Breakdown: Recreating Miyamoto Musashi from Vagabond Manga in 3D

Introduction 

Hi everyone! My name is Frans, and I’m a recent graduate from Think Tank Training Centre, specializing in character and creature modeling for games. I’m currently looking for opportunities in the industry and excited to take the next step in my career.

My journey into 3D began in late 2019 when I first started learning 3ds Max. After completing my initial course in mid-2021, the challenges of the pandemic led me to explore concept art for a while. In early 2023, I moved to Vancouver to enroll in Think Tank’s Character & Creature for Games program, where I’ve been developing my portfolio.

Miyamoto Musashi – Vagabond

When I started reading the manga, I thought it would be really cool to bring Miyamoto into 3D. I also saw it as a great opportunity to practice my grooming skills, especially since he has such wild and distinctive hair.

For this project, my goal was to develop a real-time character that stands out visually and connects on an emotional level. Rather than focusing on flawless production-level technicality, I wanted to explore a more creative interpretation of the character. I wanted to imagine what Miyamoto might look like in a more realistic style, with a touch of stylization to preserve his core likeness and stay true to the original character design.

I wanted Miyamoto to look more mature, fierce, and ready to face his opponents. I based the design on the 2013 manga style, where he already has a few scars on his forehead. Most importantly, I aimed to give him a strong presence, someone who looks powerful and carries the aura of one of the strongest fighters of that time.

Sculpting

I began the blockout using a base model I originally sculpted during an assignment at Think Tank. My primary modeling tool is ZBrush, where I rely on fundamental brushes such as Clay Buildup, hPolish, Move, Smooth, and the Gio brush to shape and refine the form.

My approach to achieving the concept was to sculpt naturally, relying on intuition and artistic judgment rather than technical overlays. While I’m capable of using tools like See-Through in ZBrush, I chose not to for this project, preferring to enjoy the creative process and experiment freely.

After completing the rough blockout, I used ZWrap to conform the sculpt to the Texturing XYZ VFace model, allowing me to transfer high-resolution pore details through the displacement map.

One technique I like to use before adding fine details is applying a large-scale noise with a low intensity. This helps break up the smoothness of the skin and creates a more natural surface. I work with layers when detailing to allow for greater flexibility and non-destructive adjustments.

Fabric

After finishing the blockout, I immediately simulated the cloth in Marvelous Designer. This helped me see if the clothing fit the character properly.

One piece of advice from my instructor at Think Tank that has stuck with me is the importance of sculpting over cloth simulations. While simulations can produce realistic results, they don't always capture the visual appeal needed for game assets. Since all folds need to be baked into the final model, it's crucial to refine the sculpt to ensure the cloth looks both natural and aesthetically pleasing before baking. The majority of the folds were sculpted using the Standard brush, which I find particularly effective.

Another technique I enjoy using for cloth is sculpting the weave pattern directly onto the model. While it's not the most technically accurate method, I find that baking these details into the sculpt adds a unique visual quality and enhances the overall look of the fabric.

I used Surface Noise in ZBrush to apply a tileable weave pattern that matched the clothing material. Once I was satisfied with the overall look, I baked the noise into the mesh using layers. This allowed me to continue with hand-sculpted details, such as fabric wear and damage.

Retopology & Unwrapping

I handled all the retopology and UV unwrapping in Maya using standard techniques. For retopology, I used the Quad Draw tool. The UVs were straightforward, as the model primarily consisted of the torso and clothing, so there wasn't much complexity involved.

For the clothing, I used the remeshing feature in Marvelous Designer to generate a clean base topology, and the UVs were also created directly within Marvelous Designer. I’m aware the topology isn’t perfect, but since this project was purely for fun and personal exploration, I wasn’t focused on achieving production-level quality.

Texturing

For skin texturing, I followed my usual approach based on Jared Chaviz’s skin texturing tutorial, which I consistently rely on for its effective workflow and results.

I began by building the base color, paying close attention to placing color information accurately in areas where subdermal tones are most prominent. Throughout the process, I constantly referenced real-world images to ensure the skin tone felt natural and convincing. To enhance realism, I added subtle color variations such as sun damage, freckles, and other imperfections.

Next, I created the roughness map separately, allowing me to fine-tune areas that typically reflect more light, such as the forehead, nose, and lips. Once the core maps were complete, I layered in additional details like sweat, blood, and dirt. Giving these elements a bit of height helped enhance realism, as they slightly stick out from the skin’s surface in real life.

I made another version of him with blood splashes on his face, since in the manga he was pretty brutal, and there were a few moments where he ended up covered in blood.

Texturing the clothing was relatively simple, as most of the detail had already been established during the sculpting phase. I focused primarily on utilizing baked maps such as Ambient Occlusion, Position, and Curvature to drive color variation and enhance surface definition. To finish, I added subtle details like dirt and blood to give the clothing a more lived-in, narrative-driven look.

Hair

I would say this was the most enjoyable part of creating Miyamoto because his hair is so iconic. Trying to give him realistic hair was challenging, especially since, in the manga, it's made up of clumps with lots of flyaways. In the end, I reduced the number of clumped flyaways to make it look more natural and believable.

I created the hair entirely using XGen Interactive Groom. It was my first time using it, and luckily, XGen wasn’t buggy this time, so everything went pretty smoothly. I started with the eyebrows, then moved on to the eyelashes, beard, main hair, sideburns, and finally the peach fuzz.

Lighting & Rendering

The lighting setup was intentionally kept simple, as I aimed to replicate natural sunlight. The key light was sourced from an HDRI environment map, providing a realistic base illumination. I added a few subtle fill lights in certain areas to enhance visibility and form, but kept them minimal to preserve the natural look.

I also experimented with alternative lighting scenarios, including nighttime and more dramatic setups. There was a lot of back and forth during this stage, at times, I was drawn to more complex lighting setups, but ultimately, I returned to a natural lighting setup, as it best conveyed the mood and emotion I wanted for the character.

Conclusion

This project began as a quick sculpting practice I started a long time ago. Over the past two months, I’ve been working on it in my spare time, on and off. It turned into a fun and valuable exercise, especially when it came to grooming the hair, which was a highlight of the process.

The main challenge was translating a 2D manga character into 3D while retaining the energy and emotion of the original design. Achieving the right proportions and adding a touch of realism took time and creativity. Another challenge was finding the right lighting setup. I aimed for a minimalist, natural look, which involved a lot of trial and error.

I highly recommend Jared’s skin texturing tutorial, as it offers a comprehensive and practical approach to achieving realistic skin textures, with clear, in depth guidance throughout the process.

I hope this project can be helpful or inspiring to others in some way. As someone actively looking to break into the industry, I’ve applied to countless positions and faced many rejections. Still, I remain hopeful that my passion for 3D art will one day lead to a fulfilling career as a character artist.

Fransiscus Luis, 3D Character Artist

Interview conducted by Amber Rutherford