The Head - Analysis

From Creating the 3D head i have learnt how to use alot of tools that i had not experienced before within both max and photo shop. I learnt a new way of modeling using the spline techneque, but unfortunatly i did not use this due to my references beeing very bad. I learnt how to texture two sides of a model that has symerty applied onto it. In photo shop i learnt how to use a very powerful tool that i will be using where i come to make textures in the future, the patch tool.

I feel rather happy with how the finished model looks although there are many things can could be change or fixed, i feel that for a first attempt at modeling a 3D head i did rather well. I need to manage my time more with the model, i underestimated the task at hand to begin with.

The tutorial i followed to creat the head where very detailed and helpful they have taught me allot and i will be looking over this modeling series again to try to model the head again.

To begin with i found i had alot of problems with my reference planes, the images did not match up, the image was very dark but i feel the out come has come out very well and i am very pleased.

The ear was the most dificult part of me in both creating and texturing the ear, my refernce images where not very helpful for the ear and i had to try and guess most of it. texturing i found very difficult on the ear as this was very small and i would not manage the texture very well.

But overall i am very pleased with the outcome, and what i have learn't i feel more comfortable modeling off of refernce planes now and i feel very comfortable texturing models now.

I feel that with more practice in modeling and texture the skills i have learn't from this i could use many times in a proffesion once i have left uni.

The Head - Finished Head

The finished head i feel is rather good, i feel that i does look like me, but there are things that i will try to change withe the model, the check bone structure now i look at it isn't defined enough, and the shape of the neck and shoulders if very wrong. The texturing on the ear and around the back of the head will require a little bit of work. But these things can be improved apon.

Initally i wanted to add some form of animation to the head but due to lack of time i was unable to accomplish this.

The Head - Texturing and Bump Mapping

Using the reference images of my face i took segmants from the image and placed them onto the UVW for example i started with the lib, using the lasso tool to select the lip and copying it into the uvw. Then using free transform i scaled the libs to match the size of the lips on the UVW.

I did this with all the key feature, once i had a small build up of pieces i merged them into one layer and tidyed up the image using the clone tool and the patch tool.
The clone tool was used at a low opacity so it would blend one layer nicely on top of another layer, and the patch tool was used for the same reason but instead of painting the area i lassod it and move to the text i wanted to blend with.
I did this for the whole way around the face making sure as i go i keep the texture flowing nicely with the mesha nd keeping the texture tidy. I loaded the file into max often to check the image on the model to see what needs tweaking.
After i had filled the main head i needed to do the texture on the ears, i found this to be most dificult and even though i used the reference ear when checking in max ear looked very bad.
There where a could off issues i found once i had finished the exture that i went back and fixed in the texture.
The bump map was created by using the finished texture in photoshop and desaturating the image to get rid of all the colour, then applying a high pass filter effect to turn it into a grey image. This removes allot of the shades, and it highlights the creases in the texture to bring them out more. With this created i saved this and applied it to the bump map section in matierial.

The Head - UVW Unwrap

Unwrapping the model was confusing at first but with the help of the tutorial i was able to do it. I started by unwrapping one half of the face using the cylindrical mode so the map will be wrapped around the model. Then using the relax tool i relaxed the top of the head to have more of a curve and relaved the nose and mouth to be more managable whan applying a texture.

The ear was done seperatly as the shape of the ear is very complex, it was done using the pelt option. The pelt option unfolded the ear so the texture could be applyed.

Once everyhting was unfolded and relaxed i did some tweaking within the editer to try and make the black and white squares more like squares and not stretching.

Once the tweaking had been completed it was time to put the unwrap onto the other side of the model. This was done by ading another UVW modifier onto the stack and when editing this one mirror the UVW and connect the two together

The Head - The Ear

The ear was the most complex shap that had to be created, with all the dips and folds modeling it from just the side view would not have been very easy. To get the ear started i designed the ear first in photo shop, first picking out the key areas and from that i began to create quads.
I saved this reference image and imported it into max like the last refernence image.
I then used the same method i used before to model the face. I followed the lines at first but i ended up having to make a lot of adjustments to the quads to get them to flow. Once the ear is modeled in the left view i used the front view and started to pull out the verts to give the ear some shape. I started with the outer edge of the ear and moved in. Once the ear was shaped i added more detail into the ear by using the inset too in the edit poly modifier. I used this to create the ear cannel, and to give the top of the ear the overlap.Once the main shape was made i created a back for the ear by shift dragging out the outside of the ear and pulling it towards the head. Then using the method again but with the scale tool to create a back.

The Head - Back of the head

Once the face was modeled and i was happy with it it was time to build the back of the head, i used the techneque from the tutorial to build the back of the head. First creating a sphere and lining it up with shape of the back of the head.

Once positioned using the modify of the sphere i reduced the about of segments in the sphere to match up with the about on the face.

Using the snap tool i set it too vertex snap and moved the vertexs of the head and match them with the vertexs of the top of the face. I then deleted most of the spere except the vertexs that where needed on the top and the quads that form the back of the head.

Using the shift drag method i extended the polygons of the back of the head using the side view and then shaped them to match the neck and the side of the head in the reference images. Leaving a polygon where the ear will be situated.

I found making the shoulders to be very difficult, but after moving the verts around for about an hour i was able to create a shape i was happy with.

The Head - Nose and Lips

Now that i was happy with the shape of the face i worked on the nose and the mouth, folowing the turoial i was able to create the nose with slight ease, the difficult part was getting the quads to flow well around the nostrels, but once the quads where correct and the verts where connected up correctly the nose formed into shape really well.

The lips where very simple to make, i used the guidence picture to create the lips and get the curve right, the lips came out very well, ws very pleased with the shape.

The Head - Pulling out the Verts

Once the front of the face was complated and i was happy with the quads i had and the flow. i began to pull out the verts to match the left reference image. Trying to match up all the key features.
Starting with the center verts and working my way out towards the edge. i found around the eye to be very dificult. But i was able to get the fold how i wanted them, using perspective veiw and tweaking them.Once i had all verts moved out to the side i did some more tweaking in perspective mode to get the cheeks to the size i wanted them. The outcome was a very nice mask of my face, the quads flowed well and the feature seemed to match.

The Head - In Max

Now the face has been designed, i loaded the references into max on there planes and began to begin modeling. I started to follow the tutorial and use the sline method to create my head but i found that my design was very flawd and uning the line method would have been very dificult.

I decided to use another method that i am comfortable with, which is modeling with planes and using the backing images as a reference but not following it closely. I found using this method i was able to create my polygons quickly, and was able to get my quads flowing nicely.

The Head - Reference Lines

Using photoshop i designed the tapolagy, i stated by placing blue lines to map out the key features of the face, and using these blue lines i started to design the polygons on the face in red.

This was done to allow the mask of the face to be made using the line tool, and to be used as a guide.

After the reference images where ready they where put into max onto planes, keeping the images size and detail.

The Head - Reference Images

For the Virtual Envirenments module this semester we are to create a human head modeled from our own heads. We are to follow a tutorial to aids us in completing this model.

To get the model started i had to take some photos of my own head, one of the front view and one of the side view. To start with i took these photos using a camera provided to me in class. But the first images i took where not good for reference images the left view was turened too far, and the front view my head was turned.

I then retook the photos, and they came out well and i will use these for reference images.

Using the techniques in the in the tutorial i lined up the two images so the features on each match up. This will make the modeling stage much simpler.