Face

[sKb875]

Hey, I'm new to face modeling, and I was wondering: What is the easiest way to make a face?

I've been trying different ways for like half an hour, and all of them seemed like they weren't working. :(

[jin'a]

there are lots and lots of tutorials on "box modelling" heads, however I've found that "detail up" is the way to go. However detail up takes longer, but you get a more accurate mesh and good detail at the end.


With detail up I've only ever found one tutorial, I'll try and hunt it down for you if you want

[cybernaut]

The first face I ever made was using the Dan Alban polygon by polygon method... aka "detailing up". This the perfect way to make sure that you have enough geometry for the desired amount of detail. You can build just an eye and the immediate area around the eye pushing and pulling points and polys until it looks right, and then move on to the nose, the mouth, jaw, cheeks, ears etc etc. This is definitely my method of choice.

I briefly tried box modeling a head and found it to be rather frustrating. I am usually a fairly patient person but I had all this geometry going in all sort of directions and found myself loosing control of the density very quickly. My geometry was anything but clean throughout the whole process. It's difficult having to fight you model as your building it. Don't get me wrong, I've seen some people do great heads created from a box so I know that some people have figure out how. I'm just not one of them.

I would imagine that detailing up would be better suited for realistic models, where there is alot of very specific detail, and box modeling would be good for more stylized or cartoony face, where details don't have to be super exact. Any method you choose will more than likely be time consuming because hey it's 3D animation.

IMHO :)

Some head tutorials links 4U

http://www.newtek.com/products/lightwave/tutorials/index.html#MD

this is a great one!!!
http://www.newtek.com/products/lightwave/tutorials/modeling/head/index.html

http://www.secondreality.ch/tutorials/modelling/head.html

[pat-lek]

I think, a good way to do a face is to follow this tutoriel:
http://mr2k.3dvf.com/frameset.htm
(joan of arc)

You can use the free (and excellent) plug-in David ikeda:
http://www.davidikeda.com/
(especially the translate-extender)

+ some fonctions like knife, weld (points)
make pol, merge

I also think that you can add an onglet (I hope is the same term in french) for these
Eventually... see here...
http://www.3dmacfan.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=920

[sKb875]

Originally posted by sKb875
Hey, I'm new to face modeling, and I was wondering: What is the easiest way to make a face?

I've been trying different ways for like half an hour, and all of them seemed like they weren't working. :(

If you can, can you please find it? :)

And thanks everyone for the different tutorials. :D

[sKb875]

OOPS, I must have quoted the wrong thing... I ment:

*quote from jin'a*
"With detail up I've only ever found one tutorial, I'll try and hunt it down for you if you want"

Can you please try to find it? :)

[Weetos]

pat-lek : "Bookmark" is the word you need : P

Thanks for the David ikeda's plugin ! definitely the one I was looking for

cheers,


Weetos

[sKb875]

Well, here is my 1st attempt with box modeling...

[jaraldo90210]

not bad for a first try with box modelling. That aint my fav technique though...

Just remember this.. Dont give up!!! It'll click someday

[j3st3r]

To me box modeling gives the best results. Within 2-3 hours I can make a realitively good head, with this technique.

It helps me lay out proportions at the beginning of the model. And later I can concentrate on parts as desired.

I used to use poly-by-poly also, but not for body or head modelling

[ub52]

I also used to model heads "detail out" or point by point or whatever you want to call it. However, I now find this method extremely tedious and not very intuative. I now box model literally everything. As pointed out by j3st3r, it is much easier to get the proportion right from the start this way, and that is extremely important. The biggest problem with the "detail out" method is that fixing problems of proportion get very difficult due to amount of detail in the model.

The hurdle I had to get over in migrating to this method was how to add the detail once I got my head roughed out. There are a few plugins which I find indespensible for this. Do a search on Flay for FIsJigsaw.p and FIsWrinkle.p. These 2 plugins along with using some of those included with LW are great for adding detail. Namely "Add Edges", "Bandsaw", and "Smooth Shift", oh, and don't forget "Spin Quads". There is also another plugin called SpinPolyPair.p which will let you spin a quad with an adjacent tri. Take the time to learn these tools and your modeling skills will improve. The model in this thread (http://vbulletin.newtek.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=12033) was created exclusively using the above tools.

Cheers,
-ub52

[Locutus]

You also need to get as many reference images as possible and study the anatomy of a head. Or keep a mirror next to your workstation. Either way you will learn the proportion of a human head.
It is hard just starting out, but with practice it'll get easier.

[Maive]

Thank you, very helpful thread. :)

[renderingfarmer]

I dono, I think with a little tweaking that would be one wicked cool horror movie mask. Imagine waking up to have that thing, empty eye-sockets et all staring at you.
I particularly like the ears.

[peteb]

I prefer to use box modelling when I'm making cartoon or very simple models. If I'm going for a photo real face, point by point is the way to go. I just like to be in complete control all the time getting each part right as I go. As for proportions, I don't think this is an issue. If you're going for a photo real look you're probably going to be using photos as reference and so you can use these as a background plate. And even if you're not you can always get the detail down and then using either poly selections or the magnet tool, move around the face till it looks right.

[cathuria]

I believe that the best way to model a face is the way that works for you. People are always saying detail-out is the best or box-modeling is the best... these are just two different methods to get to the same place.
Some folks are good at watercolors but can't sculpt and vice versa; it's a reflection of how their artistic brains are "wired". And the different ways to construct a 3d head appeal to different mental approaches.

I tried like hell to learn that abysmal detail-out procedure because so many people said it was the "best". After two years, I still couldn't see what I was doing and couldn't create anything without slavishly following a tutorial. Then I discovered a box modeling tutorial that finally "clicked" (for me, it was UserDelta's video on the newtek site). I'm still not very good at it, but at least I can imagine something and create it from scratch.

For you, it might be something completely different that finally clicks. The best advice I could give is to have patience, try every tutorial and different method you can find, and go with what works for you.