3D sculpting or digital sculpting involves use of advanced 3D tools for giving shape to digitized mesh just like traditionally sculpting with clay. Artists often use digital sculpting.
3D sculpting tools take the functionality of 3D modeling to the next level with specialized brushes and actions involving pushing, pulling and smoothening. You can manipulate a digital object like a real life one.
The Digital Sculpting Process
Digital sculpting manipulates digital objects in multiple layers. This is similar to working with real clay. You can start with a sphere or other simple shape. Else, you can use the basic shape modeled in a 3D modeling software.
Sculpting tools allow manipulation of sculpted object’s geometry and facilitate adding of new geometry over it. Blocking is the initial layer where basic features like lip’s shape or muscular curve are defined.
After successful manipulation of basic shape along with silhouette, you need to proceed with geometry subdivision for adding extra details.
Digital sculpting is memory intensive process. This means that the project will grow slower with every subdivision as processing power requirement would amplify. The process will consume significant amount of computer resources and hence you need to work layer by layer. Additional details can be inserted to subdivision layers over time.
For increasing the realistic quotient of 3D sculpture, you can add minor imperfections such as scars to characters. Small texturing details such as pores can be added in the layer that carries optimal details i.e. the last subdivision.
You can apply customizations to brush textures for mimicking the methods of clay sculptor. The final sculpture’s realism would be enhanced when detailed surfaces are created with fine textures.
Selecting The Appropriate Digital Sculpting Software
To successfully complete the digital sculpting project, you can use 2 software types. The software can be mesh based or voxel based geometry oriented.
Mesh-based geometry
When interconnection occurs in surface mesh of polygons, mesh-based geometry is created. Pushing and pulling of the geometry is possible. You can edit the mesh at varying detail levels. Small polygons would result in finer details whereas larger polygons would define other aspects.
Voxel-based geometry
Addition and removal of materials are possible as volume is considered the fundamental element. The simple geometry allows you to work on projects with complete independence. You should not risk the project with low detail level as finer details may be destroyed. Complex calculations are employed for creating polygon meshes which are as malleable as real clay.
Digital Sculpting In Industry Verticals
Movies
For offering immersive experience to moviegoers, 3D characters used in films have to be realistic and they must resemble real-life animatics. 3D sculpted models make this possible.
Gaming Domain
Pre-rendering games is not possible, hence low-poly models are preferred by game visualizers. Accomplishing symmetrical and exact movements in models with low polygons, 3D sculpting is used. This prevents any compromise in model quality even when polygon numbers are lesser. 3DS Max and ZBrush are ideal software for gaming domain.
3D Printing
Sculpting is needed to achieve the maximum possible precision level of 3d print designs stipulated by 3D printing. Detailing level must be high for printing of complex objects such as human organs. If a small flaw shows up, the purpose of printing would not be served.
Advertisement Domain
High quality 3D models succeed in commanding the attention of potential buyers on eCommerce domains and other advertisement touch points. Any complex concept can be portrayed with 3D modeling and sculpting technologies.
Product Designing
You can easily develop unconventional designs that can sport any shape you can imagine of.
Conclusion
3D sculpting of models offers unlimited scope to develop unique designs that you can possibly imagine of. With advancement of software, the limits of geometry and mesh manipulation are being pushed progressively. Soon, 3D sculpting would find more usefulness in other industry verticals too.
