3dworld anatomy tips eaton

8/2/2019 3dWorld Anatomy Tips Eaton

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TUTORIALS | Anatomy tips

052 WO L

3D WORL March 2006

However far tec no ogy a vances, anatomica now e ge wi sti form t e asis of goo c aracteresign. Fo ow t is set of expert tips to get etter resu ts from your own wor BY SCOTT EATON

Anatomy for 3D artistsTIPS & TRICKS

Our expertt s ssue

Scott Eaton

is Creative Technical Directorat Escape Stu ios, w ere efounded and now teachesAnatomy for Digital Artists.He as consu te for manycompanies, incu ing Sony,The Mill and Double Negativewww.escapestudios.co.uk

An image from the authors Anatomy for DigitalArtists course. The archer is posed to illustrate the

complexity of the back muscles under tension. Themodel was originally a rigged, low-resolution mesh,posed in Maya. The musculature was sculpted inZBrush and the model was rendered back in Maya.The corch was composited over the original render

n aspiring character artist might ask: How

is anatomy important to my work? The

emphatic answer is that as a character artist,anatomy should inform every aspect of your

work! Anatomy is the structural foundation that grounds

characters in the physical world and makes them believable,

even if they are cartoons or imaginary creatures.

c

ourse, every artist nee s to now ow to

use so tware app ications, ut w at rea y separates an

ccomp is e artist rom a mere operator is artistic vision an

firm grounding in the fundamentals of human form. Artistic

ision cant easily be taught, but the enterprising artist will find

that theres a wealth of resources available that will help them

iscover more about anatomy.

Fortunately for us, the fundamentals of artistic anatomy

have been known for thousands of years. Unfortunately, theres

little opportunity to learn these anatomical fundamentals in art

schools today. Like most of the knowledge of the great masters,

the subject has fallen out of favour in education and, as aresult, there are currently very few people who are qualified to

teach the subject. This makes finding good instruction difficult

and it transfers the responsibility of learning anatomy onto the

artists t emse ves.

is co ection o tips wi e p you on your way towar s t e

mastery o t ese un amentas. nce youve finis e , w y not

c ec out t e ist o recommen e oo s on anatomy so you

can increase your skills even more?

These tips are intended to provide a foundation for your

own learning. Some relate to muscles, some to bones and

others to proportion. If you can assimilate these principles and

combine them with your own anatomy study, your character

work will go from strength to strength.

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Anatomy tips | TUTORIALS

APPROACH BIG SHAPES LIKEA SCULPTORAlways subordinate small details to the big shapes. In computer

graphics, especially in newer programs that let you sculpt fine

details quickly and easily, its simple to start right into the details

(wrinkles, texture, veins and so o n) of a character before the larger

shapes are correctly established. If you approach the task of making

a mo e e t e scup tors o o ap proac e wor ng n stone , tw e p to structure t e construct on process.

n o ow a stone scu ptor as to carve a c un o stone nto

a oc y mo e rst, ta ng care to esta s t e correct proport ons

an g s apes. n y once t s stage s compete o t e actua

muscu ar s apes an eta s get carve n.

CHECK SILHOUETTESChecking the silhouette of your model is a good way to assess

the larger proportions and gesture of your model, without being

distracted by the lack of finer details, which will be established later.

Set your model to a flat, unshaded colour and zoom out to where

ts sma ut st rea a e on t e screen. ec t e o ut ne o t e

mo e , oo ng or t e g s apes an proport o ns. ar , uns a e

coour e ps you concentrate on t e g s apes an gnore t e act

t at t e mo e snt n s e .

STUDYING A SKELETONThe skeleton is the foundation of any character human, animal or

otherwise and must be understood before the muscles will make

sense. Say a client asks you to model a coat hanging in a closet.

Being a dutiful artist, you would have to ask two questions to makesure the client gets what he or she was looking for: most obviously,

w at n o coat s t owever, per aps more mportanty, you

a so as , w ats t e s ape o t e anger ust as t e anger ctates

t e s ap es o t e angng jac et , t e s eeton ctates t e s ape o

t e o y an ang ng musc es. es es e ng t e sca o ng t at

esta s es t e proport o n o t e o y, t e s e e ton serves as t e

start pont an en pont or a o t e s eeta musces.

MASS CONCEPTIONSIt s important to have a mental simplification of the large shapes

of the skeleton. With a simple mass conception of the skull, rib cage

and pelvis, a figure can be sketched quickly to show balance and

proportion. Each of these masses is decidedly complicated when

xamined in detail, but its enough for the artist to understand the

large masses of these forms and use them to establish the large

hapes and planes of the figure. Both Bammes and Loomis present

xcellent simplifications of the main masses of the skeleton see

urt er rea ng on page .

PUT MASSES IN YOUR MODELere s ou a ways e a sense o un ery ng structure n your

o e s. s s ac eve y mantan ng your mass concept ons as

ou start to p ace t e musces onto t e o y. s mpe tec n que

in CG is to actually create simplified mass conceptions underneath

he skin of your model. These will serve as a reference for both

odelling the muscular forms on top, and also a reference during

igging to make sure the deformations dont violate whats meant toe the rigid skeleton underneath.

THE BONY POINTSe ac nowe ge t e mportance o t e s eeton an un erstan

e s m p cat o n o t e g masses o t e pe v s an r cage, ut

at next e , you nee to earn t e ey ony ponts on t e

ur ace o t e o y. ese are t e p aces w ere t e s eeton es

irectly underneath the skin. Theyre great reference markers for

stablishing the proportions of the body and for accurately placing

he surrounding muscle groups. Not only that, but these are the

laces on your model that, when youre rigging, shouldnt deform

t all they should only move rigidly with the joint. Some of the

ost important are the point of the shoulder (acromion process),

A quick silhouette check of a work in progress. Even though the basemo e is very ow-reso ution, t is e ps assess proportiona ifficuties

This word is French for flayed and

it describes the practice of drawing

or sculpting a figure without the

skin. Drawing corch figures dates

back to the 15th century and is a

great way of learning anatomy. The

technique is simple. Start with a

reference image showing goodmuscular detail and tape a piece of

tracing paper over it. Now find the

bony landmarks on the figure and

use these as reference points to

locate and place the muscle groups

in the surrounding areas. Draw in

the muscles, taking care to indicate

the direction of the muscle fibres,

and continue until i ts complete.

An image showing a few oft e critica ony points of t es e eton: 1. Acromion process;2. Lateral epicondyle of the

umerus; 3. O ecranon;4. Anterior superior i iac spine

corch image by the author, showing theback muscles. This image also highlights thesmoothing effect of skin and fat over theunderlying muscles

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IN FOCUS Observe variation

TUTORIALS | Anatomy tips

e sp ne o t e scapua, t e sevent cervca verte ra, t e po nts o

e p anteror an posteror super or ac spnes , an t e e ow

olecranon and the epicondyles of the humerus). See the diagram on

he previous page.

ORIGINS AND INSERTIONShat are the bony points good for? Well, like the coat hanger

xample, they dictate how and where the muscles originate and

nsert. n erstan ng t ese muscu ar attac ments w e p you to

etermne t e rect on o pu o t e musc e, no matter w at pose

e gure s n. s ctates ow e ge ow s ou e a out.

PULLING POWERne o t e most mportant structura aspects to un erstan a out

uscles is that they must span at least one joi nt to function. This

imple mechanical principle gives muscles their pulling power. They

riginate on one bone and insert on another bone further down the

ierarchy. Its a simple concept, but it makes the interplay of muscles

cross joints both dynamic and believable.

t t e e ow, or examp e, t eres cons era e nteroc ngetween t e upper an ower arm musc es. e orearm musces

xten we a ove t e e ow, attac ng onto t e upper arm one

umerus. ewse, t e ceps an trceps exten e ow t e e ow,

attac ng nto t e orearm. e prncp e o nteroc ng o s true

g t across t e o y, so emp as s ng t s w ma e your mo e s

ecome muc more power u .

THE FOREARMThe two most complicated areas of the body are the forearm and

the scapula. Both owe their complexity to the number of muscles

and the numerous directions in which they pull. Mastery of these

areas w requ re a t ona stu y, so o pay attent on to t em.en t comes to t e arm musces, t e or g ns an nsert ons o

t e ceps an trceps are reat vey s mpe, ut t e musces o t e

orearm are muc more compex.

s a roa map to e p you n your stu y, egn y un erstan ng

t e structure o t e ower en o t e upper arm one umerus .

There are two important bumps there (epicondyles): one on the

outside and one on the i nside. From these two bumps respectively,

the extensors and flexors of the hand originate. The flexors then

travel on the inside of the forearm, while the extensors travel over

the outside.

THE SCAPULAuc o t e comp ex t y o t e ac w c eg n ners o ten

ncorrecty approx mate w t a ew ar trar y p ace umps an

umps s ue to t e scapu a s ou er a e a n a ts mu sc e s

s ng to an ro over t e r cage. ga n , to tac e t s comp cate

area, start y un erstan ng t e ony orm o t e scapu a. e

shape of the bone is like a guide map for placing the muscle. The

spine of scapula is an important bony landmark that will give away

the orientation of the bone and the disposition of the muscles that

eside there. Approach this area like a detective.

THE SKIN AND FATour nvest gat on o anatomy w certa n y ave you stu y ng rom

e erence p ates. ese p ates s ow every musce n ne ssecte

eta , ut ts mportant to remem er t at t s s w at t e musces

oo e wt out t e r top ayer o at an s n. s ayer acts to

so ten an , n some cases, ent rey o scure t e muscu ar eta .

he effect of skin and fat on the underlying muscles is like

looking through a piece of frosted glass you can still see the

shapes and masses behind the glass, but the edges are blurred and

any of the details are lost. Always cross-reference what you see

on the muscular plate with photos or drawings of what the area

looks like in real life.

Even aliens have anatomy! This character design borrows from humannatomy, mo ifying t e proportions for a creature of t is stature

It must be understood that the figures presented in anatomy books are often limited to a singleidealised human figure. In reality, though, the marvellous unpredictability of the gene pool creates

remarkable variations from this ideal. This is where direct observation becomes important. Takeevery opportunity to study these individual variations. If you commute using public transport,theres no better opportunity to study the differences in facial structure and features. Buy a smallsketchbook and make notes the variation will astonish you.

A study highlighting thecompexity of t e musces of t eac . Note t e inter oc ing of t e

shoulder muscles onto the upperarm, an t e interpay of t eupper arm an forearm musc es

A drawing from life. A long posein front of a model gives an artistthe time to carefully study theanatomy and proportions of thefigure. Life drawing classes withextended poses are difficult tofind, but are very useful forcarefully studying figures

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FURTHER READING Anatomy reference books

Even a casual glance in your local bookstore

will reveal that there are shelves full of

anatomy books available to the eager

student. There are some great titles out

there, but there are also lots of bad ones

too. A student of anatomy should study

from only the best, so heres a list ofrecommended anatomy books:

Title: Artistic AnatomyAuthor: Dr Paul Richer & Robert Beverly Hale

ISBN: 0823002977 The authoritative reference in the field

Difficult text, but well worth the effort Clear, extremely accurate plates

Title: Atlas of Human Anatomy for the ArtistAuthor: Stephen Rogers Peck

ISBN: 0195030958 A classic, must-have reference

Many illustrations that explain difficult concepts Lucid text

Title: Human Anatomy for ArtistsAuthor: Eliot Goldfinger

ISBN: 0195052064

A contemporary reference Encyclopedic coverage of the individual muscles

An essential resource

Title: Anatomy Lessons from the Great Masters

Author: Robert Beverly Hale & Terence CoyleISBN: 0823002810

Uses master drawings to explain a range ofanatomical concepts

Exhaustive coverage of the body Highly recommended for intermediate andadvanced students of anatomy

Title: Die Gestalt des Menschen

Author: Gottfried BammesISBN: 3473610992

Constructionist approach to the skeletonand figure

Excellent simplification of forms

Recommended for its illustrations, even ifyou dont read German!

Title: Figure Drawing For All Its Worth

Author: Andrew Loomis

ISBN 067031255X Quality introduction to anatomy, proportions andfigure drawing from a master illustrator

Text is extremely readable

Not in print, but second-hand copies can be foundonline from specialist stores or sites like eBay

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Anatomy tips | TUTORIALS

ANIMAL ANATOMYnce you ave uman anatomy un er your e t, ts qu te easy to

earn anma anatomy. ou may e surprse to earn t at an mas

ave anatomy t ats very s m ar to umans, varyng most y n

proport on. ey ave scapu ae, exors, extensors an a t e t ngs

weve ta e a out, ony n a erent s ze an s ape. e w ng o a

bat, for example, has the exact same bone hierarchy as a human arm

and hand, right down to the smallest digits of the fingers only the

proportions and function are different. Learn human anatomy well

and youll soon be able to understand animal anatomy.

PLAUSIBLE ANATOMYe pr n c p es out ne a ove can an s ou e app e to

antasy creatures as we . ven t at a creature s stuate n a

wor w t p ys c s s m ar to our own, t w ave evo v e s m ar

mec ansms or ea ng w t gravty, mass an momentum. se

your nowe ge o uman anatomy to mag ne ow t e creature

might be constructed with muscles and bones so that it can react

to the environment around it. Take into consideration all the points

mentioned here. Make note of an underlying skeleton, its bony

points, muscular origins and insertions. Consider the i nterlocking of

muscles and tendons across joints. Borrow from human anatomy

but change the proportions and functions as necessary.

IFE DRAWINGeres no su stitute or

tu ying anatomy on a ive

figure, so fin a i e rawing

ourse near you an rop in. e

poses in classes are often too

uick to complete an entire figure

tudy accurately, so heres a

recommended technique: during

ny one pose, focus your drawing

n a specific part of the body and

take your time studying the bony

n muscu ar orms in t at area.

o a finis e stu y o t at sma

ection. it t is met o , you

ave more time to o serve t e

orms an etais o t e musc es

in the area, rather than putting

own a slapdash drawing of the

ntire figure. Its time better

pent and will accelerate your

natomical learning.

A co age of rawings from ife.T ese i ustrate t e softness of t e

o y ue to s in an fatccumulation. Even on athletic

figures, s in an fat sti ave aoftening effect on muscu ar etai s

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