220 chapter 6 ■ ZSpheres
Menu Option DescriptionMake Adaptive Skin Creates a polymesh based on the Adaptive Skin settings
Insert Local Mesh Replaces a ZSphere in the chain with a ZTool selected from the Tool menu
Insert Connector Mesh Replaces a connection between two ZSpheres with a tool selected from
the Tool menuAdding Edge Loops to the Head
By adding a few more spheres to the head, we can give our model loops for the eyes and mouth
as well as geometry to carry the nose. This ZSphere head is designed to allow for optimal edge
loops for the eyes, nose, mouth, and ears.
Let’s begin with the neck sphere already drawn on the torso. Draw the head ZSphere
on the neck and move it up away from the body (Figure 6.37). Press the A key to preview this
head mesh. In the next steps we will be adding edge loops to the face. For this to work ide-
ally, you will need to change your skinning method to Classic by choosing Tool → Adaptive
Skin and clicking Classic Skinning. The Classic method allows you to create edge loops with
the techniques I am about to show. I have had some success with these methods under both
skinning methods, so feel free to experiment.
With X Symmetry on, draw two small ZSpheres for the eyes. Switch to Move mode
and move them back into the head until they become concave holes instead of spheres
(Figure 6.38).
Draw a mouth sphere. Again, move it into the head to create a hole. Likewise, create
spheres for the nose and ears (Figure 6.39). Press A to preview the mesh. Because we have
Ires set to 3, any sphere with more than three children will automatically become a higher-
resolution mesh, creating the loops for the eyes and mouth as well as extra geometry for the
ears and nose. While this mesh may look extremely basic, almost cartoonish, now it is abso-
lutely effective as a base for sculpting any number of realistic characters.Figure 6.37 Adding the head sphere
Figure 6.38 Making the eye spheresTable 6.1: Options in the Adaptive Skin subpalette (continued)