I had a debated discussion with a fellow artist over whether or not modeling straight in Maya using traditional modeling tools is the faster route to clean and low-count topology. The argument being that ZBrush is best left for concept work only and for some situations I simply disagreed.

In any case, we had agreed to disagree however no matter what I did, I couldn't shake off that particular exchange. There was nothing unkind or jarring about it, but it was something in the limited thinking of that discussion (that a program can only be used for one thing) that didn't sit well with me. What if there was more than one way to do something? 

What if it was possible to push the boundaries of a program's intended purpose?

For some scenarios, modeling in Maya is best: if I were building a water bottle for instance or even a jet plane, I'd spare myself the hassle of redoing the topology on something that can be built quickly and simply using traditional tools in Maya. But for the more complex stuff, the stuff that lives and breaths life and that really benefits from an intuitive sculpt, I wasn't so sure about that statement (you are welcome to chime in here and prove me wrong. The point of this is to reach out and learn, right? )

Nevertheless, I started to doubt myself. So I went home and tested it out for myself.

This is C18, a character model I am building for the Dragon Ball Z Tribute film to raise funds for the non-profit organization: Sick Kids. While I search for work, I figured I might as well put the time and energy I do have into something worthwhile. This character is based off of the original series whereby the 3D animated feature film would showcase some classic manga style with a modern twist of realism and I am honoured to have been assigned this character by the team (she is my favourite! :D ).

C18 was sculpted in ZBrush in just a little over 2 days (including the retopology). To move things along quickly, I used an old 3D base female model I sculpted (which already has standard body ratios) and went to town to give this character more definition, such as the classic Anime facial features and some body musculature. The experience was fast, fluid, and most of all enjoyable, which helps with creativity.

Thanks to some great new tools such as "ZWrap" (or the previous version: "Wrap3"), I was able to redo her topology in under 60 min (45 if you exclude the humming and hawing that comes with hypothesizing over a new workflow).

I don't know how long a model like this would take using traditional tools in Maya but honestly, 2 days seems like pretty good time to me. Here are some comparison renders of the high resolution decimated original sculpt and the low resolution retopo-ed model with Displacement and Normal Maps.

Experienced VFX Artists, I am more than happy to hear your thoughts on this matter. The goal is to progress, not to butt heads with superiors. And if anyone is asking, Yes!, I am still looking for a job - a home which would take the chance and make the most of my skill set.