Retopology and refinement of the Knight character

 Retopology of the Armour:

Up until this point, I had created the Armour in Z-Brush and the Greatsword in Maya. Although I was personally more familiar with modelling in Z-Brush, I definitely found that using Maya for hard-surface modelling was both easier and more effective. The use of Z-Brush in my project to an inexperienced level caused some issues in my models, detailed below:

After importing the Armour models into Maya, the first issue I noticed was that some of the meshes had black patches, such as in the image above. These are the Backfaces of the mesh which are protruding through the opposing side of the mesh. As a result, you get these black patches on both sides of the mesh. I couldn't identify the precise cause but during my modelling of the Armour in Z-Brush, I must have used a tool such as the Move tool to drag the front side of the mesh through the back side. Z-Brush doesn't (to my knowledge) indicate Backfaces as clearly as Maya does, so an issue like this can slip through the cracks of production. 

Moreover, during my modelling of the armour, I found it very difficult to create smooth and solid surfaces. In the above image you can see a very thick area suddenly pinching at the bottom. This is the after-effect of using the Pinch tool in Z-Brush on the opposite side to create a sharp edge, but it would affect the Geometry on the inner-side (the side viewed in the above image). Unfortunately my experience in Z-Brush is not very extensive, and I wasn't able to find a viable way of preventing this from ocurring and instead producing a very smooth and clean mesh. This happens across the whole Armour model too, unfortunately. 

In addition, the thickness of the plates were not ideal. They were either too thin, or bumpy and not very straight. This needed to be fixed. 

Ultimately after modelling both sword and armour, I realise that Maya should have been the appropriate modelling tool to use for hard-surface modelling. As a result, this will cost me additional time fixing the model by retopologisng all of the mesh. I will keep this in mind for future, as time is valuable in production. 

To begin, I started retopologising the helmet. To do this, I set the original model as a 'Live Mesh' and then used the Quad-Draw tool within Maya to essentially layer new topology ontop of the previous topology. This was made much easier by having the model complete in separate meshes, as I could easily hide/unhide the parts I did/not need. 

Earlier, during the pre-production stage I had retopologised the same helmet design and used this for experimenting, but I ultimately redid this as the design was slightly different from before (such as the helmet pin on the right side) and I felt the topology could be done better. Though most of the topology is very similar to what it was before, and it was very quick to produce. Already the thickness looks much improved from before retopology with the Z-Brush sculpted version. 

Some of the meshes in my model did not warrant retopology. In the above image I have highlighted the models I did not retopologise since the topology was quite uniform and suitable. 

Here is a close up of one of the Buckle models. Although it is quite detailled, the model has suitable topology and thus I did not feel the need to retopologise it. 

Here is a current view of my Outliner in Maya. I have kept all of the layers separate for easy access and manipulation. Before, I had a very organised naming convention in Z-Brush, using numerical order at the start of the name of each mesh. Frustratingly though, Maya does not seem to handle numbers at the start of a name and thus the name would be converted into a very messy string. To combat this, instead of using a numberical order, I used letters instead, corresponding the numbers to the order of the alphabet (i.e.: '1_HelmetLower' would become 'A_HelmetLower'). Subsequently, I added 'RT' after the first letter of the ordering system I had used simply to remind me that that layer had been retopologised, 'RT' standing for retopologised in note form. This kept me very organised and should help a lot during the whole of production. 

I continued with the retopology. Here is an image of the chestplate where I started by adding in suitable edge loops. In retrospect, loops were probably wasted on the hard-surface geometry since it would not deform being a solid object, though this ultimately shouldn't make a big difference in the long run. 

Here is an example of Poles being used in my retopology, maintaining the edge loops shown prior and also keeping a clean result in the topology, not looking too messy. 

I continued the process for the whole of the body, leaving me with a retopologised body and helmet. Here is what it currently looks like. 

I continued retopologising the body, working on the tasset pieces. On a side note, I removed the mirrored parts of the mesh for the time being to make it clear on the parts I needed to retopologise and keeping organised. I have outlined the wireframe so you can see the mesh is quite clean overall using good topology. However, looking on the image whilst writing this entry, I think the chest could do with some additional work, as the Pole created on the left and right sides are out of place. I will revisit this at a later date. 

Next I worked on the legs of the character, or more the part of legs seen in the model. Whilst retopologisng them I added deformation areas on the knees to help them deform a bit better. 

I continued with the retopology, moving on to the arms next. Whilst working on the retopology of the Couter (The plate covering the elbow) I realised there could be an issue with my topology. Once my retopology is completed, my plan is to add supporting edges and then smooth the mesh to create a nice smooth finish without disrupting the hard edges of the models. However, this requires a loop around the mesh, or a square/rectangle of faces which can have supporting edges on all sides. In the Couter retopology seen above, you can see that the supporting edges would not correctly create around the edge of the model. I previewed this using the Multi-Cut tool. This required a bit of tweaking to the topology. 

By removing the Tris and replacing the topology with strictly Quad-based geometry, I was able to fix the issue and create an edge loop across the outside of the model. Now the supporting edges will correctly place. This was something I kept in mind for the rest of the retopology process, something I had been overlooking until this point. 

I revisited the topology of what I had retopologised already to check for any discrepencies. Sure enough, I found some. The topology for the tasset plate was not suitable and would not allow for supporting edges around the outer of the model. I went ahead and tweaked the topology so this wouldn't be a problem, the updated version seen above. The previous iteration can be seen earlier in this post. 

Whilst revisiting my topology, I decided to take the oppourtinity to address the Poles in the chest topology mentioned earlier. This was easy to fix by removing one of the Quads in the geometry and welding the gap shut. The topology is now much cleaner. 

Here is an updated view of the retopology. I have made progress on the arm and hand since the last update. 

I have made more progress on the retopology. Here is the retopology of the entire leg. 

I have finished the feet, completing the retopology for the armour of my knight character. Here is the full wireframe view. 

Here is a smoothed preview of the retopologised armour. You can clearly see that the lack of supporting edges causes the edges and sharper points to become smooth, which I will be able to fix soon. 

Here is a view of the character retopologised from the back, with the smooth preview turned off. 

Finally, here is a view of the retopology from the front with the smooth preview turned off. 

Overall, I am very pleased with the retopology. The topology is now very presentable and effective, ready to be refined further with supporting edges so that smoothing the model will work correctly. 

Fixing poor proportions: 

During one of my feedback sessions with my tutor, it was rightly pointed out that the proportions of my character were slightly off. Specifically, the pelvis of my character is too low town, and the legs are too short. I have demonstrated this with a comparison of another 3D character sourced online with much better body proportions. I aimed to fix this by tweaking the sizes of the models. 

To start with, I created a simple shape to compare the proportions and help me fix the proportions of my character. 

I created another to help identify the correct region of the kneecaps too. I then grouped the separate meshes of the legs together and adjusted the pivot and decreased the size of the legs. This helmet to much improve the proportions. 

Following this up, I had to readjust the size of the chestplate in order to accomodate the now-decreased size of the legs. This was relatively simple to achieve. 

At this point I felt that I had addressed and solved the proportions issue of my character. In the comparison above I believe the proportions are much better now and accurately match the realistic comparison on the left. 

Here is the comparison from the front. Again, the proportions look much improved by comparison. The porportions are not exact but this is to account for the fact that the pose of my character slightly alters from the comparison model, with more of a bend in the posture to help with the rigging process later on. 

Finally, here is a comparison of before and after the proportions were fixed, with the new and improved proportions on the left of the above image, and the previous flawed proportions on the right side. Fortunately, despite scaling my knight character disproprtionately, the scaling was too insignificant to cause any noticable deformation in the geometry. The main difference I can spot is the Poleyn (Knee cap) being taller, though I personally prefer the change and think it works better! 

Creating supporting edges: 

As mentioned earlier in this post, I needed to implement supporting edges across my model in order to preserve the hard edges when smoothed. To demonstrate this, I have an image of the Rerebrace (upper arm plate) shown above without supporting edges. 

When this Rerebrace is smoothed, you can see that the edges become very pinched and small due to the lack of supporting edges. 

Here is the same Rerebrace but with supporting edges added. Supporting edges are a loop of edges around the end of a model. The idea is that - when the model is smoothed - the new faces created will only smooth across a much tinier distance than without the supporting edges, and thereby preventing the ends of a model from being smoothed over. 

Here is the Rerebrace smoothed with supporting edges implemented. The end of the model is much improved and more defined with a clear thickness to the model, reflecting that of a protectice metal plating that my armour intends to portray. This sort of detail will be very important when aiming to demonstrate my character as realistic and believable. 

Adding these edges was very simple to achieve thanks to my methodical and effective approach to the retopology. Above is a comparison between my model with supporting edges fully implemented, compared to the original model created in Z-Brush. Straight away you can see there is a much clearer thickness to the plates, especially some areas like the shoulder. 

Here is the same comparison from the back. Again there is a clear definition of thickness and hard edges which look much better than the original version created in Z-Brush. 

Here is the same comparison but with the wireframe displayed to demonstrate the difference. Although smoothed, the result of the retopologised version is much cleaner and more presentable. By comparison, the version created in Z-Brush on the right contains too much geometry, with a lot of it pinching in areas unnecessarily, most notable on the left side of the helmet. The retopology was a necessary process to get my Armour of my character looking right, but this could have arguably been avoided had I created the armour in Maya instead of Zbrush. Ultimately this was time consuming to achieve, but the result is exactly what I was looking for. 

After speaking with an industry mentor, the idea of adding lots of geometric detail was raised. Originally my plan was to create the base geometry of the character, and then add indication of bumps and extra depth via Normal maps and Displacement maps. However, it was explained to me that this sort of approach is best used for high frequency details such as scratches, which benefit from using a normal texture over geometry due to their very small size which would require very intense geometry manipulation. 

However, larger details should be achieved via geometry. It was suggested that these details will really help to lift my character and give it extra depth and detail. I took his advice and started to add some of these details as geometry (which I had originally planned to do as texture-based work). In the above image you can see I have added a simple Bolt model, with the intention of holding the helmet visor in place and allowing it to rotate. Any part of the armour which allows rotation of the plating should be a much larger bolt, smaller bolts used to weld metal pieces together can be done with a texture instead since these would be so small. 

I continued adding bolts across the model where appropriate. Here are the bolts I have placed on the arm. 

Again, I have added more bolts for the leg and foot. You can see I have added a bolt for each link of the Sabaton since all the plates can be moved. 

For the purposes of a presentation of my progress, I have applied some basic metal materials to my model as well as some leather-like materials for the straps and clothing. Also, I mirrored the right side to the left. Finally, I placed the Greatsword in one of his hands just to indicate its size better. Overall, this helps to give more of a feel and idea of the end result of my character when it has been properly textured. The use of more geometric detail looks especially good once a metalic material is applied, as you can clearly identify the ridges and edges of all the different places of the model, boosting both aesthetic and believability in the design. Furthermore, addition of straps helps to vary the otherwise-repeititve metalic materials and look a bit more interesting to a viewer. 

By mirroring the parts of the model and applying different materials, I became aware of clipping I had previously not spotted. For example, the smaller cover on the back of the tasset is clearly clipping through the Scabbard in the above image.

Here is some other clipping with the Scabbard, clipping through the sharp edge of the chestplate. The reason this ocurred was because I had retopologised the strap in lower poly, so - pre-smoothing - the clipping did not ocurr in the non-smoothed version. 

In order to fix the clipping, I had to modify the Scabbard whilst smoothed to make sure it correctly wrapped around the chestplate, since the smoothed version is how it will look in the final result. Above is the fixed result. 

There was some clipping on the hand inside the Gauntlet with the strap across the palm of the hand, which is now fixed. 

The clipping of the Scabbard around the back is also fixed now as well.  I was able to fix this by slightly dragging out the geometry of the Scabbard using the Soft Select in Maya since the clipping was minor. 

I decided to add some more bolts to the model, specifically on the Stop-Rib with the purpose of holding it in place fixed onto the shoulder plate. 

For the helmet, specifically the Visor, I was concerned with the fact that the inside of the helmet was empty, and that later on it could be easily seen that the helmet is empty when textured and lit. I did not think shadows would entirely cover the inside of the Visor from view. The most realistic option would be to create a head/face and place it inside the helmet, but I was not prepared to do this since I could not justify the time spent in something that would hardly be seen. Instead, I decided to create a sort of shield inside the helmet to cover the inside up. This was a simple Plane created by duplicating the helmet, shrinking it and bridging the empty space of the main helmet shape. This cover fits very nicely across the helmet, covering it entirely. 

Here is an example of how it would look. The Cover is assigned a black Lambert material so that you dont get any reflections of lighting on it, and it should remain a completely blacked out area. This should be suitable. 

Embossing:

For the aesthetic side of my character design, I wanted to add gilding to the armour, which would consist of essentially a golden trim across the edges of the armour. To achieve this well, I decided to add a lot of embossed 'outlines' to essentially contain the gilding. In the above image, you can see more clearly what I am aiming for, using thin embossed edges for both outer and inner of the mesh, creating what is essentially a large strip where the gilding would go. My plan was to do this and then UV map the area to be textured gold (over metal) separately so I could easily apply a golden material as opposed to painting it on manually. Plus, the embossing helps to add some nice geometric detail to the model which is something I liked for the Stop-Rib shown in the above image. I decided to continue with this for the rest of the armour. 

Here is some more embossing done for the chestplate. My method for achieving this was a bit complex. First, I would add some new edges across the model where I wanted the embossment to go. I would then refine these edges to loop around the model nicely, removing the edges where I did not want the embossing to go. In the image above, as an example, I added some horizontal edges across the bottom of the chestplate, then deleted the edges in the middle so that the embossed edges would stop when they got to the center. I was quite pleased with the look so I decided to continue. 

I have continued the embossing for the tassets of the armour. I tried to not overdo the amount of gilded areas in the design, as I wanted to keep the majority of the metal as a steel colour, keeping in line with my original design pitch and discussion in my dissertation, avoiding over-designing the model. 

Here is some more Embossing done for the arm of the character. 

I have completed all of the embossing, finishing with the helmet. 

Here is a preview of how my character might look once the gilding has been added. To do this, I simply added a new metal material, coloured it a gold-like colour, then applied it to the polygons which would be gilded. I really like the look of this, it looks very royal and significant, lining up with my aims for the character. This was the embossing of the armour completed. 

Further refinements:

Before finishing with my armour design, I took a final look at my design and the reference images I had been using. Something I came across were the latches and seams in some of the plating, such as for the upper and lower legs, where it appears that the plating are two separate plates held together by a latch. This makes sense from a practical point of view, since you would more likely have to put these plates on by connecting two separate pieces of the plate and connecting it together with a latch. My current design just featured a solid plate with no practical way of fitting them on one's leg. I decided to quickly revisit this and implement this sort of approach in my design. 

Here is a refined version of my leg model. I have added a seam across both upper and lower leg, to give the indication that they are two separate plates held together. I have shown this with lightning enabled so it is easier to see. I decided to not actually separate them because the legs of the character don't extend all the way down, so I didn't want to have any possible holes in my model. This maybe wasn't the most efficient method for achieving this, but was probably the most feasible at this stage of the production of my armour model. 

I then finished this design off with a simple latch model, using two meshes to create it, one for the inner part of the latch, and the other for the outer part of the latch. The pivot was centered at where the two connect, so that I could easily rotate the latch and fix it to the models. I topped this off with 4 of the bolts used before to attach them on. 

I tried adding this seam to the chestplate, but ultimately I wasn't keen. The seam was too large and personally I didn't feel this needed to be added, since the chestplate is a very large piece of plating that could practically be worn without being separate plates. I scrapped this seam and reverted the change. 

On the other hand, I did like adding the seam to the lower arm. The seam was in-line with the ones created for the legs, but to vary the design a little I created a simple strap to hold it in place. This was done by reusing prior assets and reforming them, which was pretty simple considering their low-poly shape thanks to the retopology. The latch models are featured on the other side. 

This concluded the refinement of the armour. I was very pleased with the result at this point, so I proceeded to the next stage of production.