Overview:

The world of 3D art has come along way over the past decade or so. 3D software that was once limited only to big Hollywood animation studios has now become commonplace in many home computer systems. Aside from big 3D animated film projects such as those produced by Pixar Animation Studios (Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc, The Incredibles, etc.) and Dreamworks (Shrek, Robots, etc.), 3D graphics and animation are used in a wide variety of ways such as 3D video games, web design, forensics, advertising and fine art illustration. The one thing that all of these 3D applications have in common is that they all utilize photo-realistic textures which help to give them that believable and "real" look.

Currently, one of the best-selling 3D character and animation programs is Poser, produced by e-Frontier. Poser was originally designed to create 3-dimensional human figures that could be used as a reference for artists who needed to draw the human figure but didn't have a live model to refer to. It has since taken on an entirely new life, and is used by many CG (computer graphics) artists to create stunning illustrations and animations. Of the many humanoid models that can be used in Poser, the most popular by far are the Millennium People created and sold by Daz3D. Their current top-selling human models include Victoria 4, Victoria 3, Michael 3, Stephanie Petite, and David. One key factor that all of these human models have in common is that they utilize photo-realistic texture maps of the skin. To create these texture maps, we need to first shoot digital photos of human skin which are then carefully placed on a flattened map of the model's mesh (also known as a UV Map), so that all of the parts fit correctly onto the model when the texture map is incorporated.

Below is an example of a model's mesh (left) and how the model appears after a texture map has been applied (right).

Model's Mesh

Final Render with Texture Map

The Process:

In order to create a photo-realistic texture map for the 3D model, we first have to harvest skin textures to place on the UV map of the model. We do this by using a digital camera and "scanning" a model from head to toe from all angles. This process generally requires that the model pose nude, with no makeup, and with their hair pulled away from their face and off of their ears. The photography itself is purely academic — nothing erotic or adult in nature. The model is carefully photographed from all angles — head to toe, front to back, left to right— including close-up shots of the face, hands, feet, and other areas of the body that require extra detail, to ensure that we are getting as much detail and as much texture information as we possibly can. This detail is very important to the creation of a quality texture map as it is the detail that makes the texture appear photo-realistic when rendered in a 3D program.

The image above is a cutaway image of a texture map that was created using digital images from one of our models. The mesh information of the 3D model is flattened and generated into an image file. This mesh image is used as a guide or template for the texture artist to work with. The texture artist takes the digital photos of the skin textures and carefully places them into position onto the mesh template. The texture has to line up perfectly on the UV map or it will not look correct when it is wrapped around the 3D model.

When the texturing process is finished, the texture map is loaded onto the 3D model and checked for any visible seams. Typically, the artist will now adjust the morph settings of the 3D model, which changes the shape of the face and body, until they achieve the desired result. These morph settings can be saved as a pose file and, along with the texture maps, can be bundled up and sold as a character set for that particular model. Below are some examples of character sets that were created by some of the top texturing artists in the trade. For the most part, other than the skin texture, the characters that are created look very little like the human model whose photographs were used. This will be the case 99.9% of the time no matter who creates a character.

Digital Cloning:

We believe the best way to capture realism is to mimic life itself. Therefore, we have created a technique in which the model's skin textures are wrapped around the 3D model, and the morph settings of the 3D model are then adjusted to resemble the features of the posing model as closely as possible. It is sort of like having a 3D facsimile of yourself. The process is referred to as "digital cloning". Other character developers have adopted this process to create "clones" of celebrities. We prefer to bring something different to the table. We like to create believable-looking character sets of "regular" people. Below is an example of a digital clone of model Shawn Hektor:

Shawn Hektor

Digital Twin

As a general rule of thumb, we never generate a digital clone of any of our models without their expressed consent. In the case of Shawn Hektor, she requested that we create a digital twin of her, as have many of our models who wanted to be immortalized in digital form. The photographer may ask you if you are interested in this process prior to or during your shoot and you may express your wishes at that time.

Prospectus:

You have been shown the manner in which texture photographs of human models are used to texture a 3D model. The head and body of the 3D digital model are textured in the same manner with much attention to detail, so as to remain consistent with the quality of each other. Therefore the need for nude photographic reference is in great demand. Currently, we have a need for all sorts of figure reference material. People of any ethnicity, any skin type, male and female, young or old, etc. are needed to pose for the photographic reference material. Models are paid by the hour or part thereof for posing. The number of photographs taken varies greatly depending on the project. For the above-mentioned type of work between 70 and 150 photographs of the head and body are taken.

You are not required to be a professional model nor have any prior modeling experience to participate. However, given that this type of artwork requires detailed, realistic looking human skin, posing for this particular type of work preferably requires that models pose nude. If nudity is a problem, then a skimpy swimsuit or set of undergarments that reveal as much skin as possible can be considered. Of course, in order to pose for this type of work you will need to be at least 18 years old — especially if you agree to pose nude.

We also have opportunities for those who want to participate in the fascinating field of digital art but do not wish to pose nude or who are under the age of 18. Photographs of various hand poses and body poses are needed and we can always use photographs of particular features such as eyes, lips, hands, eyebrows, scars, tattooes, wrinkles, etc. There are also many opportunities for people of any age or ethnicity to pose for "fine art" photography, clothed or nude (Again, for nude modeling you must be 18 years old or older). All models are required to sign a model release form which pertains to the type of work they are modeling for.

If you are interested in modeling for us, please contact Dave Sammons (Xil) via email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . Thank you for taking the time to read this, and we hope to hear from you soon.