Legs Modelling

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Chicken legs are the most important part of the building; I want them to look spot on. It was hard to work on them because there is not enough reference material online. Also, I didn't want them to look exactly like a chicken leg because it is too boring, and they have to have the right proportions compared to the house. My attempt on a chicken leg is kind of a mix between a dragon, chicken and dinosaur. Compared to the hen anatomy, the base of my leg is bigger, and the middle part is way skinnier and extended. I wanted to create something that looks slightly weak but agile and stable at the same time.

I started modelling by making a very simple low poly model in 3Ds Max. I could use a ZSpheres in Zbrush, but I don't feel too comfortable while using it, so I need more practice. When the base model has been finished, I exported it to Zbrush to get into high poly sculpting. At that time, I thought that this is an easy part, but I ended up changing my mind a couple of times because it wasn't looking how I wanted. I sculpted the base, nails and all of the muscles, but when I dived into the details thigs got way more complicated. I didn't know how to get the chicken skin texture right. It has kind of scales on the fingers and a lot of small dots around, so my first thought was to stamp some texture with an alpha brush. I didn't like it, for me, it was too detailed, the whole texture was looking too much like reptile's skin. Also, the scales on the fingers were too strong and sharp; it wasn't looking like a chicken leg at all. Since the first attempt was a fail, I focused more on reference photos, and I decided not to use any alpha stamps. I started sculpting everything with a ClayBuildup brush, and after watching some tutorials on Zbrush, I found that it is good to use this brush with a round soft alpha to get a nice, smooth result. I also used a DamStandard brush to create all of the smaller dots. I am still working on the top of the leg, but I feel like I found the right way of doing it. 

 This is the first attempt. Because of the scales on the front, it feels too much like a dragon leg.


I think that the second attempt is more successful, it is less sharp, and the texture is more 'chicken-like'. I will try to add more details with alpha stamps later.

The shape of the leg and proportions are good, so in the meantime, I  started the retopology process. Since this part is going to be animated, I was paying more attention to make a topology easy to deform. I added more polygons where the model is going to stretch and less where it will shrink. I also made a Uv unwrap, making sure that I have seams in less visible places.

Low poly leg



Topology

Uv Unwrap

Texturing
I created texture in Substance Painter using a skin texture and adding some dirt.




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