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.