Characters,
Storyline Concepts, Studio Design Sketches and 3D Computer Artwork
(10-15-2010)
Issue#002
All
artwork, images, graphics and article content courtesy of Chet
Spiewak (Author/Artist)
A
Virtual Bug is Born....
The
Vinny the Bug Man graphic novel is illustrated using computer-generated
graphics. Behind all of it's storylines, characters, and props
lies a 3D virtual digital world.
The
Virtual World
Somewhere,
a team of 3D artists is hard at work creating the next amazing
special effect, cool character or whimsical universe for a new
block-buster hollywood movie, or multi-player interactive video
game adventure. What they all share in common- is the behind the
scene virtual world built to bring the storylines, characters
and worlds to life on the computer screen.
The
computer artists edit virtual objects by manipulating there shapes(stretching,
pulling) much the same way as an artist scuplts a mound of clay
into a work of art. But in the virtual world a group dots(vertexes)
suspended in space connected with lines is the media instead of
a ball of clay. Over time the virtual objects come to life as
characters, props and worlds.(see pic below)
Building
a Character(simple
overview)
One
of the villains from the Vinny the Bug Man graphic novel series
is "Bugsy". A notorious gangster beetle inhabiting the
sewers of bug underworld. Bugsy dreams for a day when he made
the head of crime family, but presently he serving time in prison
for crimes committed against his fellow insects.
Here
we use Bugsy-- to show some of the steps in the modeling process
of a computer-generated character. Bugsy is a long lean character,
with an over size head, multiple arms, and a set of wings..
The
modeling process begins with an artist creating series of design
sketches used as a visual guide. These character sketches act
a road map to the 3D building process, giving visual clues to
how the character is to be built... the more sketches developed,
the more easier it will be to create a character in 3D.
The
artist chose to start on Bugsy by building his head- first...
Bugsy oversized melon makes for an idea starting point in the
building process. For most characters the head is the hardest
feature to model due to the detail required in building the character
to account for facial expressions.
Note
following are interactive and show some
Bugsy head is pulled, stretched, molded and soon it
resembles the design character sketches. Then antennas, mouth
and chin are added.
In
the computer virtual world, 3D models like -Bugsy exists as a
series of dots(vertexes)
arranged in 3D space. These dots
are connected by lines- forming squares and triangles Each connection
creates a plane where a material is applied and the character
begins to take 3D form...
After the basic head is built, more details are added---
eyes, teeth, tongue, and even an hat. Bugsy's personality takes
form. More and more items are added, arms, legs clothes and wings.
Character construction complete!..Bugsy is ready for the
next step... Texturing.
Character
construction complete!..Bugsy
is ready for the next step... Texturing.