3dcreative issue 90 - february 2013

Issue 090 February 2013

Gallery - 10 of the bestimages from around

the world!

Concept Artist for IdSoftware

Project Overview by Robert Craig

Gallery

Matthew Burke

Modeling Futuristic VehiclesThis issue texturing and shaders are the main subject matters covered by Arturo Garcia (3dsmax) and Renato Gonzalez Aguilante (Maya).

The Submarine PenAndrew Finch brings us the penultimate chapter of his Unreal Games Engine series, this time focusing on finalizing the lighting and adding details.

NEW! Character AnimationBrand new this month, Camilo Duarte Franco begins his Character Animation tutorial series with an in-depth look at the basic human walk.

Back by popular demand and within the pages of this months 3DCreative we start off our all new series of ZBrush Speed Sculpts. Daniel Bystedt kicks things off with some handy hints about the creation of his fantastic Oger creature.

Art ClassCover

imag

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Dan

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yste

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NEW!

www.3dcreativemag.com Issue 090 February 2013

Contents

EditorialWelcome to the February

issue of 3DCreative! In this

months magazine we have

a fantastic array of artwork

from some of the top digital

artists around today. We

see a few new faces in

our tutorials section, and a

few old ones too. With an

inspiring Making Of and

fascinating interview, you

wont know where to begin!

We have the next instalments of Arturo Garcia and Renato

Gonzalez Aguilantes Beginners Guide to Modeling Futuristic

Vehicles tutorials. As always, Arturo covers the key skills in

3ds Max and Renato instructs in Maya. This month, they look

specifically at texturing and shaders, both imparting some

excellent tips on achieving that realistic futuristic render on your

sci-fi vehicles.

Andrew Finch starts wrapping up his Unreal Games Engine

tutorial series on creating a submarine pen, with the second-to-

final instalment on applying particle effects and completing the

final polish. Dont miss the next issue for the final instalment in this

fascinating and detailed series.

Brand new this month, is the first in a series of tutorials on

Character Animation by Camilo Duarte Franco. He starts his

series off with an excellent tutorial that gives an in-depth look at

the basic human walk, and how to transfer those observations into

your CG model. Watch out for those useful little hints on creating

realistic movement!

Next in our series on Speed Sculpting with ZBrush is a fascinating

one-off tutorial by CG artist Daniel Bystedt. Daniels tutorial gives

us some handy hints on creating a realistic sculpt and divulges

some of those universal sculpting tricks that can be used to create

features on any humanoid model.

Prepare to explore the processes behind the fun Art Class image

featured in last months gallery, in our bright Making Of by Robert

Craig, and find out more about digital artist Matthew Burke in our

interview, as he talks us through his rise from a small town in Iowa

to a successful position in the digital gaming industry. To cap it all

off, this months gallery also features some amazing new artwork

from some of our best artists, so prepare to be inspired!

Contents Whats in this month?

Matthew BurkeInterview - Concept Artist for IdSoftware

The Gallery10 of the Best 3D Artworks

Futuristic Vehicles3ds Max & Maya - Chapter 5

Character AnimationChapter 1: Walking

The Submarine PenChapter 8: Finalizing the Lighting

ZBrush Speed Sculpting 2Chapter 1: Oger

Art Class Project Overview by Robert Craig

Sample ChapterDigital Art Masters: Volume 7 - Filip Novy

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Image by Matthew Burke

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Contributors

Contributing artistsEvery month artists from around the world contribute to 3DCreative, and

you can find out a little more about them right here! If youd like to get

involved in the 3DCreative magazine, please contact: [email protected]

Andrew Finch Aged 30 and living

in the great city of

Birmingham, in the

U.K. He has a degree

in 3D Animation

which inspired his

passion for environment art. He now works as

an environment artist at Codemasters. He says,

Working in the games industry is exciting: you

never know what the next project will be and

theres always something new to learn. This

helps to keep you creative and grow as an

artist. [email protected]

Arturo GarciaArturo Garcia is a

freelancer living

in Mexico, with 2

years experience

in modelling cars.

He uses 3ds Max

software, and his goal is to make models

become as real as possible even confusing

them with what is real!

http://dessga.cgsociety.org/gallery

[email protected]

Image by Alexandr Novitskiy

Camilo Duarte

Camilo Duarte is a Character Animator

from Colombia. His

previous works include

Star Wars: The Clone

Wars Season 5 in

Tokyo, and he has just finished the work on

a Spanish feature film entitled: Justin and the

Knights of Valour. He is currently waiting to start

some new exciting projects around the world.

http://www.camiloduarte.tumblr.com/

[email protected]


Contributors

Image by David Jankes

Would You Like to Contribute to 3DCreative or 2DArtist Magazine?We are always looking for tutorial artists, gallery submissions, potential

interviewees, making of writers, and more. For more information, please

send a link to your portfolio, or send examples, to: [email protected]

Daniel Bystedt Daniel studied CG

at Digital Graphics,

Nackademin in

Stockholm, Sweden

during 2007-2009.

Currently he is working

as Lead Modeler at Milford Film & Animation; a

great Stockholm based 3D animation company.

Recently he participated in the ZBrush 4R5

beta testing and his final image is now used to

promote the latest release of ZBrush.

http://dbystedt.wordpress.com/

[email protected]

Matthew Burke

Matthew Burke is a twelve year veteran in

the gaming industry

who is currently a

senior concept artist

at IdSoftware in

Dallas, Texas. Primarily using StudioMax and

Photoshop, Matthew Burke specializes in hard

surface modeling and mechanical design.

http://mburke.cghub.com/

[email protected]

Robert Craig

Rob started his career

at Electronic Arts,

working first as an

Environment artist

and then going on to

spend several years

specialising in Lighting. Rob is currently working

as an Art Director in the video games industry.

In his spare time, he likes to stay busy with

his own projects that allow him to stretch his

imagination and try out new things.

http://bob1982.cgsociety.org/gallery/

[email protected]

CG Artist Matthew Burke gives us an insight

into becoming successful in the world of

computer games design. From factory work

in Iowa to Terminator and Doom 4 in Texas,

Matt takes us through some of the key

moments of his life and career so far.


Matthew Burke Interview

Can you tell us a little about your

background and how you came to be where

you are now?

I was inspired to work in the computer games

industry through a delicious combination of

boredom and desperation.

I grew up in a small town in northern Iowa, in a

time before video games became popular. We

only had two, sometimes three, channels on our

color television, and so I found myself desperate

for entertainment. I found drawing and creating

artwork to be an inexpensive way to avoid

boredom, and once I grew old enough to leave

Iowa, I saw it as a potential way to escape

a professional career in either agriculture or

factory work.

After a few years of alternately traveling and

working menial jobs (ironically in factory work),

I managed to find a little stability in Texas and

enrolled in the Art Institute of Dallas. After

graduation I luckily managed to get a job at a

small, local game company. They took a chance

on a skinny Iowan artist and the rest is history.

Did you go into the games industry because

it was a local opportunity or was this

something that specifically interested you at

the time?

The idea of working in the gaming industry had

always been my long-term goal. But as a poor

graduate supporting himself through bar tending

and waiting tables, any career involving art

would have been more than welcome.

Youve worked on some prominent titles in

the past, but which ones proved to be the

most challenging and why?

Regardless of the studio or team, there are

always many challenges you face when working

on a game. For me, the first game title I ever

worked on has been the most difficult to date.

As the first and only concept artist on

Terminator: the Dawn of Fate, I struggled to

find a respective place in the studio. I wasnt

a very versatile artist at the time and I worked

slowly, using mostly pen and paper. I rarely

used thumbnailing and I struggled at mechanical

design, which was in high demand with the

Terminator license.

After several months of failed attempts, I finally

managed to find some success and with that,

started losing that shroud of insecurity. With

each additional approved concept came more

confidence, and with more confidence came a

willingness to stretch myself artistically.

I think failure should be a prerequisite for

success.

Are you confident enough now to take on

any challenge/subject or do you ever face

projects that you feel place you outside your

comfort zone?

I wish I could honestly portray myself as

someone who is capable of conquering any

challenge, undaunted to the end, but I still

suffer the perpetual doubt in almost every

image I produce. To overcome this I rely on

a small collection of friends who will give me

honest feedback and critique before I turn in a

completed piece. Once they have reassured me

that its good, I can breathe again and move on

to the next task, then start the process all over

again.


Interview Matthew Burke

Can you see yourself applying your artistic

skills within another industry or do you think

that the games industry is your nich?

Even after all this time working in the gaming

industry, I am not oblivious to how lucky I am

to get to do what I do. Driving to work in the

morning I remind myself to look at the dread on

the faces of people going to real jobs and so

never take what I have for granted.

However, there are times that I imagine what

it would be like to work in film. Who wouldnt

want to see their vision come to life on a movie

theater screen?!

With regards to your Roach and Pest Control

vehicles, did you get free reign to both

design and model them?

Yes! Both of those are personal works that

allowed me to explore outside of the usual

constraints of studio production requirements.

Its liberating to take a concept as far as you

would like without worrying about deadlines or

design requirements. Most importantly, it allows

me to traverse worlds outside of the project I am

currently working on.

The Roach design is the first part in a series

of mechs Im designing, and the Pest Control

Vehicle was a re-imagining of an interplanetary

pest control service idea that Allan Ditzig, a

good friend of mine, had several years ago.

Whilst being a concept artist is a fantastic job,

it is still a job. Having personal projects and

interests on the side is a great way to maintain

my passion. Its a good reminder as to why I fell

in love with art in the first place.

Do you favour a genre over any others and

are there any areas you would like to explore

more?

Obviously, I love the tech; partly because it is

such a delicate dance between reaching for the

I love the tech; partly because it is such a delicate dance between reaching

for the unimaginable and yet staying grounded and

functional.


Matthew Burke Interview

unimaginable and yet staying grounded and

functional. I would happily spend the rest of

my professional career working in this genre,

but from time to time I get the itch to explore

creature or character design, and maybe even

try something whimsical and cartoony for a

change of pace. Without a doubt though, I will

always have a special place in my heart for

sci-fi.

As someone who has been in the industry

for twelve years, what would you say have

been the most significant developments

over the years with respect to the games

industry?

Personally, I think the single most important

development is the recent popularity of

Kickstarter crowd funding. With Kickstarter,

small teams of truly inspired people can

potentially bring some refreshing new ideas to

light and make some incredible games that are

outside of the mainstream.

Do you ever see yourself using Kickstarter to

launch a personal project?

Absolutely!

What types of game have really impressed

you the most over the years with respect to

design?

I think the best way to honestly answer this

question is to list the games that I have faked

an illness to stay home and play. These include:

Shadow of the Colossus, The Elder Scrolls V:

Skyrim, Red Dead Redemption, Knights of the

Old Republic, Unreal Tournament, Fallout 3,

Quake lll: Arena, Batman: Arkham City and, of

course, World of Warcraft. At this point I would

need to convince my boss that I have contracted

the Ebola virus!

As someone who obviously likes games, do

you take inspiration from these with regard

to your own work or are they simply a form

of entertainment?

Of course! It is not uncommon for me to take

dozens of screen grabs of a game while Im

playing for inspection at a later time. Seeing

another artists world building or composition

helps me approach a task from a different

perspective or may inspire me to try something

less conventional.

Matthew BurkeWeb: http://mburke.cghub.com/

Email: [email protected]

Interviewed by: Richard Tilbury

Seeing another artists world building or

composition helps me approach a task from a

different perspective or may inspire me to try something

less conventional.

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In this two volume series, Scott Patton shows the processes he uses to create a 3D character for feature films. The first volume explores Patton's fast and efficient method for concept sculpting, skipping the 2D sketch phase all together and designing the character entirely within ZBrush. He covers everything from blocking out the forms and fleshing out the muscles, to adding props, detailing with alphas and posing the character. The second volume covers methods for crcreating a final color rendering using ZBrush and Photoshop. Patton shows how he squeezes the most from ZBrushs powerful renderer to create both a wide and close-up shot of the character. He then shares creative Photoshop tips and tricks to quickly get to a finished piece of concept art from the ZBrush renders, covering topics such as adding and refining skin texture, hair, eyes, shadows and scars. Patton also discusses how to create backgrounds that enhance the character and ovoverall composition.

3D CHARACTER DESIGN SERIESWITH SCOTT PATTON

LEVEL UP YOUR DIGITAL SCULPTING SKILLS

TRAIN WITH KILLER ARTISTS


The Gallery 10 of the Best Please submit your images to the 3DTotal gallery!

Oliver Twist Seid Tursic

[email protected]

(Below)

After the Storm Henning Sanden

http://henningsanden.com/

[email protected]

(Above)

Assassin David Jankes

http://www.yeenke.com/

[email protected]


10 of the Best The GalleryPlease submit your images to the 3DTotal gallery!

Mr. Cobblepot Khiew Jit Chun

http://jckhiew.cghub.com/

[email protected]

(Above)

Strange Behaviour Riccardo

http://kidqube.com/

[email protected]

(Right)

Tom Waits Babak Bina

http://www.ocularite.com/

[email protected]


10 of the Best The GalleryPlease submit your images to the 3DTotal gallery!

Lemony Snicket Devis Buttazzoni

http://cgartdevis.blogspot.it/

[email protected]

(Below)

Bronze BustFernando Ometto

[email protected]

(Right)

Mercury Cornelius Dmmrich

[email protected]

1932 Lincoln KB Coupe Alexandr Novitskiy

http://arttalk.ru/profile/Tigerfather

[email protected]

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Futuristic vehicles are a common subject matter in the CG world. However, in this series we will be approaching

creating futuristic vehicles in a slightly different way. Our two amazing artists have been provided with a 2D

concept and technical drawing of a destructive deforestation vehicle. Over the eight-part series they will detail

a step-by-step guide on how to turn this 2D information into an accurate and exciting 3D model, from the initial

modeling phase through to the final rendering.


Beginners Guide to Modeling Futuristic Vehicles Chapter 05

Chapter 05 Software used: 3ds Max

Lets continue with the tutorial!

The next step in our tutorial is to prepare the

model for texturing.

To do this, we use the UV Mapping tools in

3ds Max. To explain this concept, I must first

introduce the texture map. This texture map is

the final paint or finish on your 3D piece, and

is created on a flat 2D plane. The UV map is

a template that maneuvers and edits this flat

texture map and applies it realistically to the 3D

contours of your sculpture.

The simpler UV map (UVW) will serve in

mapping the greater part of our project.

To start, we first create a simple box primitive

and assign the UVW Map modifier, found in the

list of modifiers in the right-hand panel (Fig.01).

We then apply a checker-patterned map (A),

and under the Standard material settings for

Diffuse Color, set the tiling to 5.0 (B). We can

then activate the checkbox (C) in order to view

the map on screen (Fig.02).

Now look at some of the basic parameters of

the UVW Map modifier (Fig.03). We can apply

a variety of different types of mapping to our

object, such as: Planar, Cylindrical, Spherical,

Shrink Wrap, Box, Face and XYZ to UVW. Each

of these settings is assigned preset coordinates

that allow us to map objects en masse

effectively.

Among the potential mapping mode

preferences, there are a few modes that I use

regularly.

First, the Planar mode creates a flat gizmo on

your object that makes it easier to see where

to apply texture on flat objects such as walls or

doors.


Chapter 05 Beginners Guide to Modeling Futuristic Vehicles

the number of repetitions of a particular texture

along their respective axes (C). The Flip and

Real-World Map Size options, as their names

suggest, allow you to rotate or resize the image.

Map Channel allows us to use multiple layers

of texture on the same object, and finally, the

Alignment settings allow us to align the axes

according to a number of set parameters (D).

I have demonstrated how these settings would

look when applied to number of basic objects in

Fig.04.

I will now move onto another modifier called

Unwrap UVW. This modifier allows us to cut,

manipulate or unfold any complex 3D object so

The Cylindrical mode creates a tube-shaped

gizmo that makes it easier to manipulate and

thus texture cylindrical objects such as pens or

tree trunks.

Finally, the Spherical mode creates a gizmo

sphere that is applicable to spherical and box-

shaped objects such as balls or crates. This last

mode is perhaps the most useful as it allows

the mapping of a large number of objects with a

variety of shapes (A).

There is the option to change the parameters for

each of these modes to make the generic gizmo

more applicable, and thus more effective for

our work (B). The U, V and W Tile functions set

that it becomes easier to edit texture or paint

finishes in Photoshop (Fig.05) (A).

In the example, I created a box and applied this

modifier (located in the list of switches above

the UVW Map modifier). In addition to the input,

we can now see many more parameters to set,

starting with the selection of vertices, edges and

faces (B1). Below this, you can see that you are

also able to select by IDs and angles (2).

Further down, there is the option to edit the

UVs. This is where we are going to use the

Unwrap function (3). Below this, Channel, Peel

Seams, Projection, and Wrap and Set allow us

to unwrap and develop an object quickly (4 and

5).

You may have already noticed that there is no

gizmo. Instead, there are a number of green

lines that indicate the cut markers on our object.

If you open the UVWs Editor (Fig.06), you will

see there are a number of new parameters

to manage. There is not enough time here to

explain them all, though I will try and cover the

most used settings.

Along the toolbar at the bottom left of your

screen, you will find the following (from left



with. First, we create a rectangular box and

apply a checkerboard material, as a square

pattern works well with a box-type object. We

can see that the grid map is different on each

side of the box (Fig.07) (A).

This is easily remedied by applying a UVW Map

modifier across the box. First apply the Unwrap

UVW modifier and open the Edit UVWs window.

We see that the modifier has given a net image

of the separate faces, but by clicking the Pack

Custom button we can separate all the faces of

the box, modify the number of repetitions and

create a more uniform checkered pattern (B).

Since we now have separate faces, it is easier

to experiment with joining objects using the

Unwrap tools. Move to the bar in the lower left

corner and select the Vertices-Edge selection

tool. This will highlight one or more vertices in

to right): Individual, Face or Edge selection

of Vertices and a white cube that indicates

selection of vertices by element; then a selection

of parameters that are very similar to editable

poly, Grow, Shrink, Loop, Grow Loop, Shrink

Loop, etc. (1).

In the top left corner, there are parameters for

move, rotate, scale, freeform and symmetry (2).

Down the panel on the right, are different tools

to manipulate the mesh, though not all the

settings will be available to view. From the top

down, all the buttons are as follows: Quick

Transform allows us to align a group of vertices

or edges; Stitch allows us to attach segments

in four different modes; Explode makes a quick

cut; and the Weld section allows us to weld both

vertices and edges (3).

The last area is a work space in the center in

which we place all parts of our sculpture in

order to export to a rendering program such as

Photoshop (3).

Now, its time to imagine how all of these

settings and modes can be used in combination

with a UVW map.

We can apply different types of mapping

according to the geometry that we are working

blue. These indicate that in the objects 3D form,

these edges will meet (C).

You can move these different pieces together

and either weld or stitch the vertices using the

appropriate tools.

To do this, select one of the edges and click the

Weld/Stitch icon, then click on the second piece

that will join with your first to attach them. Once

the two parts are welded, they will be moved to

the work area. Heres how the individual parts

have been welded to create one unbroken

object (D).

Now we move on to the more interesting

modifications. Select one of the teeth of the

blade and apply a UVW map with a mapping

box (Fig.08). Now use the Unwrap modifier and

Explode the object to separate the parts (A).



Now, by moving and welding different vertices,

join various parts together to create a net (B).

Leaving this aside for a moment, lets go to the

shovel. The first job is to separate the groups

of IDs and rearrange them into groups that face

the same direction. We select one of the three

forward-facing IDs, and then apply a Square

Planar UVW map and collapse it. This is also

done with the other three IDs (D).

We now turn to the cover of the caterpillar. First,

identify the flats, then assign IDs and a UVW

modifier map to each. Attach them to form a

single object, then use the Unwrap modifier and

put all the UVW maps in order (Fig.09).

For the body of the vehicle, we apply the same

steps after assembling the various parts. First,

separate the image into sections and apply a

UVW map to each. Then select a section and

apply the Unwrap UVW modifier. In the editor,

we can see the section in terms of vertices only,

so its easier to move and bend the individual

objects. Fig.10 shows what happens if we join

those sections together and apply Unwrap.

Apply this technique to other parts of the

vehicle, organize the parts, and then finally

attach them together (Fig.11).

To continue with the hydraulic cylinder sections

(A), select each of the two ends in turn; apply

UVW map with mapping box and Unwrap (B)

(Fig.12).

For the cylinder, again apply a UVW map and

Unwrap modifier. Select the Seams tool and

draw down the length of the cylinder to create

the cut (C). Finally, order and attach all the

pieces using the Weld or Stitch tool (D).

We now start editing the exhaust pipe by

selecting one of the pipes and applying the

Unwrap modifier. As we have already edited



this piece, we can immediately use the Peel

tool to unfold it and rank the pieces with Quick

Transform (Fig.13).

You can also unwrap the object by separating

the object into smaller parts, flattening the

mesh by applying face angle, then pulling all

the objects together. So, in our example, if you

select the faces of a section you can see that

this separates into smaller fragments. With this,

we use Projection and Planar Map, to make the

image easier to organize (Fig.14).

For the rest of pieces, we can apply some of the

techniques that Ive discussed. Once everything

is clustered together, we can separate the

parts into groups such as arm, body, shovel,

caterpillars and lower vehicle in order to render

later in Photoshop (Fig.15).

Arturo GarciaWeb: http://dessga.cgsociety.org/gallery/


Futuristic vehicles are a common subject matter in the CG world. However, in this series we will be approaching

creating futuristic vehicles in a slightly different way. Our two amazing artists have been provided with a 2D

concept and technical drawing of a destructive deforestation vehicle. Over the eight-part series they will detail

a step-by-step guide on how to turn this 2D information into an accurate and exciting 3D model, from the initial

modeling phase through to the final rendering.



Chapter 05 Software used: Maya

Introduction

In the previous chapter, we talked about how

easy it is to get realistic results by creating our

own textures in Photoshop. In this part of the

tutorial we will put those textures into practice

and begin to talk about shaders and how use

them to make the texture really stand out.

What is a shader?

Shaders allow the artist/programmer to specify

the rendering of a vertex or pixel in order to

change the shading and lighting. Broadly

speaking, the shaders are simple programs that

transform a vertex or a pixel (called fragment

by OpenGL).

Each vertex in a primitive shape possesses an

option called a Vertex Shader. Once the vertex

is processed by the shader, the primitive can be

assembled, processed and rendered as a series

of pixels, which can in turn be processed by a

pixel shader in the paint stage.

The shaders replace a section of video

hardware that is typically called Fixed-Function

Pipeline or FFP. They replace both vertices of

lighting and texture mapping on fixed, non-

programmable hardware with a programmable

to synthesize and applies ray tracing from the

camera to the scene through the image plane.

Intersections are calculated against different

objects in the scene and the intersection that is

closest to the observer determines the visible

object.

Alternatively, V-Ray and Arnold use Monte

Carlo rather than Scanline. The Monte Carlo

method is a numerical method that can solve

mathematical and physical problems by

simulating random variables.

For our project we will utilize the mental ray

rendering engine that is already incorporated

into Maya for sheer convenience.

Getting Started

To activate the shaders, open Maya and go

to Window > Settings Preferences > Plug in

Manager. A new window will open, which shows

the plug in called Mayatomr.bundle. Check that

the boxes next to Loaded and Auto load are

ticked (Fig.01). You do not need to repeat this

process every time you open Maya.

We will now make a test scene to see how our

shaders work.

First we create a sphere (Fig.02), and then

choose a light by clicking Create > Lights >

Directional Light. This will be the rim light, so

post this new light behind our sphere. You can

make it a little more powerful by changing the

Intensity settings to 1.8 in the Attribute Editor

shape. With the introduction of shaders, we

have the option to control the vertices in order to

get any effect.

In simpler words, the shaders are algorithms

that specify how a surface responds to light,

or a function that calculates the effects of light,

(these can be shaders for lights, cameras,

materials, shadows, etc.)

Currently, the shaders are not only for lighting

and shading, as their name suggests, but also

serve to create rich graphical effects such as

animations, particle effects, etc.

Which one is the best render to work with?

This will depend on the render engine. Today,

the 3D industry offers many types of software

depending on your requirements:

- RenderMan (Pixar)

- mental ray (Autodesk)

- Arnold (Solid Angle)

- V-Ray (Visual Dynamics)

Choosing your engine relies heavily on which

is more comfortable for you, and the types of

settings you are likely to be working with. For

example, RenderMan and mental rays Scanline

option uses a raytrace render, which determines

the visible surfaces in the that scene you want



At this point, we are only using simple light

settings to quickly test the shaders. So in the

Render Settings folder, use only the following

parameters (Fig.07).

Quality Tab

- Max Sample Level: 2

- Anti-aliasing Contrast: 0.500

- Multi-Pixel Filtering > Filter: Lanczos

(Fig.03). Next, open the Shadow tab and find

the section entitled Raytrace Shadow Attributes;

here, check the box next to Use Ray Trace

Shadows (Fig.04).

Now we will create a fill light and a kick light. For

this, we follow a similar process to adding a rim

light, but instead choose an area light from the

list: Create > Lights > Area Light. Once created,

boost the Intensity to 15 in the Attribute Editor

and change Decay Rate to Quadratic (Fig.05).

Next, duplicate the area light by selecting it,

pressing Ctrl + D and lowering the intensity of

this new light to 10 (Fig.06).

Common Tab

- Enable Color Management: On

- Default Input Profile: Linear sRGB

- Default Output Profile: sRGB

- Enable Default Lights: Off

Indirect Lighting Tab

- Image Based Lightning: Create (Fig.08)

- Final Gathering: On



This will create a sphere that will cover our

entire scene. Select this sphere and move to

the Attribute Editor. Under Image Name, click

on the folder icon and search your HDR image

(Fig.09).

Developing the Shaders

If we check our initial plans for the model, we

can see that we need three main materials to

render: one metal, one glass and one brushed

metal material (Fig.10). In order to get these



results, we need to establish a base material.

In this case, we will use a shader that occurs

in mental ray entitled mia_material (Fig.11).

Mia_material has the ability to replicate almost

all materials that surround us, from a simple

Lambert to the most complex metal.

Metal Shader

The metal shader can be seen in Fig.12 and to

create it we first start with the main metal and

then begin to change some of the settings to

create a specific effect. Select the sphere and

assign a new mia_material (Fig.13). Within the

Attribute Editor, assign the following parameters

under the mia_material1 tab (Fig.14):

Diffuse Color

Click the checkbox button to load your texture.

Reflection

- Reflectivity: 0.9

- Glossiness: 0.4

BRDF

- Use Fresnel Reflection: On

- If you want modify the parameters, go to

Refraction and play with Index of Refraction

(Fig.15).



Brush Metal Shader

The brush metal shader can be seen in Fig.16

and to create it, first, we need to create a map

for the brush strokes. In Photoshop, add noise

to your canvas and apply Motion blur to create

the thin lines (Fig.17). The map should typically

vary between mid-gray and white. Apply this

map to the re-color option at a scale that is

suitable to depict brushing. Then, again in

Attribute Editor, set the following parameters:

- Diffuse Color: White

- Diffuse Weight: 0.0

- Metal: On

- Glossiness: 0.80

- Anisotropy: 0.1 and use the rotation to align

the highlight properly in the map.

Glass Shader

The glass shader can be seen in Fig.18 and the

settings are as follows:

- BRDF: BRDF Fresnel must be on

- Index Of Refraction: 1.6 / 1.5

- Diffuse weight: 0.0

- Reflectivity: 1.0

- Transparency: 1.0

Conclusion

It is important to always guide yourself with

reference images. Make sure to notice how the

light hits the material, and how much is reflected

off. Also consider how much of the environment

is reflected on the object, and how the hue or

color of the environment impacts the light quality

on the object. These are key aspects to consider

when trying to create realistic shaders.

In the next chapter we will continue lighting our

scene and begin working towards the render

in post-production. See you in the next issue,

thanks for reading.

Renato Gonzalez AguilanteWeb: http://www.vimeo.com/renatogonzalez


modo image by Teodoru Badiu www.theodoru.com

Meet modo.

In this six-part series, digital artist Camilo Duarte Franco breaks down six of the most

common and popular styles of character movement. Over the next few issues, you will

encounter detailed industry-verified techniques that explain a variety of realistic character

walks, from rigging simple animations to more complex character-prop interaction. Look

out for the accompanying videos that demonstrate some of the software processes and

prepare to discover a ton of tips and techniques to apply to your own artwork.

C H A P T E R 0 1Walking | February 2013 | Issue 090

C H A P T E R 0 2Walking up Stairs | March 2013 | Issue 091

C H A P T E R 0 3Walking to Running | April 2013 | Issue 092

C H A P T E R 0 4Running and Jumping | May 2013 | Issue 093

C H A P T E R 0 5Sneak Movements | June 2013 | Issue 094

C H A P T E R 0 6Pushing Weight | July 2013 | Issue 095


Character Animation Chapter 01 Walking

Chapter 01 Walking Software used: Maya

Planning

As a professional animator, I can talk with some

authority about some of the basic movements

inside animation productions.

On a large-scale animation, you can use tools

or cycles to develop a generic walk, stop or run,

though if you want to add a little personality

to your shot, you have to understand whats

happening inside the curves.

First, it is important to have a clear idea of the

process of movement, so I begin researching

types of movement and the specific influences

it has on body shape and muscle so as to make

the movement as realistic as possible.

Personally, I prefer to make a video and

interpret the mechanics in the pose, such as the

relationship between the legs and hips. After

that, we can cast some poses and play with the

timing to add personality to the walk.

You need to consider the following, when

designing your character:

important to recognize the relationship between

the legs and upper chest, and how it rotates and

shifts when accelerating and decelerating.

When working with a character, make sure to

pay attention to its anatomical design. You may

find that the proportions are not the same as the

human figure you have made a reference sheet

of. This means you have to adjust in each of the

poses.

Now, with the character in Maya, make a quick

keyboard shortcut that selects the whole body

(Fig.02). This will make it quicker and easier to

1. Where is the character coming from, and

where are they going?

2. What is the goal of the shot?

Once this is determined, you can begin to form

an image of the way your character will walk.

First, create a good reference sheet composed

of three or four movement shots in order to

understand what is happening in the hips when

walking.

You can now begin to sketch out the basic line

of action; this is an imaginary line that links the

feet, hips, shoulders and head (Fig.01). It is


Chapter 01 Walking Character Animation

center of the contact point in each pose, as any

misalignment will cause your character to be off

balance.

Next, create basic rotations in the upper chest.

From observation, I have noticed that the chest

rocks in sync with the lower body. To create a

realistic walk, therefore, include a main rotation

on the frame of your character (Fig.04).

You should also consider the shoulders; these

should be thought of as the brows of the body,

and the arms, and should be modified so as to

get a nice arc in the movement later. Also, add

manipulate the image. Locate the Script Editor

> Edit Clear History, then choose and select the

keyboard controls you plan to use and drop to

the main shelf to create a button.

Blocking Process

I tend to start the process with the hips and legs.

Block the translations and rotations on the hips,

specifically using X rotation, as we will use this

to play with the balance in the body. You can

tweak this curve to create an acceleration and

deceleration effect (12) (Fig.03).

Find the point of gravity of your character. It

is important to get as close as possible to the

X rotations in the head as this will complement

the full body swing and make the whole

animation more natural.

At the end of this process, check that the

character has enough spacing for his body

shape, and then play with the timing to make the

walk more unique (Fig.05), (Video.01 02).

Spline Process

As a lot of the bodys movement is grounded

in the hips, it is good practice to start here

and move to extremities later. Add in the little

rotations on the hips (translate Y), fix the pops

in the knees and check the curves to ensure the

movement is smooth.

When working with the hips on a character,

you can use translate Z to create the effect of

acceleration, and translate Y to smooth out the

ups and downs.

If you copy the pattern of movement in translate

Y on the hips to the upper chest, and offset the

movement by one or two frames, you can mirror

the movement and create the smooth ripple

of movement that naturally occurs in the body

(Fig.06).

You can add slow ins and outs in the shoulders

and arms to create contrasting curves to the

hips and upper chest.

Working specifically on the steps, you need

to hone the foot and toe rolls. The subtlety of


Character Animation Chapter 01 Walking

movement here will depend on how many keys

you add in each time frame.

Try to capture the weight in the foot before the

roll and move them forward, though be careful

with the momentum when the foot is in the air.

The curve of movement should be clean. I tend

to create a motion track in the feet to control the

highest keys and smooth out the movement.

The toe roll works in the same way, though

focuses on movement at the start and end of

the step. The amount of keys depends on the

shoe or how fleshy you want the foot to appear

(Fig.07).

Fig.08 depicts the contact pose after the

pass position. Take two or three frames for

this movement, depending on the effect you

want. Its not advisable to take a single frame,

as it can look too fast for natural movement.

Taking your time and allowing the character to

amble or lope in a natural fashion will make the

movement more realistic.

Finally, you can add more details such as head

accents, eye darts and some finger overlapping.

These will add a few unique traits to your

characters movement and should match the

impression you are trying to impose (Video.03

05).

Camilo Duarte FrancoWeb: http://www.camiloduarte.tumblr.com/


Credits and thanks to:

Josh Sobel

Bonnie Rig V1.0

http://www.joshsobelanimator.com

Brian Horgan

Ghost Script

http://www.graphite9.com

chapter 08 - finalizing the lighting

In the modern world so many things seem to become popular and then disappear just as quickly as they arrived, however the games industry has proven

itself to be ever present and continues to develop and thrive. For any CG artist the games industry continues to be the most obvious and abundant form

of employment, but taking the step from a modeler to creating a games level at a professional standard is no easy task. In this series of tutorials industry

professional Andrew Finch will be talking you through how to make a very cool playable games level using the Unreal Development Kit. Whether you are

looking to create a cool portfolio piece or just looking for a fun project to try, this tutorial series is perfect for you.


The Submarine Pen Chapter 08 Finalizing the Lighting

Chapter 08 Finalizing the LightingSoftware used: UDK, 3ds Max and Photoshop

Welcome to the eighth part of my tutorial series

in which Im guiding you through the process of

creating an environment using UDK software.

This is an intermediate-level tutorial and so you

should have at least a basic working knowledge

of this software.

This tutorial is about the process of creating an

entire environment, therefore I wont be focusing

on producing an amazing asset, but rather just

giving a broader overview of the whole process.

In the last chapter, we completed a first pass of

the lighting to give us an idea of the colors we

will be using to illuminate our scene. We also

placed decals around the environment to help

add that extra level of realism and break up

repetition in the textures.

In this chapter I want to continue by adding the

smaller details to transition this environment

from a mediocre scene to a professional-looking

portfolio piece. To achieve this, I will look into

adding extra lights to highlight areas of the

environment that I want to show off. So lets get

started!

As I said earlier in this project you should create

all of your own assets to be placed in the scene.

Due to the time restrictions on this project Im

having to use assets already available in the

UDK library.

Fig.03 gives an idea of the final lighting scheme

in the scene with all light assets in place. In

order to maintain the atmosphere, I have only

placed enough assets to light the darker corners

and cast some interesting shadows.

You can see I have placed three lights along the

bridge in the foreground. Ive placed these here

as I think it will warn the player of a potential

walkway and also indicate the height of the

bridge from the submarines perspective.

Realistically, a work environment has more than

one kind of light. For example, an office has

strip lights that flood the room, but also desk

lamps or even PC monitors that add small pools

of light. The same principle goes for our sub pen

Fig.01 shows three assets I have set up in

advance and prepared to be placed in the

scene. These assets also have an illuminating

element, so when they are placed in the scene

each object will emit a small amount of light;

however, these alone wont be enough to

illuminate the scene so I will later boost this with

extra omni lights.

Fig.02 shows the light asset placed in the

scene. I have tried to imagine where lights

would be placed in real life and placed the

objects accordingly; places such as doorways,

hazardous spots or walkways are usually most

appropriate. Its also best to keep it simple

when placing lights as you dont want to over-

complicate the scene.


Chapter 08 Finalizing the Lighting The Submarine Pen

environment, as we have sunlight cascading

through the entrance and small light assets

placed around the scene. I also want to add a

strip light along the higher parts of the level. This

will help create bigger shadows on the floor and

lower parts of the level.

Fig.04 shows the strip light asset in the UDK

library as S_L_Light_SM_fluorecent01b.

Fig.05 shows the strip light placed around

the scene. I have placed the strip light assets

behind the wire assets in order to highlight the

wire and create some interesting silhouettes. It

was difficult to see the wire before this light was

placed, though now it springs to life and adds

some real depth to the composition, which is

very important when trying to create a realistic

element in your artwork.

The last light I will place in the scene is a floor

light that is attached to a wire. Fig.06 shows this

light asset.

Fig.07 shows the light asset placed in the

scene. You can see that Ive placed it directly

on the floor and behind the wire mesh fence.

Ive done this for the same reasons that Ive

placed the strip lighting behind the wire assets.

The floor light will illuminate the scene from

behind the fence, casting some nice shadows

and adding an extra layer of depth to our

composition.



Fig.11 shows how I then continue to place

similar sized omni lights over the other light

assets around the scene. In this image, I want

the lights on the platform to have a warmer color

so as to distinguish them from the lights placed

Fig.08 shows the scene with all the light

assets placed in the scene and a new light

bake. In my opinion, the environment is now

looking a little bit too warm and over-lit. A

submarine pen is supposed to be a cold and

dangerous environment, but this lighting setup

is contradicting that. To remedy this, we can

select and delete the red and orange omni

lights as they are no longer needed. I think the

light assets will provide us with enough light to

illuminate the scene.

Fig.09 gives an impression of the environment

with an updated light bake. The image now

looks a lot darker and colder and fits with the

atmosphere I am aiming for.

The scene is still a little too dark, though

this is easily resolved by boosting the light

being emoted by the light assets and letting

the LightMass (bounce lighting) calculations

illuminate the darker areas of the environment. I

much prefer the overall impression of this image

when compared to Fig.08.

To boost the light emitted from the light assets,

we can place a simple omni light just in front

of the light asset. Shown here in Fig.10, the

omni light has a small radius and a colder blue

coloration. Keep in mind when placing the light

that the LightMass calculation will bounce the

emitted light around the nearby area and help to

illuminate the dark corners, so dont worry if the

radius of the omni light is smaller than you think

it should be.

on the walls. By keeping the brightness and

radius settings the same, I ensure that these

lights are not too warm, but just warm enough to

give the desired effect.


Chapter 08 Finalizing the Lighting The Submarine Pen

The longer strip lights have a larger surface area

of light so this needs to be replicated in the omni

lights we place. I increase the radius of the omni

lights to accommodate the size of the assets

and also double the brightness to emulate the

power of the light being emitted from florescent

tubes. Fig.12 shows the larger omni lights

placed in the scene.

This is the same room that originally contained

the large red omni light that was deleted earlier.

I still want this room to have a red hue, so as to

distinguish this area as one of danger, so I give

the smaller omni lights a red coloration. I also

make the radius of the lights larger as I want

them to be more noticeable and have a greater

impact on the environment (Fig.13).

To further more add interest to our environment;

I decide to add some lights under the ground.

In Fig.14, you can see how I have placed

eight small, orange omni lights along the pipes

running underground.

I then change the color to help distinguish

them from the lights placed above ground. This



serves the same purpose as the strip lights, by

giving the scene an extra layer of depth that was

already present, though not discernible due to

the previous placement of light.

Fig.15 17 show the final scene with the

lighting now complete.

This scene is still not complete, as I want to

add finishing touches such as: lens flares,

color balancing and depth of field, to add that

extra level of realism. I will go through all those

processes in the next and final chapter of this

tutorial series.

Until next time, try experimenting with different

lighting setups and see how changing a few

settings can really change the mood of your

environment. Thanks for reading!

Andrew FinchEmail: [email protected]

This four-part tutorial series focuses on creating a realistic and detailed sculpt within a set time limit. Artists are given a time limit of three hours and

a base mesh, and over the series, strive to demonstrate some of the best methods of creating a perfect humanoid portrait. Each tutorial will cover a

different character from concept to post-production, and aim to pass on some useful techniques to aid you in creating your own speedy 3D images

(perfect for portfolio building!). There are no set specifications, and artists are free to be as creative as possible under the set time limit, so stand by for

some interesting outcomes in this fascinating series.


ZBrush Character Sculpting 2 Chapter 01

Chapter 01 Software used: ZBrush

Introduction

When doing a speed sculpt its important to

work on the big shapes and be loose and

experimental. This allows you to make a whole

bunch of character or creature concepts for

a client (or yourself) in a short period of time,

without getting stuck on details.

For this image, even though it wasnt important

to add details like small wrinkles and pores, I

found that I had the time to do so later on in my

3 hour limit. The majority of time (2hrs 45mins)

was spent on modeling; the rest, and more, (1hr

10mins) was spent on the render.

Rough Modeling

I start the model by loading the DefaultSphere

from LightBox (hotkey ,). I then pull this

sphere a little with the Move brush, just to get

basic shape to start off with (Fig.01). To avoid

stretching, I convert the image to a dynamesh at

a fairly low resolution (40), since I only want to

work on the big forms at the beginning.

I start blocking out something that resembles a

humanoid skull and chest. I find it useful to use

the Trim Dynamic and Clip brushes at this early

stage to get some coarse features in the model.

jaw stand out, I mask it off with the Mask Lasso

brush while looking at the model from the side. I

then pull out the jaw with the Move brush.

Dont forget that you can move the faces in the

brushs direction by pressing the Alt button while

moving. I do this quite often as you dont have to

rotate the model around when using this feature.

Its also good to work with the Standard brush at

a low Z intensity (Fig.03).

Refining the Features

At this time, I feel that I have the general form of

the character pretty much complete, so I want to

progress a bit in the subdivisions.

I now start scribbling out some features on the

face with the Dam Standard brush (Fig.02).

These are used as a kind of sketch just to get

my ideas flowing. I dont intend for these sketch

carvings to stay there forever, so I can smooth

them out later with the Smooth brush.

I also find it helpful to suggest the eye sockets

and the cheekbones early on. When I started

I didnt really have any idea of what kind of

character I wanted, but now there is an idea in

my head that he should be an ogre-like brute.

I continue working on the profile of the character

with the Move brush. In order to make his lower


Chapter 01 ZBrush Character Sculpting 2

and place it on the figure correctly (Fig.05). Its

helpful to activate Transparency when doing

this. The Transparency button can be found in

the lower right side of the document.

When the eyeball is in place, it is easier to

sculpt the eyelids. Fig.06 shows the highest

and lowest point of the upper and lower eyelids

(marked with arrows). I then use the SubTool

Master (ZPlugin > SubTool Master > Mirror) to

mirror the eye to the other side of the face.

I continue to refine some of the details. Fig.07

shows a few of the bone structure adjustments:

1. The flat part of the frontal bone.

2. A simplified diagram of the nose.

3. Fat pockets above the upper eyelid that I

First, I re-dynamesh the model (Ctrl + drag

on the document) and subdivide it into three

sections. When working with DynaMesh, I

usually set Blur to 0 in order to keep the texture

of the model fairly rough.

In Fig.04 I have marked in red the T overlap

in the upper part of the eye socket. This is

something easily over-looked as the fat and

tissue in this area hides the bone structure; but

I find it useful to exaggerate this at the start of a

model to get the correct proportions. I also add a

small ear and more fat hanging from the jaw.

In order to sculpt the area around the eye, I

always bring in a sphere to help me get the

correct shape. I add the Sphere 3D (Tool >

Subtool > Append) into the model, scale it down

sculpt with the Clay Buildup brush.

4. Wrinkles radiating from the mouth can be

found above and below the mouth on

an old human being, but here Ive only

sculpted them above the mouth.

5. Wrinkles going around the mouth are

mostly seen on the lower jaw but can

also be found less pronounced above the

mouth.

6. Fat that builds up on the neck tends to

create folds that encircle the neck. These

are created when a person tilts their head.

The characters face feels a little bit empty at

this point, so I decide to give him a bit more

character by adding some teeth with the

Curve Tube brush. As you only can work with

the insert brushes on a subtool with a single



subdivision, I switch to the eye subtool when I

add the teeth.

After the base geometry is in place I start

pushing the teeth around with the Move brush to

get a better shape. You can also mask off one

tooth at a time and use the Scale Transpose line

(hotkey S) to flatten them. To get a sharper

look I add some finish with the Trim Dynamic

brush (Fig.08).

As Im feeling indecisive about how I should

tackle the big features in the face, I decide to

add some more wrinkles with the Dam Standard

brush (Fig.09). I always do this on a separate

layer so I can turn the layer off and protect

the wrinkles when I want to work on the basic

shape. Its also good practice to add a new

layer, sculpt and then merge with your old layer

if the sculpting turns out well. This is a good way

to give yourself more scope to experiment and

correct your work.

After adding all of the wrinkles, I start to add

volume to the area between the wrinkles to give

them a much fleshier feel. This is easily done

with the Standard brush on a low Z intensity

(Fig.10).

I want to create a quick pose for my character

in order to break up the symmetry. To do this, I

use the Transpose Master and activate Layer so

that the new pose will be put on a separate layer

for each subtool. I go to ZPlugin > Transpose

Master and press TPoseMesh to create a new

tool for posing.

When posing any kind of head I usually just use

the Mask Lasso tool to mask off the head and

rotate it with the Rotate Transpose line (hotkey

R). I drag out a transpose line from the middle

of the head and then move the transpose line

by dragging the line (not the white or red rings)

to the position where the head meets the neck.

Now I can rotate the head by dragging the white

ring on the transpose line that is in front of the

head.



When I am done with posing, I select TPose

> SubTool (ZPlugin > Transpose Master) to

transfer the pose to the model. After the pose is

done I add some asymmetry in the face with the

Move brush (Fig.11).

Adding the Detail

Since I have some time left on my 3 hour limit,

I decide to do some skin detail. I create two

separate passes on two different layers that I

will later combine.

The left-hand figure in Fig.12 shows the skin

wrinkles on the character. I do a new version

of the Standard brush (Brush > Clone) and use

alpha 58 for the alpha slot. I then set the stroke

to Spray with a low value on Stroke > Flow and

set the Brush > Orientation > Spin Rate to 10. I

use this brush to sculpt the small skin wrinkles.

Its a pretty fast way of adding skin structure, but

make sure you apply this effect evenly.

The right-hand figure in Fig.12 shows some

skin bumps. To make these, I created a new

version of the Standard brush (Brush > Clone)

with alpha 47 in the alpha slot. I set the stroke to

Spray with a low value on Stroke > Flow and a

high or top value for the Stroke > Placement.

Adding Color

Now that the sculpting is done, I want to do a

quick polypainting on the character. I change

my brush to Standard, turn off Zadd and turn on

RGB. These buttons can be found in the middle

upper part of the UI. I create a new layer and



paint it with a gray color. After that I switch to

black and start to add some value to different

parts of the face (Fig.13).

To add some grime in the skin I import a

concrete texture (Texture > Import) and bring

it into a spotlight (Texture > Add to Spotlight).

Before I start painting, I increase the spotlight

radius to make it easier to see my model when

painting. After that, I increase the contrast in

the image by dragging the Contrast icon on the

spotlight wheel (Fig.14).

To go into Paint mode in spotlight, I press the

hotkey Z on the keyboard and paint the concrete

on a new layer (Fig.15).



After doing the concrete painting, I turn off

spotlight (Shift + Z) and return to my base layer.

Now I change Brush > Alpha and Texture >

Polypaint mode to 2 (Colorize) and paint the

base paint layer with color (Fig.16).

As ZBrush only has Normal blending mode on

Polypaint layers, I need to create a mask based

on my concrete layer and paint the darker color

on a new layer. To do this, I turn on the eye

icon on the concrete layer, click Tool > Masking

> Mask by Intensity and create a new layer

(Fig.17). The masking will be on the new layer.

After this is done I turn off the concrete layer,

activate Rec on the new layer with the intensity

mask and paint it in a dark color. I fine-tune this

tone by dialing down the layer opacity until I find

a level I like (Fig.18).

Daniel BystedtWeb: http://dbystedt.wordpress.com/


Designing New WorldsThis brand new series focuses on designing an alien world, from concepts to final illustrations. Gerhard Mozsi kicks off by looking at characters.

Harpoons and Spear-based WeaponsIn the final part of our Weapon Design series, Daniel Baker talks us through how to design a sci-fi harpoon.

Custom Brushes for CharactersWeve reached the penultimate part of this series, and Bart Tiongson delivers this scary-looking Yeti, whilst talking through his processes.

Digital Painting MagazineIssue 085 January 2013

The GalleryAndrey Pervukhin,Edvige Faini,plus more!

InterviewAndree Wallin

ArticlesSketchbook ofAekkarat Sumutchaya

Cover Im

age by Ignacio Bazan Lazcano

A brand new series by Ignacio Bazan Lazcano, walking through how to

paint a complex scene, step-by-step.

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Robert Craig gives us a closer look at the creation of last issues playful gallery image Art

Class. Taking us from the initial idea through to polishing and post-processing, Robs detailed

demonstrations are chocked-full of useful tips for creating your own Art Class-inspired scenes.

I keep the modeling fairly simple, using basic poly modeling and

subdivision techniques.


Art Class Making Of

Art ClassSoftware used: Maya

Introduction

After coming up with the initial idea for a scene,

I like to first do some work on developing the

overall look and composition of the image in

Maya. The aim of this phase is to block out the

shapes, camera and lighting early on and get

these elements working together nicely.

This part is the equivalent to a 3D sketch for

me, and although many of the elements will be

replaced later on, I find it valuable to work out

the composition and experiment a bit with a

simple version of the scene.

Also I find that by working like this, I have a

better idea of my scene before getting into final

details. That way I can better choose which

areas benefit the most from extra attention to

detail, and avoid wasting time creating things I

later find I dont need.

Part 1: Drafting the Shapes

First off, as Im making an indoor scene, I block

out the walls with a basic elongated cube shape

and create a new camera positioned inside it.

Next I create some basic poly shapes as a quick

way to visualize the main forms inside the room

(Fig.01).

At this stage I already have a few ideas for the

objects Id like to see in there, such as a black

board, desks, chairs and toy boxes. I quickly

make some basic low poly representations of

those objects as a starting point to work out

the overall weights and masses of the scenes

composition (Fig.02).

Usually I just start with whichever primitive

is closest in shape to what I want to make,

subdivide it a bit, then move points and extrude

faces until I have a reasonable representation of

the shape I want.

I like to stay low poly for this stage so that I can

play around with scale and form pretty quickly.

Once I feel like I have a decent arrangement,

I usually add some lighting to start to get a

feel for what part the lighting will play in the

composition.

Initial Lighting

Although a lot of artists I know prefer to leave

lighting until the latter stages of a project, I firmly

believe in lighting early. The reason for this is

that having a decent idea of what the lighting

is doing can be a big help when it comes to

working on other parts of the scene.

If you were to fully model a scene and be tied to

a layout that you dont want to change, it can be

harder to find a light angle that gives the perfect

shading to the scene and draws attention where

you want. Its nice to establish your lighting

early and then have the chance to work objects,

layout and camera into the lighting, rather than

the other way around.

At this stage Ill use a simple lighting setup to

allow for quick iteration and fast render times

(Fig.03). Later on Ill replace most of this

lighting with something a bit more complicated,

but at this stage Im just trying to work o

3dcreative issue 90 - february 2013

Documents

series of tutorials

detailed series

new series of zbrush

unreal games engine

excellent tutorial

new faces

months gallery

character animationbrand