A Biomechanical Character - ZBrush Creature Design: Creating Dynamic Concept Imagery for Film and Games - page 345

anatomy of the cyborg. This will include both visually functional parts that mirror human anatomy as
well as smaller greeble details to add visual interest to the area with texture and shape contrasts.
The Mechanical Shoulder Apparatus
We will begin by creating some mechanisms to move the head. I want to base these parts on the actual ster-
nomastoid muscles of the human neck ( Figure 6-9 ) . I believe the anatomy of the neck is imprinted on the
mind of the average viewer because they see human heads and necks every day. It's something that we un-
derstand even if not on a technical level. Most people have a sense of the two large muscles of their neck.
Creating mechanical parts that mirror the form and function of human anatomy will help the viewer under-
stand the function of the parts when they see them. It also helps keep a humanoid look to the head and neck
while using non-human elements. The viewer should assume the structure would work because it subcon-
sciously implies the anatomy of the neck visible on most people. This will help create both visual interest
and character.
Figure 6-9: The finished neck structure should mirror human anatomy.
1. From the Tool menu, select a cylinder 3-D tool. Under the Tool ⇒ Initialize menu, set X and Y size to
20. Click Make PolyMesh3D to convert this primitive to an editable 3-D mesh ( Figure 6-10 ) .
2. Append this into the cyborg tool. We will now create some greeble detail on the ends of the pistons.
Greebles is a term from physical model making. It means any mechanical detail shape that serves no pur-
pose other than to increase the visual interest and complexity of the surface. From the Brush menu, select
the Mask Rectangle brush and mask some strips along the ends of the cylinder. Invert the mask, then use
Tool ⇒ Deformation ⇒ Inflate to offset these details ( Figure 6-11 ) .
3. Use the Transpose tools to move the piston into place and mirror it across with the SubTool master
ZScript ( Figure 6-12 ).
Figure 6-10: Making the cylinder primitive