High-resolution Game Character Creation Pipeline in ZBrush and Maya
In this series of tutorials, we will learn how to create a realistic character from scratch, covering modeling and texture creation. Software required: Maya 2014, Photoshop CS6, ZBrush 4R6, TopoGun, UVLayout, dDo, Marmoset Toolbag.
What you'll learn
In this series of tutorials, we will learn how to create a realistic character from scratch, covering modeling and texture creation. Throughout these lessons, we will go over concept selection, and blocking in of forms using ZBrush 4R6's powerful suite of tools, we will also be jumping into Maya for base mesh creation for some of more complex pieces. I'll discuss different sculpting techniques giving you a good overview on different problem areas such as leather or skin pores. We'll then discuss how to go about texturing and retopologizing the high-resolution models in TopoGun and Photoshop. We'll be using UV layout for the fast and easy UV creation. Normals and and other maps will be generated using TopoGun, XNormal, and a versatile map creation program. Over the course of the tutorial, we will cover general anatomy, as well as introducing a DynaMesh workflow and topology geared towards animation. We will go over utilizing Polypaint to hand paint our base textures, which will later be enhanced in Photoshop and dDo. The tutorial will end with a semi-low resolution character with normal maps and diffuse geared towards a realtime game workflow. Tips learned here can be applied to any realistic or stylized character. Software required: Maya 2014, Photoshop CS6, ZBrush 4R6, TopoGun, UVLayout, dDo, Marmoset Toolbag.
Table of contents
- Collecting References 14m
- Blocking Forms of the Head from a Sphere 14m
- Blocking in Eyes, Brow, Nose, and Cheeks 11m
- Tweaking the Shapes 11m
- Working More on Sculpting the Head 17m
- Starting Wrinkling and Skin Detail 20m
- Adding More Detail to the Upper Lip 18m
- Defining the Face with Detail 24m
- Blocking in the Arms and Hands 17m
- Continuing Blocking in the Arms and Hands 18m
- Detailing the Arms 13m
- Beginning to Block Clothing in ZBrush 17m
- Creating Clothing Forms 17m
- Cloth Detailing on Button Down Shirt 12m
- Combining the Two Shirts 23m
- Pushing the Detail on the T-shirt 21m
- Beginning the Detailing Process on the Pants 10m
- Finishing the Pants Detail 19m
- Base Mesh Creation of the Shoes 12m
- Shoe Sculpting in ZBrush 7m
- Finishing the Shoes 16m
- Defining Button and Cloth Details in Maya 18m
- Applying Button to Cloth and Shoe Details 16m
- Adjusting Shirt and Shoe Detail 13m
- Quick Jewelry Creation for Our Character 11m
- Finalizing Geometry of Our Character 14m
- Getting Our Mesh Ready for Retopology 12m
- Getting into Topogun 18m
- Retopologizing the Face 19m
- Finishing the Retopology of the Face 6m
- Retopologizing the Arms and Hands 18m
- Continuing to Retopologize the Hands and Arms 18m
- Creating the Inside of the Mouth 20m
- Continuing Cleaning up the Model 8m
- Uving the Clothing 23m
- Laying out the UVs in Maya 11m
- Normal Map Generation 9m
- Map Generation and Composition 9m
- Collecting the Needed Maps for Ddo 4m
- Hand Painted Skin Textures in ZBrush 12m
- Continuing to Hand Paint Textures 11m
- Texture Mapping in Topogun 5m
- Texture Mapping in Ddo 13m
- Adding Diffuse, Specular, and Gloss Textures 18m
- Finalizing Textures of Our Image 13m
- Final Presentation of the Render 10m
About the author
Matthew Kean is an inspired character artist, conceptual artist, and digital modeler in the New York City area with several years experience. His skills include 3D software development, conceptualizing and executing 3D concepts for film and games, as well as teaching. His work includes modeling on film titles such as 'The Mortal Instruments: The City of Bones' and a game work for few AAA companies. Matt has also worked on toy designs for companies overseas. His experience stems from a strong edu... more