For some reason, I decided to model stag.
From time time, I enjoy sculpting and after toying around with grass, I enjoyed learning about packed primitives and using VEX to initate a copy SOP resulting in quick renders and instancing. I had some ideas about fur and wanted to test those.
Sculpting
But before fur, there needs to be skin...
The model is sculpted in 3dcoat which i love because of true voxel sculpting. When exporting to FBX, color per vertex can be transferred to Houdini, so I do not even need to bother with textures and UV.
I like to start by simply extruding and subdividing in blender, then import and voxelize in 3dcoat.
The greatness about true voxel sculpting is that you never need to "remesh" or how it's called by ZBrush, Mudbox etc, and you can for instance extrude legs just by moving voxels or accumulating a brush without decreasing "resolution".
A knowledge as old as art itself: Without proper reference, all looks shitty. (No offense, cavemen)
Getting better.
Antlers
As for the antlers, blender has a great modifier deceptively named "skin".
All you do is extrude some vertices.
...add some subdivisions
Add the skin modifier
Subdivide again... aaaannd.... mirror.
Again, reference time:
Aahh, much better!
Some minor sculpting.
More anatomy.
Per-vertex color for fur base color.
First test. Damn, this looks like a rabbit rug, 40 years old.
Bones / Skeleton
This is how a fella like this looks from inside.
Image in public domain / Wikimedia Commons
Posing test:
