question about 3d modelling

[InCreator]

Well, yes.
Is there any good low-poly head (real-like, not cartoony) modelling tutorials for 3ds max?

I'm able to produce only a head with high polygon count, building every face by hand - which may look pretty, but is actually good-for-nothing. Especially when making a game.

I've searched internet often, but haven't found anything simple, yet good looking. Tutorials are too n00b or so complicated that things get out of hand already by step three or some other problems like that.

Making a head from geosphere isn't looking too good neither.

[shbaz]

Collosal suggested these two links a long time ago when I posted one of my chars up for crits.

http://www.planetquake.com/polycount/resources/general/video_tutorials/video-tut-list.shtml

http://www.fileplanet.com/dl.aspx?/planetquake/polycount/tutorials/video/paramilitary_punk_video.zip

Here is a female character I made a while back to realistic proportions. Let me know and I can export it for reference, if you'd like. She deforms OK, I never did UV texture her because the team I was building the model for stopped contacting me. Around 1750 triangles and the face/mouth were made to animate.

[InCreator]

Hey, thanks.
This chick looks good... though as I have always modelled at polygon sublevel (noted now that i used word "face" at first post - this is wrong), these faces around mouth and ears confuse me a bit...
I have some 3ds models, but just examining the model won't actually teach much... 
Never tried tutorial videos, downloading some now!

[shbaz]

This chick looks good... though as I have always modelled at polygon sublevel (noted now that i used word "face" at first post - this is wrong), these faces around mouth and ears confuse me a bit...

That was why I would just send you the model.. it means nothing to me, it was done for an open domain project. The reason the faces around the ears and the mouth confuse you is probably because you're used to doing things hi-poly.. when you have to use the minimum amount of faces, edge-loops go out the window. Use as many tris as you want because you won't be using sub-surfacing in realtime (I dunno if 3DS is like this, but tris in Blender don't look as good as squares do when subsurfed). My model stands to be optimized, if you look above the lips that little indention was totally unnecessary. It's all about getting rid of little details and focusing on the big ones. The ears are flat because that amount of detail would eat up your triangles quick.. just UV texture the ear details in a normal (bump) map. Because the model was build for facial animations, I did some stuff different there, but I haven't ever tested it so I don't know if it works good or not.

I have some 3ds models, but just examining the model won't actually teach much... 

The models help you in that you can see how they arranged their stuff and you can copy that method. Things like the nose, ears, eyes.. there are tons of different ways to handle them. Check out how other people did it and use the method that you think suits the purpose of your character best. If it's going to have a lot of close-up face shots, you put in rounder eyes and make sure the head is rounded enough that you can't figure out how many polys the artist used. You would skimp on details like boots in this kind of model. If it's going to be something that's far away and never seen close up, you make it uber low-poly because there's no reason to waste computer cycles and your time on character details you won't see.

Out of curiousity, what are you building game models for?

[InCreator]

Well, I'm not sure even myself.
I've tried to make a 3d game about billion times, as much as I tried to modelÃ,  a human character that reacts normally to biped.

Body part comes about normally (except making a lifelike butt),
main problem is head and bendable sections on limbs.

If I could get my 3d modelling going - finally, I'm sure I'd find a nice place to use these skills.

I fell in love with movie-making too - recently, so...

[Layabout]

use a front and side reference photo. Then i make the forehead with a simple plane and ass points and faces from there in the approprate places. I also do many of the outlines using lines.