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Creating Cartoon Characters in MODO

by Justin Marshall

The modeling and painting tools in MODO are powerful and easy to use. Creating a cartoon character will give us a chance to look at how those tools can be used to model organic shapes, follow existing designs, and finish with texture maps. Software required: MODO 701.

What you'll learn

The modeling and painting tools in MODO are powerful and easy to use. Creating a cartoon character will give us a chance to look at how those tools can be used to model organic shapes, follow existing designs, and finish with texture maps. Our design will be a simple, but appealing one that will allow us to concentrate on the tools and techniques while creating something fun. We'll start by adding images to use as reference and then begin building up the geometry from scratch. We'll build and shape the main body before spending some time creating more complex topology for the head. Tools like Loop Slice, Edge Slice, and Bevel will help us create our character quickly and efficiently. We'll also create parts like the teeth, eyes, and horns from primitive shapes or by using our existing geometry. Once our model is built, we'll spend some time looking at UV layouts and then create some color textures for the character. In addition, we'll add some bump to the character as well as some ambient occlusion. In the end, you'll have a finished cartoon character ready for rigging and animation, as well as the knowledge you need to create models from your own designs. Software required: MODO 701.

About the author

Justin thrives as a lead modeling author at Pluralsight. Growing up, Justin found a deep interest for the computer graphics industry after watching movies like Jurassic Park, Toy Story, and The Abyss. His ambition would lead him to work at Sony Imageworks in Los Angeles on movies like Monster House and Surf's Up. Justin has also had numerous articles, tutorials, and images published in 3D World and 3D Artist. As an author, Justin enjoys collaborating with fellow authors, especially on project... more

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