3D Illustration: Research Methods

 CG Hub artists. 
Me as a 3D artist 

I've been working in 3D programs since community college. I've created models and worked with 3D programs. However, I've taken a break from pursuing 3D anything because of focusing on school and computer crashes where I've lost the data. 

I have Zbrush and Maya to work with. However, only focusing on modeling and texturing because of computer inefficiencies. Low poly and poor graphics card has reduced my animations into pixelated messes and computer crashes and freeze. However, I won't give up in succeeding this art form as it pertains to future  job opportunities. 

More computer advances are needed, fortunately, desktop and laptop computers are more efficient with higher processing power and more RAM available with less money to spend, than computers used to cost. 

Why do I want to pursue 3D as a means to create art? It's because there's an ever growing need and demand to create 3D imagery and animation. I want to be skilled in modeling and texture because more and more art is going to those programs and that way of creating. There are also a lot more job opportunities and job creations in this field as well as jobs over seas. 

Learning Zbrush and Maya are quite challenging, however, I find myself a fast learner with these programs as well as other art programs; computer based. With tutorials and a great deal of patience; I can create simplistic models...it's a start. 

There are many ways to create art, however, a more extensive and ever growing way to create imagery is that of 3D modeling to animation.

ZBrush Modeling pixology.com Picture: CGHub Artist
As great as it would be to just talk about artistic things, there are practical concerns that need to be addressed as we begin modeling in ZBrush. Traditionally we had to build and proportion an armature and prepare our clay. Digitally we consider related things: we prepare our digital clay (base mesh, edge loops, quads, etc) and pose with a ZSphere armature.
If you must have triangles, hide them away in an armpit or on the bottom of a foot. ZSpheres are great for quadrangulated meshes (though hands and feet are difficult to make using them). Your model doesn’t need to be anything spectacular to start with. The most important thing is that you have the quads and edges where you need them; the shape and proportion can and will change. You can see from the humble [base mesh] that all the magic happens in ZBrush. It is so good at moving points and changing proportions (TransPose) that we only need to start in the ballpark and then progressively refine as we go. Have a good laugh at how mediocre this base mesh is, but remember it is just the starting point.A very low-resolution base mesh is great for making large changes to your sculpture by pushing, pulling, or moving single vertices at a time. Often for production work I use a very low-res mesh to start my sculpt, but export SubD Level 1 or 2 for rigging and animation. While not critical for digital sculpture, it is good to get in the habit of putting decent edge loops on your model, they do help. A well edge-looped model will require fewer polygons to represent form and you will never feel like you are fighting against misaligned edges. The edge loops should broadly flow along muscle groups and in the direction of deformation. I also use specific edge loops to represent critical skeletal landmarks. I would, for example have an edge loop that distinctly represents the clavicles and others around the hips that represent the iliac crests. Do not make long rectangles. When subdividing the mesh into digital clay, rectangles with long polygons turn into long micropolygons which are awkward to sculpt on and destroy the feel of your brushes.As much as possible avoid over detailing regions of your base mesh. Avoiding areas of small details can save hundreds of thousands of polygons when the mesh is subdivided, often allowing you to get another subdivision level out of your available memory. Remember: subdividing a single polygon eight times results in 65,538 polygons. (And who wants this many polygons underneath every fingernail?) Of course, if you are modeling for production there are different requirements but efficiency is still important. Also, if you know you are going to have an area with a disproportionate amount of detail, you will want the base mesh in this area to be proportionally denser. (Or you can use ZBrush’s HD geometry.)Use the paint tools in Photoshop to paint directly on the model. These paints will automatically be applied to the texture in the “layers” panel. As an alternative you can double-click on the texture layer. This will bring up a separate window where you can paint on the texture.Select “File” and click “Save.” Name you file and the location you want to save to. Your model with its new texture will be saved and can be imported back into ZBrush.
http://www.pixologic.com/zclassroom/artistinaction/scotteaton/modeling/

Also check out tutorial videos:
http://zbrush.wonderhowto.com/how-to/use-basic-sculpting-methods-zbrush-3-1-196468/
http://zbrush.wonderhowto.com/how-to/use-polygroups-zbrush-3-1-196748/
http://zbrush.wonderhowto.com/how-to/use-brushes-and-masking-zbrush-3-1-184415/

ZBrush with Photoshop texture tutorial video with low poly YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gA2tbvYUrqM

ZBrush texture with Photoshop ehow.com 

Open Zbrush. Select “File” and click “Open.” Open the project you have been working on. Then select “File” and click “Export”. Name the file and choose "Wavefront OBJ" as the file type. Click “OK.” Close Zbrush. Open Photoshop. In the dialog box that pops up browse to the file you exported from Zbrush and open it. The 3D model will be imported with its existing textures stored in the “Layers” panel.Click on the texture group in the “Layers” panel to open it. Some models will have more than one texture. Select the one you want to work with.
http://www.ehow.com/how_5865471_make-textures-photoshop-zbrush.html


Pixar collaboration and Inspiration wiki.answers.com

 PIXAR uses their own software to create and animate 3D models. They use very powerful computers to create them and then "render" them (rendering is a process where a computer does millions of mathematical equations to simulate their model as best as possible). All movies are just still pictures moving in fast motions. These pictures are called frames. There are about a trillion frames in a 2 hour movie. It takes about 1-90 hours to just render one frame. Multiply that by....a lot...I could say. 
EDIT: "It takes about 1-90 hours to just render one frame. Multiply that by....a lot...I could say. "That is not accurate; It does not take that long to render 1 frame. Animation/visual effect studios use what's called a "Render Farm", which is a separate group of computers used only for rendering shots, which dramatically speeds up the process. When an animator finishes his shot, he sends it off to those computers to get rendered, and while that's happening, he can begin to work on the next shot. 
EDIT: 24 frames per second is the normal motion picture speed that we see with film. A 2 hour or 120 minute movie would only be about 173,000 frames, not a trillion
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_does_Pixar_and_Disney_do_their_animation

In Conclusion: 

I enjoy learning more and more about 3D. However, I have very little knowledge about this new venture, but very badly want to learn more. Art is a learning process, and you as an artist grow and develop artwork and change styles. Continuation of this process and combining the 2D and going as far as making the final project into a 3D model or 3D landscape is an extension to the art process. It also creates dimension and a new feel with sculpting.