The Wurm - Modelling/Sculpting the Wurm

I decided to model the worm in zBrush as opposed to modelling it first in 3dsmax. I decided to do it this way as I wanted some additional practice when it game to creating things in zbrush.

I began by creating an armature but using the zsphere tools. This acts as a skeleton for the mesh, for when I convert it into polygons.

When I was happy with the armature's shape I turned the zspheres into an actual mesh.

I made a few tweaks to the mesh, pulling out the two jaws and stretching the form.

I then began to split the mesh into different polygroups, so that I could isolate and control different parts of the mesh.

I subdivded the mesh to have polygons to work, then I can began to start sculpting out the surface of the wurm's shell.

However I was beginning to find doing it by hand using the standard brushes was too tedious. So I ended up using Alpha's on my brushes to pull out forms on the shell.

In this case I used the scale alphas that game with zbrush, at a high intensity.

I used the same method on the top of the wurm's head.

Once again on the bottom jaw.

I also went into the model and used the move tool, to pull out some of more spikey surfaces.

I went into the shell with a hard build up brush, and combined it with the trim and polish brushes to give it a harder and flatter surface.

I also used the damstandard brush to separate and add some more definition to the seams/breaks in the shell.

I then appended a cube primitive to the model, then sculpted it to resemble the Wurm's cheek. I retopologised it then began sculpting more detail on it.

I mirrored the cheek, so that they both met and formed a mouth shape.

I added another primitive in the shape of a tooth, and moved and duplicated a variety of them to fit around the mouth.

Finally I added a rocky/eroded surface noise to the worm's shell, to creature the appearance/texture of a rocky surface.

Overall I felt modelling the Wurm this way was a good learning experience with zbrush. My next stage will be to create the low poly version of the mesh. 

I think I should of created the shells in pieces first however, so that they could shift and move over the top of each other when it came to animating. I will try to remedy this in the low poly model.