Hierarchy of Forms Part 1: The 10-Foot Rule (Primary Shapes)
If you walk into a Senior Artist's office, you will often see them working on a model that looks surprisingly simple. If you walk into a... ... Junior’s office, you will likely see them zooming in 500% to sculpt a pore on a nose.
This is the fundamental difference in mindset. Juniors obsess over "Resolution." Seniors obsess over "Readability."
The Problem: The "High-Res Potato" We have all seen it. A model that has millions of polygons, perfect skin texture, and intricate armor details... but from a distance, it looks like a blob. The silhouette is weak, the proportions are muddy, and the gesture is stiff. This is what I call "Polishing a Potato." No amount of surface detail can fix a broken foundation.
The Solution: The 10-Foot Rule Primary Shapes are the big blocks of your character. They are the shapes that define the silhouette. Before you add a single wrinkle or screw, your character must pass the 10-Foot Rule:
If you zoom out until the character is the size of your thumb (as if seeing it from 10 feet away), can you still tell who they are?
Is the character's personality clear just from the shadow?
Is the line of action readable?
If the answer is "No," stop sculpting details. You are building a house on sand.
The Technique: Work in the Dark To force yourself to focus on Primary Shapes, you need to remove the "distractions" of lighting and shading.
Switch to Flat Color: In ZBrush, switch your material to "Flat Color" (or turn off lighting in Maya).
Check the Silhouette: Rotate your model. Does it look interesting as a pure black shape?
Big, Medium, Small: Ensure your shapes follow a rhythm. You should have one dominant "Big" shape (e.g., a large coat), supported by "Medium" shapes (arms/legs), and accented by "Small" shapes (hands/feet).
Rule #1: Never zoom in past 50% until the Primary Shapes are approved.
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