I have begun modeling the base mesh for the main character in the short animation I am currently working on and I will admit that I know little about the construction of a character in maya. When I spoke to Clym recently he suggested that I look online for tutorials and images on topology. Topology is necessary for good polygonal flow, which is crucial when trying to rig and animate the character effectively. If there is no edge flow when creating the model this will not simulate muscle and bone structure that is necessary for locomotion. I was pretty pleased with the outcome of the torso region as this represented all the characteristics of the concepts while at the same time maintaining good edge flow. However as I began to model the upper arm or deltoid muscles I noticed that there was no real muscle definition. Clym kindly pointed me in the right direction. In order for the arm to move correctly when animated I need to define the deltoid muscle. He also said that I needed to create a pauldron shape like a piece of armour. This would be ideal when rigging the character as well as bringing out muscle tone in zbrush. In order to create the muscle structure I needed a five-edged star. This would help me redirect the polygon flow to create a spherical mass, which would form the deltoid. The five-edged star would allow polygons to flow in three direction instead two which is necessary for this type of modeling.
I applied this technique to my model, which proved to be successful. When smoothed muscle tone and definition could be observed which was the effect I was looking for.
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