Blank Sculpts- 360 Degree Views

This is a project I started quite some months ago because it was driving me nuts not having plenty of pics for a sculpt when considering new characters. Even after the faceup is done I've noticed that it is very easy to forget what it looked like beforehand.

 

This is for reference for those who wonder what specific base sculpt looks like. I thought this would be a great resource for the DD community most especially when trying to discover what sculpt works best for custom DD. The biggest reason I went with this format is because the lighting and the angle of a single shot can really impact how the shadows change the look. Being able to see the head 'moving' at least helps show what the sculpt is like when you can't actually hold it in your hands.

 

07Head-animation by Sister Kyoya, on Flickr

 

Lighting: Daylight

 

Here is a link to the DDH-07 Animated GIF since the animation doesn't resize on Flickr.

 

Since this is an animated GIF, I have the original images I can post as well if anyone needs them to draw on for testing faceup ideas. The original images are much bigger than the ones used in the animation. If you don't need larger pics and use an image program that can handle layers, save the file to your hard drive and it should open as a layered file. I would really like this to be freely available for anyone to use and benefit from, I just ask that my name not be cropped off or altered. I only added it to (hopefully) make it easier for someone to track down more if my 360 blank sculpt pics if they don't know the original source or forgot.

 

I also have another set of pics for the 07 head after the eyes were open if anyone is interested (I forgot to put eyes in... ).

 

Over time I'd be excited to add more sculpts if I am able to get them. I have a blank 05 that I just need to take pics of, and Kos-Mos' sculpt will also be done, but I plan on getting the 360 view of her faceup before it gets scrubbed off (something I forgot to do with the 05). I also have the Haruka Amami sculpt (Bree) that I can do pictures of, but she is the rare exception that I'm disinclined to remove her default faceup. That may change in time, but I highly doubt it.

 

I would love to hear anyone's feedback on this whole idea, is it a helpful resource, ect.

 

And one final thing to toss out there: If there is the rare person with a sculpt that I don't have 360 pics of yet, who needs the default faceup wiped, I'd be willing to do it for free (head owner covers shipping) and allows me to do a 360 set of photos with the head. After removing the default faceup from my 05 head, I can see why faceup artists don't like doing it. I only used rubbing alcohol and a Magic Eraser, but it took quite some time and a lot of elbow grease.

 

~Sister Kyoya

Edited April 14, 2013 by Guest

That is so cool! It really looks like if you were holding it in your hands and rotating it. I think this is great for figuring out what the head really looks like.

I have an upcoming project that may be useful for this. But I don't think I need help removing the faceup, nor do I know how to make a gif. Suggestions?

I'll be getting my Mashiro a new faceup. When it gets closer to time (probably July-ish, Hikaru has a long waitlist!), would you like me to send her to you so you can take some blank photos? She does have some stains I'm working on that should be gone by that time. I don't know how to remove her faceup but since it'll be getting removed anyway, I'd be down with you doing it and taking pictures for a database like this!

That is so interesting ! Thank you so much for making that . It would be so helpful for many of us

That is so cool! It really looks like if you were holding it in your hands and rotating it. I think this is great for figuring out what the head really looks like.

 

I'm really glad that it will be useful! I have been debating for a long time if anyone else would find this helpful or not. There are always so many questions about the limited heads that are hard to answer if you can't see it, and drastically more complicated by Volk's photos... Even someone trying to describe the differences between sculpts is hard because of both people's perceptions and word choice. These photo sets are pretty quick for me to shoot and more accurately give the info people are looking for. Plus the spinning head cracks me up a bit.

 

I have an upcoming project that may be useful for this. But I don't think I need help removing the faceup, nor do I know how to make a gif. Suggestions?

 

I'll take a pic of my setup later when I do my 05 head so you can see the doll half of it, but here is essentially the setup:

 

* Adjustable camera tripod

* Camera that takes clear pictures (we have a Cannon)

* Remote shutter button

* Table to set the doll on

* Cake decorating stand/smooth working turntable

* Stabilized Doll

* Backdrop

* Good lighting

 

Ours 'tripod' a mini/tabletop tripod that I put on top of our ironing board It looks silly and is a cheap solution but it's really versatile. Personally I'm a bit of a snob/perfectionist on the clear photos only because blurry pics would defeat the purpose of having these for a reference.

 

The remote shutter control is a HUGE benefit to getting consistent pics. Before we had one, my photos would end up fuzzy simply from trying to push the shutter button.

 

I have a card table I use for my doll photos because it is easy to move around to get the best light. Any stable surface would work.

 

The cake stand/turntable/lazy susan is really the whole key to the consistent rotation of the head in the photos. It allows the minor adjustments in rotation without the doll being moved otherwise, making the animation really smooth. For the 07 pics I had the head on an MDD body (because it was the shortest) and tied to a doll chair with elastic so it wouldn't fall out. I'm thinking of using Rainie's magnet feet Obitsu body for the other photos because it already stands well and it should be easier to center.

 

The backdrop is optional but I find it makes the pictures less distracting. I made mine from two pieces of white foam board (from a dollar store) taped together with white duct tape and I just drape fabric over it. The duct tape might be a bit overkill, but since I use it all the time it stays flexible and folds flat.

 

Lighting is a major component in high quality photos. If you think the light may be fading, wait until another day to take them at an earlier time. Shadows and highlights play a major part in showing of the specifics of the sculpt so having the right light is important. I have personally found that household lights are not good enough unless you have a specific set up for photos. I have an embarrassing number of photos that are bad quality because the lighting.

 

The biggest thing with these photo sets is consistency. I hate to sound like a snot, but handheld cellphone pics will not work for this. In my short gif, there are 38 photos and if they were all placed slightly differently, it would be nauseating to watch. (I'm only adding this for clarity) This is why everything in the set up that I use is ultra stable, no cats around to hop on things and screw up the shots with movement, ect. even I hardly move except to rotate the turntable. One minor thing that may not be obvious in the GIF is the variation in how far the head rotates between shots. Smaller degree of rotation in the front = more images, larger degree of rotation in the back = less images. Since the back of the head is not what we look at with the dolls, doing this leaves more pics of what we actually want to see. Also I made sure to get a straight on view of the head, 3/4 view (left & right), straight on left and straight on right views. These are the ones that are most important for faceup reference stills.

 

As for making the animated GIF, I used Photoshop CS5 because that's what we have and I like the clarity of the color conversion. I remember pages of badly animated/made GIFs that swamped entire pages and made your eyes water back in the 90s. I am very slowly learning to find benefits in GIFs, but my hate for them is still strong. I found this article about how to make an animated GIF, and under the Photoshop entry they also mention Gimp (free program). The 360 head views have a lot of photos but they aren't hard to make.

 

I know this was a very long-winded explanation, but hopefully it will be helpful.

 

I'll be getting my Mashiro a new faceup. When it gets closer to time (probably July-ish, Hikaru has a long waitlist!), would you like me to send her to you so you can take some blank photos? She does have some stains I'm working on that should be gone by that time. I don't know how to remove her faceup but since it'll be getting removed anyway, I'd be down with you doing it and taking pictures for a database like this!

 

Woah... Seriously? That would be awesome! When I was writing that part I was sure people were going to think I was nuts. I figured it wouldn't hurt to offer since it would take me a million years (approximately) to get all the sculpts for this project. I have loads of free time again since I'm taking off a year from school so timing is not a problem. I've got a bad cold at the moment and the constant coughing is wearing me out, but I'll send you a PM later with more info and whatnot.

 

~Sister Kyoya

Edited April 14, 2013 by Guest

That is so interesting ! Thank you so much for making that . It would be so helpful for many of us

 

You're very welcome! I'm excited to see what other 360 sculpts I (or anyone else) can contribute to the project. I just love doing customs so much that I thought that these would be mildly helpful. It wasn't until I wiped off the default from my 05 head that I realized how drastic the change can be.

 

~Sister Kyoya

Edited April 14, 2013 by Guest

I love this idea! I think it'd be help with our without face up, both are great!

I'm going to use your animations as a reference in the future, for sure.

 

I'd like to contribute to this, perhaps if I can one day get a turntable.

And if possible.

 

Great job!

What a great idea!!!!

I think this is great! I've been thinking of compiling a list myself in one thread even with face ups especially re face ups as well because it can show you how versatile these sculpts can be, and what a big difference the right hair and face up can make.

It would really help with choosing the right sculpt for a character.

thanks for making this!

I can see what kind of character I want out of you first animated gif ^-^

so where can i find the other 5 degrees

i think it's a cool idea.

however, have you considered also doing up/down views of the faces?

 

so where can i find the other 5 degrees

so where can i find the other 5 degrees

Hahahaha

Oh, this is amazingly helpful. I'm really looking forward to your Kos-Mos one since it will help me decide if I want to wipe her faceup and try a new one or just sell her when I get her home.

 

I'd also love to see some alternate angles (especially down).

 

P.S. I've never tried it on vinyl, but Windsor & Newton Brush cleaner works great as a faceup remover (at least for resins).

This is very helpful. I've been looking for a way to easily compare side-views of head sculpts, but a 360 view is even better! Thank you so much! I'm looking forward to seeing animations of other head sculpts.

 

I agree with the above poster, I would like to see views from other angles as well.

I love this idea! I think it'd be help with our without face up, both are great!

I'm going to use your animations as a reference in the future, for sure.

 

I'd like to contribute to this, perhaps if I can one day get a turntable.

And if possible.

 

Great job!

 

I'm glad it is so helpful already. Turntables really aren't that hard to find. I've found plastic lazy susans in 2nd hand stores before too, just make sure they turn smoothly and it should be fine.

 

What a great idea!!!!

 

Thank you!

 

I think this is great! I've been thinking of compiling a list myself in one thread even with face ups especially re face ups as well because it can show you how versatile these sculpts can be, and what a big difference the right hair and face up can make.

It would really help with choosing the right sculpt for a character.

 

I'd be interested to see the faceups as well. Part of my original motivator for the 360 pics was I spent loads of time trying to find pics of the 05 head to see if it would work for the character I wanted to make. It was really hard finding the few shots that were at the right angle for me to determine the sculpt underneath. With the 360 pics it almost eliminates the guesswork, but it would be neat to see the facups done this way too.

 

thanks for making this!

I can see what kind of character I want out of you first animated gif ^-^

 

You're welcome! I'm glad it has been helpful already!

 

i think it's a cool idea.

however, have you considered also doing up/down views of the faces?

 

Originally I only did the 'eye level view' because the light was fading and I didn't have much time. The other reason was that I'm obsessive-compulsive and I was really afraid of having to get every perfect angle before I felt it was good enough. Ideally, the best way to get to look at a sculpt without having to buy it first (some of the limiteds are really expensive) would be to have an exact 3D model made that could be rotated dynamically. This obviously complicates things a lot.

 

So it shouldn't be any surprise that I internally groaned when multiple angles were requested. For one, my 07 head has a faceup now and I can't have a complete 'set' for that sculpt unless I can get my hands on another one. That's not happening anytime soon, nor do I have plans for tracking one down. However, that doesn't mean all hope is lost. After thinking it over, the most I'm personally willing to do for the 360 sculpts from this point on is the eye level view, head tilted up view, and the head tilted down view. If this is done with the default faceup as well as the blank sculpt, each head will have 6 GIFs, but it will take 180+ photos to make them. The pictures are fast to take, but can take a significant amount of time to assemble. Just to make it clear, I'm not grouchy, I'm just pointing out why I feel the need to be restrictive in what angles I limit the 360 pics to.

 

I really do appreciate your feedback because I would like these pics to be as helpful as possible. Goodness knows that I have a huge desire to see a ton of the limited heads to feed my custom DD addiction.

 

Oh, this is amazingly helpful. I'm really looking forward to your Kos-Mos one since it will help me decide if I want to wipe her faceup and try a new one or just sell her when I get her home.

 

I'd also love to see some alternate angles (especially down).

 

P.S. I've never tried it on vinyl, but Windsor & Newton Brush cleaner works great as a faceup remover (at least for resins).

 

You're welcome! I'm simply waiting for Kos-Mos and the wait has been agony. I found it funny last night when I was looking for pics in the Xenosaga III thread and saw the default pics. I couldn't believe that I forgot she comes with clothes. I've just been thinking about her head and body so much that the 'minor' detail fell out of my brain. I was sure that the 360 of Kos-Mos would be a big deal to a lot of people, and Momo too, but my husband doesn't want her default faceup removed.

 

I know the Windsor & Newton Brush cleaner has been mentioned somewhere on these forums before, but I'm thinking it wasn't good for vinyl. The biggest thing I can do to make the faceup removal faster is to buy the appropriate strength of rubbing alcohol. What I have is kinda weak for what is tolerable with the DD heads.

 

This is very helpful. I've been looking for a way to easily compare side-views of head sculpts, but a 360 view is even better! Thank you so much! I'm looking forward to seeing animations of other head sculpts.

 

I agree with the above poster, I would like to see views from other angles as well.

 

If you need, I can upload the stills of the left and right view of the 07 head.

 

And here is a question for everyone:

 

One of the things I just realized is the eyes vs. no eyes issue. Eyes make such a major impact on the perception of a sculpt that I'm trying to figure out what is the better route to go with the 360 pics. It was a non-issue with my 07 head because I bought a closed eye version. But with any open eye head it changes things. I just got done doing the 3 GIF sets for my modded 01 head (175 pics for 3 GIFs? Ug...) and since Ralph's eyes weren't in I just stuffed a skin color piece of felt to fill in the eye holes, making it more like the closed eyes. Personally I prefer it this way because then the stills can be photoshopped to use whatever eyes the person is looking for. On the other hand I thought about doing Bree (Haruka Amami sculpt) next because she still has her default faceup. But she started being her silly self in my mind, I realized how odd it would look taking pics of her without eyeballs. The other issue with using the eyes in pics is everyone has their own view of what type or color of eyes would look best on a certain sculpt, making me feel like I could choose one pair that would work across the board. I just really want these references to be as helpful as possible.

 

So what do you think about eyes vs. felt fill-ins?

 

~Sister Kyoya

Could this sort of gif be more easily created using a movie rather than many still images? Or would that actually be harder in the end?

I've thought about it and I've used windows movie maker before and I'm fine with it. I think it might take more time to do a movie with it, but that's not really a bad thing either. The GIFs are 1/4 the size of the original images because I think GIFs have a maximum size that they can be, but videos wouldn't/shouldn't have the same issue. I just didn't know what way would be preferable and at the time the GIF seemed easiest. That could have partly been due to the fact that a GIF file can be pulled apart for the individual images much more easily than a video file. If there is any interest in the video version I can easily upload them to my YouTube.

 

~Sister Kyoya

I hope I didn't make you feel like I was rushing you, I hope that others can help you with this project.

 

A certain eye style can make a face look larger, smaller, wider, etc., and that may give someone a bad idea of what the sculpt really looks like. That is why I like your idea of using felt fill-ins.

I don't feel rushed at all! I really like helping, even if I do get wordy all the time The felt does look a little weird, but I really think it is the best neutral option. I took another set of 360 pics of the 07 with the eyes open, and honestly the empty eye sockets creep me out a bit. It's also more distracting than it is helpful.

 

I've been poking at the video option and so far it's taking loads longer than simply making the GIFs, and I can't say it's any better quality. One benefit of the GIFs too is I can set it to loop forever, and for the 360 pics that's really a plus. Yup, the GIF option is much better for the tools I currently have. I'm a bit annoyed that the sets of pics I took yesterday have random shots that are too dark. Stupid clouds. Not hard to fix but annoying. The video version of the rotating heads is a bit nauseating. The GIF versions are much smoother to watch. Now if I can just figure out what the max pixel size is that Photoshop will accept for GIFs I'll be a happy camper.

 

~Sister Kyoya

Oh! This looks really good! Been toying with the idea of trying to do a face-up mock-up with photos. Any ETA on the other head views?

 

Don't start taking photos just because I asked. I have a feeling you have enough projects going on as it is right now and I'm not sure when/if I'll try making a face-up.

 

Personally I'd prefere the closed-eyes/felt fill-in option. The eyes could ofcourse be removed in photoshop but I'm thinking that the eyes could cause an unwanted color-cast on the areas near the eyes.