Facial Skin Layered Mapping

 

Part 2.5  – Final Touches Before Mapping 2

Before You Begin

Open the latest version of the model project file.  Select the FrontSection group and hide the rest.  Open the FrontSectionFlatten action, embed the action, edit the action.

Introduction

Now we must close the eyes.

 

  1. Switch to the model window and look at the eye lids. On the inner upper and lower lids will be a thin ring of patches – it may or may not go completely around the eye opening (figure 2.5.1).  This area is important; it is where the eyelashes will come out of and where the eyelash follicles will go.  The important thing you need to know right now is that when we close the eyes, these patches should remain the same thickness.

 

 

Figure 2.5.1

 

  1. While we’re in the modeling window note that you can switch to this window and carefully select the a CP, a group of CPs or a spline then switch back to the Action window to verify what splines you are dealing with.  Or., you can select a cp in the modeling window where it is easier to see and then go back to the Acton window and move it (this may sound silly now but the flattened mesh can stack splines and make things confusing and this is something I find helpful from time to time).
  2. Now switch to the action window.  Well close the eye along an imaginary line between the outside corner of the eye slit and the bottom of the inside tear duct (figure 2.5.2)

 

 

Figure 2.5.3

 

  1. Notice in figure 2.5.3 how much the eyelash patches have deformed – we’ll need to move these back their approximate size and make them even.
  2. Start by moving the eyelash splines up to the imaginary line and adjust the height of the eyelash patches.  These are the only two splines that will be adjusted for the lower eye lid (Figure 2.5.4).

 

 

Figure 2.5.4

 

  1. Next bring the upper eyelash splines down until they just contact the lower ones.  This will close the tear duct.  Try to align upper to lower spines where this alignment works out.  Again adjust the height of the splines and even them out (Figure 2.5.5)

 

 

Figure 2.5.5

 

  1. Go to the next spline up and move this down a little over half way (figure 2.5.6)

 

 

Figure 2.5.6

 

  1. Next move to the next spline up and, with the exception of the CP above the tear duct (you won’t move this one), move each CP down a tad so that the spline you moved in step 7 is about half way in between (Figure 2.5.7)

 

 

Figure 2.5.7

 

  1. Finally, adjusting only the splines that you moved, tweak them until the splines flow more naturally with the spline curves above an below (Figure 2.5.8).

 

 

 

Figure 2.5.8

 

  1.  Now do the other eye.
  2.  One final thing: you’re going to be drawing within the upper and lower eye lash patches so make sure you’ve left enough room to do this.
  3.  As usual, save the action out to file then re-embed so it is backed up within the project.  Then save to a new version.

 

Go to Part 3.1 – Mapping The Face: Creating the Guides