This semester, I want to focus on modeling a 3D character from 2D concept art. I specifically mention “from 2D concept art” because translating a flat design into a three-dimensional model presents unique challenges—proportions, perspective, and maintaining the stylistic choices of the design which might not translate well in a three-dimensional space.
After abundant research (a dive into YouTube search for video tutorials), I found the following tutorials and insights useful:
Creating a Character Turnaround from a Concept Piece – This one goes the simple route of creating a character turn-around by first drawing half of the front piece and then duplicating it so the front would be symmetrical, then copying it in order to do the back-side of the character, after which the side-view is made. While the art was solid it did not give much impression of actual rotation in a 3D space, which, for experienced modellers (of which I am not) might not be an issue. The character design was also incredibly detailed, which of course serves its own challenges.
Another tutorial, more advanced one, for a simpler character concept (How I Make Character TURNAROUNDS and Sheets!) emphasizes the importance of keeping the process simple, as well as well-structured, by thinking about the anatomy of the design and using guiding lines to remain consistent in all the angles – front, back, profile and (!) ¾ view.
The most useful video I found and which I will use to reference primarily my process was this one: Character Turnarounds: like a Pro! Photoshop Timeline
For the purpose of creating a full turnaround, the animator stresses the need to make 8 individual poses of every single angle the character would be turning in (or 5 in case the design is symmetrical, in which case the different angle poses could be duplicated). This animator, interestingly, started with the ¾ pose and began from there. This, to me, seems to be the most logical step. He states he did that, because it is the main pose in most animated scene where the characters have to both interact with each other and show the majority of their face to the audience. To me, however, it makes even more sense, because the ¾ view is where you get the most context for the shape of the features and the angles and curves of the body. A front view is far too flat, and a side view, while providing information on which parts jut out and which are concave, loses information in regards to the over-all design. After the ¾ is done, the neck is chosen as the pivotal axis on which the character is to revolve (two guides along both lines of the neck and one deadcenter) with additional guides at the outer-most extremities – top of the head, feet, shoulders, waist, chin and mouth, which keeps the proportions in check. Interestingly, the pelvis tilt is different for the front and back ¾ views – which means that the two could not be reversed, as could be done for the front view and the side view. Because of the way the pelvis tilts, it is either tilting upward (in the backview) or upward (in the front view).
The animator also stresses a key difference between designing for 3D and 2D. In 2D animation, artists often use “cheats”—like Mickey Mouse’s shifting ears, which change position depending on the angle to maintain readability. When translated, the model often looks weird and unnatural. THis can be circumvented by “cheating” the model (automorphing) depending on the angle it is being viewed at, as was done for these two models: https://x.com/CG_Orange_eng/status/1482422057933565953 and https://x.com/chompotron/status/1481553948721180677 .
But that would be a further blogpost all on its own.
Now that I’ve gathered these insights, my next task is to select a 2D concept art of a character and create a turnaround sheet before moving into 3D modeling.
