oDD Style analysis

[ascottk]

I've been under fire about staying true to the style oDDity brought to the mod so I'm starting a list (which is long over due) about how we perceive his work and how he may accomplish this style. This may help as a guide for anyone working on AI models, frankenstein or otherwise. I don't have access to his files on my laptop so can't I go into further detail about the proportions. Here's what I have so far:

 

Textures:

 

• dirty (spotty, shaded for the worn look/false shadows to enhance normal maps, scratched up)
  
• some photo refs, some color fills
  
• roughly brushed but with a lot of color variation (some look sloppy but they are extremely effective)
  
• dark with less saturation than most other works (no bright colors)
  
• extremely clean normal maps (combo of hi-poly with texture normals)
  

Models:

 

• smaller torsos and longer legs for the more fit AI
  
• approximately half & half ratio between torso and legs for heavy/overweight AI
  
• a lot of detail meshes (ties, layered armor, etc.)
  

It's getting late so I can't come up with any more ideas. Some examples would be appreciated.

[Domarius]

That's a good analysis. At a glance, I'd say overall that the most obvious difference with your new one, is the lack of detail (no normal maps), bright colours, and face not based closely off a photo.

[ascottk]

That's a good analysis. At a glance, I'd say overall that the most obvious difference with your new one, is the lack of detail (no normal maps), bright colours, and face not based closely off a photo.

That is a helpful critique, thanks Dom!

 

I wanted to expand this with some examples but I ended up with another major headache yesterday Man, I miss having reliable internet at home

[Arcturus]

IMHO what makes Oddity's characters great looking is the perfect utilization of sculpting tools. Here's a quote from an interview with him:

 

Some guys in the contest were using ZBrush, and some, like me, were subpatch modeling. Anyway, such a direct competition between polygons and sculpting made it clear to me just how superior (and faster) digital sculpting was over poly modeling when it came to anatomically detailed characters.

 

Here's the full interview: http://area.autodesk.com/index.php/stories...fen_pixelwerks/

[Springheel]

He wasn't using digital sculpting to make our characters, actually.

[Arcturus]

So it was before he started sculpting? But he must have made detailed highpoly models to bake normals?

[OrbWeaver]

He did, but he was using conventional modelling techniques at that time (i.e. NURBS or subdivision surfaces, I seem to recall he preferred NURBS).

[Springheel]

I was one of the guys who was quite reticent about changing over from poly modeling to sculpting. The decision came during the first hardcore modeling challenge on CGTalk forums. It was a challenge to make a copy of Michelangelo's David, as accurate as possible. That was 2 -3 years ago. At that time there were still quite a few character artists who still poly modeled rather than sculpted. Some guys in the contest were using ZBrush, and some, like me, were subpatch modeling.

[SneaksieDave]

Somewhere he has a movie up (maybe the ftp) of him modeling a boot, IIRC. Impressive to watch.

[Springheel]

I've got the one of him modifying a head, but I don't think I have the boot.

[Domarius]

IMHO what makes Oddity's characters great looking is the perfect utilization of sculpting tools.

 

It's best just to approach this from a visual perspective. oDD himself said it's not what tool you use, it's how you use it. I specifically remember him saying he hated how people emailed him asking "What program do you use???" like if they only had THAT program, they could make artwork as good as that.