Game Art Institute – Character Creation by Jason Martin

In this course, students will create a fantasy-based bipedal characters from scratch using any major 3D package, ZBrush, Photoshop, Substance Painter and Marmoset. The course will cover finding reference and inspiration, blockout and design, finding shapes and form, refining design elements, prepping for retopology and texturing. The course will help students understand the character workflow and pipeline and will focus on skills that will directly impact their future work in games.

Skill Level: Intermediate

Lecture Type: Recorded video lectures

By the end of the course, you’ll:
Know the importance of references and what to look for.
Know how to build a game character from scratch.
Understand how to move through a AAA studio workflow and pipeline.
Have sculpted and brought to life your own character.

Class Overview

Create Fantasy based bipedal creature in some form of armor. This process will cover all aspects of game character creation and implementation.

Subject Matter

Trolls, goblins, giants, orcs, you name it! The creative base for this can be endless, stylized, dark, realism, any direction you please. The choice here is yours; you are open to get creative as possible.

Feel free to create your own designs or base character off concept art.

Software Usage

Any major 3D package (3ds Max, Maya, XSI, Modo etc…) Zbrush, Photoshop, Substance painter, Marmoset. Other packages may or may not be used depending on course needs

Course Breakdown

This is a basic overview. Topics and structure may be shifted to suit needs of course.

Week 1:

– Go over course expectations and goals
– Find reference and inspiration and building a board
– Loose ideation ZBrush sketch and blockout

Homework: Come up with reference board and design ideas, start loose ideation and blockout of character.

Week 2:

– ZBrush modelling
– Continue blockout and design
– Find shapes and form

Homework: Continue blockout of character

Week 3:

– ZBrush modelling
– Refine design
– Split out elements and focus on first, second reads

Homework: Continue sculpt of character focusing on form. Start feeling out first and second reads.

Week 4:

Continue:
– ZBrush modelling
– Refine design
– Split out elements and focus on first, second reads

Homework: Continue sculpt of character focusing on form. Continue feeling out first and second reads.

Week 5:

– ZBrush modelling
– Refine hi poly
– Focus on second and third reads

Homework: Refine hi poly, focusing on second and third reads.

Week 6:

– Finalize ZBrush model
– Prep for retopology
– Retopology

Homework: Retopologize model.

Week 7:

– Retopology and bake
– Texture techniques

Homework: Bake model and layout base for texturing.

Week 8:

– Texture techniques / Texturing
– Discuss materials and surfaces
– Pull from reference

Homework: Texturing.

Week 9:

– Finalize texturing
– Pose and composition

Homework: Finalize your character

Week 10:

– Finalize model
– Pose and composition
– Final character