Arisuka
29th Jul 2011, 11:07 PM
I had to learn how to make unique sims without CC for a world-project. And in the process of learning, I realized how much a good sculpt really matters in the end! So this tutorial aims to show the importance of a unique and good facial sculpt, and all the difference it can make with a sim - with or without cc! It shows how to create a solid foundation of sim making - a good, balanced facial sculpt.
http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/399/sculptingtutorialmain.jpg
This tutorial is for anyone, with difficulty level hard to determine since sim-making is very much about in the eye of the creator. This tutorial gives the tools to self-practice, so if you will apply these tips while practicing you should be able to learn how to make good, fail-proof facial sculpts - in your own, unique way! :)
These rules of thumb are just the very basics, aiming to help to see the non-ea way of sim-making. These instructions merely offer a fool-proof way of making good basic sculpts, so this is not the Ultimate Truth or anything. I offer you the ball, and you decide where you run with it. ;)
All of the pictures show the sims with the same neutral expression animation to ephasize the sculpt.
Note that I haven't used any slider hacks in this tutorial, so if you do use them, you might want to tone down some of the advices where it is suggested that the slider value is set to absolute maximum/minimum!
Here are the rules of thumb which I have found that work pretty much ALWAYS.
1. THINK SMALL. EA sims have huge, over-catroony and unreal proportions, so think small when it comes to proportions (in comparison to EA's slider values, that is). This basically means that make especially the nose, eyes and the mouth (often jawline also) "small" so that the slider value is well below the middle point. This requires practice though, so that the eye gets used to the non-ea way of the face proportions.
http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/844/tuto1g.jpg
2. AVOID ROUNDNESS, PREFER EDGYNESS AND SHAPING. Roundness in general is boring and doesn't offer much to look at. So shape that jawline, cheekbones and brows! With males in particular, giving the jawline the maximum amount of definition works pretty much always, and by giving the jawline different widhts and heights and working with the chin you will get variation. So in general, a very defined jawline is a fool-proof way of giving the face a defined look!
http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/2748/pic2gl.jpg
http://img692.imageshack.us/img692/5732/pic2bo.jpg
3. NO BIG ROUND EYES. Instead, make them small and shapely! Try to avoid all-round eyes (and roundly shaped brows!), because that is just boring and drains the personality and emotion out of the face completely (even if the rest of the face would look great!). Eyes are the maker or the breaker of a unique face, and come on, they are the mirror to the SOUL! So shape them well. ;)
Also, lowering the brows as low as it is possible usually complements the eyes and gives them more emotion instead of brows that are high-ish (again the high and round brows, like round eyes, tend to drain the emotion out of everything else). More about the brows in the next rule!
http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/8563/eyesshapes.jpg
4. EXPERIMENT WITH THE BROWS. Do not fear the bushy brows, because you are able to give them different looks with a couple of tricks!
- When you lower the brows as low as possible, then raise the eye socket height, you are able to make the brows look thinner! This is good for toning down the big and bushy brows, and it enables different looks with the same sets of brows.
-Experiment with shapes! Different sets of brows need different shaping, for example, very high value arching doesn't look good with all of the brows.
-If you have made a sim that's face looks fine otherwise but something isn't quite right... play with the brows, they are a quick and easy way to change the overall feeling of the face completely!
http://img820.imageshack.us/img820/7078/changingbrows.jpg
For beginners, I'd advice you to start from the eyes first., then continue on to jawline. The eyes are the hardest part to learn, but when you get the hang of it, the rest of the face will come together easier! :)
5. NO PERMANENT SMILES. AIM FOR A RELAXED MOUTH. EA sims tend to have a mouth that has raised mouthcorners, which create that "permanent smile". It is weird. People don't walk around smiling by themselves in real life (though the world would be a nicer place to live if they did...) So instead, prefer a neutral, relaxed mouth! This is easily achieved by lowering the mouthcorners and raising the mouth curve. Also, a very narrow upper or lower lip tend to create a strained look too, so try to look over the mouth asking yourself if it looks relaxed.
http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/1484/nosmiling.jpg
Good luck, have fun and ask away if you need help/clarification or have any questions!
http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/399/sculptingtutorialmain.jpg
This tutorial is for anyone, with difficulty level hard to determine since sim-making is very much about in the eye of the creator. This tutorial gives the tools to self-practice, so if you will apply these tips while practicing you should be able to learn how to make good, fail-proof facial sculpts - in your own, unique way! :)
These rules of thumb are just the very basics, aiming to help to see the non-ea way of sim-making. These instructions merely offer a fool-proof way of making good basic sculpts, so this is not the Ultimate Truth or anything. I offer you the ball, and you decide where you run with it. ;)
All of the pictures show the sims with the same neutral expression animation to ephasize the sculpt.
Note that I haven't used any slider hacks in this tutorial, so if you do use them, you might want to tone down some of the advices where it is suggested that the slider value is set to absolute maximum/minimum!
Here are the rules of thumb which I have found that work pretty much ALWAYS.
1. THINK SMALL. EA sims have huge, over-catroony and unreal proportions, so think small when it comes to proportions (in comparison to EA's slider values, that is). This basically means that make especially the nose, eyes and the mouth (often jawline also) "small" so that the slider value is well below the middle point. This requires practice though, so that the eye gets used to the non-ea way of the face proportions.
http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/844/tuto1g.jpg
2. AVOID ROUNDNESS, PREFER EDGYNESS AND SHAPING. Roundness in general is boring and doesn't offer much to look at. So shape that jawline, cheekbones and brows! With males in particular, giving the jawline the maximum amount of definition works pretty much always, and by giving the jawline different widhts and heights and working with the chin you will get variation. So in general, a very defined jawline is a fool-proof way of giving the face a defined look!
http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/2748/pic2gl.jpg
http://img692.imageshack.us/img692/5732/pic2bo.jpg
3. NO BIG ROUND EYES. Instead, make them small and shapely! Try to avoid all-round eyes (and roundly shaped brows!), because that is just boring and drains the personality and emotion out of the face completely (even if the rest of the face would look great!). Eyes are the maker or the breaker of a unique face, and come on, they are the mirror to the SOUL! So shape them well. ;)
Also, lowering the brows as low as it is possible usually complements the eyes and gives them more emotion instead of brows that are high-ish (again the high and round brows, like round eyes, tend to drain the emotion out of everything else). More about the brows in the next rule!
http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/8563/eyesshapes.jpg
4. EXPERIMENT WITH THE BROWS. Do not fear the bushy brows, because you are able to give them different looks with a couple of tricks!
- When you lower the brows as low as possible, then raise the eye socket height, you are able to make the brows look thinner! This is good for toning down the big and bushy brows, and it enables different looks with the same sets of brows.
-Experiment with shapes! Different sets of brows need different shaping, for example, very high value arching doesn't look good with all of the brows.
-If you have made a sim that's face looks fine otherwise but something isn't quite right... play with the brows, they are a quick and easy way to change the overall feeling of the face completely!
http://img820.imageshack.us/img820/7078/changingbrows.jpg
For beginners, I'd advice you to start from the eyes first., then continue on to jawline. The eyes are the hardest part to learn, but when you get the hang of it, the rest of the face will come together easier! :)
5. NO PERMANENT SMILES. AIM FOR A RELAXED MOUTH. EA sims tend to have a mouth that has raised mouthcorners, which create that "permanent smile". It is weird. People don't walk around smiling by themselves in real life (though the world would be a nicer place to live if they did...) So instead, prefer a neutral, relaxed mouth! This is easily achieved by lowering the mouthcorners and raising the mouth curve. Also, a very narrow upper or lower lip tend to create a strained look too, so try to look over the mouth asking yourself if it looks relaxed.
http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/1484/nosmiling.jpg
Good luck, have fun and ask away if you need help/clarification or have any questions!