Drawing orthogonal views

[arrowwench]

I was wondering if anyone had any advice/knowledge/tips on how to draw orthogonal views of a character to be created in 3D.

I was thinking that I would draw the character on graph paper and then scan it in to use it as an image plane in the modeling program. However, I'm not sure if this is the most efficient or professional method. Any insight would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!!

[staylor]

Granted I've only used this for engineering 3d modeling programs but there is orthogonal graph paper. Don't know if it will help with character design though.

[mephistophyls]

i'm in 3d animation. yes on graph paper, use a light table and ruler to line up body landmarks. try not to change the scanner settings for each picture you scan... its a pain to try and resize it perfectly once in maya. dont draw arms on the side views. top and bottom views dont hurt. 3/4 view is not for the 3d program, but for potential clients so getting used to drawing that is good. you know already that the arms must be drawn raised to shoulder level on the front and back views? and i found feet AREN"T reliable body landmarks, b/c they change direction depending on the view. OH yeah, once in maya you may have to create some new cameras because you'll probably need more precise views than what they give you. like they'll have a front camera, but not a back. good luck and prepare to be sleepless!

[arrowwench]

Thanks so much. These suggestions are very helpful!

[Mistah P]

Originally posted by mephistophyls
you know already that the arms must be drawn raised to shoulder level on the front and back views?

Must they really? I've seen plenty of examples of character turnarounds for 3d modeling that has the arms down, slightly raised from the body, not the Da Vinci pose.

What's the most common? What do 3d modellers prefer?

[mephistophyls]

as a 3D student myself, i learn its best to do it both ways. What I mean is, the arms fully raised is good for modeling, the arms slightly raised is good for presentation and rigging. I concentrate on animation, but when working on a project, your drawings must be as clear as possible b/c the person modeling (you) may not be rigging it or even animating it. When you model, you should test how the cvs react to shoulder bends. when painting on weights (rigging) the character is usually put into the most extreme position it will assume. You can draw the arms slightly raised for presentation, but it is always easier to model with them fully raised. The DiVinci pose is not what your characters should assume. The legs should be evenly placed for balance. DiVinci moved the legs past shoulder width to illustrate how the perfect human makes a circle with their limbs. sorry for the long post.

[capone]

excellent subject, I have forever been on the lookout for a full on illustrated tutorial on this process. Anyone know of any?, or even a site which shows actual model sheets used for modeling?