Nina Zhong bust

Trying to get a photoreal likeness can be very hard in 3d. Here is some progress but I am not quite there yet.
The closeup has the reference projected back on to the model.

Created with Zbrush 3.5

Backdrifter Flyer

My first band flyer. Does the lens flare work? Haha.

Made with Photoshop and Maya 2009

Dojo pinup

Here is another piece I made for ...sketchy scribbles....

I plan on developing this into a zbrush model.
Photo reference: Jesse Walker.
Model: Ni Zhong

Random links:

Hiding edge loops in zbrush
3d Fractals?!?

Links and bookmarks and resources, oh shi . . .

Here are some links and resources I want to share:

Software:
This stuff is free or at least very cheap and useful.

Software for low poly 3d modeling / subD modeling (free demo)
SILO
http://www.nevercenter.com/silo/

Software for low poly 3d modeling (free)
WINGS 3d
http://www.wings3d.com/

Software for retopologizing (free demo)
TOPOGUN
http://www.topogun.com/

Software for UV unwrapping (free)
ROADKILL
http://www.pullin-shapes.co.uk/page8.htm

Software for generating normal maps (free)
XNORMAL
http://www.xnormal.net/1.aspx

Bookmarks and Links:

http://delicious.com/
http://delicious.com/greyother

Maya normal maps

Here is a screen shot from maya.
The low res mesh is only 170 faces and the high res sculpt is several hundred thousand. The render in the lower right corner is of the mesh on the left. One can see the UV map and normal map used to render the detail from the sculpt.

I used Topogun ( http://www.topogun.com/) to retopologize a zbrush model and then generated the normal map in Maya. I find Maya's normal map generation to be slightly easier to use than Max although I prefer Zbrush's zmapper overall. It is nice to be able to create normal maps in Maya easily however.

If one does not have access to Max or Maya or Zbrush to make normal maps, Xnormal is a great option as well.
http://www.xnormal.net/1.aspx

Compositing

So I am still trying to get better at compositing. Nice thing about teaching is that I can try out techniques as in class demos.

The assignment was to take the zbrush character the students had been working on and render it as a statue into a background plate with HDR lighting. They made their own custom probes and background plates. Here are two renders from the demo. The model is by Joseph Huggins.

Oh hey look, another Houdini newb

This is how I feel trying to learn Houdini. It took far longer than it should have to render this. Hey, at least NOW I know where the shadow sample settngs are! :-/

The character is a prebuilt rig and this was rendered using one area light, and one environment light / IBL with Houdini 10 Apprentice.