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Ashita no Joe 3D Sculpts
spring 2024 3d sculpt final - case study
The sculpts above are from my final project I did for a 3D Modeling course at Pratt. They were completed in Z Brush over about a month. The goal was to create a 3D sculpt concept and execute it. I began by choosing a panel from my favorite manga, Ashita no Joe, that I felt had movement and swing to it, and a composition that could feature both main characters. From there, I did a sketch adapting it.
After I had the idea down, I got to work in Z Brush and began by establishing the basic shapes of the figures. Slowly, I built each character's likeness.
During this process I had a lot of difficulty placing the characters' feet on the ground in a way that was proportionate and correct, while also exaggerating the desired arcs of motion and resembling the manga pose. Below is how things looked towards the end, when the details were beginning to come together, about a stage before the final product was complete.
Reference image for detailed angles:
3D Sculpt to 3D Printed Prototype
spring 2025 case study
goal: to successfully create a rough PLA prototype, clearing the sculpt as viable for a future high quality resin print.
I wanted to take the skills I learned in my 3D modeling course further and learn how to 3D print a sculpt I've made, since that's something I've always wanted to do. This was done in about two weeks as a personal project, and had no deadline. I decided to take a character I draw often, Rusty, and adapt him. I know the character well, so I thought it would be a good place to start. As with the previous case study, I began with basic shapes, and using the symmetry tool, I could begin sculpting facial features.
Using plenty of reference images, the final product was slowly taking form!
At this stage, I was running into no issues. Z Brush was cooperating, and I just let myself sculpt. It was a pretty relaxing process.
Once complete, I prepared the file in NetFabb for printing. In the program, I ran multiple repair scripts to make sure the print had no errors, adjusted the size, reduced the triangle count, and generally made sure it was ready to go. This is where I ran into some problems. Netfabb was a totally new program for me, and it took a while to learn the interface and make sure I did all the processes required to get the sculpt eligible to print. Each task took about 30 minutes to load, so if I did something incorrectly, it was a timely mistake. Eventually, I got it finished!
Once approved for printing, I had the prototype! After this, I decided to make some changes, like I felt the hair in the back sat too low and needed to be adjusted, etc. Some technical aspects also need to be ironed out, and the print came out larger than intended, so that will be fixed for the final resin print. Ultimately, though, the larger size is helpful as I get the chance to see the sculpt better this way (despite its rough prototype quality!).
character references:
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