Cho Hyeongmo
Hello, my name is Cho Hyeongmo, and I am a student studying game character modeling. While majoring in visual design, I discovered my passion for game art through a character design course, which steered me toward a career in character modeling. Using my background in drawing, I began exploring concept art and the game development process.
Over time, I realized I thrive when focusing deeply on a single project to enhance its quality, which led me to dedicate myself to character modeling. Over the past year, I’ve been refining my skills and streamlining my workflow. I enjoy the meticulous nature of modeling and find great fulfillment in discovering efficient methods and tools.
My goal is to contribute to a game project and create characters that leave a lasting impact.
Check Cho Hyeongmo’s ArtStation
Find concept art
The characters Blue Rose Knight and Octo Head Warrior, which I previously worked on, had concepts belonging to the broad category of medieval fantasy. In order to strengthen my portfolio, I realized that I needed to show character modeling based on a new type of concept. Additionally, I wanted to find artwork that lets me focus my practice on programs like Marvelous Designer and Ornatrix, as well as hard surface modeling.
Prototype Modeling
Through the modeling process of the two characters I had worked on previously, I realized that a considerable amount of time was spent on rigging and skinning, as well as adjusting the base pose for rendering. To save time, I decided to start with character meshes or programs that offered auto-rigging features or animation samples.
I first used MetaHuman Creator to set the skin tone, define large facial features, and create a similar hairstyle. I then brought it into Unreal Engine for testing, checked the low-poly state in 3ds Max, and finally imported it into ZBrush. However, the mesh was imported as a triangular mesh with separated vertices and edges, making it impossible to increase subdivisions for high-poly sculpting.
As a result, the MetaHuman mesh was only used as an avatar in Marvelous Designer to ensure the clothes fit properly. The MetaHuman hair, being similar in style to the concept art, was exported as hair cards and used until I transitioned to Ornatrix.
Using Character Creator
To reduce the time spent on rigging and skinning, I searched for other programs and tried the free trial of Character Creator 4 (CC4). Since CC4 offered more morph options than MetaHuman, I was able to adjust the face to better match the concept art. I was already making clothes for MetaHuman, so I adjusted the character base accordingly.
Additionally, the CC GoZ Plus and Max Auto Setup plugins provided by CC4 were very well built, so I attempted several transfers. Considering the desire for future rendering work with iClone and Unreal Engine, I ultimately purchased CC4. To summarize, the workflow I followed before moving on to low poly and texturing work is as follows:
- Clothes: Marvelous Designer
- Body: Character Creator 4 (CC4)
- Hair: MetaHuman
- Accessories and Hard Surface Work: 3ds Max
- Final Details: ZBrush
- Posing and Rendering: UE5
Texturing and Unreal Auto Setup
When texturing, I prefer to put the mesh into Unreal Engine and repeatedly update the texture file to check the results. While this can be done to some extent in Substance Painter or CC4, subtle differences can arise due to lighting environments or material values in the engine.
Using the Unreal Auto Setup Plugin, I quickly imported the CC4 mesh into Unreal Engine 5.4 and continued the texturing work based on this. The material graph created by the plugin had many useful elements, which I combined with the material graph I had been using to prepare for the final rendering.
To proceed, I imported all the low poly meshes into CC4 and used CC GoZ Plus to fine-tune the clothes (as I had originally started working with the MetaHuman body). After that, I performed auto-rigging using the Transfer Skin Weight feature and manually adjusted some skin weights. After applying some animations provided by CC4, I quickly checked for any issues and then moved on to Substance Painter for texturing.
While utilizing a CC4 character, I tried the UDIM workflow for the first time. I referred to tutorials provided on Reallusion’s YouTube channel to import the character into Substance Painter and worked on the skin textures.
CC UE Control Rig
Once the texture work is finalized, I use the CC UE Control Rig Plugin to generate the final rendering. Previously, the process involved a complicated workflow of adjusting poses in 3ds Max and re-importing the data. However, with this plugin, I can create poses that effectively showcase the character’s appeal by manipulating the bones in real time within the engine. By retaining the CC4 skeleton instead of switching to a biped system, I was also able to import basic animation samples and incorporate them into my portfolio.
Final Thoughts
By introducing applications to improve rigging and skinning, I discovered even more possibilities and began to fully incorporate CC4 into my workflow. By using CC4’s shaders, I was able to significantly reduce the time spent on facial sculpting work that would have been difficult to perfect in ZBrush. Additionally, using the biped system in 3ds Max, I was able to efficiently complete the time-consuming rigging work as a character modeler.
The basic animation samples provided by CC4 were particularly helpful, allowing me to quickly identify and correct any issues that arose during skinning. As a student still learning, CC4 has been the program that has solved the most problems during game character modeling work and provided clear guidance. Thanks to it, I was able to significantly improve the quality of the final output and intend to continue actively using CC4 in future projects.
Next Portfolio Project
Having completed my recent modeling projects on three different characters, I felt there were some shortcomings in their facial expressions. For my next project, I plan to focus on refining facial work to naturally implement a variety of expressions. Additionally, I aim to learn new techniques by practicing wrap tools and XYZ textures.
Related Posts
