To sculpt eye sockets for the character Consider using an electronic tablet with pen stylus

Additional sculpting techniques

Now that you've learned the basic features, you'll learn other useful techniques before starting to model
the facial features.

To practice additional sculpting techniques

 

1. In the Sculpt Parameter section of the Sculpt Geometry Tool, set Max Displacement to 2.
2. Draw a vertical Pull stroke.
3. Change the Max Displacement to 1.
4. Draw another vertical stroke nearby.
The Max Displacement sets the maximum distance the surface's CVs are pushed (or pulled) with a
single stroke.
5. Erase the changes to the surface.
6. Set Max Displacement to 2.
7. Draw a vertical Pull stroke.
8. Set the Opacity from the default value of 1 to a value of 0.2.
9. Draw another vertical stroke nearby.
One ridge is higher than the other. The Opacity value scales the influence of Max Displacement.
For example, with an Opacity of 0.2, each stroke has only roughly 0.2 times the effect of the Max
Displacement setting.
It's generally best to use a low Opacity value as you Push or Pull. You can increase the
deformation gradually with multiple strokes.
If you want to affect only a small region of a surface, use your mouse to click rather than stroke
the region. If the Radius(U) and Opacity of the brush is small, you might need to click the nearest
intersection point of two isoparms.
10. With Opacity set to 1, erase all changes to the surface again.

Tip

Consider using an electronic tablet with pen stylus. A pen stylus is more natural for stroking surface
changes as it feels like a pen. With a stylus, you can set an option that causes the Radius or Opacity
to vary with stylus pressure. For example, you can have heavy strokes create a bigger Radius than
light strokes.

To do this, display the Stroke tab of the Sculpt Geometry Tool. For Stylus Pressure, select Opacity,
Radius, or Both. Radius is a common choice. If you select Radius, the Radius(U) value on the Sculpt tab
sets the maximum radius, while Radius(L) is the minimum. Explore various settings.
If you use a mouse, set the Stylus Pressure to None. The Radius(U) sets a fixed radius. Radius(L) is
ignored.

Sculpting a nose

Now you'll begin sculpting Egghead's face, starting with a simple nose.

To sculpt a nose for the character
1. Position the perspective view so the Z-axis of the View Axis points toward you.
2. Reset the Sculpt Geometry tool.
3. Select the Pull operation and set the following options:
Radius(U): 1
Opacity: 0.2
4. Select this Shape setting so your strokes have a soft, faded edge:

5. Above the midpoint of Egghead, stroke vertically downward from the top of the nose to the
tip—about the distance between two horizontal isoparms (see the following illustration). Use
several strokes to build up the bridge of the nose. Create nostrils by stroking horizontally to the
right of the tip of the nose a few times, then to the left of the tip a few times.
To build up a small area, position the stroke icon there and click the mouse rather than drag.

 

Tumble the view to examine your results after each stroke or click.

If the strokes create a bumpy surface, turn on the Smooth operation and click Flood once or
twice to smooth all strokes on the surface. Because Opacity is 0.2, the Smooth operation is
subtle. Alternatively, you can smooth a selected region by stroking just that area. It's common to
smooth a surface regularly while using pull and push strokes.

Because there are relatively few isoparms in the nose area, you can only create a simple nose
that's broad and rounded. If you want to create sharper features, for instance, depressed nostrils
or sharp ridges, you'll need to insert isoparms in the nose region. Sculpting a mouth describes how
to insert isoparms.

Sculpting eye sockets

Eye sockets provide an inset and backdrop for eyes.

To sculpt eye sockets for the character
1. Select the Push operation.
2. Leave other settings the same as for the nose.
3. To make a pair of identical eye sockets, display the Stroke settings in the Tool Settings window
and turn on Reflection.
4. Set the Reflection Axis to Z and then position the sculpt icon on Egghead.
A pair of identical Push icons appears on Egghead.
5. Adjust the positioning as desired for the eye sockets. Click the mouse many times in the desired
location.

In your future work, keep in mind that on some surfaces, the position of the mirrored stroke icons
might appear vertically or diagonally opposite one another rather than horizontally. There's a
simple technique for adjusting the positioning. With Reflection and U Dir turned on, try various
slider positions for U Dir. If the positioning isn't correct, turn on V Dir and try various slider
positions for V Dir. Make subtle adjustments by moving the brush icon.

Sculpting eyebrows
Eyebrows help define how stern or pleasant a face appears.

To sculpt eyebrows for the character
1. Select the Pull operation. Use the same option settings as for the eye sockets, including
Reflection.

2. Position the sculpt icons above the eyes and draw horizontal strokes. If necessary, click positions
where you need to build up the eyebrows. Smooth the eyebrows as necessary.