Two of the Nicelanders. These were variants of the same model, both shared the same body and head with different clothing. The hair for the Nicelanders is geometry with textures. We were given the task of sculpting it to get the simple forms and silhouettes. We used vinyl toys as reference for the stylized flow of the hair.

Hello all, my name is Stefano Dubay, and I am a character sculptor here at Disney. Like many other Zbrush users, I used to use the program to create detail-heavy characters. Upon my arrival at Disney I was somewhat surprised to see how crucial ZBrush is in this pipeline. The first lesson I learned here was that simplicity DOES NOT mean translate as easy to sculpt. In animation every minute angle of a 2D curve defines different plane changes that compose the form in 3D. The exactness of your execution is what gives the correct feeling and mood to the character- in one word it’s appeal. ZBrush comes in as a necessary tool to sculpt these forms. This is because of the flexible control of the surface given by the sculpt approach to modeling. The various tools already in ZBrush make it possible to change the model very quickly and exactly. I usually start by finding where the curves break, in design these places are called hits. The various hits build up a rhythm in the silhouette that has to look good from every angle.



After that I figure out what exists between these curves, might it be plane changes or the way a highlight travels along a surface (and that depends on how the plane curves between two specific plane or contour changes. This and much more is involved in the development of an animation character, and it has to happen fast, and it has to be quickly editable too since we have interactive modeling sessions with the character designer on a daily basis. My experience here at Disney taught me a lot and also made me better at making the cute, creepy, and detailed critters that I make in my spare time, but that’s another story Again remember that simple doesn’t mean easy. In simple designs streamlined shapes have to coexist in perfectly balance without the help of a load of details that help hide possible shape inconsistencies. As an analogy think of an animation character as a high end sport car

There there is no need or rivets, gun-ports, turrets, needless air grills and such. All those superfluous details are irrelevant when the design is made out of just a few aerodynamic curves. Those curves, though are crucial to make something with an intrinsic beauty as an object of design.

These were two of the space marines present in Hero’s Duty world. The design I usually receive can be very rough and will need to be interpreted correctly in order to capture the character. The ability to interpret depends a lot on the experience of the sculptor working with a designer. Being able to address quickly and effectively the notes he or she gives, as well as foreseeing the aspects a specific designer might or might not like, is very important. These aspects consist mostly in plane changes, and rhythm of forms. ZBrush really helps in making all of them. This is the younger marine, codenamed Marco, is wearing the armor modeled by my very talented colleague Tony Jung.