This is the final version of my troll bust in Mudbox. This was inspired by the trolls of Norwegian folklore, and executed with a slightly more cartoonish style. The result is something that looks like it belongs in World of Warcraft or Runescape.
This was made from the generic head mask available in Mudbox. Nearly all the sculpting tools were utilized and reference images were used to create some of the more detailed features such as the ears and mouth. This model goes up to the sixth level of detail, allowing for the fine tuning of these features.
There are six paint layers being used, four of which are diffuse layers. There is one layer for the main coloration, one for shadows around the eyes, under the nose, and behind the ears, one for the yellow coloring in the ears, nose, and around the eyes, and one for the texture of the skin. There is a specular later to give the troll a slight glow, and a gloss layer for the eyes.
The main challenge was achieving a realistic model despite the fact that the subject is imaginary, to facilitate the suspended disbelief of the viewer. This is necessary in video games to envelope the player in the experience, rather than reminding them that its just an image on a screen. The software provided some minor problems, mainly that the mirror-x option does not always create a symmetrical model as it should. Also, because of the amount of detail and paint layers, Mudbox becomes very laggy.
360 degree view (Youtube):
