ZBrush as a Character Design Tool - ZBrush Creature Design: Creating Dynamic Concept Imagery for Film and Games - page 2

First Things First: Some Notes on Conceptualization
Before we jump into the examples and lessons of this topic, let's take a look at some useful guideliness to
help you make design decisions. The following are a selection of guidelines and helpful considerations I try
to keep in mind as I work. The idea is to familiarize yourself with thinking in these terms so these questions
and approaches come naturally when you try to solve a design problem.
Realism and Expectations
One of the things I always try to do when creating a character is to anchor as much as possible in reality.
This usually manifests as basing creature anatomy on real-world animal or human anatomy. When working
on a creature, I will often try to draw elements from real world sources to ground the design in a sense of
reality. Figure 1-2 , for example, is a design by Paul Komoda that pulls elements from a variety of real-world
seal life to create an intimidating new design. The same approach holds true for biped physiology as well.
This helps make the creature more believable to the viewer. We recognize what an actual body looks like,
and when confronted with a distorted form, it makes the character seem all the more compelling if there are
elements we recognize from ourselves. Figure 1-3 shows a biomech with physiology based on the human
shoulder girdle. You can see that there are recognizable shoulder muscles such as the pecs and deltoids as
well as the mechanical forms molded into the shapes of collar bones and a rib cage.
Figure 1-2: This creature carries many elements pulled from various natural sources to help ground the
design in reality; the parts are unified by being arranged into a strong overall design or silhouette. ( Krishnu
by Paul Komoda)