blobby look

# 1 13-06-2009 , 06:17 PM

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hi

i'm just getting into digital sculpting, and am having some trouble,

when ever i sculpt i get this blobby loog to my models,

i'm using mudbox 1.0, and am sculpting one division at a time,

can anyone give me some tips to avoid this blobby look,

p.s i'm sculpting with a mouse, do you think thats whats causing my proplems?

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# 2 13-06-2009 , 06:28 PM

As Zbrushiac sounds stupid!
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I don't use MudBox that much, but I know if you use inflate style brushes you will get this sort of effect. Also it can depend on your stroke. Also, don't be too quick to start adding masses and large forms to the model, try cutting into the model.... almost like drawing in the forms.... I'm no pro, but seems to be a general theme that i have noticed with some sculptors. Cut in the details and then add mass where needed.... I personally am enjoying the more 'violent' method of hacking in the forms. Racking away at the masses, and building up masses the same way you would with real clay... but obviously you use other tools to help.... anyway, if you could post a screen grab of your model/brushes, and what setting your re using.

Try cutting in the forms, and when you go to add mass..... don't do it all in one stroke, add it in several strokes.... try and imply the direction that the shape/mass/muscle should be running, and try and imply tension, and relaxation as well.

Also, try to remember that everything is built up in layers.... once all the basic forms are there... then all the rest (specific muscles/ fat / flesh / etc) are all laid on top in layers.

P.S: Yeah, the mouse could be contributing to the problem. As you have no control on how hard the sculpture will be edited (except for the manual pressure control)... with a tablet you can give your strokes a gradient of pressure along the surface, allowing for a more fluent look, and feel. With a mouse however, you get a more even form, and feel, and this usually make the forms look 'blobby'. As the parts that attach to rest of the sculpture (in between muscles, and other forms, where it should look flat), usually have the same amount of mass as the parts that should have the most mass.... and in order to try and counter this effect, you will use several strokes with the mouse, which can create lots of 'blobs' everywhere.

Sculpting with a mouse isn't impossible... but It is a lot harder.

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Last edited by Mayaniac; 13-06-2009 at 06:34 PM.

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# 3 13-06-2009 , 07:24 PM

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thanks for the thorough reply,

man!! all this sculpting is making me feel like a noob again,

the thing is i've seen all kinds of videos on you tube and on dvd,

and everyone contridicts each other,in some videos, people say build up slowly,

in others they just whack the mesh up to a high sub division, and then sculpt on it,

i read that going up one division at a time building the forms slowly is the best way to do things,

anyway practise makes perfect, it'll come to me eventually just got to stick at it this time,

i've attached some pics,

it shows what brushes i use the most, waht fall offs i use and the intensity,

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# 4 13-06-2009 , 07:27 PM

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heres another pic, where i sculpt detail one level at a time, all was good untill i hit level 3,

are there any rules as to huw much detail you should put in, and when to move on to the next level of division?

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# 5 13-06-2009 , 07:54 PM

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Yeah, people methods vary. I used to use the "build up bit by bit method" but now I use the subdivide and get in there method, but tbh it's starting to change to a combo of the two methods, as I incorporate my own.

I think a big problem as to why your modeling is looking off, is because of the anatomy/proportions are off. It's not looking that lumpy, just the weight of certain muscles are off.... such as the pecs.

As for you question about how much details to add... well that up to you, but a good starting point would be to add as much as you current subdivision level can support.

Though i will be honest, I've found that the best way to get nice smooth wrinkles (clothing, skin, folds) and nice sharp details and insets, is to use the standard brush with a sharp alpha. Or curve. Also building up transitions between forms it's best to use a nice flat (square) alpha/curve.

Sorry, but I'm not that familiar with MB... only ever used it once.

But your brushes look fine to me.... but I'm using MB09, and the brushes are different in this version.

All, I can say is experiment with different brushes, but you should be able to achieve your goals with the standard brushes.

Also, now that your getting into anatomical sculpting, and such, try to really focus on learning the anatomy.... not that you don't know it now, but you know what I mean.

Also, CGArena.com has some brilliant sculpting tuts, and time lapse videos.

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# 6 13-06-2009 , 08:13 PM

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thanks for the info man!!!

yeah i'm trying to improve on my organic modeling,

as for the reason i have different brushes, thats because i'm using the earlier version of mudbox, will upgrade once i have the money,

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# 7 13-06-2009 , 08:23 PM

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but now I use the subdivide and get in there method,?

sorry what do you mean by that,

do you mean you subdidvide a couple times and then start sculpting?

and if so, how many times do you subdidvide the mesh at the beging to get you started,

i use to do that method before, but after watching some tuts, i thought it was the wrong way,

here take a look at my work before i changed styles,

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# 8 13-06-2009 , 09:44 PM

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That work looks a lot better than your other stuff.

What i mean is... I don't just work up level by level... I sub-divide it a couple of time.... usually level 4, then sculpt... then work up to level 5 then 6, etc.

I don't really think there is a 'right' way to do something, whether it's sculpting, or modeling. As long as you achieve what you were aiming for.... it's all the same.

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# 9 13-06-2009 , 10:27 PM

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believe it or not thats an old mudbox sculpt i did for a next gen game character,

like a year ago, but like a fool, i stoped practicing in mudbox,

i whish i hadn't now,

i too prisviously used to work the way you mentioned, ny subdividing it a couple times, but after watching a dvd, i thought i was doing it wrong,

now that i know it's o,k to work like that i'm going back to that technique,

thanks for the help, and clearing up my misconceptions

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# 10 14-06-2009 , 10:19 AM

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Sculpting with a mouse is doable, but not adviseable.
So if you have the possibility to get a tablet do it it's worth it.
And regarding the blobby look;
It's probably because your brushsize is to small and has a high fall of aswell this way you get that " blobby" look
Why don't you try ZBrush?
I use both and my findings are that Mudbox is easier when it comes to importing OBJ's from Maya, with ZBrush I always have to go back and forth to get it right, Mudbox also doesn't complain when it comes to triangles, but when it comes to sculpting i dislike Mudbox;
-Displacement maps are next to impossible to get right there's no quality control and when in Maya it doesn't seem to have a lot of detail
-interactively adjusting the strength of the brush is impossible it snaps right to 1 or 2.5 and when you work with 0.300 values you have to put away.
-Painting color on a model is irritating since you paint on the uv's and sometimes when youpaint the back of a model it somehow projects through the model on the front so you have adjusted the texture there too.
Painting color with ZBrush has the same issues but a lot less and you can choose between painting on geometry or painting on UV's(proj.master)

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# 11 14-06-2009 , 11:16 AM

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thanks for the reply, mastone

yeah!!, using a mouse is a pain in the ass, i do have a tablet, but it's one of those cheap ones,

and is just plain useless, has very little control, and i also find it slows me down cause i have to keep hitting the keyboard short cuts,

i know the wacom tablets let you assign shortcuts to the tablet it's self,

but currently i just cant afford one at this momonent in time,

just out of curiosity, which brushes and what fall do you use when using mudbox?

i'm attaching a pic of the brushes and fall off i use,

to tell you the truth, i think it's all down to what technique you use, and feel comfortable with,

cause i'm using a different technique now, then the one i use to use in the past,

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# 12 14-06-2009 , 12:54 PM

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I am not on my home computer right now, so i can't check which brush i use atm
But it's usually abrush with a slight fall off so i don't get a hard edge.
I use a Wacom and I use a keyboard with it, i hardly ever use the buttons on the wacom itself.

What i ussually do when sculpting finer detail and such i make a sculpt layer on a lowsubdiv level and rough out the basic shape and size i am aiming for, then i create another subdiv layer with subdiv of let's say 2 and rough in the details, then i go to the highest level my machine can take and do all the fine detailling.

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# 13 14-06-2009 , 01:18 PM

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Originally posted by Mayaniac
Yeah, people methods vary. I used to use the "build up bit by bit method" but now I use the subdivide and get in there method, but tbh it's starting to change to a combo of the two methods, as I incorporate my own.

Originally Posted by

Very true steve, I very between methods depending on what I'm doing, I think that you just find your own feet after a bit and know when and where to do various things.

Personally if I was teaching anyone to digital sculpt I would teach the build up slowly method, that way polys are where they should be, mass is blocked in and then the details come up higher on as when starting off there can be a tendancy to dive in and go slightly mad with no underlying form when divide and conquer is used.

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# 14 14-06-2009 , 01:45 PM

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originaly what i use to do was, subdivide up to level 3,

i found this gave me a good number of polys to work with then go, up a subdivision level or so at a time,

i think i'm gonna go bak to to my old technique it felt much more comfortable,

if anyones seen wayn robsons mudbox dvds then you'll know that he works the same,

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blobby look

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