Learn How to Create Pulp Fiction's Jules in 3D

Introduction

My name is Ernesto Perlingeiro, a Brazilian native of Rio de Janeiro and a 3D Artist specializing in characters. I hold a degree in graphic design from The Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro. Cartoons, comics, cinema, and "bizarre" characters have always been my passion. Since childhood, I have spent hours drawing characters, copying my favorite comic artists, and often pausing the TV to draw what I saw on the screen.

My background is heavily influenced by the design of grotesque characters, such as those from the Ghostbusters cartoon, ThunderCats, and caricatures of celebrities in Looney Tunes and Tiny Toons. Over time, I discovered artists who worked with the distortion of the human form, such as Cássio Loredano, and the precise lines seen in Joe Madureira's work in X-Men comics. Countless hours and notebook pages were spent drawing, but I was still unsure of what to do professionally. I entered a graphic design college, where I had my first contact with 3D software. However, the first encounter was quite frustrating. It was a screen divided into four views with gray primitive objects, which seemed monotonous and uninspiring.

After graduation, I had the opportunity to live in Europe for a few years. I worked for a football magazine as a designer and illustrator, but it still was not what I loved to do.

I always kept an eye on social networks and CG art forums, including ZBrush Central. Despite the fascination, it seemed far beyond my reach, not only due to the difficulty of learning such complex software but also the need for an expensive and powerful computer. Through a friend, I had the opportunity to use ZBrush and felt an immediate synergy. The features started to make artistic sense, and my imagination soared.

I started consuming forum content and tutorials on YouTube, which served as a gateway to 3D. Since I lacked formal training in computer graphics, I was solely focused on sculpting. Concepts like polygons, UVs, and edge loops seemed unnecessary. However, I started familiarizing myself with these concepts as I needed to export models from ZBrush to render and paint characters. I put the self-acquired knowledge into practice in various studio works. Essentially, my software learning was driven by the need to improve my models for the final render.

Learning is ongoing, but today I start to feel satisfied with character creation. I focus not only on software and technical aspects but also on artistic aspects, navigating between cartoon characters and realistic ones.

The Jules Winnfield Project

I am an avid cinema fan, and Pulp Fiction is one of my favorite movies. Jules has always been my favorite character, although all of them are fascinating. This work is my second attempt at capturing the character. The first time was in 2020. It was a more exaggerated version, and although funny, it didn't turn out exactly as I wanted. Samuel L. Jackson's face is quite challenging to sculpt, and I see that there's always a new way to interpret him artistically.

When I created the current version, I aimed for a less exaggerated character since I intended to make a 3D print of the model to produce a series of collectibles of my favorite characters. The software PureRef is essential for gathering reference images. I always like to collect photos of the actor's face with neutral expressions from different angles, as well as movie frames and character objects.

Workflow in ZBrush

I always start by creating the character in a symmetrical pose. Since I plan to depict the character in multiple pose, the neutral and symmetrical poses allow for this. I prefer to start by stacking basic shapes to get an idea of the proportions.

Once satisfied with the proportions, I started sculpting. I always enable Sculptris Pro mode. My focus was on detailing the head and hands more, as they are the most visible parts of the body. Knowing that the model would be used for static images, I did a light retopology using ZRemesher.

I manually corrected the parts I didn't like. Next, I subdivided the mesh until it had a considerable number of polygons, enough to allow for detailed work such as wrinkles, pores, and skin imperfections.

I have used Marvelous Designer a few times in the past, but I never managed to achieve the precision and fit necessary for the aesthetic I was looking for. I prefer to mask the parts on the main mesh and extract the desired part, separating the mesh into polygroups according to the clothing's sewing pattern, and doing a ZRemesher with the PolyGroups option enabled.

Usually, I am satisfied with the topology and only make some small edge loop corrections using ZModeler. I repeated this process for each piece of clothing.

Still within ZBrush, I used Transpose Master to pose the character. However, initially, I sketched the pose using Zspheres to aid in visualizing the dynamics of the pose and action lines.

Working in Maya

The first draft of the UVs was completed in ZBrush using UV Master. Then I took the model to Maya to refine the UVs because it makes the tools and cuts more precise. Depending on the model, I utilize UDIM. Once the UVs were ready, I imported the models into Substance 3D Painter for painting.

Substance 3D Painter

Texture and map painting were completed in three stages: one file for the body, one for the weapon, and one for the clothes. For the character's body, I exported two meshes: the low-poly version and the high-poly version. Within the software, I baked the maps. For the weapon and clothes, I utilized some of my fabric and metal presets and added dirt and rust for more credibility. The exported maps included Roughness, Specular, Base Color, and Normal Maps, all at a resolution of 4096x4096. In addition to the Normal Map, I also utilized the Displacement Map generated in ZBrush at 8K resolution for the final render, particularly for the face and clothes.

Using XGen

This is the stage I consider the most complex, laborious, and unpredictable, but also very rewarding and enjoyable. Despite many precision tools and resources, XGen can sometimes present unexpected issues. For the Jules project, I utilized the software for creating hair, sideburns, mustache, eyebrows, eyelashes, and peach fuzz.

After trying some other renderers, I found Arnold to be the most precise and offering the most detailed control for my needs.

Lighting

For this project, I decided to utilize four different lights: a main light, a backlight, a top light slightly tilted, and a small light to highlight the weapon's shine.

Eyes

For the eyes, I prefer using two objects: one for the eyeball and one for the cornea. To create eyeball, I used a layered shader divided into three parts: an SSS shader for the sclera, a slightly metallic shader for the iris (as an artistic choice), and a completely dark shader for the pupil. For the cornea, I used a transparent shader with glass properties.

Render Passes

Finally, I usually render the following passes: Depth, Rim Light, Top/Fill light, Sheen, Specular, and Shadow. Then I take the images to Photoshop for some light retouching. In the end, I mainly use depth, Rim light, and Specular passes.

Conclusion

This project didn't take long. I'm quick at sculpting, and everything flows more smoothly in ZBrush. The most laborious parts were painting the textures in Substance 3D Painter and working in XGen, besides the render times. In the end, it all took about two weeks.

I have always had a quote by José Saramago as a mantra: "If you can see, look. If you can look, observe." I believe that observation and refining your eye are ongoing. Learning to observe is essential. Doing the mental exercise of "disassembling" complex objects into basic shapes and then reassembling them in my mind, including faces, is essential. When you realize it, patterns start to emerge, making modeling and sculpting more logical and intuitive.

You can find out more about my works on my ArtStation profile and Instagram.

Ernesto Perlingeiro, 3D Artist

Interview conducted by Gloria Levine