Body beautiful

The cover star of 3D World 75 is actually an unclothed version of a character I had already created for a series of images on my website. The model was crafted in 3ds Max using subdivision surfaces, with Photoshop used for texturing, ZBrush for all the fine anatomical details, and Brazil r/s for rendering.

However, the original model lacked detail, mainly because the figure was originally created with clothes. For the purposes of the cover, it was necessary to show this fine anatomical detail, so I generated normal maps in ZBrush to achieve the desired level of realism.

For this kind of work, observation is key. Unless you have a good knowledge of artistic anatomy, you should use photo references extensively, observing each one close up. If you have to focus on one specific anatomical detail, try to collect as many pictures as you can of that particular part of the body. Often, when you look at the same area in different poses, small details are revealed, especially in varying lighting conditions and with different body shapes.

But when it comes to more complex considerations, such as the proportions, emotions and gestures of the character, any anatomical detail will be ineffective without contextualisation. Once again, reference material is invaluable in this respect, yet photographic images are often less helpful than paintings (a useful collection can be found at www.artrenewal.org) and classic sculpture (www.thais.it/scultura/default_uk.htm). The old masters dedicated their lives to recreating form and beauty, so let their work inspire you.

In this article, we will explore some of the modelling and rendering technique used in the creation of the image. A scene file showing the lighting set-up can be found in the support files.

Click here to download the support files