Designing a Unique Version of DC Comics’ Deathstroke in 3D

Introduction

Hi! My name is Hafez, I’m from Iran, and I became interested in animation when I was 18, four years ago. Initially, I started working with Maya. After some time, I wanted to visualize my favorite character and add it to my animation. That’s how I started using ZBrush and saw what a beautiful world it is. It allowed me to draw anything I could think of and bring it to life. After a while, I was able to improve my skills in character sculpting.

I worked in Netflix, Keos Masons, Frag Pulse, Madrain, and some other companies in the form of a project. This work provided me with valuable skills and experience. Today, I am proud to introduce you to Deathstroke, which was created for the Batman short film by Alireza Fattahi:

Getting Started

I began creating this character with my ZBrush Base Mesh. Certainly, I changed the pose and adjusted the character’s anatomy to make it look more natural. 

I used various references that I found on Pinterest. We wanted to create something different so that it didn’t look exactly like the models visualized before. For this reason, the main idea was to combine all the references.

This helped to achieve a more attractive look. Also, many viewers gave positive feedback on the creative technique that we used in making the character’s mask. We wanted it to look exactly like a mask, not just a face.

Modeling

At first, I try to build the model with simple shapes. I usually do this by masking and then I extract it.

I complete the block with various adjustments and then clean it. At this stage, my goal is to avoid retopology in the end. For example, I used Maya for modeling metal shields. Then I used the Crease brush in ZBrush so that the edges are not destroyed and the shape remains intact. I wanted to preserve the same basic topology as in low poly art.

I find this method very attractive and time-saving. For metals, I usually use Orb brushes, which are also free. This is how I sculpt scratches and dents.

Retopology

For retopology, I usually utilize ZBrush when it comes to limited projects. We didn’t need facial rigging here as it was just a mask. For this reason, this could easily be done in ZRemesher. I added a Panel Loop for wounds. After that, I deleted the inner part to make it look like a mask.

Weapons and shields didn’t require retopology as I used the same base I already made. For the body, I also utilized ZRemesher to avoid potential issues during the animation. One good method is to use an ID Map. This way, after baking, you can easily give separate material to each of the sections.

I chose to use UDIM UVs because we needed to achieve high quality. In total, about 19 UVs were engaged. I prefer doing this in Maya but it can be done in any other software.

Baking and texturing were done in Substance 3D Painter as its workflow is standard and more convenient than other methods.

Texturing

Texturing is not always the easiest thing. The goal is to create a proper harmony between different layers and materials. I used the default Substance 3D textures with a little manual modification, for example, when it came to dirt and rust. We wanted the metal of this character to look shiny, not too muted or dirty. 

ID Map could have made the job much easier. However, I did this using ZBrush so that at this stage I could easily assign the materials with two clicks.

In Unreal Engine, the textures are visualized slightly differently. That’s why I checked the reaction texture several times.

Rendering

I used Unreal Engine 5.3 with a lighting preset for rendering.

I made a lot of changes myself to achieve the desired look.

The image presented in the trailer is the work of Fattahi, who was responsible for lighting and directing the entire project.

Overview of the Project

Creating this character took me about a month with all the adjustments based on feedback, given the fact that I was involved in several other projects and could not work full time. Making this character gave me a lot of experience. It was my first cinematic character and I was able to get new skills.

My advice is don’t wait until you become great and then start. You can become great along the way. There are many resources available for learning character art. I recorded a YouTube video on this topic that may help you:

Also, I suggest applying for my course on advanced hard-surface creation in ZBrush. This course has covered all my experience over the years and, hopefully, it will help you boost your skills.

Thanks for reading. I hope my experience of creating this character was useful for you. Take care because the world needs good artists.

Hafez Yadollahi, Senior 3D Character Artist 

Interview conducted by Gloria Levine