it with Ana's 'default' look at some point.
I actually really like nudes as well when they are done well, I think the human form is quite beautiful and appreciate the wide diversity that we all come in. Although I iwll admit to a certain fondness for my own body type lol. I'm not a big fan of nudes that are more porn than art although its a fine line and I am sure based on our own perceptions.
This is a great vehicle to be able to create our ow n versions of perfection to be sure. And I am very grateful for all of the light sets that are available because lighitng and posing from scratch are two things I am not very fond of lol
Well, not had much to update this with of late as there has been much hand sitting weaiting for thebudget to build up again so I can get the last resources I need (since I am not a texture person (yet) I rely on MR's) but now I have a 90% done Ana to show off.
Things left to do:
I can relate to the budget issues. Great stuff over at your DA on how you are developing this character. Admire what you have achieved. Encourage folks to check it out.
I really love her face and skin.
Yeah its killing me atm lol. Money going out, nothing coming in :( If I can at least get her on a store somewhere in teh next week or tow I'll be happy.
And thank you. Ana (full name Analeine) has been a stressful but rewarding experince. Learning everything from scratch (literally everything) has been a hard task. I am just hoping she pays me back somehow. My DA page is my main showcase (since i can post stuff there that would be ooo a bit naughty elsewhere) but at least I get to show her and what I have acheived in full.
THAT has been the hardest and most expensive part. I am rteally happy with her skin now, was worth the wait, and hope it was worth the cash lol.
She is a unique chracter, she has a unique face, she won't be to everyone's taste, but she has proven to be flexible. She can pull of different looks, from cute to sexy. She can do classic portraits to erotica (she is currently playing 'the farmers daughter' lol). I am very proud of her so far.
I would totally buy her.
That is encouraging and what I need to hear this week tbh, been hell getting her finished.
She is close, finalising her makeup options now, and hoping tohave her 'complete' by the weekend and into thehands of a couple of testers.
For those interested Ihave a (hopefully public) trello board on what I am working on at any given time. If it says 'tractors; I am off the clock lol.
https://trello.com/b/YUnCVtyG/analeine
Been a while between updates.
Ana's first round of testing threw up a few issues, so the last week has been sorting them out and taking the opportunity to rewoak a few things, including her overall skin and some of her options. Not quite ready for her 2nd test, but getting there. So much to learn, and many mistakes made, have had to step back, take a breath and press on when the mind is clearer.
Here are a couple of early promo shots I made mistakes on so released to the public ahead of time.
Skin was completely reworked this weekend, issues with her knees were sorted, skin made more natural (to my eyes) and less bumpy, freckles on her freckle were removed and overall torso updated.