Recreating Lionel Messi in 3D with ZBrush & Substance 3D Painter

Introduction

Hello, I'm Dhairyansh Dangara, a 3D Character Artist with more than 4 years of experience in the gaming and VFX industry. Ever since childhood, I've been fascinated by animated shows, games, and superhero movies. That fascination naturally led me to start sketching characters, unknowingly setting the foundation for my artistic journey.

After completing school, I decided to pursue 3D art and joined Frameboxx Jaipur in 2017, an experience that truly transformed my career path. Learning tools such as Maya, ZBrush, and Substance 3D Painter was both challenging and rewarding, and it was during this time that I discovered my passion for 3D character creation.

My professional career began in 2019 at Core3D Game Art, Jaipur, where I worked as a Character Artist. I later advanced my experience at Little Red Zombies Studio in Hyderabad, and I am now pursuing freelance opportunities as a Character Artist.

As a long-time admirer of Lionel Messi's journey with Barcelona, I had always wanted to create a portrait of him. When Argentina won the World Cup in December 2022, it gave me the inspiration and direction I needed. I had dreamed of translating that moment into 3D for years, and this project finally allowed me to make it a reality.

This project officially began when I came across a wallpaper of Messi that immediately caught my attention. I had a clear vision of how I wanted to present him. I started by gathering extensive reference material from matches, public appearances, and especially photoshoots, as that was the main focus for this piece.

I decided to give the piece my own interpretation by featuring my favorite jersey (I've always loved the classic Adidas jerseys featuring the Trefoil logo), hairstyle, and a full-grown beard, which I personally find most iconic. At first, I wasn't planning to include the arms, as my initial concept focused more on the inner gear players wear during matches.

But since I wanted the final image to resemble a professional photoshoot, I chose to model the arms as well, which led me to create the tattoos, something I had never attempted before.

Modeling of Messi

I began the project by focusing on the head, aiming to accurately capture Lionel Messi's anatomy and expression. My goal was to create a subtle, focused look, a slight frown often seen in athletes that conveys concentration and determination.

While studying references, I carefully incorporated the characteristics of a late 30s Caucasian male to reflect Messi's mature features and realistic age progression. I refined the head by adding detailed skin pore work on the scalp, neck, and lower eyelids to achieve a more realistic and lifelike appearance, especially when viewed up close.

I created the T-shirt in Marvelous Designer, then imported both the low and high-poly versions into Maya to project the simulated fabric details. Before moving into ZBrush, I unwrapped the T-shirt in Maya according to the pattern I wanted.

In ZBrush, I added thickness using Edge Loop and proceeded with a thorough cleanup and refinement phase. (You can see the empty spaces in the UV layout. Initially, I had packed the inner clothing there for better UV space utilization, but later decided to scrap those elements as they were no longer part of the final design.)

For the eyes, I created separate meshes for the pupil, iris, and cornea, along with additional elements such as the caruncle and meniscus. Before starting the sculpting process, I ensured that all meshes were properly modeled and had their UVs unwrapped in Maya itself.

The arms were relatively straightforward to create. I sculpted them with a strong focus on anatomical accuracy and maintaining likeness, ensuring the UVs were properly unwrapped before beginning the sculpting process.

For the arms, I used TexturingXYZ full-arm Displacement Maps, which I projected in Mari and then refined and cleaned up in ZBrush to achieve a high level of surface detail.

Texturing

I used one of the TexturingXYZ VFace packs, taking the Diffuse Map as the foundation and refining it in Substance 3D Painter and Mari to achieve a highly realistic likeness. I created dedicated maps for Epidermal Color, Specular, Subsurface Scattering Scale, Roughness, and Coat, ensuring the skin reacted naturally under different lighting conditions.

To enhance realism, I incorporated subtle yet defining characteristics typical of a sportsperson, such as chapped lips, sunburnt areas, and a slightly pale neck, which added authenticity and personality to the portrait.

The T-shirt was textured entirely in Substance 3D Painter, where I created detailed Diffuse, Roughness, Specular, Normal, Sheen, and Height Maps to emphasize the fabric's weave and material properties. I also created a custom sheen mask to precisely control the intensity of the fabric's sheen in specific areas.

My overall goal was to achieve a realistic, lifelike appearance that felt true to the character and material references. I was especially excited about creating the T-shirt texture, a design that's minimal yet powerful. I went for a retro-inspired look, featuring three stars on the insignia to symbolize Argentina's three FIFA World Cup victories, one of which I had the joy of witnessing live on TV with friends in 2022.

For the eyes, I primarily focused on creating detailed Diffuse Maps. Both corneas share the same base but feature subtle variations to break symmetry when viewed from the front. To enhance realism, I projected veins onto both corneas to achieve the desired level of detail.

I used TexturingXYZ maps for the iris, which included diffuse, bump, and displacement information for added depth. Additionally, I created an alpha mask for the meniscus to ensure a smooth and natural blend along the edges.

Another part I was particularly excited about was the arms, mainly because of the tattoos. I wanted to challenge myself by replicating Messi's tattoos as accurately as possible, capturing not just their look but also their personal significance.

I used Substance 3D Painter, since I'm most comfortable with it, and relied heavily on reference studies to hand-paint each design. Every color and shade was created on a separate layer for maximum control and precision. My goal was to honor the meaning and importance of each tattoo for its owner, even if they wouldn't be prominently visible in the final renders.

At this stage, I had already tested the model, textures, eyebrows, and eyelashes under neutral lighting to evaluate the overall progress of the portrait. This step helps me identify and correct any issues early on before moving into advanced lookdev and grooming.

Everything remained fairly basic and flexible at this point, as I didn't want to limit myself by finalizing details too soon. Presented here is an early preview render test that helped me evaluate the initial look before proceeding with detailed refinement.

Hair Creation

For grooming, I used Maya XGen, as it provides the control and flexibility required for achieving realistic hair results. Even before starting the portrait, I knew that if I ever created Lionel Messi in 3D, I would recreate his iconic blonde hairstyle from his Barcelona days in 2016. I was always fascinated by that look. It carried a bold and memorable personality that I felt would be both a technical challenge and a creative opportunity to capture in 3D.

The goal was to faithfully recreate Messi's distinct hairstyle while maintaining a natural flow and believable volume. I began by carefully placing the initial guides, keeping their count as low as possible to maintain full control during the early stages. I started with the eyelashes, then moved on to the eyebrows and main hair groom, gradually refining the shape and flow as I progressed.

Once the primary elements were finalized in terms of form and direction, I proceeded to add the peach fuzz, arm hair, and nose hair near the end of the process. I intentionally left these finer details for later to keep the early stages clean and manageable while focusing on the broader silhouette and style.

Once the guides were placed, I painted the region, density, and Width Maps to gain finer control over the hair distribution. This step helped break up uniformity and introduce natural variation, allowing the groom to feel more organic and less symmetrical.

After placing and shaping the guides, I began adding modifiers, starting with the Clump modifier. I first created primary clumps that followed the guide direction, then added secondary clumps with controlled density to introduce more natural breakup. For each clump layer, I painted custom masks based on specific needs.

I never rely on procedural clumping alone, as hand-painted maps help break uniformity and add realism. I also introduced a subtle amount of noise within the clumps to enhance variation. Next, I used the Cut modifier to give each strand its own natural termination and unevenness. Finally, I layered multiple Noise modifiers, gradually increasing intensity with lower frequency values to achieve stray and flyaway hairs, giving the groom a more believable and organic feel.

This process proved especially helpful for this particular hairstyle, as my goal wasn't just to recreate the blonde look, but to convey the subtle transition of naturally growing roots beneath recently bleached hair. I wanted the groom to feel authentic, as if the hair had been bleached a few days earlier and the natural color was beginning to show through.

I also utilized the rand (1.0,1.0) expression, which proved to be an efficient way to introduce an additional layer of subtle variation throughout the groom, helping the hair feel more organic and less procedural. After finalizing the hairstyle, I painted a custom color map directly in Maya to achieve the desired look.

Instead of relying on a single dark brown tone, I incorporated multiple brown shades to break up uniformity and add visual depth. I also painted subtle white hair patches across the scalp to suggest natural aging and contrast, followed by carefully placed blonde highlights on top, which I found to be the most visually interesting and characteristic part of the look.

Look Development

I carried out the look development in Autodesk Maya using the Arnold renderer, focusing on achieving a realistic balance between skin, hair, and fabric materials. My main goal was to create a natural and believable look that reflected the essence of the character rather than an overly stylized interpretation.

I started by setting up a clean base lighting and shader setup, nothing too complex at first, just enough to study how the materials were interacting under neutral light conditions. This early phase allowed me to observe the subtleties in skin tones, specular behavior, and the way the hair responded to light before moving on to more refined adjustments.

As I wanted to maintain full control over the look development, I created all the necessary maps myself and refined them progressively throughout the process.

Eyes

I found the eyes particularly fascinating to work on during this stage, as it's the point where the character truly comes to life. I created the pupil with a deep black tone and a subtle hint of blue, keeping the specular response minimal to maintain realism. For the iris, I used a color correction node to fine-tune its look, introducing multiple color variations to add natural complexity.

The cornea's subsurface scattering (SSS) was set to a desaturated peach tone, giving it a soft, fleshy feel while preserving the natural whiteness over the vein details. The caruncle featured a transmission falloff where it meets the cornea, allowing for a smooth, organic blend enhanced with subtle noise variation. Similarly, the meniscus shared this noise pattern but with a slightly different frequency to introduce additional variation.

Skin

The skin lookdev process was fairly straightforward, as most of the work was driven by the Texture Maps. Only a few adjustments were made in Maya using color correction nodes to fine-tune the maps. The pore details were achieved through TexturingXYZ Displacement Maps, which added a layer of realism.

I experimented with different values for Roughness, Specular, and Coat parameters before finalizing the setup. Subsurface scattering played a crucial role in bringing the skin to life, adding depth, warmth, and that subtle translucency that gives a natural, human quality to the surface.

T-Shirt

Like the skin, the T-shirt lookdev process was fairly straightforward, as most of the results were driven by the Texture Maps. The main challenge was achieving the correct sheen and fabric weight. These jerseys are designed to be lightweight and breathable, made from recycled materials commonly used in athletic wear.

I experimented with various parameters such as surface detail, sheen intensity, roughness, and specular values to replicate the appearance and feel of a freshly made sports jersey.

Hair

Here comes another interesting part of the project: the hairstyle. This was my first time creating a look like this, and I wanted to capture the distinct transition of blonde hair that's beginning to fade over time. My goal was to portray that natural progression where the bleached blonde is gradually washing out, revealing darker roots and underlying tones.

The dark brown hair and other grooms were fairly straightforward to handle. However, I spent a lot of time experimenting with the blonde hair to achieve the exact look I wanted. The key was finding the right balance of melanin and Roughness values, along with subtle adjustments to Diffuse and Roughness.

I initially tested the shader by switching the hair from completely dark to blonde, which helped me better evaluate how the shader responded and identify what tweaks were needed for the final output.

Testing

This render showcases one of the early test renders I did to get a sense of how the final output might look. At this stage, I decided to pivot and make a few key changes, redesigning the T-shirt, removing the inner wear, and adding the arms to complete the overall look. 

Here, I was testing the hair with a fully blonde hairstyle while still refining the overall look. At this stage, I initially planned to go with a buzz cut but later decided to scrap the idea, as it didn't quite resonate with the direction I wanted for the portrait.

At this stage, I tested the entire portrait under different lighting setups while continuously tweaking the model, textures, and hair to achieve the desired look. This was also the point where I finalized the overall composition of the piece.

At this point, almost everything in the project was finalized and locked. I primarily focused on testing the main hair, making small adjustments by adding or removing elements, and fine-tuning the shader. I also rendered the portrait under neutral lighting conditions to ensure it held up well from every angle.

Rendering the Scene

For rendering, I used Arnold in Maya, aiming to achieve a clean, realistic presentation that highlights the character's natural lighting and materials. My goal was to capture the subtle details of the skin, hair, and fabric without overexposing or stylizing the image too heavily. I set up multiple light rigs and camera angles to test how the shaders responded under different lighting conditions before finalizing the setup.

My main goal was to render the scene in a neutral, realistic environment, something that could be achieved in a real-world studio setup as well. I intentionally kept the scene simple and minimal, focusing on achieving believable lighting and material response rather than relying on heavy or overly complex setups.

For the close-up renders, I used a skydome light to soften the overall illumination and eliminate harsh shadows, complemented by a two-point lighting setup consisting of a key and rim light. This combination allowed me to maintain a balanced and realistic look while keeping the focus on the face and materials without introducing unwanted contrast.

For the thumbnail render, I used a solid yellow backdrop to create a striking contrast with the blue jersey. The lighting setup consisted of a skydome light combined with a single area light with higher intensity and exposure, allowing me to achieve a balanced amount of highlights and shadows that enhanced the overall visual appeal.

For the light color, I used an alpha texture with a soft white center to mimic a softbox light, which helped create smoother transitions between light and shadow, adding a more natural and studio-like feel to the render.

In the post-production stage, I only added a subtle layer of film grain in Photoshop to introduce a touch of imperfection and break the digital smoothness, helping the render feel more organic and photographic.

Conclusion

This project took around three months to complete, as I dedicated about 3-4 hours each day to it. Along the way, I made several pivots and refinements wherever necessary, always keeping in mind that there's always room for growth. Recreating Lionel Messi in 3D was not just a technical task, but also an emotional one, a tribute to one of the greatest athletes I’ve admired since childhood.

I focused deeply on developing realistic skin and eye shaders, aiming to achieve the final look directly in render with minimal reliance on post-production.

For beginner character artists, don't be afraid to make mistakes, that's where most of the learning happens. Every project teaches you something new, so keep experimenting, stay curious, and always push yourself to try something you've never done before.

Never leave a personal project unfinished. Once you've started it, see it through. Finishing what you begin builds confidence and discipline. Create something that truly resonates with you, regardless of trends. When your work is personally meaningful, it's much easier to stay focused and motivated throughout the process.

Dhairyansh Dangara, 3D Character Artist

Interview conducted by Emma Collins