Refining the Forehead, Chin, and Cheeks

Modeling a Low-Poly Head

Creating the Ears

 

Autodesk 3ds Max Tutorials >  Modeling Tutorials > Modeling a Low-Poly Character > Modeling a Low-Poly Head > 

Refining the Head and Neck

In this lesson, your progressively expand the face's edge loops towards the back of the head and then cover the neck. You can always come back afterwards and add a hairline to give your character more personality.

Refine the head volume:

1. Continue working on your file from the previous exercise, or load the file Low_Poly_Head05.max found under \tutorials\low_polygon_modeling.
2. Go into Vertex sub-object level, and then on the Edit Geometry rollout, click Cut and extend the cheek, eye, and forehead edges to the side of the head.

   

3. Use the Cut tool again to divide to resulting edges in half. Connect the new edges to the current forehead edge loop and jaw line.

   

4. Go into Edge sub-object level, and then select the forehead edge that does not match the face's circular edge flow.

   

5. On the Edit Edges rollout, click Remove.
6. Select all ring edges in the temporal bone region (between the eye socket and the ear). Do not select edges below the jaw line.
   TipTo quickly select multiple ring edges, select one and then click Ring on the Selection rollout.

   

7. Click the Connect Settings button. In the Connect Edges dialog, leave Segments as default. Click OK.

   

8. Go into Vertex sub-object level and reposition the new vertices to match the width of the head in the reference images.

   

9. Click Cut and draw a series of continuous edges all around the head to connect the forehead's frontalis muscles to the occipitalis muscles, located at the base of the skull.

   

10. Create another series of horizontal edges at the back of the head, covering the parietal bones.

    

11. Go into Edge sub-object level. On the Edit Geometry rollout, choose Face from the Constraints drop-down.
12. Select the edges from the outside row of the back of the head and move them on the Y axis towards to the ears.

    Note that the face constraint helps retain the skull volume.

    

13. Choose None from the Constraints drop-down.
14. Connect the offset edges to the top of the head.

    

15. Go into Vertex sub-object level and adjust the vertices to refine the head's volume and retain an uniform spacing between polygons.

    

Refine the neck:

1. Click Cut and divide the polygons in the throat area to complete the last edge loop bordering the eyes.

   

2. Make a new cut to connect the throat's lower edge loop to the side of the head.

   

3. Reposition the throat's vertices to match the reference image.

   

4. Click Target Weld and merge four vertices into two common gathering points in the neck.

   This removes unnecessary edges while retaining the neck volume. Also when you need to connect objects together (for example, this head with its body), synchronizing each object's polygon count facilitates the bridging process.

   Before using Target Weld

   After using Target Weld

   

   Before using Target Weld

   

   After using Target Weld

5. Click Cut and create two distinct sets of edges around the neck to better define it from the jaw line.

   

6. Go into Edge sub-object level, then select an unnecessary edge located near the jugular vein.

   

7. Click Remove on the Edit Edges rollout.
8. Replace the deleted edge with a new cut dividing the neck polygons below.

   

9. Go back into Vertex sub-object level and reposition the vertices to equalize their spacing and alignment.

   

10. Click Cut and draw a series of edges from the base of the skull down the neck.

    

11. Go into Edge sub-object level, and then select the diagonal edge that does not match the surrounding edge flow.

    

12. On the Edit Edges rollout, click Remove.
13. Go back into Vertex sub-object level and adjust the vertices to round out the back of the neck.

    

14. Save your file as My_Low_Poly_Head_Neck.max