Carousel Horse

Our new project is to design a base mesh (model) in Maya, then take it into ZBrush or Mudbox for more detailed sculpting. I have stopped learning ZBrush for the time being and have switched over to Mudbox, whose interface is much more similar to Maya's, so I like it better already.


Here is the reference photo for a carousel horse:

I've returned to Tutorial Guy for some tips on modeling a horse in Maya, which is very different from modeling architecture. Creatures are obviously much more organic, but I figure I better get used to that, because I'm much more interested in creating characters/creatures.


So, I started off with the base...

...and then used the side view of the horse for reference in creating the base mesh...

From what I can tell so far, this model will be made primarily with cylinders. The nice thing about them is that they already have some bulk to work with, whereas if you use something like curves, you're starting with only a line and you have to create your own geometry from there.


Again, this model isn't meant to replicate the horse exactly. It's only a starting point to be used in Mudbox.