My project for course: 3D Character Modeling for Organic and Hard Surfaces

Before starting to add the details on the face and the body and any sort of textures. I first UV Unwrapped the model and morphed it back together again. Something I learned from Marcus Whinney's tutorials. It greatly help with adding textures, which I did through using Surfacing. And masking out different parts of the body to add different types of textures to parts of the body. It was a trial and error process, but I think I'm quite happy with the end result.

I worked on getting the textures and any other things on the list out of the way before jumping into the fins. Of course, looking back at this project I think maybe I should have left the fins for last? But it was on my mind the minute I finished skin textures etc. I took a cube and made it into a polymesh 3d. I then imported an image as a texture and used the zmodler tool to start building the fin from scratch. I then appended it into the main file and started manipulating the shape through using dynamic subdivision and the cloth brushes to give it a more flowing/ organic feel. Almost as if she's floating in the water. I wanted the fins to sort of act as a dress. Certain parts covering her breasts and hanging off of her arms and waist. Trying to convey a sense of elegance in the design. Almost as if she's of high importance in this fantasy world. Maybe of royalty.

With the next part of the project. It was time to start working on one of the most important features of a mermaid/ siren character. And that is - the tail. It is its most distinct feature and boy was it a challenge. I wasn't quite sure in the beginning what I wanted it to look like. There are different interpretations of a mermaid/siren tail. I did the same with the tail by using the zmodler tool to build it. But after bringing it in, I quickly realised that I just wasn't working for me. I wanted there to be some link to human anatomy hiding within the layers of tissue that makes the tail. Almost as if it was through a process of evolution and 1000 of years living under water that they had to adapt.

I the used a ztl model of a woman, cut her in half and used the lower part her body to start forming the tail, whilst maintain some of the basic waist and leg shapes. I used surface again for texturing and started shaping the front to be a bit more of a vulnerable type of tissue. Like some fish species have on their stomach. And I also duplicate the original fin model and adpated it to fit the lower part of the body and make it bigger.

Finally Finished working on the rest of the fins and figuring out what works and what doesn't.

The main priority was focusing on the key word elegance. Giving her this dress like motif. The fish I used as reference (In my mood board) was the beta fish. For they have long flowing fins that kind of extenuates this idea of it looking like they are wearing a cloth or in this instance, a dress.

Hair is still something I'm considering for head.

Started working in Substance Painter for the first time while doing a tutorial on skin texturing from J Hill. I then applied what I learned, and through trial and error and happy little accidents this is how the top part of the body turned out. I rendered it in Substance Painter's renderer (Iray). I then started making smart materials out of the what I did with this part of the body to be applied to the lower part of the body and to the fins. They eyes are still something i need to figure out because I want her eyes to be the focus point. Like almost any living creature.

With my project coming to an end. I've reflected on it and what I could've done differently and things I still want to improve upon. I think one thing I want to do is work on doing characters that are expressive and working on posing as well.

But ultimately I'm very proud and satisfied with how this turned out. being my first project that I used Substance painter for and learning a lot about skin and how to procedurally texture a creature.