Megastoor's Blog: Amoo history (Model)

Article: Classic Pipeline to Create a Character

(See also Amoo for information about production).

In the beggining Amoo`s model wasn`t easy to make, it started (like someone would say) "fooling around" in 3D about August 2004 inside 3ds Max platform which hadn`t disctintive features by itself of actual 3d programs, and the sculpt module wasn`t developed yet. It wasn`t existed something to build somewhat decent but only my will to made her, and it took about three months and one more to give form to a mesh that started out with a cube. It would take pretty time to me to compile all images of this process that I`ve taken from the precept of genetic algorithms (just using my criteria of genetic algorithm), which I will explain it later in an interesting topic called `genetic algorithm pipeline`.

My concept model

Amoo version alpha

This pic shows Amoo`s model in her very firsts steps. After about 100 essays with my starting cube (about a year after my first session). Main modeling process featured in 3ds Max was to move down vert by vert. With the time this process was started with a speed increment of editions thanks to proportional edit feature.

Then, lot of time after improving my modeling performance I decided to get a more flexible 3d suite cause 3ds Max still had troubles in the process, time process, lot of things and mainly for troubles in data format so I wanted to get a tool that help me up instead screw me out. I found blender and I could export it out and started to edit it.

Mastering 3ds Max... but with an exotic weird topology....how in heaven could I even think I was master in Max???

Amoo alpha model exported to blender and afterwards it was refinated

In process of learn again 3d modeling I was still modeling in 3ds max.

Then when I was ready to go in blender my Amoo model begun to have improved features

So after about 3 or 4 years from the start, Amoo beta version appeared. Face topology from this beta version (actually with 936 vertices -cheap resolution-)

I started then with blender particle system.

Render and blur with photoshop

Refining the model in blender. Improving T pose for better model deformation. Applying vertex paint and improving surfaces. But still this model was a beta version

Rigging the model using my rig criteria...some of these rig features are good.

Applying hair mesh (not a render). Model still in beta version.

Accumulative surfaces by vertex and edge increments (for me, before sculptris voxel method and multires sculpt, this is one of the best modeling methods of a specific surface via subsurf mesh, )

Amoo v6 with improvements in proportions. Rig and model were still incompatibles

After lot of improvements this model ironically would decrease its quality with the time, I thought was bad topology that for god sake I couldn't to improve.....what could I do?. Retopology tools........that`s what I did, I got some topology references for this purpose and then I got a smooth model.......but.........