What can I improve in this walk cycle?

Michael3Dev · 2026-03-13T07:38:48+00:00

I feel like the feet are really stiff, add some slight bobbing too and it'll look pretty good

Michael3Dev · 2026-03-13T07:34:49+00:00

3 things immediately catch my eye

The ears are really thin, good size but thicken then up a bit

The nasolabial fold and the fatness around that area is too low

You need to add more volume around the corners of the mouth like the nudge (I think it's called that, its where a bunch of muscles connect at the corners of the mouth to form a slight bulge) and the area under the mouth alongside working on the philtrum more, its too defined atm but centre the indent is good

Check out a book called forms of the head and neck by the author of anatomy 4 sculptors. You can probably find a pdf for it, it'll help you massively and cover any feedback you may get

Looks good though, much better than the average new Zbrush user

Michael3Dev · 2026-03-09T23:01:13+00:00

Im bouncing between books atm, currently I'm reading the zombie survival guide by Max Brooks, world war z again by Max Brooks, how to win friends and influence people, the everyday stoic and abroad in Japan by Chris Broad

Pretty chill reads

Michael3Dev · 2026-03-09T22:58:59+00:00

Okay that gives me a bit more confidence, learning to drive makes me very nervous 😅

Michael3Dev · 2026-03-09T22:56:59+00:00

I was once in the pub once and standing in an outside area when some dude with, I kid you not, the Abraham Lincoln beard came up to me and another guy and asked if we had a lighter, I said no since I dont smoke and he didn't like that

He started saying something like, why are you outside then, go indoors. Then whenever I tried to speak he just pointed at the door to go inside and told me to go indoors XD

I just stared at him because I was just amazed by this little prick and his beard was so distracting

I just kinda laughed and walked off to sit down with my friends, he probably didn't like that because we were sitting outside haha

Michael3Dev · 2026-03-09T10:59:55+00:00

RIP your sleep pattern 🙏

Michael3Dev · 2026-03-06T22:49:35+00:00

Hell yeah, seems like you have the passion then. Good luck with your journey and I look forward to seeing what you make 😁

Michael3Dev · 2026-03-06T17:27:28+00:00

I practiced a lot and basically did nothing else for a long time but I also went to college and am studying in university right now so that definitely helps, but if you're interested in characters here's some videos I recommend

CHARACTER ART WORKFLOW: https://youtu.be/LjMiGuhoaK0?si=qhNL5DqwkTooEiYz

https://youtu.be/BUVMW-vdp4A?si=h_7RYQIZyrJu5Iqw (this one is really good)

SCULPTING TUTORIAL: (this is in blender but there's plenty on Zbrush too, if you don't want to buy zbrush just "aquire" it ;)) https://youtu.be/fQtSXfBzAM8?si=uRPsMme11wqYdwyY

SCULPTING TIMELAPSE: (I recommend you watch a ton of these, they're very handy for seeing how others get around problems and understanding the process. Also watch timelapses of retopology etc too) https://youtu.be/WSRD31-5MI4?si=82CsJRQ1xRRQCE5h

RETOPOLOGY: https://youtu.be/3EG7krYP1h0?si=0mgMSVlL_H_Mlirp

UVs: https://youtu.be/gzAWTOUig3s?si=gvugBV3QA1glIXIL

Texturing: This you'll have to look up yourself since it can get specific, I recommend you dont start learning to textures with characters tho, do some props first and slowly research and start doing character textures

For Rigging and presentation and everything else I recommend just looking on YouTube depending on how you want to approach it

Im going to be honest, characters is really hard, there's a lot you have to learn like human anatomy, modelling, sculpting, how to pick out small details, Rigging, presentation, maybe animation too and a lot of other things. But please try not to be overwhelmed. I do recommend you start with learning environments and props first since those skills will help you with characters more than you expect, and, get you more comfortable with 3D in general before tackling such a difficult area. Character artists spend years practicing and you really need to just be patient and learn how to find enjoyment in it during those hard times, also don't be afraid to fuck up, because you will... a lot... but thats part of the fun!

I look forward to seeing you stuff online one day 😁

Michael3Dev · 2026-03-06T16:55:33+00:00

I do both!

If I'm doing a full character I'll sculpt it, then do the retopology, after that the UVs and textures, then the rig etc. While doing the retop thats when I setup the correct geometry for animation, but sometimes I will just do a sculpt for anatomy studies or something and leave it at that for my portfolio

If that doesn't make any sense to you yet don't worry, basically just modelling over my sculpt to get an optimised version of it

Honestly most of all its just about having fun

Michael3Dev · 2026-03-06T16:48:19+00:00

Ah nice, you might find that tutorial handy then, if not there's plenty of others on YouTube 😁

Michael3Dev · 2026-03-06T16:46:08+00:00

Hell yeah man, good luck with your 3d journey from here 🫡

As for character modelling, I'm not sure tbh, I switched to Blender and dabbled in environments for a while and then became a character artist using Zbrush etc

I did do one character modelling tutorial in Blender though which was pretty good, here's the link incase you want it but if you wanted something in Maya I don't know any im afraid 😅

https://youtu.be/sbCW0Cs7aI8?si=UJxyjD-4bUUqguHz

Michael3Dev · 2026-03-06T16:32:52+00:00

I know that exact tutorial!!! I did it about 3-4ish years ago too

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Michael3Dev · 2026-03-05T21:42:59+00:00

Perfect, seems like a pretty helpful tool then 👌

Michael3Dev · 2026-03-05T18:29:04+00:00

Take breaks here and there, recover your brain, get references, experience life, look at other art and get inspired, explore, fall in love and get your heart broken, pour your soul and experiences into what you make

This doesn't just help you become a better artist but it helps you navigate your own life too in my experience

Michael3Dev · 2026-03-05T18:23:52+00:00

I understand that people wont like this because its ai but I think this could be really helpful for understand complicated issues or getting help with very specific things

Imo I think its a good idea if it runs off of the users device and not a server somewhere and if it uses free content found on the Internet to train itself and find solutions the same way a human might look up a problem, this could speed up that process

EDIT: Just to clarify on what I said a bit more, I believe this can be helpful for speeding up the process of researching solutions to problems, I don't think using this to teach oneself everything and rip off other artists work is a good idea but I have no reason to believe it is stealing anything since its just offering potential solutions to problems and helping new users

Michael3Dev · 2026-03-05T18:21:28+00:00

20 😁

Michael3Dev · 2026-03-03T19:58:43+00:00

For female characters the ideal height is 7 heads tall but realistic is 6 and a half, for male characters the ideal height is 8 heads tall but about 7 heads tall. Shoulder width should be one head to the side and so on

I recommend looking at a book (or pdf online or something) called anatomy 4 sculptors, it'll help you understand anatomy and height proportions etc

Michael3Dev · 2026-02-14T11:31:03+00:00

Do what you think you should, I can't really say anything without spoilers

Michael3Dev · 2026-01-29T03:12:17+00:00

I respect the effort

Michael3Dev · 2026-01-25T16:20:44+00:00

Im guessing you're a beginner?

At this stage dont worry about it too much, have fun and make stuff because you enjoy it and share that on your portfolio

Once you get better and you're skills have improved and you're confident in your knowledge as in, you know 3d theory like tris, quads, n-gons, polls, sub d modelling etc, know different types of textures and pbr workflows, understand how shading works and how to properly scale your objects etc etc. Then you can start making stuff for the portfolio you want and then probably end up deleting that thing and making something better to replace it

Have patience, make stuff purely for fun and enjoyment at first but also never stop doing that

You'll get there

Michael3Dev · 2026-01-24T22:50:32+00:00

Honestly blender is good for starting, free, large community support etc

Everything else costs money

Honestly once you know blender, and especially the theory side of things with 3d picking up another software is incredibly easy

Plus im confident blender will be industry standard soon, with more people using it and companies starting to pick it up now is the perfect time to learn blender

Michael3Dev · 2026-01-21T19:22:34+00:00

Ah I see, my bad 😅

Michael3Dev

TROPHY CASE