Modeling in Adobe Fuse CC Beta
I have a problem. I set out to create an interactive VR piece for My Favorite Murder (not official, fan-made). Problem is, I’m not a 3D modeler. Heck no, will I model in Maya — that thing is a beast. Pretty sure I will need three plus years to make anything that resembles a human face. I need a quick and dirty modeling tool.
What do I do? What resources can I scrounge up from black hole we call internet?
*Cue a Choir of Angels*
The Adobe gods have cometh at me with Fuse CC. Per wiki, “Adobe Fuse CC is a 3D computer graphics software developed by Mixamo that enables users to create 3D characters. Its main novelty is the ability to import and integrate user generated content into the character creator. Fuse it part of Mixamo’s product suite and it is aimed at video game developers, video game modders and 3D enthusiasts.” That’s moi.
My first Fuse project was to model Karen Kilgariff. Disclaimer: I did not watch any YouTube videos prior to my first modeling endeavor. Which supports my next point. Fuse CC Beta is extremely intuitive. For a single VR/game developer Fuse gave me the tools without the exhausting and time consuming learning curve. It walks you though the modeling process in a four part assembly line: Assemble, Customize, Clothing and Texture.
Assemble
- Heads up! Choose your head: female, male, toon, and even zombie for the flesh-eating fanatics. Pick your head based on facial structure. Later you can adjust the skin tone.
2. Torso. All options are skinny minis with wash-board abs — even the zombie. The undead are keeping it tight. I wish they supported the more curvy, puffy, body type. Yes, I can customize later but this caused an issue. See wish list below.
3. Leg and Arms. Note. If you choose, for example, Head: “Female Fit A”, there are corresponding body parts to your selected type. Meaning there is a “Female Fit A” arm, leg, and torso option.
Customize
Time to customize your model’s Arms, Face, Head, Legs, Teeth, and Torso. You can even adjust your model’s facial expression. Make you model look angry, happy, worried, cocky or confused. Neat, right?
Clothing. You have your tops, bottoms, shoes, hair, hats, eyewear, beards, gloves, masks and moustaches. The hair. I have a note. I get that hair is difficult, but it sat upon my model’s head like an warped hard hat. Not many choices and also, there lacked ethnically diverse representation.
Texture
The final stop in the assembly line and my favorite. Click on body or clothing to edit its textures. I spent the most time in this stage finessing Karen. Here we can alter skin tone, reduce age lines and slap on some makeup. There are more parameters but my point is, you have the option to scrutinize and sculpt every detail.
Here’s the Karen I modeled along with my reference photo. I spent hours sculpting her. I do not have previous modeling experience. Fuse was a quick and powerful tool for what I needed. It served me and will serve other single-developers well.
Although Fuse was my modeling savior, I have three wishes to the Adobe genie.
My Fuse Beta Wish List:
1. Preview. In the assemble stage, I wish I could preview the body parts, on my model, before it pushed me onto the next tab. For example, when I was in the arms tab I would select arm: “female scan 3”. Then I was pushed to the leg tab before I could even preview the arm choice on my model. Gimme a sneak peak please. It takes time to go back and forth between body parts.
2. Option to closeup on assets. It was hard to tell the difference between the body choices. I wish I could zoom in or open another window to look at my options more closely. I think the difference was skin tone and muscular definition but it was hard to tell.
3. The skin breaks through the clothing. While I was adjusting Karen’s body type I noticed her skin was poking out of her black t-shirt. I selected the geo tool and viewed her in shaded + wireframe mode. I pushed her frame down but this caused skin to pop out elsewhere. It was finicky and frustrating but it worked out eventually. I hope this fix translates when I import her into Unreal. If there’s a better fix, please share.
Next, I will send Karen’s model to Mixamo, animate, and import into Unreal.
What challenges will I face then? I will let you know.
