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TUTORIALS, TIPS AND TECHNIQUES TO GET YOU STARTED IN 3D ART

P R E S E N T S

GET
STARTED
IN

3D
57 PAGES OF CORE SKILLS
3D TUTORIALS AND 3D THEORY
Learn to model, texture, Get to grips with key
render and more 3D art techniques
P R E S E N T S
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CONTENTS
Showcase

SHOWCASE 8
Inspirational pieces of 3D work

Fundamentals

MODELS FOR GAME ENGINES 22


Learn core skills with this easy introduction

TRIMMING POLYS 24
Removing unnecessary polys is key for workow

MESH SMOOTHING 26
Smoothing is an essential basic for modellers

UV MAPS 28
The basics of using UV maps

LEARN HOW TO USE RIGGING 30


An essential skill for animation

UNDERSTAND RIGID DYNAMICS 32


Physics-based dynamics explained

UNDERSTAND SOFT DYNAMICS 34


Use these to create movement in your scenes

4
UNDERSTAND YOUR CAMERA 36 SUB-SURFACE SCATTERING 56
Create realistic viewpoints by looking down a lens Create convincing interactions with this technique

USING HDR TO LIGHT SCENES 38 MEDICAL GRAPHICS 58


Use image-based lighting to maximum effect This niche world can really inuence your work

HAIR AND FUR 40 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 1 60


Learn how to bring hair and fur to life Your problems solved by our experts

GREAT CREATURE DESIGN 42 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 2 66


Key steps for cracking creatures More 3D problems solved

METAL SURFACES 44 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 3 70


What you need to know to render metal surfaces Modelling dinosaurs and more!

TILED TEXTURES 46 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 4 74


Discover seamless textures for improved workow Includes a mech design masterclass

INSTANCING 48 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 5 78


Control objects with intelligent cloning Global illumination in C4D and more

URBAN ENVIRONMENTS 50 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 6 82


Design realistic cities in no time Includes how to create realistic materials

STUNNING SIMULATIONS 52 PORTFOLIOS 86


Explore the features and uses of particle effects The pros guide to building a better portfolio

FLUID DYNAMICS 54 PUT YOURSELF IN THE FRAME 92


Understand uid dynamics systems Follow these tips to land your dream job
Theory

VIRTUAL LENSES 98
Create faultless renders with virtual lenses

PIXEL PERSPECTIVE 102


Think of pixels as data and not colours

DEPTH OF COLOUR 104


The basics of colour depth of raster images

PARTICLE SYSTEMS: PART 1 108


Part one of two looking at particle systems

PARTICLE SYSTEMS: PART 2 110


Further advice on particle systems

Tutorials

ANATOMY: PART 1 114


Sculpting the torso

ANATOMY: PART 2 118


Sculpting the masses

ANATOMY: PART 3 122


Sculpting the muscles

ANATOMY: PART 4 126


Creating a master model

HANDS 130
Detailed hands in ZBrush

UNWRAPPING UVS 136


Master this core skill
BIG SCREEN CREATURES 138
Cinematic creatures in 10 easy steps

LIGHT AND TEXTURE 142


Apply texture and light to a complex character

RIG-READY CREATURES 148


Get to grips with retopology tools

CHARACTER CONCEPTS 154


Successful character concepts in 15 stages

12 CAR RENDER TIPS 160


Use 3ds Max and V-Ray for perfect car rendering

SCI-FI RACING 164


Create futurist racing machines in 3ds Max 2015

REALISTIC ENVIRONMENTS 168


Build your own cityscape in fantastic detail

PHOTOSHOP TEXTURES 172


10 top tips for better textures in Photoshop
ARTIST

SHOWCASE Get inspired with this stunning


selection of artwork from some of
the worlds best artists

DOG ARTIST
Caet an o Silva
SOFTWARE USED
ZBrush, Modo,
Cinema 4D, Photoshop

This piece was created as an in-house


advertisement for Un Mariachi 3D Studio,
Brazil, where Caetano Silva works.
The fur was a big challenge because
I had never used it in Modo before, says
Caetano. I did a lot of testing with the fur and
experimented with various settings of ex,
root bend and kink to achieve the best result
possible. A separate shader was used to shade
only the fur. I also used Modos Skin Shader
for the mans hand skin and used the maps
exported from ZBrush to create SSS maps for
the three layers of the epidermis.
The characters were modelled using ZBrush
and a wealth of photographic reference and
anatomy studies. Starting with DynaMesh
for the volumes and silhouette, the mesh
was exported to Modo and work on the
topology began. Caetano also experimented
with ZBrushs automatic retopology feature
ZRemesher.
As well as learning how to realistically light
a scene in Modo and how to work with fur,
Caetano says his ZBrush skills improved on the
project and that it helped him to discover his
own style.
You can see more of Caetanos portfolio work
FYI at www.caetanosilva.com

8
I tested the fur and
experimented with various
settings of ex, root bend
and kink to achieve the
best result possible

9
HADES, GOD OF
THE UNDERWORLD
ARTIST
Elena Bespalova
SOFTWARE USED
Maya, ZBrush, Keyshot

While working on this piece, concept artist


Elena Bespalova concentrated on the design
and clarity of forms. You can say I did all the
parts almost in an old-school way; from base
shapes in Maya to sculpting volumes and
details in ZBrush, explains Elena.
Once the sketching process was done,
Elena began to model the head. I usually like
to complete the face of the character rst,
says the artist.
The next step was to make the base shapes
and place them into the scene. I had to pose
the Cerberus base in the right place around
the Hades character, before I could start
sculpting the dog and the drapery. Since the
mans hand should be lying on Cerberuss
shoulder, it was a necessary task, says Elena. WORKING WITH SYMMETRY
I found the work creating Hades really Work on Cerberus took the
refreshing. The project gave me a huge most time. To sculpt it without
boost as it gave me the opportunity to Symmetry was a bit of a
practise techniques and media that I was challenge, but in the end it
not familiar with, reveals Elena. turned out well. I used photo
You can see more of Elenas portfolio work reference of different dogs
FYI at www.hellstern.cghub.com to study the anatomy and
to catch an overall feeling of
the animal, says Elena

The project gave me a


huge boost as it gave me
the opportunity to practise
techniques and media that
I was not familiar with
10
DEATHSTROKES
REVENGE
ARTIST Alessandro Baldasseroni
SOFTWARE USED
3ds Max, ZBrush, Mudbox,
V-Ray, Photoshop

Alessandro Baldasseroni is a lead character


artist at Blur Studios, where he has worked for
seven years. His latest project was inuenced
by work done for the Batman Arkham Origins
cinematics. Deathstrokes Revenge is based
on the model used for the cinematic, but
inuenced by the artists own Revenge series
of illustrations.
I tend to privilege form, mood and colours
over details, says Alessandro as he reects
on his inuences. This lters into his CG
illustration, which focuses on gesture and
narrative elements when posing the early
model. My favourite tool is Transpose
Master in ZBrush for posing the main
character, says the artist.
When work begins on lighting,
Alessandro looks for references of
specic moods and colour schemes,
and my sources are mostly digital
paintings, traditional artworks and
photographs. Based on the mood
and environment, I choose to paint or
do a photo collage of the background
elements, adds Alessandro.
See more of Alessandros personal
FYI work at www.eklettica.com

11
12
MIYAMOTO CHU
WITH HIS
SUPER CAR
ARTIST
Hsun-Chun Chuang
SOFTWARE Maya, mental ray,
Photoshop, After Effects

With a background in commercial short


lms, character animation and VFX, Taipei-
based Hsun-Chun brings a sense of fun and
imagination to his work.
My father is my torchbearer, credits
the artist. He told me there will be a
dynamic era in the future full of creativity
and imagination, and he inspired me to
follow my dream of being creative; I always
try to simulate things I nd amusing and fun
through each of my creations.
Before any 3D work begins Hsun-Chun
creates a global view of his idea, working
out a story and role for the character. Then
modelling is done in Maya, paying close
attention to the lighting.
The main challenge I had in creating this
image was the structure of the motorbike,
says Hsun-Chun. He didnt have a detailed
knowledge of bike design when he began
and so he had to study the mechanics of
motorbikes. It inspired my curiosity and
interest, searching for the unknown. I love to
learn and nd new opportunities to improve.
You can see more of Hsun-Chun's portfolio
FYI work at www.nick2222g2.cghub.com

13
CYBERNETIC
ORGANISM
ARTEMIS AA 3057
ARTIST Sengjoon Song
SOFTWARE Maya, Mari,
Photoshop, nDo, Headus
UVLayout, V-Ray

Taking 12 months to complete, Sengjoon


Songs female android is a beautiful piece
of work, partly because the artist has really
focused on drawing our attention to the
characters personality.
Her face was a very interesting feature to
create, says Sengjoon. I believe I found the
perfect model from real life (in my modelling
class). Her name is Pooneh and she is from
Iran, shes beautiful, elegant and charismatic!
Before he starts to model, Sengjoon likes
to collect and study various references to
incorporate into his work, to make the model
more authentic. For this particular artwork
Sengjoon says his biggest inspiration came
from Vadims NOX-2292.
Currently a student at the Academy of Art
University in San Francisco, Sengjoon will
graduate in May so Im looking for a 3D
art-related job now, he says.
Discover more of Sengjoons personal
FYI work at www.sengjoon.com

The models face was a very


interesting feature to create;
I believe I found the perfect
model from real life

14
BINGBING
ARTIST Nianzu Zhang
SOFTWARE 3ds Max 2012,
ZBrush, Photoshop,
mental ray, Hairfarm

During the day, Beijing-based online


video game artist Nianzu Zhang creates
poster art for games, designing stylised 3D
characters. I like to draw beautiful female
characters, he says, adding: Ive realised
my own dream, because I've loved painting
since childhood.
At the weekend Nianzu works on personal
pieces, such as Bingbing, based on the
Chinese actress Fan Bingbing. This is
the rst time I've tried to make a realistic
character, says Nianzu. To create the hair
I used Hairfarm. This software was very easy
to use and extremely fast too.
Nianzu reveals that creating the image
was a difcult process that needed to be
carefully adjusted and modied.
See more of Nianzu's personal
FYI work at www.bit.ly/Nianzu-Zhang

To create the hair I used


Hairfarm. This software
was very easy to use and
was extremely fast too

15
RED-EYED
TREE FROG
ARTIST
Gordon Goane
SOFTWARE ZBrush, Maya,
TopoGun, KeyShot, Photoshop

Freelance artist Gordon Goane has been


working in 3D for over 10 years on projects
for the lm, game and medical industries.
He uses spare-time projects like this to
practise new skills and to hone his craft.
I think creating effectively is learning to
discern how your subjects relate to one other
in your medium of choice, says Gordon.
If youre making an image, the shapes,
saturation and hues would be the subjects,
and their aesthetic relationships will determine
the quality of the nal piece.
For Red-Eyed Tree Frog, Gordon used
DynaMesh his favourite feature of ZBrush
for sculpting. For rendering, he used HDR
images to light the scene in KeyShot.
I have been using KeyShot a lot recently,
he says. I mostly pre-plan compositing, but I
try to leave room for experimenting as well.
For this image, I created the environment
using various Photoshop lters. Filters can add
great effects quickly, when used correctly.
Visit www.bit.ly/184-frog to see Gordons
FYI full step-by-step process

When youre making an image, shapes, saturation and


hues are your subjects. Their aesthetic relationships
will determine the quality of the piece

16
I like pretty much everything
about the process of creating
a character, from modelling
to lighting and rendering

BABY ROCK 2.0


ARTIST
Alessio Rossi
SOFTWARE 3ds Max, V-Ray,
Mudbox, Photoshop

A freelance 3D artist at his brothers graphic


studio 4draw (www.4draw.net), Alessio Rossi
has a hand in all facets of CG, including
photorealistic rendering, general modelling,
character design, augmented reality, real-time
work and animation.
Its a good thing that his day job is so
varied as Alessio reveals he likes pretty much
everything about the process of creating an
image, from the study of the character to
landscape modelling and texturing, and nally
setting up the lighting and rendering.
Alessio says he nds inspiration all
around him, and in other artists work. He
approaches projects like Baby Rock 2.0 in
a standard manner, rst with sketches on
paper, then gathering references to give his
character personality. I like to give life to my
imagination, he says.
Discover more of Alessios work
FYI at www.alessiorossi.com

17
VALHALLA
ARTIST Rudolf Herczog
SOFTWARE
Cinema 4D, Maxwell
Render, Photoshop

Believe it or not, I work in construction


and normally nowhere near computers and
computer graphics, says Rudolf Herczog
who creates CG art such as Valhalla, a scene
inspired by ruins of a church, in his spare time.
The trickiest part in the scene was to create
decent terrain objects, says Rudolf, who uses
Cinema 4D Prime, which lacks sculpting tools.
So he used an old version of Bryce and its
highly useful terrain editor to make the terrain
objects to import into C4D.
Once I was happy with the look of the
foreground, I made copies of some of the
parts, scaled them up quite a lot and used
them for the background with additional
models and ornaments.
Rudolf used a simple Maxwell sun to light
the scene on two layers, one background and
one foreground. I wanted the scene to have
a slightly monochromatic look to it, but still
having a little bit of colour here and there,
says Rudolf, adding: I played around with a
few textures and different lters, and also used
a few dirt maps for walls, columns and arches.
Discover more of Rudolfs personal work and
FYI his freelance projects at www.rochr.com

I wanted the scene to have


a slightly monochromatic
look, but still have a little
bit of colour here and there

18
The texturing was an important
part of the project because my
goal was to combine a cartoon
character with a credible look

THE PIRATE
ARTIST
Pietro Licini
SOFTWARE Maya, ZBrush,
Mudbox, Arnold, Photoshop

Freelance modeller Pietro Licini caught the


CG bug when he was at university before
turning professional working on commercials,
short lms and teaching.
The Pirate was created to teach character
modelling for a Masters course at the Italian
CG school BigRock; the concept was devised
with Simone Scuglia.
The texturing, in fact, was an important
part of the project because my goal was to
combine a cartoon character with a credible
look, so I focused my attention on the details,
explains Pietro. I particularly liked working on
the clothes; creating patterns and adding nice
details was great fun. LOOK TO FINE ART
Prior to starting a project, Pietro spends I think that sculpture
time looking at references, before modelling is a good way to learn
with classic box technique, treating each area concepts of anatomy
separately to get good topology. and gesture, and I try to
You can see more of Pietros work apply them in my digital
FYI at www.behance.net/pitlicini models, says Pietro

19
Fundamentals

20
38

36
28
Fundamentals
FUNDAMENTALS
MODELS FOR GAME ENGINES 22 URBAN ENVIRONMENTS 50
Learn core skills with this easy introduction Design realistic cities in no time

TRIMMING POLYS 24 STUNNING SIMULATIONS 52


Removing unnecessary polys is key for workow Explore the features and uses of particle effects

MESH SMOOTHING 26 FLUID DYNAMICS 54


Smoothing is an essential basic for modellers Understand uid dynamics systems

UV MAPS 28 SUB-SURFACE SCATTERING 56


The basics of using UV maps Create convincing interactions with this technique

LEARN HOW TO USE RIGGING 30 MEDICAL GRAPHICS 58


An essential skill for animation This niche world can really inuence your work

UNDERSTAND RIGID DYNAMICS 32 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 1 60


Physics-based dynamics explained Your problems solved by our experts

UNDERSTAND SOFT DYNAMICS 34 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 2 66


Use these to create movement in your scenes More 3D problems solved

UNDERSTAND YOUR CAMERA 36 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 3 70


Create realistic viewpoints by looking down a lens Modelling dinosaurs and more!

USING HDR TO LIGHT SCENES 38 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 4 74


Use image-based lighting to maximum effect Includes a mech design masterclass

HAIR AND FUR 40 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 5 78


Learn how to bring hair and fur to life Global illumination in C4D and more

GREAT CREATURE DESIGN 42 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 6 82


Key steps for cracking creatures Includes how to create realistic materials

METAL SURFACES 44 PORTFOLIOS 86


What you need to know to render metal surfaces The pros guide to building a better portfolio

TILED TEXTURES 46 PUT YOURSELF IN THE FRAME 92


Discover seamless textures for improved workow Follow these tips to land your dream job

INSTANCING 48
Control objects with intelligent cloning

21
FUNDAMENTALS Models for game engines

Fundamentals
Games engines

FOR
Any 3D software
Fundamentals

TOPICS COVERED
tBuilding models
tUV mapping

Creating 3D models
tAdding detail

DOWNLOADS
Youll nd full-size
screenshots at

for game engines


creativebloq.com/
getinto3D

Creating 3D models for games is a great way to learn


the core skills of 3D modelling, says Mike Griggs
rand Theft Auto V made back its of downloadable games created by small starting with building models with correct
G estimated $265m budget three
times over on launch day, proving
teams offering some truly unique gaming
experiences. So this means that if you
polygonal ow for animation, which can
then be sub-divided to a higher resolution
that video games are big business. havent before, now is the perfect time to for high-end game engines for PC or
Narrative structures in games are also get into creating assets for 3D games. consoles, or merged into a lower resolution
coming to the fore, allowing for non-linear Thankfully, the tools you need to start for mobile platforms.
storytelling experiences that are becoming building 3D assets are readily available. You will also learn how important
as vital as lms in terms of cultural impact. Many game engines have free or low-cost elements such as UV maps are in creating
And it isnt just huge gaming epics like versions available, and theres a wide range textures, as well as allowing you to enhance
GTA V that are protable: the mobile app of specialised applications, which are either detail in your models using texture-based
platform has hundreds of thousands of standalone or integrate directly into existing detailing systems.
games with 3D assets. Gaming engines are 3D applications to ease asset creation. The most important thing that you will
being used to drive virtual reality systems The great thing about building assets for learn with building game assets is how to
and simulators in the corporate sector too. games is that, in many cases, it is a best use the game engines themselves. While
The next generation of games consoles practice exercise for learning to model, as you may or may not need the skills of a
are here, and PlayStation 4 and Xbox One optimised meshes with associated textures programmer to help you, building your own
will be capable of a level of on-screen detail for colour and detail are the order of the day. game is a great way to get yourself noticed
comparable to that seen in blockbuster Learning how to create game assets will by a wide audience you could even show
feature lms, with a burgeoning selection take you through a wide range of processes, off your skills by creating a cinematic intro.

Make multiple UV texture maps from one layer

ARTIST PROFILE
01 Move colour layer 02 Creating passes 02 Finishing the shot
You can use the image generator in Name the group layer, by the size, name In the folder where the Photoshop le
Mike Griggs
Mike Griggs is a concept 3D, Photoshop to do this. Place the colour and le type you want, using a comma as is stored, a new folder is created that
VFX and motion graphics artist layer of the UV map, which is in a master a separator. At the moment this works contains the .jpgs. Any changes made to
working across TV, exhibition
and digital design. Photoshop le, into a group in Photoshop. with .jpg and .png le formats. the colour folder will now update these.
www.creativebloke.com

22
Models for game engines FUNDAMENTALS

Getting your assets in order


HOW TO CREATE BELIEVABLE AND COMPLEX GAME ASSETS

Building assets

Fundamentals
You can use tools, such as the new
image generators in Photoshop,
What is a game engine? to create textures at various
A game engine is essentially resolutions dependant on the
a computer environment that game platform, on the y, as you
standardises certain tasks such work on new model asset.
as object physics; this means that Allegorithmics Substance Designer
programmers do not need to worry offers more advanced control over
about creating a new physics your outputs using its nodal
system every time they write a workow. Learning how to use
game. Some popular game engines, these tools can save you lots of
such as CryEngine and Unity, are time in creating textures for your
free to use. And Blender has its game on different platforms.
own game engine, giving you a
complete asset creation tool.

Real-time applications
You may want to access a game
engine to test your 3D model. If
youre an Autodesk user, use the
Nitrous view in 3ds Max and Maya,
this will give you an excellent
approximation of how your model
would look in-game. For non- Using image maps
Autodesk users, the excellent (and Using image maps to enhance Start simple
affordable) Toolbag by Marmoset details is a great way of making When creating a game asset,
allows you to view your models in your game asset memory-efcient making sure it has an efcient
real time, with complete control when being used in a game. topology is top of the list. Ideally
over your texture assets. Programs like xNormal allow you try to build it with as few polygons
to create a range of image-based as you can to start with, and it is
maps, such as normal, displacement a good idea to create your UV map
and ambient occlusion, the latter at this stage too. This low-polygon
being especially useful for adding model will act as your blueprint
shadows into creases and seams as you add detail through the
in your model when mixed with a modelling process, as both the
diffuse colour texture, this can add model and UV will subdivide with
a level of complexity to an asset. you as you work.

23
FUNDAMENTALS Trim polys

Fundamentals
Retopology

FOR

Trim unnecessary
Any software
Fundamentals

TOPICS COVERED
tRetopology
tRebuilding models

polys from models


tImage maps
tPreparing sculpts
for animation

DOWNLOADS
Youll nd full-size
screenshots at
creativebloq.com/ Retopologising a model may seem like a chore, but as
getinto3D
Mike Griggs reveals, its a key aspect of the 3D workow
fciency should be at the heart of maintaining the integrity of the main form. its preparing a sculpt for animation or
E every 3D artists decision-making
process when starting a new
This makes the model easier to manage in
animation, in complex scenes and so on.
rebuilding industrial design or architectural
models from their original CAD model
project. Efciency doesnt just mean using However, in the 3D artists workow, a model formats into a le useful for a CGI process,
your time to the best of your abilities it would potentially be expected to switch whether still or animated.
also means allocating enough time to your to a different level of polygons smoothly, To retain the detail, especially in sculpted
modelling to maximise the efciency of your depending on the range of outputs it could work, a range of specialised image maps
meshes when they are assigned to the task have, from high-end animation to a game can be used to cheat the geometry back
you have for them. asset for a mobile device. Theres also the onto your retopologised model. For most
One of the key skills in making efcient question of polygon ow. This has huge output types this is a completely valid
models is gaining a good understanding of implications for animation. The imported approach, and an essential skill for game
retopology (aka retopo, if youre one of the mesh of a gure may have a dense mesh development designers.
cool kids). One of the best examples of why over the chest and shoulder muscle area, Thankfully, 3D software developers have
you would use retopology is in making a thanks to an amazing job done by the realised that hardly any artists use just one
sculpted gure, which you may have created digital sculptor; but when moved into the 3D application any more, and have started
About the author
in an application such as ZBrush or Mudbox, animation application, such a mesh may adding retopology toolsets into their core
Mike Griggs is capable of supporting an animation rig in bend in an unrealistic fashion due to the workows. These tools can also enhance
a freelance a more traditional 3D application such as density of the polygons and their directions. your day-to-day modelling work. Learning
concept 3D, VFX
and motion Maya, 3ds Max or Cinema 4D. Essentially, the act of retopology is retopology may seem like starting from
graphics artist At its most basic level, retopology is rebuilding the dense model as a much more scratch but its a critical skill, and one that
working across TV, exhibition
and digital design reducing the number of polygons used efcient one for your pipeline, and it should will make the most of your 3D creations in
www.creativebloke.com in the model as much as possible while be accounted for in any project, whether their target environments.

Refine your model by stripping detail

01 Import the mesh 02 Reduce the polygon count 03 Copy and flip the work
I import my sculpted mesh into my main 3D I draw a strip of quad polygons along the major My model started in a neutral pose, so I only need
application. Ive used ZBrushs Decimation Master muscle lines, ensuring my snapping tools tie into to work on one side. Once nished, I can then
plug-in to help lower the poly count. the main forms of the sculpted mesh. mirror the mesh to complete the work.

24
Trim polys FUNDAMENTALS

Key points of a retopology workow


MAKE RETOPOLOGY PART OF YOUR MODELLING PIPELINE

Model in a neutral pose Shrink wrap polygons

Fundamentals
When working on a mesh, always Many retopology tools enable you
start with a neutral pose, unless to shrink-wrap ordered meshes of
its for a one-off sculpt that will polygons onto the mesh thats to
never be used in any other way. be retopologised, which is usually
While the model may be for a still on the layer in the background,
only, modelling in a neutral pose if your 3D application supports
allows you to concentrate on the layers. This can be a good way of
models polygon ow, and ensures covering large areas with ordered
the likelihood of interoperability geometry. Be careful, though, to
of your mesh between 3D adjust your new mesh to the lines
applications. It will also help you of the existing model rather than
to cover areas more evenly with being strictly on a rigid XY grid.
textures especially when using
UV maps.

Plan your retopology


Create a simple by drawing
blocking mesh Applications such as 3D-Coat
Its a good idea to create a basic allow you to draw your suggested
blocking mesh of your model, retopology lines, and then create
usually by generating your mesh geometry accordingly. Even if your
from a simple cube. By doing this, application doesnt support this
youre creating a base form that kind of workow, it can be a good
any further modelling work is just idea if your application supports
a child of. This method also allows drawing in the 3D view either
you to plan your model topology at directly onto the model or on
the earliest stage of your build, and overlays to draw your retopology
makes texturing and UV mapping lines onto the base mesh. This
easier to manage. allows you to map out your plan of
retopologising your model.

Use image maps to aid retopology


Texture maps such as normal, displacement, bump and so
on should be generated from your high-res mesh. Many
applications, especially game engines, can take these maps
and place them on your retopologised model to give it an
appearance not too different from the original. Create your
maps at the highest level of detail before you start any
processes such as decimating your model, to make sure the
information captured is purely from your artistic endeavours.

25
FUNDAMENTALS Mesh smoothing

Fundamentals
Mesh smoothing

FOR
All software
Fundamentals

TOPICS COVERED
tSub-division
modelling

The fundamentals
tNURBS

of mesh smoothing
Smoothing techniques are at the heart of every
3D artists toolset, as Mike Griggs explains
nowing how to create smooth not support NURBS, so these inevitably than a series of patches. While most 3D
K geometry in your 3D meshes is
one of the most important skills
have to be converted into polygon meshes.
This conversion process is usually horribly
applications support both NURBS and
polygon model creation, it can still be hard
to learn as an artist. Traditionally there inefcient, and potentially requires a rebuild to know which method to start with.
have been two types of modelling which for animation purposes, due to the ow Thankfully theres a newer form of
have dominated in 3D. The rst is polygon of the polygons created by the NURBS modelling called sub-division surfaces which
modelling, which involves the creation of not being in the right place for polygonal takes the best of both NURBS and polygon
planes (polygons) of three sides or greater animation. This is because polygons consist modelling, and creates a model which can
joined via their edges to other polygons. only of a at plane; curved edges need to be have easy-to-manipulate smooth surfaces
The other is NURBS (non-uniform rational built of many of these small polygons, and but with full texture control. Sub-division
basis spline), which uses a system of curves this leads to complex meshes. This lacks the surfaces work by creating geometry based
and control points to create what are called elegance of a NURBS surface as it increases on an underlying simpler polygon model,
patches of geometry. by an order of magnitude the number of therefore from the outset they are more
At rst glance, NURBS creates smoother control points to deal with. suited to all types of animation. There are
geometry, which is much more accurate, The key benet to polygon modelling other types of modelling, such as Boolean
hence its wide use in industrial design. As is that it is inherently easier to grasp than and of course sculpting, but regardless of
the geometry has few control points, it is working with NURBS, because you are their method of creation, learning how to
I N A S S O C I AT I O N W I T H quick and easy to manipulate a surface. interacting with polygonal surfaces which smooth with your 3D app is key to producing
www.mediadesignschool.com However, a lot of 3D and game engines do form a model in a much more logical manner good-looking and efcient models.

Keeping edges sharp with sub-D modelling

ARTIST PROFILE
01 Creating a tight smooth 02 Select the edges 03 Creating a bevel
Mike Griggs
edge on a cube In order to x this, switch back to Make sure a new edge is created in the
Mike Griggs is a concept 3D, When a standard cube is converted from polygon mode and select all the edges. middle of your bevel. Switching back to
VFX and motion graphics artist polygons to a sub-division surface, it ends Using an Edge Bevel tool, expand the sub-divisions should give you a much
working across TV, exhibition
and digital design. up looking like a sphere. edges a small distance. better-looking cube.
www.creativebloke.com

26
Mesh smoothing FUNDAMENTALS

Smoothing tips
SOME IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER

Render smoothing

Fundamentals
Renderers can also help with
smoothing, as they can simulate
smoothing on the surface of a
model using a material or shader.
This can also be used in reverse if
you want to quickly create
a faceted object. Some render
engines, such as V-Ray and modo,
can also give simple geometry the
look of more complex bevelled
edges. Check to see if your
Using textures to smooth renderer can smooth, as this can
Certain type of textures can be be a useful trick to reduce your
used to smooth geometry. Normal modelling time and polygon count.
maps, while most commonly used
for adding detail to geometry, have
the somewhat opposite effect of
smoothing the geometry in a
sub-division model. When applied
to a low-res asset, such as a game
model, a normal map can give the
appearance of a much more
complex mesh, as well as being
useful to quickly and easily bevel
corners of geometry.

Choosing the right Edge weighting Versioning of your model


application Edge weighting (or creasing) is As you develop your model, try to
While the majority of 3D a method of adjusting the keep a version of each key stage as
applications offer both NURBS and parameters of a single edge in you add smoothing geometry this
polygon-based workows, it is a model to adjust the tightness of can be a useful backup in the event
worth checking to see how a curve, rather than using of mistakes. It also allows you to
advanced the toolset is for your additional edge loops. In some create a series of meshes, which is
chosen project. Applications such applications these can also be great if youre making game assets:
as Rhino and MoI 3D excel at controlled by weight maps. Certain features such as normal maps
NURBS, whereas modo and Glise types of sub-division modelling can created from your high-resolution
provide sub-division modelling only. swap models with creasing geometry can be placed onto your
You may nd that two specialised between applications; for example lower-resolution meshes, enabling
applications which can share les in Maya, creasing can be used to you to quickly create assets for
are better for your requirements. dene edges in ZBrush. a range of outputs.

27
FUNDAMENTALS UV maps

Fundamentals
Textures

FOR
t"MMTPGUXBSF
Fundamentals

TOPICS COVERED

The fundamentals
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t.BQQJOH

DOWNLOADS
:PVMMmOEGVMMTJ[F

of using UV maps
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Understanding UV maps is key to placing complex


textures on your 3D model. Mike Griggs explains
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67NBQTBSFFYUSFNFMZQPXFSGVM UIFZBSF%BOE%BQQMJDBUJPOBHOPTUJD  UIFZDBOCFFYQPSUFEJOUP%BQQMJDBUJPOT
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* /  " 4 4 0 $ * "5 * 0 /  8 * 5 )
www.mediadesignschool.com 67 TPNFUJNFT678
NBQ XIJDIUBLFT DSFBUJOHSFBMUJNFBTTFUTGPSHBNFFOHJOFT  ZPVSNPEFM

Exporting a UV map to a 2D program

About the author


Mike Griggs is 01 Export the UV map 02 Import the UV into 2D 03 Manipulate your textures
a freelance
concept 3D,
After I have made a UV map from my software in the 2D application
VFX and motion model, I use my 3D software to export I open my UV map in my 2D editing Use the 2D map as a guide for making the
graphics artist the UV as an image, or I may decide to software, ensuring it is both square and texture, which can then be reimported
working across TV, exhibition
and digital design take a screenshot. conforms to the pixel sizes. into the 3D applications as a material.
www.creativebloke.com

28
UV maps FUNDAMENTALS

Mapping tips
SIMPLE HINTS THAT WILL MAKE MAPPING EASIER

Start on a simple mesh


It is always best practice to UV on as simple a
polygonal shape as you can. This allows you to
see more easily how your UV can be arranged,
as well as making it simpler for any UV
attening software to nd the logical seams
in your model in order to create the UV islands.
As you put more detail into the model, you
should nd that the UV map divides with you.

Fundamentals
Hiding Seams
When choosing your seams for your UV,
try and make the seams in invisible areas
for example under hairlines or clothes, or
on logical parts of a hard-surface model
such as a door. This minimises chances
of the texture pinching, especially when
animated or when you decide to bake a
texture for the creation of normal maps.

Scaling UV islands for detail


While it is generally a good idea to keep your UV
islands the same relative size, there are times
when it is appropriate to scale a UV island up or
down. This is usually to allow areas where detail
will be important or visible to have as access
to as many pixels as possible. Scaling elements
down allows you to get more of your model into UV mapping applications
the UV map and is more efcient when creating There are standalone UV mapping
textures for real-time assets. tools such as UV Layout (www.
uvlayout.com) that can be used
independently of your main 3D
application. This allows you to
develop an agnostic approach
to UV mapping which may be
Ptex useful if you work between
Applications such as Mudbox and Mari allow the many applications. Compositing
creation of Ptex textures. Ptex does not require UV solutions, such as the RE:Map
maps to allow you to create complex textures, but plugin (www.revisionfx.com/
instead allows you to paint without seams across products/remap/) for After
your model, and will probably become the default Effects, allow you to change the
paint method for most 3D applications over the imagery on your model using a UV
coming years. However, only certain applications coordinates pass without the need
support Ptex textures for now, so if you intend to use to re-render in your 3D application.
them, make sure your 3D workow supports it.

29
FUNDAMENTALS Rigging

Fundamentals
Any software
Animation

FOR
Any software
Fundamentals

Explore the basic


TOPICS COVERED
tConstructing a rig
tControllers
tAuto rigs
tForward and

rules of rigging
inverse kinematics

DOWNLOADS
Youll nd full-size
screenshots at
creativebloq.com/
getinto3D Learning how to rig your models properly is the start to
bringing them to life with animation, says Mike Griggs
igging is at the heart of the majority Controllers are the key to creating a good projects are bespoke and while all-in-one
R of computer animations. It sits in
a slightly counter-intuitive point to
rig, especially when dealing with character
animation, where otherwise all youd have is
solutions are useful, they should only be
seen as a starting point. Thankfully, the
modelling in that, while visually a rig can look a never-ending hierarchy of bones or joints fundamentals of rigging are generic across
and act like a skeleton, a well thought out to manage. A well set up controller scheme most applications. Forward and inverse
and constructed rig with a full set of intuitive can enable you to hide the bone and joint kinematics (FK and IK) are standard devices
controllers can manipulate everything from skeleton of the rig and concentrate on for driving rigs with FK usually more
a clenching st down to skin rippling from whats important the animation. applicable to creatures and humanoids
muscle deformation of the eyelids. While its good form to create your rigs and controls for rigging are more or less the
The most common application of rigging yourself, its become more straightforward same across most apps.
is in character animation. However, any to use pre-existing rigs and attach them to An understanding of rigging is also crucial
type of animation in which the actions, your mesh. This can be a huge time-saver in if youre using motion capture data to drive
position in the hierarchy or manipulation a non-feature lm scenario, where rigging your animations. With very few exceptions,
of one object controls another can be is rightly a separate strand of the pipeline mocap data needs to be manipulated or
About the author
called a rig. A good example of this would alongside modelling and animation. sometimes used as a guide for keyframe
Mike Griggs is be the steering wheel assembly for a car, Most of these new auto rigs, as theyre animation, especially when being applied
a freelance where a turn of the steering wheel either called, come with predened animations to creature designs where proportions
concept 3D, VFX
and motion by directly rotating the steering wheel such as walk cycles to help you get your are being changed. A properly engineered
graphics artist object or by using a custom slider created animation blocked out as quickly and rig will accommodate these changes and
working across TV, exhibition
and digital design by the user changes the direction of the efciently as possible. However, the great greatly facilitate your main aim, which is to
www.creativebloke.com vehicles main wheels. thing about computer graphics is that most bring your animations to life.

Set up a simple IK chain

01 Make the IK chain and controller 02 Set up the IK 03 Attach the null to the controller
First, create a simple IK chain made of three joints, Now you need to set up the IK: choose the end Place the goal null under the spline controller in
and then make a small triangular spline and offset joint as the end of the IK chain, and add a null to the object hierarchy. When the controller is moved,
that from the IK chain. be the goal of the IK chain. the IK chain moves with it.

30
Rigging FUNDAMENTALS

Set your work in motion


DISCOVER THE BASICS OF RIGGING

Pre-rigged solutions
Applications such as Cinema 4D and MotionBuilder come with powerful tools to
automatically apply a pre-existing rig to your mesh. Alternatively, applications
such as Poser and Daz Studio provide an environment to create and animate your
character using pre-rigged models, and then offer the ability to get that into your
preferred 3D app. Online services such as Mixamo (www.mixamo.com) enable you
to upload your mesh and apply a free automatic rig, which can then be animated.

Fundamentals
Online training
There is a variety of online courses
available, but start on the principles
of rigging before you get stuck into
software specics. Both fxphd and
Digital-Tutors offer courses using
rigs that are either ready-made or
Creating and using designed for you to make yourself.
controllers and channels For those with smaller budgets,
Making and using custom Blender has excellent rigging tools
controllers may seem like a hassle, as well as free tutorials on rigging
but making logical controllers helps via the Blender Wiki.
to reduce the number of objects you
need to animate. Most applications
create controllers using standard
splines that are then linked to your
joint hierarchy. Controllers can
be just handles that are selected
to drive joints, but they can also
(when selected) show a range of
channel sliders that allow you to
control more complex actions,
with some of these actions
potentially automated.
Mesh topology
When you want to bind your rig to your mesh, make sure the
meshs topology is suitable for animation, especially if your
character has come from a sculpting application such as
ZBrush or Mudbox. This will require a good understanding
of anatomy when you retopologise your model to make it
more suitable for animation, which should also make it more
efcient. There are lots of applications available for mobile
devices that show how the body moves.

Symmetry, axis and zeroing out information


One crucial task while constructing a rig is to make sure you freeze out all
transformation to your joints and controllers when youre happy with their
initial position. If you dont, your joints can start behaving in unpredictable
ways. You should also learn how to move your object centre, which is useful
when offsetting spline controllers away from your mesh. When making
character rigs, create one side of the rig rst then mirror all your elements.

31
FUNDAMENTALS Rigid body dynamics

Fundamentals
Any software
Dynamics

FOR
Any software
Fundamentals

TOPICS COVERED
tUsing rigid body

Understand rigid
dynamics systems
tDynamics for stills
and animation
tCreating physics
simulations

body dynamics
Once the holy grail of CGI, physics-based dynamics
solutions are now available to everyone, says Mike Griggs
he VFX supervisor tells you that cradle, but are also the basis of practically play: efcient geometry and texturing of the
T the director wants hundreds of
bullets bouncing off the gunship in
all the destruction you see in the movies
today. With dynamics, you dont need
elements, as well as an understanding of the
best way to break your models, will increase
slow-mo, and the rest of the team has food to laboriously animate every element; the speed of your simulations.
poisoning from last nights pizza. You smile, instead, the computer simulates a scenario You need to be careful that the dynamics
and tell them youll have an animatic of the created by the artist based on the physical system in your 3D application does what
scene ready for the director in 30 minutes. characteristics theyve set out. you want it to, because not all programs
How is this possible? The answer is One of the earliest standout examples implement them in the same way. There
dynamic physics simulation, in this case rigid of such work can be seen in the pod race are various types of rigid body dynamics
body dynamics, which engender real-world sequence of Star Wars Episode I: The systems, too: while the open source Bullet
characteristics such as mass, density Phantom Menace. Every time a pod racer system is common in 3D applications, its
and collision boundaries on your carefully crashes and the engine smashes into myriad not the only one available.
About the author
modelled and textured geometry. parts, thats an early example of dynamics, Bear in mind that rigid body dynamics
Mike Griggs is Rigid body dynamics could be seen as implemented by the talented team at arent just used for animation theyre also
a freelance a basic dynamics system when compared Industrial Light & Magic. exceptionally handy for stills. They can add
concept 3D,
visual effects and with soft body or uid simulations. This As with all simulations, the more complex real-world variety and randomness to your
motion graphics would be a mistake, though, because rigid the information the longer it will take for 3D scenes and animations, and can create
artist working across TV,
exhibition and digital design body dynamics systems not only enable your machine to create the simulation. This elements in minutes that would take hours
creativebloke.com you to make your own version of Newtons is where your skill as a 3D artist comes into to build by hand.

Create a simulation

01 Model the object 02 Make the container 03 Cache the simulation


First create your object (in this example, a gear), Create a simple box and apply a dynamics collider Now cache the simulation to enable you to move
then apply a dynamic property and clone with property to it, and then run your simulation. The through the timeline and select the moment
a random modier. gears should drop randomly into the box. to move on to lighting and rendering.

32 3dworldmag.com
Rigid body dynamics FUNDAMENTALS

Discover rigid body dynamics


GET MORE FROM YOUR PHYSICS SIMULATIONS

01 New methods of destruction


While most rigid body systems for destruction depend on Bullet, which
does require the geometry to be pre-broken, there are exciting developments using
alternative means of dynamics solving. Finite element analysis (FEA) has been used
in games and engineering, and uses a tetrahedral mesh to approximate an existing
geometrys properties. The Moving Picture Company used this technology for
X-Men: First Class. Pixelux provides FEA-based DMM plug-ins for 3ds Max and Maya.

Fundamentals
03 Cost-effective
dynamics systems
Nearly all the major 3D applications
come with a rigid body dynamics
system, but there are alternatives
if money is tight. Blender has a full
dynamics system thats becoming
increasingly well-featured. Houdini,
widely recognised as being one
of the most capable applications
in the eld, has a free version that
creates low-res, watermarked
renders. Side Effects Software also
offers Houdini Apprentice HD for
$99, which enables you to create
watermark-free HD animations for
your personal projects and portfolio.

02 Mass effect
Just using the default
settings of your dynamics system
will probably not give you the
right results. Object mass will
have a huge impact (literally) on
the outcome of your dynamics
simulation: a beach ball and a
wrecking ball may be approximately
the same size, but only one will make
its way through a brick wall. This
can be useful to remember when
you need to cheat the audience. 05 Dynamics for stills
Dynamics can also be
used for stills in a variety of ways.
One of the best examples is to use
a dynamics system to show a point

04 Motion graphics
Its not only VFX applications that are getting into dynamics
motion graphics are using them too, predominantly with 3D apps such as
in time for example, in a bowling
lane. The dynamics system will give
the pins a randomness as theyre
Cinema 4D. The Newton plug-in (motionboutique.com) creates a rigid body hit by the bowling ball, creating a
dynamics system directly in After Effects. While its not a direct replacement much more lifelike scene setup in
for a full 3D rigid body dynamics solution, it does offer a lot of creative a fraction of the time it would have
possibilities without having to take a round trip to a dedicated 3D application. taken to do it by hand.

33
FUNDAMENTALS Soft body dynamics

Fundamentals
Any software
Dynamics

FOR
Any software
Fundamentals

TOPICS COVERED
tUsing soft body
dynamics systems
tSimulating clothing
and material
Understand soft
tFine-tuning your
simulations

body dynamics
Soft dynamics solutions can be used for everything
from clothes to car suspension. Mike Griggs explains
how to get the most out of them for your scenes
ack in the day, a tablecloth was There are other methods of simulating the control of their bounciness, stiffness
B one of the hardest things to model.
Why? It had to look natural, and
cloth using deformers and sculpting
tools but soft body dynamics systems
and how much they will shear. The other
element that can have a major impact on
modelling each of those pleats and wrinkles allow for a much quicker implementation, your simulation is the amount of friction
lled the modeller with a sense of despair. which can be used as effectively for stills inherent within your mesh and any surfaces
Now you can lay a convincing tablecloth as for animations. As with the majority of it appears on.
almost as quickly as you can in real life, visual effects simulations, the computer However, dont just think of soft
thanks to soft body dynamics. isnt actually simulating real cloth; instead, body dynamics as your one-stop fabric
Soft body dynamics form the majority of its creating a set of parameters using a solution. Soft bodies can be used to create
clothing and soft body object simulations predened system of constraints to move vegetation, muscle and fat on characters
(meaning anything that doesnt smash, your mesh in order to give the appearance and hair, and can also be used as a basic
chip or splash). While not quite as common of your chosen material. uid system if all you want to do is show
About the author
in applications as rigid dynamics systems, The most common form of soft body surface water. You can use soft body
Mike Griggs is soft body systems are appearing in more simulation uses the mass-spring model, dynamics to inate objects for more
a freelance and more 3D programs as part of their which creates a series of interconnected cartoony animations and motion graphics,
concept 3D, VFX
and motion core feature set. They often come in two springs on your mesh that can, in effect, be and to make objects behave against type.
graphics artist different modes, one for creating soft body tightened or loosened to create the correct From bouncing anvils to exible mirrors, the
working across TV, exhibition
and digital design simulations and the other more tailored to attributes for your mesh. This direct control creative possibilities that these techniques
www.creativebloke.com creating clothing and material. of the springs is usually done through offer are practically limitless.

Make a simple flag

01 Model the geometry 02 Create the constraints 03 Move the flag


Start setting up your scene by creating a cylinder Apply a soft body simulation to the ag and then Now you can apply wind to the scene to drive the
and sphere for the pole and a simple 10x20 create a vertex map to dene the vertices you motion of the ag and then use NURBS to smooth
polygon plane for the ag. wish to connect to the pole. out the mesh.

34 www.3dworldmag.com
Soft body dynamics FUNDAMENTALS

Discover soft body dynamics


HOW TO CREATE SUCCESSFUL SIMULATIONS

01 Cache your simulation


Caching is important with any simulation, but with
soft body dynamics its important to get used to using your
3D softwares cached data to maximise your speed its
usually only possible to scrub through dynamic simulations
once theyve been cached. Also, cached data is usually
saved with your 3D le, which means you wont need to
re-run the simulation every time you open the le.

02 Create tears

Fundamentals
Soft body dynamics can also
be used to create tears in objects. This
is different from the shattering of rigid
bodies because your mesh can stretch
to a predened point before it tears.
This is a good way to differentiate
between various types of material
a piece of paper will tear much more
quickly than a plastic bag. Vary the
geometry in your bag to create less
polygonal-looking tears.

03 Physical properties
Soft body simulations can
be used to create what would be
considered solid objects. A cuboid will
react vastly differently if given a soft
body simulation as opposed to a rigid
body one. You can use soft dynamics
to imitate plastic and rubberised
objects such as tyres, and they can
also be employed to inate objects
including plush toys and balloons. They
can be used to simulate the physical
properties of various types of food as
well, from chocolate to spaghetti.

04 Change the friction


Friction plays a big part in all
dynamics simulations, but its especially
important in soft body dynamics, as
potentially a lot of soft body objects
05 Use instancing
Dynamics simulations can be taxing on your
machine, so its always best to start simply, running one or
have very little mass. Changing the two objects in your simulation before running that across
friction properties of your simulation many. You can use instancing where appropriate to clone your
can enable you to wrap objects with simulation so your software only has to run the simulation
your dynamics solution, if it has a lot once, but be careful that you dont end up with too much
of friction. Alternatively, giving your repetition in your clones. This problem can be dealt with
soft body object little or no friction will by caching your simulation and moving the instances to a
enable it to glide off any surface. different point on the timeline.

35
FUNDAMENTALS Camera basics

Fundamentals
Mastering
camera effects

FOR
Any 3D software
Fundamentals

TOPICS COVERED
tCamera simulation
tLens are

Understanding
tCamera simulation
tFocal lengths

DOWNLOADS
Youll nd full-size

the camera
screenshots at
creativebloq.com/
getinto3D

Learn how to replicate the various nuances of a real


camera to create realistic CG imagery with Mike Griggs
he single most important device The most obvious thing youll need to specic camera and lens combination, as
T a 3D artist needs to understand
is not a computer or chosen 3D
learn about how a camera is used is when
you are matching a CGI element into a
the shape of the highlights is determined
by the mechanics of the lens. Once you
software its a camera. photograph or video plate. While getting have developed your look, one of the
When we see the world it tends to as much of the camera and HDRI data as most obvious tells of a CGI camera is the
be through the lens of a camera, and possible is important, take time to look at impossible shot. More commonly seen
through this we have become literate in the imagery you have to see the way that in animation and VFX this is where, even
a visual language where creative use of grain is working; is there any aberration when a camera matches the look, the
a camera, through lensing, shutter speed or dust, for example? movement of the camera does things a
or placement, can tell a story without If you are creating an image with physical camera cannot for example,
a single word being said. The most a shallow depth of eld, check if the the Matrix Bullet Time shots.
effective 3D work is that which tells a camera is set to a low aperture to let in If you want to know how to make
story, whether as a still or more obviously as much light as possible. This results a camera disappear, look at how lm
an animation or visual effects sequence. in a narrow focal plane where only crews use tools like Steadicams and
Learning how your 3D software can be specic objects are in focus, which helps dollies. Knowing how a real camera works
used to generate effects such as depth isolate items for composition along with is one of the greatest secrets in creating
of eld, motion blur, or are can be the traditional framing techniques such as realistic imagery, and the best way to
difference between a good image and the rule of thirds. Do this particulalry understand a camera is to use one, so
one that engages with us emotionally. if youre trying to match the look of a get out and start shooting.

Get camera data from an image

ARTIST PROFILE
01 Get photo information 02 Create a camera in 3D 03 Place 3D objects
Use Lightroom to get the .exif data from Create a camera with the same focal Place an object in the 3D scene that lines
Mike Griggs
Mike is a concept 3D, VFX the photograph, the focal length, the length the sensor size for the camera up to the photograph. Next you can light
and motion graphics artist aperture and the shutter speed, as well can be found from the internet and use the object in a way that makes it t more
working across TV, exhibition
and digital design. as the time of day and the date. the original photograph as a backdrop. naturally into the scene.
www.creativebloke.com

36
Camera basics FUNDAMENTALS

Get to grips with your camera


CREATE GREAT EFFECTS BY KNOWING THE BASICS

Depth of field (DOF)


Separating objects from each other

Fundamentals
using DOF is a key creative way to
use a camera. DOF is dened by the
aperture of the lens and its focal
distance in combination with the
size of lm/digital sensor youre
using. Most software renderers
can now account for DOF, but it can
be at the expense of render times.
Thankfully a lot of compositors can
generate DOF from a depth pass.

Lens flare anamorphic


Lens ares are caused by light
hitting the camera lens at angles
that cause coloured highlights to
spill across the image. They can be
beautiful, but are often overused
as they are easy to create in After
Effects and Nuke. The secret to
good lens ares is to understand
when they occur naturally usually
when the light source is off-centre
or just off the edge of the frame.

Bokeh
Bokeh is how out-of-focus elements
look through a particular lens. It is
Using the correct focal length most apparent when highlights or
Using the right length of lens for the light sources are out of focus on a
subject can help make a convincing image. dark background. Bokeh can be
For example, to create a portrait image, used to help isolate objects. You
most photographers would use a lens can use a lens with a low aperture
around the 85-100mm length to make to create bokeh, but telephoto
sure that the features are in proportion. lenses can also be used as long as
If you were to use a wide lens (17-24mm), theres a big distance between your
the features would create a comedic look. focus and background objects.

37
FUNDAMENTALS HDR

Fundamentals
Image-based
lighting

FOR
Any software
Fundamentals

TOPICS COVERED
tCapturing HDRI

Use HDR images to


tMerging exposures
tLighting your scene

DOWNLOADS
Youll nd full-size

light your scenes


screenshots at
creativebloq.com/
getinto3D

Light your scenes accurately and easily using image-


based lighting. Mike Griggs reveals how its done
he primary role of 3D graphics is our 3D environments to light our scenes. the basis of your lighting is driven from an
T to recreate the appearance of
objects as they react to light. In
This data is a series of photos of a scene,
usually from a single point, which have been
image le, rather than by your softwares
virtual lighting tools, so its much more
the early days of computer graphics, lights stitched together to create a panorama straightforward to get a consistent look
could create shadows using raytracing of the scene, and merged together to through your pipeline from 3D software
techniques, but they were limited by the maximise colour depth. to compositing your nished image or
fact that light didnt bounce off objects and This is accomplished by taking multiple animation. The overhead in modelling is also
create indirect light to illuminate objects in exposures, ranging from underexposed to greatly reduced, especially if youre trying to
the shade. While lighting has moved on with overexposed, and merging them together integrate your 3D work into a real scene.
the inclusion of global illumination, its still to create a 32-bit le that shows all the The other advantage to understanding
predominantly driven by virtual lights in the information in the highlights and shadows. IBL is that it gives you a true account of how
software, and can be render-heavy. To truly This gives you a more truthful account of light works in the real world, rather than just
emulate a real environment is a challenge, the light in a scene than you could ever get in your 3D software. Using an IBL approach
and relies more on the eye of the lighting by replicating the scene with virtual lights. enables you to see how important light is in
artist rather than on scientic data. Theres also a range of applications telling stories: light is one the best ways of
In the last 15 years, techniques and tools that can create image-based lighting getting an accurate account of a scene, and
have been created that allow us to capture (IBL) spheres from a virtual set-up. The using it is where your skill as an artist will
I N A S S O C I AT I O N W I T H
www.mediadesignschool.com real-world light data and integrate it into great thing about this approach is that come to the fore.

Creating an IBL source

About the author


Mike Griggs is 01 Shoot a reflective sphere 02 Merge the exposures 03 Import the merged image
a freelance I take a batch of multiple exposures of I use an image editor to merge the I bring this HDR image into my 3D
concept 3D,
VFX and motion a steel sphere I bought from a garden multiple exposures of the image into a software to use as an environment. I use
graphics artist centre. I make sure that Ive taken shots 32-bit .EXR le, which captures all the a backplate and shadow catcher material
working across TV, exhibition
and digital design from three points of view. available light at the scene. to sit my object on the ground.
www.creativebloke.com

38
HDR FUNDAMENTALS

Get started in image-based lighting


MAKE YOUR OWN HDR IMAGES FOR IBL OR DOWNLOAD READY-MADE ONES

Software for creating HDR images


Theres a wide range of software for creating, stitching
together and merging HDR images. Photoshop has a good
built-in HDR converter, and programs such as Photomatix
Pro and PTGui Pro offer the ability to unwrap and wrap 360
spherical images. HDRLightStudio enables you to create
your own HDRIs virtually, either using its built-in lights or by
augmenting your existing HDR backgrounds. It can import
scenes from a wide range of 3D applications.
Backplate and HDRI

Fundamentals
Having a 360 panorama image is
the primary driver for your lighting
and reections, but they can look
a bit rough if used as a backdrop HDRI resources
for your render. If youre making The best place to start your journey into image-based lighting
your own HDR images, take other is the HDRLabs site (www.hdrlabs.com), which has a vast
photos of the area that can be range of resources. These include free HDRs and links to other
used as an undistorted backplate. sites, as well as to Christian Blochs excellent book The HDRI
If youre using a sh-eye lens, use Handbook. There are various sites that supply free HDRIs
a standard lens as well to acquire some with backplates such as www.hdri4u.com. The
the backplate stills. majority of HDRI stock imagery is heavily rights managed, so
check rst if you are going to use anything commercially.

Make your own HDR


You can capture your own HDR
images using a variety of methods.
One is by photographing a steel,
reective ball from various angles
with a long lens. Alternatively,
use a camera with a sh-eye
lens attached while ddly, this
is a simpler method, but ensure
you rotate on the cameras nodal
point. Take multiple exposures by
adjusting the shutter speed to get
a set of images that can be merged
into a 32-bit image.

Add virtual lights to


enhance your scene
HDR imagery is a good place to
start lighting your images, but dont
be afraid to add lights to enhance
your image. For example, in the
main render here the main HDR
image set was supplied by Brandon
Coker, via the Luxology asset
site (www.luxology.com/asset/
environments/view.aspx?id=1589).
I decided to add the illuminated
tubing to help show more of the
cars lines and make the nal image
more dramatic.

39
FUNDAMENTALS Hair and fur

Fundamentals
Hair and Fur

FOR
Any 3D software
Fundamentals

TOPICS COVERED
tGenerating
instances

How to create
tExternal instances
tCreating variety

great hair and fur


Hair and fur systems help your models come to life and
have a lot of other uses throughout 3D, says Mike Griggs
reating hair in CG is one of the more you need a complex hair or fur solution for all handle in the same way, even within the
C daunting aspects of the trade,
whether youre a new artist or a
your project in the rst place. For example,
the CG animated series Star Wars: The Clone
same software. It may be advisable to
split your render into layered composites
seasoned 3D veteran. This is partially due Wars has taken an illustrative approach of your scene with and without hair for no
to the fact there are so many things to to hair in its character design using simple other reason than it saves you render time if
consider when creating hair, such as texture, simulations and shapes to depict hair in a changes need to be made.
shape, density, direction, sheen, clumping, successful and original way, while saving Lighting can play a colossal part in
kinking and frizz. And thats just if youre thousands of hours in artist and render time. bringing hair to life. The use of rim lighting
creating a still image! Of course, when the work demands behind your subject in a three-point or
If you are animating your hair, you have it, a successful hair solution can bring so similar lighting set-up can dramatically
to consider what system of animation you much to an image or animation that it is enhance your imagery, especially when
would use. For example, would you like a completely justied. You may nd that you used subtly with sub-surface based
dynamic system that ows and reacts to can use hair and fur solutions in unexpected materials and shaders.
the body the hair is attached to and the ways. Foliage and grass systems are very Getting to grips with hair in your 3D
environment around it (wind, for example)? similar to hair, and using dynamic hair software can not only help you with
Does your software of choice support that, solutions can simulate items as diverse as character development, it can also
either natively or through a plugin? rope or octopus tentacles. provide you with the tools to solve
I N A S S O C I AT IO N W I T H Before you even get to any of the above When it comes to render time, learn numerous complex solutions in your
www.mediadesignschool.com choices, you rst have to consider whether how your renderer deals with hair, as not imagery and animations.

Creating hair which reacts to the mesh

About the author


Mike Griggs is
a freelance
concept 3D,
01 Select the area 02 Hair length 03 Choosing the pose
VFX and motion I select the area of the model that I use the slider to determine the overall I play through the sim when cached, to
graphics artist I want to have hair on. I then assign a length of the hair. I then attach a choose the pose I want to use as the
working across TV, exhibition
and digital design hair object or shader to my selection. dynamic collider to my primary mesh rest point of my hair for cutting.
www.creativebloke.com

40
Hair and fur FUNDAMENTALS

Five hair and fur tips


HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF FOLLICLE CREATION

Other uses for hair


Hair is usually (dependant on your
software) a subset of a fur system
that can be used as a basis to
grow vegetation such as grass. If
you have a dynamics system that
acts with your hair it can be a good
way to generate ropes or other
exible connecting objects, such
as piping in your latest science

Fundamentals
ction spaceship.

Hair variation
To create more convincing hair
shapes it is always good to add
as much variety as you can. Even
if combed in the same direction,
each hair will lie differently. Get
to know the specics of setting
hair in your chosen software
as each package handles
hair differently. Make sure
however you have some
ability to change the colour
down the length of hair along
with the ability to add kink,
frizz and other attributes
that will enhance your model.

Using guides Rendering hair Alternate hair


When setting your hair, most 3D Trying to get the best render for creation options
packages use guides to depict hair can be an intensive process Not all hair has to be brous.
the shape of the hair on your both in user and computer time. Dependant on your nal image,
model. These should not be seen For example, for the render of for example, a more manga style
as a literal representation of the the dice, I rst chose to use the may require you to use polygon
rendered fur, as ideally you should default settings of the 3D package, modelling and rigging to create a
have as few guides as possible. but intensied some of the Global modelled solid hair.
Having fewer guides allows you to Illumination and Anti-Aliasing The sculpting application ZBrush
more easily corral your hair into the options. As I was not happy with recently had a new feature entitled
desired shape, by minimising the this, I retried the image using a Fibre Mesh added, which gives the
resources on your computer as well progressive option with no tricks. appearance of hair but allows it
as reducing the chances of you It took longer, but I was much be sculpted with all of the normal
selecting the wrong guide. happier with the image. sculpting tools.

41
FUNDAMENTALS Creature design

Fundamentals
Creature design

FOR
Any software
Fundamentals

TOPICS COVERED
tReference

The steps to great


tThumbnail sketches
tBlocking out shapes
and silhouettes
tPost-production
in Photoshop

DOWNLOADS
Youll nd full-size
screenshots at
creativebloq.com/
getinto3D
creature design
Creature design is both exciting and daunting in equal
measures. Mike Griggs helps you get started
he whole reason that we get into not to a brief, why not write a description of exist, but use plausible anatomy to link them
T 3D is to create stuff, and one of
the purest expressions of this is
what you want your creature to be? This can
include what character traits you want it
it wont look convincing if you dont use
realistic proportions.
designing new creatures. Until we discover have as well as its appearance. Reference is key to creature design, as
alien lifeforms or they discover us CGI Sketching out rough ideas is also is starting simply with a clear idea of what
offers us an amazing way of imagining them important, but dont worry if youre not you want your creature to be like. If you
for ourselves. Designing creatures isnt just condent in your drawing skills use basic look at one of the most iconic creature
about new life: its applicable in interpreting geometric shapes and lines to block out designs the Xenomorph from the Alien lm
written descriptions of prehistoric or your creature, which you can then build trilogy it succeeds in being relentlessly
fantasy worlds, from dragons and yet-to- upon later. You can use these shapes to terrifying as it mixes recognisable bipedal
be-discovered dinosaurs to Gollum. create interesting silhouettes of your form, juxtaposed with an elongated human
About the author
So how do you go about designing a creature design; these will be the key skull with no eyes artist HR Giger felt the
Mike Griggs is creature? Its easy to get stuck staring at elements of any new creature or character creature would be more frightening if you
a freelance a white piece of paper or screen while you design, and should depict the character of couldnt tell whether it was looking at you.
concept 3D, VFX
and motion try to imagine a creature and how it looks. the creature as well. Without Gigers designs we would have
graphics artist Thankfully, there are techniques you can use Another great source of inspiration is never known such a creature could exist,
working across TV, exhibition
and digital design to get your creature-creating juices owing. the world around us. Dont be afraid to mix even in our nightmares, and thats what
www.creativebloke.com If youre designing the creature yourself and in elements from creatures that already makes creature design so compelling.

From paper sketch to 3D

01 From paper to screen 02 Digitising your image 03 Adding detail


I rst drew a design based on geometric shapes I then prepared the photograph in 2D in order to Now I have scanned in my basic sketch, I can
to block out proportions and shapes. I used my isolate the elements of the sketch I wanted to use iterate a number of designs as well as using it as
camera phone to take a photo of the sketch. for my creature design. the background for 3D work.

42
Creature design FUNDAMENTALS

The foundations of creature design


PREPARATION IS KEY TO MAKING FANTASY CHARACTERS BELIEVABLE

Test your design with silhouettes


Creating thumbnail silhouettes of your creature design is a
great way of getting to the essence of your design. Whether
youre just designing a bust or a whole form, silhouettes
give you the ability to play with scale and shape quickly and
intuitively. Most 3D applications have a way to show your model
in silhouette only; another method is to give your model a pure
luminous texture, which remove any surface detail.

Fundamentals
Get good reference
The key to all good design work is
reference. To give your creature
a grounding in reality, its good to
gather as much image reference
as you can. The human photo
reference site 3D.sk (www.3d.
sk) has a large range of animal
imagery as well, including skeletal
breakdowns. Consider enrolling in
a life drawing class to hone your
skills, or take as many photos as you
can of yourself and other people.
Animals are also a great reference
for creature design.

Use basic shapes


When designing creatures, try to
break down the major forms of
your creature into simple shapes.
For this creature, the basic form
of the face can be broken down
into a series of triangles. Using
this method helps speed up your
design, and also allows you to
dene a logic to your creatures
structure, which can be useful
later down the CG pipeline for
example, when rigging.

Finish in Photoshop
If you have your creature design
blocked out but dont have the time,
or experience, to texture it using
techniques such as UV mapping,
dont worry many leading concept
artists render a version of their
design with no colour and then
paint the texture onto the model
in Photoshop (or a similar 2D
package). While not practical for
animation, if youre working on still Create for free
images this technique allows you Sculpting your creature is the most natural
to focus on your image with little way to create on the computer. While most
render overhead. 3D applications now come with some form
of sculpting package (either built in, or as an
associated application), learning curves can be
daunting. Sculptris from Pixologic, the maker
of ZBrush is a free sculpting and texturing
application that is quick to learn and can export
3D meshes ready for other applications.

43
FUNDAMENTALS Metal

Fundamentals
Any software
Materials

FOR
Any software
Fundamentals

TOPICS COVERED
tRendering realistic-
looking metal
tUsing UV maps to
add surface texture
tLighting with
Render realistic
HDR images

metal surfaces
Metal CGI surfaces are no longer about making
everything look like chrome. Mike Griggs explains
here was a time back in the early differently as it moves, as each microscopic the base for your render becomes really
T days of CGI when making an object
look metallic was a simple case
polished groove catches the light.
The current king of metal is Industrial
important. Whether youre making the
imagery yourself or getting it from stock or
of making it reective. If you wanted gold Light & Magic. Its work on the Iron Man and from special HDR-creating software, using
instead of silver, youd change the reection Transformers lms is astonishingly good, HDR images to lay the base for lighting your
colour. It wasnt complicated and, at the and you can see the iteration in the metal scene is the key to bringing out the best
time, it got the job done. The only problem shaders, especially in the changes in the suit in your metal renders. Ideally, you should
was that it didnt look real. between Iron Man and Iron Man 2, where take photos of an object thats made of
As rendering software and texturing softer, more natural-looking highlights as the metal material you want to create, for
techniques have developed, its now well as discernible bufng in the metal reference. An online search will get you in
possible to create realistic-looking metal can be seen. But you dont need to have touch with metal nish suppliers who should
elements, but its not as straightforward a feature-lm budget to create realistic be able to give you small samples for free.
a task as you might think. Metals tend to metal surfaces. With global illumination Getting to know your renderer of
About the author
be nished surfaces, which means theyve and similar rendering solutions becoming choice is paramount. Learning how to dial
Mike Griggs is been polished or brushed in a pattern, commonplace across rendering software, in the correct number of samples and
a freelance whether its the brushed aluminium of its easier to create realistic-looking metal. the correct type of antialiasing for your
concept 3D, VFX
and motion an iPhone or the steel factory oor plate. One of the great leaps forward has scene is critical in getting photoreal metal
graphics artist Most of this nishing is done by automated been the idea of rendering metal using its elements. And, of course, you need to
working across TV, exhibition
and digital design processes, but that still means that the environment. This is where having proper balance all these factors against that old
www.creativebloke.com surface of your metal object will reect image-based lighting (IBL) solutions to lay bugbear the render time.

Use UV maps to add detail to metallic surfaces

01 Make the UVs 02 Apply the material 03 Light the mesh


Take a mesh of a wedding band and create two Now apply two different metal textures to the Create an environment using an HDR image and
UV maps one for the brushed metal and one mesh one for each surface. Having the UVs place and duplicate the ring on a plane, then
for the smooth surface. means you can attach scratches if necessary. position the camera for the best effect.

44
Metal FUNDAMENTALS

Better metal materials


IMPROVE YOUR RENDERS OF METALLIC OBJECTS

01 Anisotropic metal surfaces


Anisotropic properties show the patterns in a
brushed or polished material, and theyre everywhere in
metal surfaces. Most renderers have anisotropy built-in, 02 Weathered metal
You can weather

Fundamentals
and its controlled as a direct property of the material or metals in many ways, such as
through the manipulation of UV maps. using scratches on a texture
map to indicate wear and tear
to the surface. If you have
painted metal surfaces, again use
scratches to show layers of paint
coming off. Another method, if
your software supports it, is to
use occlusion passes to build
grime and wear directly into the
material, without having to make
bespoke texture maps.

03 HDR lighting to
enhance metal
The key to making metals pop is
to understand how they reect
the scene that theyre in. This
means creating a believable
lighting environment to capture
the incidence of reection (IOR)
and fresnel qualities of your
metal material. You can use the
traditional methods of creating
your own HDR environments,
or use stock ones from your
3D application.

04 Balance quality
and render time
Tuning your render software
can take patience. Key elements
include your antialiasing rate,
and your renement rate and
threshold, as well as increasing
the number of GI samples used.
Have these settings too low and
you can end up with a blotchy
render too high and your render
time becomes untenable. Work
on a region of your render so you
can iterate more quickly.

45
FUNDAMENTALS Tiled textures

Fundamentals
Tiling textures

FOR
Any software
Fundamentals

TOPICS COVERED
tProcedural textures

The fundamentals
tImage-based
textures
tOptimising tiled
textures
tHiding seams

DOWNLOADS
Youll nd full-size
screenshots and
video at
creativebloq.com/
of tiled textures
getinto3D
Learning how to create seamless textures can speed
up your workow hugely. Mike Griggs shares some tips
dding textures to your objects is can be a mixture of procedural where the for the wooden oor would be larger in pixel
A one of the rst things you learn
on the road to becoming a 3D
computer is generating the texture from
a series of inputted parameters to an
size than that used for the road. This helps
maximise the scene efciency because its
artist; its also one of the hardest to master. image-based solution, which uses imagery loaded into memory for both modelling and
From UV maps and incidence angles to the from either the artists own photographic rendering, which makes your work faster.
difference between reective and specular reference or stock sources. If you have large expanses of tiled
surfaces in the real world, there isnt one The trick with tiling textures is to hide textures, renders can look very repetitive,
theres a lot to get your head around. One the seams. This can be managed by using no matter how good the textures are. If
of the key early steps to mastering textures Photoshop or a similar 2D package to adapt your software can support it, use other
is getting them to tile properly. Learning this images for tiling, or to literally make seams. layers in your texture to add a bit of variety
skill, and knowing how and when to use tiled For example, beading on cushions or beams nothing in the world is exactly the same,
About the author
seamless textures rather than full-blown on a factory oor can all be used to hide especially over time. You can still use tiling
Mike Griggs is 8Ktexture maps on your models, can be the awkward texture joins. Planning your scene textures to add dirt to a road by using a
a freelance key to meeting your deadline. and texture load is also important. pattern to help wear away some of the
concept 3D, VFX
and motion The obvious uses for tiling textures are Tiled textures come into their own if regularity of the underlying white painted
graphics artist in arch-viz, to help depict everything from they are optimised for the nal output, so if lines. Tricks like this can bring your imagery
working across TV, exhibition
and digital design parquet oors to waves stretching far out youre creating a view looking out of a wood- to life while still using tiling textures to make
www.creativebloke.com into the ocean. Textures for arch-viz work oored building onto a road, the tiled texture your life as an artist simpler.

Optimise a texture for tiling in Photoshop

01 Create a tiled texture 02 Offsetting the texture 03 Hiding the seams


I load in a texture image and crop it to a square. I use the Offset lter to move the image corners Using Photoshops healing tools, I patch up the
I then resize it to a common image size, such as into the centre of the canvas so that I can work on centre of the image and offset the image again to
1024x1024 pixels. them more easily. ensure there are no seams.

46
Tiled textures FUNDAMENTALS

Using tiled textures in your renders


SPEED UP YOUR WORKFLOW WITH OPTIMISED TEXTURES

Tiling software
Luxology retired its application ImageSynth which could
create tiling textures from nearly any image in 2011, but
modo users may still have access to it. In its place, PixPlant
(www.pixplant.com), Genetica (www.spiralgraphics.biz/
genetica.htm), Dark Tree (www.darksim.com) and Map
Zone (www.mapzoneeditor.com) are all great for tiling your
textures, and in some cases can make procedural textures.

Fundamentals
Efficient textures
Computers like efciency,
especially when being pushed to
the maximum by 3D artists. To
make the most of your resources,
make your textures as efcient
as possible by preparing them
correctly. Try to make your textures
Procedural textures square. Common square texture
Most 3D applications come with the pixel sizes are 256, 512, 1,024,
ability to make procedural textures. 2,048, 4,096, etc. Creating a set of
Procedural textures are innitely different sizes of the same textures
tilable materials that are generated can be useful for swapping out for
by the 3D software using a set of distant objects, or if youre creating
user-dened parameters. One of assets for game engines.
the most common uses for this is to
create noise in textures, which can
be used to break up the regularity
of image-based tiled textures.
Some new procedural textures
create occlusion effects to help
break up the edges of meshes
with tiled materials.

Looking for patterns


One of the keys to making efcient tiling textures or even tiled
meshes is looking for the centre of the repeat. Imagine how the
repeat will work when extended in every direction.
To make the jigsaw on the table in the main render, I started by
creating a spline in Illustrator, which I then repeated four times.
This off-centre pattern formed the basis for all the centre jigsaw
segments, and could be modied for the edge elements as well.

47
FUNDAMENTALS Instancing

Fundamentals
Scene layout

FOR
Any 3D software
Fundamentals

TOPICS COVERED
tGenerating
instances

The fundamentals
tExternal instances
tCreating variety

DOWNLOADS
Youll nd full-size

of instancing
screenshots at
creativebloq.com/
getinto3D

Mike Griggs explains how intelligent cloning gives


you power over thousands of objects
ou need to make a scene of a are just ethereal ghosts in the amount displaying the light characteristics of a
Y woodland glade as a backdrop for
a new animation your company is
of resources it uses on your computer.
Incredibly complex meshes such as forests
scene that much quicker.
Depending on your software, instances
about to create. It has to have lush verdant can be rendered in not much more time can be animated via deformers or can
trees that the camera will move through, than if you were rendering a single tree. populate the surface of large meshes
but the 3D supervisors want a rst look at Getting to grips with the instancing quickly if they are selected as the generator
a rendered scene by tomorrow morning. characteristics of your 3D software can of the instances position in your scene.
Thing is, youre on set and all you have is unleash huge benets to you as an artist When using crowd generation software,
your laptop. You tell him you will have it laid both in terms of efciency in scene building instances can travail terrain quickly or be
out and rendered in an hour. and render time, as you minimise the given rudimentary intelligence about how to
Instancing, an amazingly powerful load on your computer. An instance of a act with their new terrain and each other.
feature of 3D software, is known by other 3D mesh requires a fraction of the RAM Variety can also add avour to your
names such as proxies or referencing. and other computer resources that a full work. Why have a city of one building when
In essence, instancing creates multiple duplicate of an object requires. Render time three distinct meshes will give much more
clones of a 3D object, the layout of which reduces exponentially when using instances character as they are cloned over your
is controlled by the artist. These clones compared to duplicates, as the renderer street map? Instancing can give you the
appear fully formed at render time but as far only has to load a mesh once, which allows power of a god to build complex scenes in
I N A S S O C I AT I O N W I T H
www.mediadesignschool.com as the 3D software is concerned the clones it to get to its main job of calculating and your 3D software.

Make a forest with instances

About the author


Mike Griggs is 01 Choose your trees 02 Create your landscape 03 Generate your instances
a freelance I choose three similar trees from I create a rolling mesh to act as a Ensuring my centre point for each tree is
concept 3D,
VFX and motion my library; ideally their leaves will be landscape for my trees. I insert my trees at the base of the trunk, the instance tool
graphics artist instances as well, saving time on loading into a cloning tool to create instances is set to the landscape mesh to generate
working across TV, exhibition
and digital design models as you work and render. of them. my instances to create a forest.
www.creativebloke.com

48
Instancing FUNDAMENTALS

Five instancing tips


HOW TO GET THE MOST OF INSTANCES IN YOUR SCENE

Use multiple mesh generators


To add variety to a scene of instances it is best
practice to use more than one base mesh, for
example a forest of trees or buildings in a city. This
can add realistic variety to your scene as the human
eye is designed to distinguish repeating patterns.
If your instances are set to generate and scale
randomly, they can create unique imagery that will
Animate instances convince the viewer they are looking at thousands of
Depending on your software, different items.

Fundamentals
instances can be animated via
deformers within the cloning
tool and this carries across all or
pre-selected instances. You can
also use these same techniques
to offset the time of animations of
your instances to add variety to a
running crowd. Dynamics, when
applied to instances, can create
complex animations, and allow
the computer to concentrate its
resources on the simulation rather External files
than on the geometry. as instances
If youre working in a team,
instances can be a great way
of collaborating efciently. If
one artist is working on a model
of a soldier, another artist can
reference that model as an
external instance for animating
in a crowd scene where multiple
instances of the soldier can be
seen. As the instances are derived
Optimising your scene from a separate model le, when
The great thing about using the soldier model is revised by the
instances is that they allow you to modelling artist, the layout and
manipulate more geometric data animation artist will see this new
than your computer could handle model used without the need to
if each instance were a unique redo any of the animation.
object. However, you may still nd
that your machine can grind when
working with a large amount of
instances. If available, view your
instances as bounding boxes,
which give a representation of the
position and scale of your instance
but will help your computer more
efciently manipulate the scene
before your render.

Instancing software
Most 3D packages use instancing at the core of their pipelines,
and render applications like V-Ray have render proxies which
allow you to only bring in geometry at render time while being
represented by bounding boxes or similar while youre in your edit
view. The new player on the instancing software block is Clarisse
iFX by Isotropix: this 3D layout application takes instancing to a
new paradigm with the ability to allow you to edit your instances
directly within your Preview/Render View.

49
FUNDAMENTALS Environments

Fundamentals
Urban scene
creation

FOR
Any 3D software
Fundamentals

TOPICS COVERED
tCloner objects
tCreating hero

Creating a realistic
buildings
tAdding details

DOWNLOADS
Youll nd full-size

urban environment
screenshots at
creativebloq.com/

Creating cities doesnt have to be painful, theres a range


of options that can help 3D artists says Mike Griggs
ou may think creating urban large miniature formats through to full controlled database of assets that
Y environments would just be
for architects, but theres an
digital environments has been due to
the fact that these cities can be more
populate interiors of buildings. Prior to
this, teams of artists would photograph
ever-increasing call for cities (or more convincingly destroyed. This can be seen cities to generate imagery to wrap onto
accurately, representations of cities) in in lms like Inception, where VFX facility the models.
visual effects and motion graphics. Double Negative wrapped cities on top of Thankfully this does not mean you
This is predominantly due to two themselves, which was then followed by need a large VFX facility to create a city.
factors: the increasing power of the stunning crumbling imagination city There are initiatives like the Open Street
computers has meant that it has become towards the end of the lm. ILM has also Map initiative, which supplies free 2D
easier to handle the massive datasets provided staggeringly good work on lms street-map data, which can be used as
that can occur when creating cities, like Transformers 3, Avengers: Assemble a basis for your ctional environment.
and also that there have been huge and Pacic Rim, where the key to the As city building can create massive
improvements in city-building software convincing nature of the work hasnt just datasets, basic planning of which
(along with the methods to map a citys been down to good shaders, placed on buildings you will see is an absolutely
layout) that have made a lot of the city square boxes, but in the detail. essential skill. Couple this with a good
creation process reasonably automatic. To create convincing buildings that understanding of how proxy or instance
One of the key reasons it has become feel real when destroyed, individual geometry can work, and youll soon be
more practical for VFX lms, in particular, rooms for skyscrapers need to be made, creating your own London, Tokyo or Gotham
to move city work from traditional either by 3D artists or from a strictly as efciently as possible.

Create a basic city layout using cloner objects

ARTIST PROFILE
01 Create a basic cityscape 02 Creating passes 03 Add hero buildings
Were going to create a city layout using Apply the model library to the polygon Repeat the process, but add some taller
Mike Griggs
Mike is a concept 3D, VFX cloner objects. First, create a very large and then simply apply some random buildings by randomising the scale. This
and motion graphics artist polygon, which you will use as a cloner variation to give some variety to the gives you a basic city design, which you
working across TV, exhibition
and digital design. base for your existing building library set. basic city elements. can start to add districts and streets to.
www.creativebloke.com

50
Environments FUNDAMENTALS

Cityscape creation tips


BREATHE LIFE INTO YOUR URBAN ENVIRONMENT WITH THESE IDEAS

Populating your city


Most 3D applications have ways of quickly
populating cities but what do you do if
you want to add life to your city? Tools like
the handy Populate in 3ds Max 2014 can
help you simulate crowds very quickly, and
can be assigned to specic areas of the
geometry to make sure they give the
appearance that they belong to your city.

Fundamentals
Vital software
Esris CityEngine is a key piece
of kit, which can generate a wealth
of bespoke buildings and layout
quickly and efciently from an
imported map source, CityEngine
import map data, to populate
existing cities. It can also generate
procedural city layouts via a simple
set of parameters, giving you
convincing cities from any period,
past, present or future very quickly.

Building interiors
Its important to build the interiors
of skyscraper rooms for hero
Using compositing apps buildings, to allow convincing
The 3D tools in Nuke can be used with parallax and reections to occur.
its projection mapping tools to create If your deadline/budget doesnt
geometry from city photography, which allow for full interior modelling,
can be moved around in and may prove using tricks like making a couple
a more efcient method than modelling of interiors with a picture of a room
a city. After Effects users can use plug-ins placed on a polygon card with
such as Metropolitan with the Element 3D another polygon with a texture-
plug-in to create convincing cities. mapped curtain, can be a solution.

51
FUNDAMENTALS Particle simulations

Fundamentals
Any software
Particles

FOR
Any software
Fundamentals

Create effects with


TOPICS COVERED
tUsing 2D particles
tSimulation scaling
tCreating a tornado

particle simulations
DOWNLOADS
Youll nd full-size
screenshots at
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getinto3D

Want to learn how to tame a tornado? Mike Griggs


explores the fundamentals of particle simulations
article systems are one of the most pioneering Genesis sequence in Star Trek II: Making your particle simulations efcient
P useful tools in the CG artists varied
toolbox. Theyre simulations that
The Wrath of Khan, where re consumes the
planet the potential of particle systems
relies on a good understanding of the image
you want to achieve, and the particles used
are primarily used to create the wonderfully to drive natural forces in a realistic way was to create it. You may wish to create a ock
named fuzzy phenomena, which are rst brought to mainstream attention in of ying dragons in full 3D, but its much
elements created by a seemingly random the movie Twister in 1996. It was this lms more efcient on your computing resources
motion or driven by hard-to-predict forces. depiction of terrifying tornadoes that really to create a 2D render of the dragon in a
The most obvious way particle systems underlined the power of particle simulations, ight cycle, and then make the render the
manifest themselves in CGI is in natural because computing power had nally particle either in your 3D particle engine
special effects such as clouds, re, rain, reached a point where visual effects houses or in your compositing application, where
dust and explosions. could create simulations that had previously you can potentially iterate much more
Theyre also used in more surprising only been the domain of government quickly. You may nd that your 3D software
ways for instance, as an underlying weather departments. doesnt support particle systems, but it will
portion in the code that drives the creation Thankfully, as VFX artists we dont need likely have a robust cloning or replication
About the author
of grass in a eld, stones on a pebbled to worry about scientic accuracy. Our system that can mimic many of the qualities
Mike Griggs is beach, water in a stream, a horses mane primary aim with particle systems apart of a true particle simulation system with
a freelance or a ock of birds. from the aforementioned incidental special keyframe animation.
concept 3D,
VFX and motion The ubiquity and versatility of particle effects is to give character to simulations. Learning to get the most from particle
graphics artist systems makes them an essential tool This can be seen in everything from the systems is one of the most creatively
working across TV, exhibition
and digital design to get to grips with. While particles were ames of Ghost Rider to the sand monsters rewarding and innovative forms of CGI,
www.creativebloke.com used in lms as far back as 1982 in the of The Mummy or Spider-Man 3. with an innite number of possibilities.

Create a simple tornado

01 Create a 2D cloud graphic 02 Create the funnel 03 Spin the tornado


In a drawing package, create a 2D sprite with Make a simple polygon textured with the cloudlet Attach the emitter to animate along a spinning
transparent edges approximately 200 pixels and attach it to the emitter. If available, make sure spline in the shape of a spring, with a taper at the
square to act as the cloudlet for the tornado. your polygon orients to the camera. bottom. Run the simulation.

52
Particle simulations FUNDAMENTALS

Accelerate your particles


SPEED UP YOUR WORKFLOW WITH THESE TOP TIPS

Static particles
Particles are often thought of as oating elements with a
nite lifespan. However, the underlying fuzzy logic is used
to create elements such as grass and hair, and in crowd
generation software such as Massive. Thinking of these
as particles can help you to map out your scene more
efciently in terms of time spent on background elements.

Fundamentals
Use meshes
and morphs to
simulate particles
Even though most 3D
packages come with
true particle systems
2D particles (including the open-
The ideal is to render all particle source Blender), you
simulations as true to life as is may nd that constantly
possible in their full volumetric running and caching
glory, but due to limits on either simulations takes too
hardware or render time this long for your project.
isnt possible on the majority of In this case, most
shots. However, most particle applications also
systems allow the use of 2D support the placing of
sprites, which are pre-rendered objects or particles on
stills or animations, as the basis of an existing mesh. This
particles. The computing overhead can be a good way to
for 2D sprites is much lower than get a complex image
with their 3D equivalents, allowing underway quickly. If your
you to iterate more quickly. 3D application supports
vertex manipulations of
meshes, its a good way
of animating them too.
Particle plug-ins
Nuke, Fusion and After Effects have the capability to create 3D
particle simulations, either directly or via plug-ins. Two of the most
popular particle solutions for After Effects are Trapcode Form
and Particular (which is also available for Nuke). These allow the
creation of realistic effects such as rainfall with depth. They also
enable you to import your 3D mesh into a 2D application so it can
be manipulated as the basis of a particle solution.

Scale up your simulation


While composing your simulation, try to use as few particles as you can
in the initial preview. This will allow you to see the main direction of your
animation, while keeping your computers overhead low this will allow more
responsiveness from your hardware, so you can iterate more quickly. Most
3D applications have the ability to show other simulated particles separate
from those that will be in the nal render, which also helps with speed.

53
FUNDAMENTALS Fluid dynamics

Fundamentals
Any software
Dynamics

FOR
Any software
Fundamentals

TOPICS COVERED
tFluid dynamics
systems
tSimulating liquids
and gases
tSoftware options

DOWNLOADS
Understand uid
Youll nd full-size
screenshots at
creativebloq.com/
getinto3D dynamics systems
Fluid simulations used to be purely scientic, but 3D
artists can now use them too. Mike Griggs explores how
luid dynamics arent just about both its surface and movement underneath are various methods of solving simulations
F making things wet. Theyre also
about making things dusty, cloudy,
the water is still in true supercomputer
territory. In fact, most of the software
for uids in various pieces of software,
which range in price from free to the cost
smoky, ery and very, very bloody. The major thats now used to create uid sims was of a small car. Dependant on your core 3D
difference between uid simulations and derived from early work in computation uid application, nd out if there are plug-ins
rigid and soft body dynamics is that instead dynamics after the Second World War in that create uids to save you having to
of applying a simulation to a mesh, youre scientic institutions throughout the world. round-trip to another app, because time is
applying it to a range of particles. These Secondly, remember that for the majority something your computer will tend to need
are then meshed in the case of liquid or can of your shots youre going to be asked to to solve more complex simulations.
have 2D or volumetric sprites attached to create simulations that have nothing to Some of these software solutions work
them in the case of gases and clouds to do with the real world. Whether its the well for small-scale simulations such as a
About the author
allow your 3D software to render them. re emanating from a dragons mouth or product shot of some wine being poured,
Mike Griggs is The rst thing to bear in mind when using animated dancers made out of water, youre but this simulation method wouldnt work as
a freelance uid dynamics, especially with liquids, is that going to be creating simulations that have to well for ocean waves crashing against rocks.
concept 3D, VFX
and motion your simulations will probably not be 100 be art directed and therefore the need to Experiment with as many tools as you can;
graphics artist per cent physically accurate. The amount of be truly accurate becomes less important. some of the more advanced software tools
working across TV, exhibition
and digital design processing power required to create a true Both of these factors mean that you have a range of uid solvers to help you nd
www.creativebloke.com simulation of a moving ocean that depicts really need to break down your shots. There the best method for your shot.

Create a simple fluid simulation

01 Create a world 02 Make the objects 03 Run the simulation


Start by creating a cube and applying a modier to Create simple geometry to act as obstacles as a Now, run the simulation. Some of the liquid misses
act as a boundary for how far you wish your uid receptacle and pourer, and create two spheres to the receptacle and splashes onto the edge of the
simulation to extend. be the uid substance. cube boundary that was created at the start.

54
Fluid dynamics FUNDAMENTALS

Discover uid dynamics


IMPROVE YOUR FLUID SIMULATIONS

01 How sticky is the liquid? 02 Software options

Fundamentals
Not all liquids behave like water, Some uid dynamics solutions are
and some solids can become liquids wax, bundled directly within the 3D application,
for example. Be aware of this when art as in Softimage and Maya. Plug-ins that
directing your animation: the viscosity of handle uids are available for 3ds Max and
your liquid material can give it all kinds of Cinema 4D, while Houdini has a range of
characteristics, especially when being uid systems along with its full dynamics
applied when moving or interacting with setup. RealFlow and Naiad are standalone
other meshes. If you need to mix liquids, be uid applications that produce amazing
sure your uid solution can accommodate results. Dont dismiss Blender, though it
mixing different liquid materials. has for the money (free) an excellent uid
system that created the geometry for the
main image in this tutorial.

03 Lighting and materials


for simulations
Lighting is incredibly important for uid
04 Gases are fluids too
Fluid simulations arent just for
liquid they can also be used for ames
simulations, especially clear liquids. HDR and moving gases, either using standalone
lighting solutions that can only be seen in dynamics software or plug-ins such as
reections can be useful for bringing out Turbulence 4D, used to create this image
the shape of a clear liquid. Also make sure in Cinema 4D. Both gases and liquids run
that youre using the correct refraction off the same sets of equations, though to
settings for your liquid because this shapes create liquids another stage of meshing
the light through the liquid to create the geometry created by the particles or
realistic results. For gases, lighting is just creating the geometry to be moved in the
as important hiding lights in gas clouds is uid simulation needs to take place.
great for giving volume to your render.

05 Model liquids for stills


Fluid simulations are an excellent way of creating natural
forms for stills, but their computation time can be expensive. To
minimise the time spent, simpler simulations can be run and the
resulting meshes can be smoothed in sculpting software such as
ZBrush. Alternatively, modelled liquid solutions such as the Splash
Kit for modo come with modelled elements and lighting setups to
enable you to create your liquid solutions as quickly as possible.

55
FUNDAMENTALS Sub-surface scattering

Fundamentals
Lighting

FOR
Any software
Fundamentals

TOPICS COVERED
tReections
tLayering colour

Sub-surface
tRendering

DOWNLOADS
Youll nd full-size
screenshots at

scattering
creativebloq.com/
getinto3D

Mike Griggs presents a smart technique for making


objects and lights interact in a convincing way
uring the early days of CGI, lighting such as milk and all over your body. Your and the changes can be quite subtle. In
D was truly reective. A CGI light ray
would hit a surface and bounce off,
own face can demonstrate a range of
light diffusion examples occurring within
rendering, this means that using SSS can be
a time-consuming process. Renderers are
which was great if all you wanted to animate your skin depending on how it is lit. If your starting to implement much more efcient
was chrome balls spinning. But CGI artists character is strongly back-lit, the thinner SSS algorithms for both real-time and pre-
wanted to recreate or augment reality, and eshy areas of the ears should let more rendered sequences.
this means an understanding of what light light through than the other parts of the As with all CGI, its a good idea to look
does when it interacts with a surface. head. If your character is lit in prole, at how these processes are dealt with
In most cases, light actually enters a the terminator (the area where a form in traditional art. Artists have long used
surface and is channelled through it to transitions from light into shadow) should techniques such as layering oil paints, with
help create the look that we know as real. display a red colour where light passes dark colours laid down rst, lighter colours
This property of light interaction is called through the top layer of the skin. And if your added on top, and highlights added last.
sub-surface scattering (SSS), and gaining character is more front-lit, facial shadows These layering techniques can be used with
an understanding of how it works will should still have a red-tinted edge, as light texture maps along with other image-based
enable you to really get a handle on the true has travelled into the skin and is coming out techniques, depending on your renderer,
subtleties of realistic rendering. at a slightly different direction. for enhancing your shaders to really get the
Classic examples of where you will see As you can see, the type of light can most of the creative opportunities that SSS
I N A S S O C I AT I O N W I T H
www.mediadesignschool.com SSS working include wax, viscous liquids change the SSS characteristics of an object, can bring to your work.

Use an ambient occlusion layer to generate SSS

About the author


Mike Griggs is 01 Ambient occlusion 02 2D package 03 Applying the map
a freelance To begin generating a sub-surface Using a 2D package such as Photoshop, I apply the map to my model, and have
concept 3D,
VFX and motion scattering effect, I bake an ambient I get rid of the seams on my model and the map set the sub-surface amount for
graphics artist occlusion layer from my UV, which gives x any areas that I dont want to appear my model, which I can now adjust by
working across TV, exhibition
and digital design me a map of the cavities in my model. on the map. painting the image map.
www.creativebloke.com

56
Sub-surface scattering FUNDAMENTALS

Get started with sub-surface scattering


SEE HOW THIS TECHNIQUE CAN TRANSFORM YOUR RENDERS

Lighting using SSS


A lot of architectural work, especially interior
environments, depends on SSS to depict the
lighting. See if your rendering solution can
allow SSS to emit through materials such as
shades to create a realistic light effect. If
not, you may have to use fall-offs or gradients
on your lights to depict the true lighting
characteristics of a room.
Sub-surface scattering

Fundamentals
is everywhere
It would be a mistake to assume
that only organic textures, such
as skin and viscous liquids, have
SSS. Synthetic materials such as
plastics, as well as some types
of wood and paper, display SSS
characteristics. Spend time
examining materials in real life to
get a true sense of how an object
reacts to light.

SSS rendering solutions


Most 3D packages support SSS in
one way or another, but the quality
can be different, and can have
a huge impact on render times.
There is now a range of external
render options that could create a
better SSS solution than your stock
renderer. These include packages
such as Maxwell Render and
LuxRender, which use physically
correct lighting computations
to create SSS. Other physical
renderers such as Octane Render
use your GPU to speed up the
render process. Varying the SSS amount
While creating your SSS shaders,
especially if youre working with
a complex item such as a head
or hand, you will need to vary the
amount of SSS in different places.
If the SSS level for the thin areas
of an ear, for example, were applied
across your entire model, the
whole body would look like it had
been made of a waxy material with
no inner structure.
Lighting for SSS
It is usually best to ensure you have a light
source that your primary focus occludes so
that you can see SSS characteristics. If youre
doing character work, look at a standard
three-point lighting solution of key, ll and
rim lights: the rear rim light will highlight the
focus objects SSS characteristics as well as
catching the edges of your object.

57
FUNDAMENTALS Medical graphics

Fundamentals
Any software
Medical CGI
5 MINUTES
OF VIDEO
Follow Mike Griggs video
walkthrough to create an image
FOR of blood cells in a vein
Any software
Fundamentals

TOPICS COVERED
tDiagramming
complex systems
tMedical colouring
and X-rays
tChemical models
tFilmic techniques
Discover medical
DOWNLOADS
Youll nd video and
screenshots at
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computer graphics
getinto3D Want to explore strange new worlds? Medical computer
graphics enables you to do just that, says Mike Griggs
edical computer graphics could be impact on the rest of your work. Knowing work can be used. Filmic techniques and
M seen as the invisible side of VFX.
We tend to associate CGI with
how the body functions will inuence your
character designs, and medical graphics
workows can be employed in your medical
animations. In the BBC series Inside
spaceships, fantasy or history, but in many can give you an understanding of how the Human Body, Rushes excellent VFX
ways medical imaging is the forefather of disease propagates through the human depicted stories happening deep inside us.
all computer graphics. When Steve Jobs body, which can be used in the development Through the use of impossible cinematic
bought the team at Pixar from George of ill or aged characters. camera angles and a well-thought-out
Lucas, he wanted them to make computers Medical CGI is also a good way to learn storyboard with a scientically accurate
for high-end visualisation such as medical how to use your imagery to diagram depiction of the characteristics of cells
imaging the animations that Pixar made complicated systems, either through the use lives, an engaging story was told.
were just to showcase the hardware. of cutaways or with medical colouring such The fundamentals for medical CGI remain
Medical CGI is potentially very demanding as X-rays to depict changes. Diagramming the same as they do for other computer
on hardware, as it has to be as accurate can also be used in the depiction of cells, graphics elds. You can never have enough
About the author
as possible. Whether its being used as the showing what are potentially abstract research, and scientic publications
Mike Griggs is basis for a simulation or, more likely, as a shapes performing their tasks or chemical such as Nature, New Scientist and The
a freelance teaching aid, if the imagery being shown compounds connecting to other parts of Lancet enable you to see how the medical
concept 3D,
VFX and motion isnt accurate, then lives could be at risk. the body at a microscopic level. world depicts itself. These will therefore
graphics artist Dont let that put you off exploring this Its not just about learning from help you gain a better understanding of
working across TV, exhibition
and digital design fascinating area of our eld. Understanding medical graphics. Skills you already have this pioneering and fascinating eld of
www.creativebloke.com medical graphics can have a profound as a CG artist from other areas of your computer-generated imagery.

Model blood cells in a vein

01 Make a red blood cell 02 Create the vein 03 Clone the cells
Start by creating a short, wide cylinder and then Draw a spline to mark the path that you want the Now clone the cells using the spline as a guide and
bevel both ends to create the distinctive shape blood cell to take, and make another circular spline as a basis for a Sweep NURBS to create the vein.
of a red blood cell. for the vein width. A Random modier orients the cells.

58
Medical graphics FUNDAMENTALS

Internal systems
IMPROVE YOUR MEDICAL CG WORK

01 Microscopic cameras
When outlining your job, decide whether it will
be scientically accurate or have a more lmic quality. If
it will be scientically accurate, you may need to have the
point of view of a microscope. This could be a top-down
orthographic view to mimic the view expected, which can
mean certain areas of your model wont be seen this
should be considered in your spec.

02 Model chemicals
and molecules

Fundamentals
At the smallest end of the medical
imaging spectrum is the depiction
of chemicals; these are the basic
building blocks of how were
made. Theyre either depicted
as simple connected geometries
or as more biological shapes,
and accuracy is key in this eld,
along with an understanding of
the way in which the parts of the
compound connect. Probably
the most famous example of this
kind of diagram is the beautiful
double helix of DNA.

03 Use medical
colours or X-rays
Colours in medical computer
graphics are used to depict areas
of disease, or false colouring
is used to help better see
anomalies. When getting briefs,
make sure you understand whats
needed and work with your client
to describe the colour they want
accurately. To depict X-rays, be
mindful of what materials do
and dont become transparent.
Obviously metal stands out, and
as youre seeing through objects,
internal 3D modelling has to be
04 Light for a filmic look
If your brief is to provide a more lmic
approach, think about lighting for dramatic effect
considered as well. but unless youre at the surface of the skin, all
lighting should be diffuse. Enable depth of eld in
your camera settings or generate a depth map in your
3D application to be used when compositing. Also,
some of your shots will be in liquid, so adding small
particulates to the shot can really help bring it to life.

05 Use soft body dynamics


and procedural textures
As were all over 50 per cent water, theres
going to be a lot of squishiness in your medical
imagery. If youre showing microscopic objects
colliding, explore how soft body dynamics or cloth
simulation can be used to help depict cellular
processes. To mitigate any scale issues with
textures, use procedural textures such as noise
as much as you can. These are especially useful
if applied to displacement channels, and can
quickly make your geometry look more organic.

59
EXPERT PANEL ARTIST

Q&A
Aiman Akhtar
Currently working for
Clutch Studios, Aiman
creates visuals for the
Fundamentals

advertising industry doing high-end


3D photo integration work.
www.aiman3d.com
Your software queries solved
Duncan Fraser
A sculptor for Iloura
in Australia, Duncan is
by our CG experts
currently working on a
top-secret lm project. Before that, he
worked in the video games industry.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/

Hugues Giboire
A 3D artist with more
than 20 years experience
in the CG industry,
Hugues is a BAFTA nominee for artistic
achievement in video games.
www.3dpeyote.net
ZBRUSH | MODO
Renato Gonzalez
Renato is an animator How can I integrate renders into my photos?
from Chile specialising in
Doug Anderson, US EXPERT TIP
character development Dont take shortcuts
and currently working as a freelance Define large shapes and
artist in the entertainment industry. anatomical landmarks
www.vimeo.com/renatogonzalez Aiman replies first, then detail scales and
This image was created for my wrinkles. Detail sculpting
Mao-Lin Liao wedding. First Chris Simons, needs to help define the
A character and look- our wedding photographer, form; variation looks
development artist, found the location near our pretty but is useless
Mao-Lin has worked wedding venue at a beach on Turtle if it doesnt help our
in VFX and video games since 2001, Bay resort on the North Shore of Oahu. understanding of the
and now owns Khitan Digital. Chris set up his tripod and shot the clean underlying shapes.
www.khitandigital.nl backplate, with none of us in the shot.
After this, the bridal party was briefed
M Scott Spencer run for your lives!
M Scott has worked Start by gathering a lot of reference.
extensively with For my image I found an excellent T-Rex
ZBrush for studios and skeleton rig posted by Joel Anderson on
companies, as well as working as a www.creativecrash.com. I emailed him to
concept designer at Weta Workshop. ask if he would mind me using the rig for
www.scottspencer.com an integration project, and he consented.
I took Joels skeleton into ZBrush,

Chris shot a clean backplate,


then the bridal party was
briefed run for your lives!
appended a ZSphere and used ZSketch
to create a base mesh on top. I modelled
the eyes, claws, teeth and tongue in
Modo and appended them as subtools in
ZBrush for detailed sculpting.
Next I used DynaMesh, and sculpted
muscular structure and the overall
shapes, trying to decide the look I was
after. I added high-res detail, including

60
STEP-BY-STEP INTEGRATE 3D RENDERS INTO A PHOTO
ONE REAL-WORLD AND CG CAMERAS
Successful 3D/photo integration requires EXPERT TIP
aligning your software camera properly Research the topic
with the real-world camera. I had the To understand how
tripod height from the shoot and Chriss to create a physically
RAW images had the frame size, focal accurate eye, read

Fundamentals
length, camera and lens type data. I input papers on the
these parameters in my Modo camera subject such as:
and one of the photos as my environment bit.ly/3d-eyes.
colour set to frontal projection through the
same camera. This enables me to see the
backplate in the render preview window.
OCTANE RENDER
TWO RIGGING AND POSING
The T-Rex skeleton rig works as a base How do I model a
mesh for my ZSketching, and is a perfect
way to pose my sculpted T-Rex. I export physically accurate eye?
my T-posed T-Rex into Maya and add a
smooth bind to the skeleton. After painting
Jenny Stephens, UK
weights, I do a 30-frame animation of a
T-Rex chase and create three key poses.
Thats when I decide to have more than Hugues replies
one T-Rex. I export out the three poses as I love working on characters. I spend a
.objs, assemble them in Modo and observe lot of time creating them and trying to
the impact they have working together. make them look as though they have
a life beyond the screen. The eyes of
THREE DIRECTIONAL LIGHTING my characters are one of my centres of focus, as
Once I have the T-Rexes positioned and they reect the spirit of my work.
scaled, I create a directional light for the My renderer of choice is Octane Render from
sun and set the shader of the ground Otoy. In order to use its full potential, I have
plane to Shadow Catcher. For an ideal to create a physically accurate eye so that the
integration, its best to shoot a spherical physically-based renderer can do the job it is
panorama at your photo location. (I had designed to do: simulating reality.
to make do with HDR sphericals I could The fundamental task is to create a more
find online to approximate the lighting precisely modelled external envelope. Both
and reflections.) The new Modo HDR Light the iris and the vascular system of the sclera
Studio plug-in allowed me to click right are sculpted to a level of detail sufcient
onto my models in 3D space to create a to withstand relative close-ups. I decide to
custom-lit and coloured HDR image. recreate the underlying structures with a simple
approximation of the connective tissues,
FOUR FINISHING TOUCHES primarily the choroid, as this brous connective
After lighting I rendered out several passes layer acts as a dark chamber and gives a
for compositing. In Photoshop, I used characteristic dark crown to the rim of the iris.
Import Files Into Stack Script to bring in all The geometry is a simple double-sided
the renders. (Adjust the layer order, opacity sphere, less than a millimetre thick, with an
and mode to suit.) I also bring in the clean opening that nearly connects below the
backplate photo and use that as my base, outer edge of the iris. Under the right lighting
with the backplate above, then a layer for conditions, the lens magnies to reveal the
sand effects, then the bridal party in the retina, an additional half sphere covering the
foreground. On top are overall effects. I rear side of the choroid. When each component
use several ID passes and paint masks to is modelled with its own index of refraction, the
enhance the shadows and highlights. modelled eye responds more naturally to light.

scales and wrinkles, using the Standard sculpting detail from my DynaMesh onto
brush with the Drag Rectangle stroke the new mesh with UVs and subdivisions.
and several scale alphas. I used different Next I Polypainted and used Cavity
brushstrokes to add variation, including Mask, which enhances the look of the
Raking, Crosshatching, and Spray strokes wrinkles and scales. I generated a
in a circular pattern to add vague detail, displacement map and base texture
and then masked and carved using the map, then attened the model to reect
Dam Standard brush. After sculpting, the UVs and apply the displacement.
I used the ZRemesher to add some I applied various materials onto the
guides and speedily created an excellent model and exported them as layers in
retopologised mesh. I exported this as an Photoshop to create the nal diffuse Understanding how an eye and its elements works will
.obj to make my UVs in Modo, then took texture map. The nal step was to help you create a physically accurate render
it back into ZBrush to project all of my integrate it with the photo!

61
ARTIST Q&A
EXPERT TIP
Find the balance
Our eyes are more sensitive
to contrast than colour
intensity, so to find the right
balance between diffuse and
specularity, convert both your
reference image and your
rendered portrait into black
and white and compare the
results it will be easier to
see whats wrong than
with a colour image.
Fundamentals

Alex is the first of six


portraits that Mao-Lin
plans to create in the
coming years

ZBRUSH | MAYA | ARNOLD STEP-BY STEP MAKING THE PERFECT PORTRAIT


How do I set about modelling ONE PREPARING THE MODEL
Before adding details, separate facial
a realistic female portrait? features to quickly isolate and work on the
detail. Prepare your model by unpacking
John Davies, UK the UVs, then apply Auto Groups With
UV in ZBrush. Now youre ready to sculpt
without the extra step of drawing a mask
Mao-Lin replies to refine the sculpting area. This is not the
Making a realistic female portrait has always final UV layout for texturing but a quick
been something that was at the top of my way to navigate through your mesh.
to-do list. Its going be a long journey, and
doing it properly is always going to require TWO SKIN SHADING
a lot of time and patience. Arnold Skin Shader is an excellent skin
Although this nal image is not 100 per cent shader, and works best in real world
photoreal, its a decent attempt. This project was the units. Tweak the basic parameters like
ideal test case for me to try Arnold Renderer, and to SSS Radius Multiplier to get the desired
combine my knowledge of ZBrush FiberMesh and subscatter effect. The default is 10, but I
Maya for realistic face and hair rendering. found it a bit waxy for my model. A young
Keep in mind that its hard to work on something that female has slightly more subcutaneous fat
everyone is so familiar with. The pitfalls of working on a compared with a male, so I use a value of
photoreal face are that you can become blinded by your 5 for female and 4 for male characters.
mistakes when spending so many hours on the details.
One of the tricks that really helps me is to keep a THREE HAIR AND GROOMING
small mirror at my desk to check any aws and reset To keep hair manageable, we need to
the image in my mind. split the FiberMesh into clumps to select
When you have worked for long periods on a project, them later. Switch to PolyFrame mode, and
it can make your mistakes hard to spot. Our brains [Ctrl]+drag on half of the hair to create a
simply lter all that information away and we begin to mask. Go to Mask>Polygroup>Groups to
create a Polygroup base on your mask. Try
Working on a photoreal face, you can to work symmetrically and split everything
into eight equal chunks. Eight parts is a
good start, as we can always add more.
become blinded by your mistakes when
FOUR PORTRAIT LIGHTING
spending so many hours on the details My goal was not to make it look like a
perfect beauty shoot with typical studio
ll in the gaps and see what isnt there. To train myself softbox lighting. My main light source
to observe my work more objectively, I often use was a HDR image from a room with bright
Lightroom or a real mirror to ip the image, and then windows, which gives the images base
scale it down to thumbnail size. lighting natural reflection and highlights
This helps me to lter out the large amount of detail in the eyes. It simulates colour bleeding
in the face and lets me focus on composition, and of the environment that really helps to
whether it looks realistic or not. integrate her into the background.

62
MayaFluids is used to
create realistic floating
ash and dust in the scene

Fundamentals
A rim light can
really help to give
your figure definition

ZBRUSH MAYA 1
How do I start creating How do I add more
an imagined creature? atmosphere to a scene?
James Oscar, US Jordan McCarthy, Ireland

M Scott replies Renato replies


When trying to create a character
from the imagination I nd DynaMesh
One of the important points
within a composition is 2
is a great sketching tool. This allows atmosphere. Although in
you to ideate directly in ZBrush with this scene it is minimal, small
no concern for the underlying mesh volumes. details like smoke or ery sparks will
DynaMesh also frees you to carve negative increase the power and depth of the
spaces out of the model. The holes in the crest scene. In the case of this image, Warrior,
of this creatures head were created by using one of the things that attracts attention is
the InsertCylinder brush. When inserting the the smoke that subtly emanates from the
cylinder into the DynaMesh, hold down the Alt inside the character.
key and the mesh will be subtracted instead of To recreate this effect in full within
added to the mesh.
When setting up a character for rendering
Maya, the best option is MayaFluids. To
set the scene to have more control over 3
in ZBrush, I always use at least two lights. In the simulations and less impact on the
this image there is a key light at the right side hardware, there are two important steps:
of the image and a rim light placed to the left rst, select all the geometry that will
and behind the model. This rim light helps be interacting with the simulation and
carve the gure out from the background, create a new Render layer, then under
adding denition and depth. Enable shadows Preferences, change Playback Speed to
on the key light and adjust the shadow angle Play Every Frame.
(Render>BPR Shadow). I set the angle slider to To simulate the smoke, create a 3D
20 to help create a natural soft shadow edge. Container by going to Dynamics>Fluid
Effects>Create 3D Container, select
the entire interior structure of the 4
character, and select Emit From Object.
Using DynaMesh, you Go to Dynamics>Fluid Effects>Add Edit
can carve out negative Content> Emit From Object. Now select
space for unusual effects the exterior parts to establish them as
colliders by going to Dynamics>Fluid
Effects>Make Collide. This is the basic
setup to start the smoke effect.
Finally we stylise and give more life to
the simulation. To do this we generate an
air eld by going to Dynamics>Fields> 1 Change Playback Speed to Play Every Frame in
Air to aim at the sides of the smoke. the MayaFluids Preferences menu.
Then we will create a vortex eld: go 2 Creating a 3D Container and then setting the
to Dynamics>Fields>Vortex to control interior and exterior colliders is important to
the curvature of the wind. An important setting the smoke effect.
detail is changing Volume Shape to
3 Set the shape of the smoke effect by
Cylinder, as this will focus the effect
adjusting the wind.
where you want it.
Once the simulation is complete, with 4 Once done, you can easily adjust each of the
different uids settings for each part of fluids setting to offer unique results.
the character, I now have much more
dynamic results in the nal scene.

63
ARTIST Q&A
EXPERT TIP
Review your art
Upon reviewing this
image the next morning,
I decided it looked a
little too clean so I dirtied
it up a bit. I added a
noise layer, overlayed
some thin horizontal
lines and used a
ZBRUSH | MAYA dirt brush.

How can I model a tactile


superhero costume?
Daniel Simons, US
Fundamentals

Duncan replies

2014 Marvel. All rights reserved.


Using Skottie Youngs Spider-Man image,
I start by laying down a ZSphere base or
skeleton for the character. ZSpheres are an
excellent way to start a character, especially
a stylised such as like Spider-Man or my version here,
Spideyman. They help you get a handle on proportions
and you discover very quickly what is and isnt working.
Next, I use Maya to construct a quick chimney for the
base and continue adjusting the pose until I am happy.
I make a few more adjustments to the posing of the
hands and convert the ZSpheres to a mesh, then start
sculpting some of the cloth folds and wrinkles. I also STEP-BY STEP CREATING THE COMIC HEROS COSTUME
add the secondary chimneys and the antenna.
Once I am happy with the vibe, I export out the ONE GETTING STARTED
body and used Topogun to retopologise and export In ZBrush, I divide the new suit up and
the new body into Maya. I also retopologise sections project the details from the old body sculpt
of the body and head, so I can get Edge Loops where onto the new mesh. I import the web
pattern mesh, turn off Smooth and divide
ZSpheres are an excellent way to start a it up a few times. Once I have roughly the
same division levels as the suit, I project
the web pattern down to the suit so they
character, especially a stylised character. adhere to the cloth folds and wrinkles.
I then mask out the web pattern and
They help you get a handle on proportions extract the mesh to get some depth. Next,
I mask out the rims of the eyes, extract
I need them for the web pattern on the suit. This is one them and sculpt them a little so they have
area where I deviate from Skotties original image. He a nice hard bevel.
had a thin web pattern, but some things dont translate
well from 2D into 3D, so I decide to go with a thicker TWO ADDING DEFINITION
and chunkier pattern. I then export out the new web I want more definition in both the spider
pattern mesh and jump back into Maya. symbol and the eye rims, so I export them
In Maya I select all of the faces and extrude them on out and retopologise them. I then reimport
all axes individually to create smaller faces with a frame. and divide them up. The spider symbol still
I then delete the inner faces so all I am left with are the needs more pop, so I mask and extract it,
frames. I export out all of the frame mesh and go back separating the edge into a new Polygroup.
into ZBrush to concentrate on Spideymans suit I then isolate this Polygroup and grow
the selection until I have a nice thick rim
around the border of the symbol. I mask
the border, select the rest of the symbol
ZSpheres are a great and deflate the inner section, creating
way to work on a a nice hard rim that really makes the
stylised character symbol pop.
with expressive
movement THREE CREATING TEXTURE
To create texture variation between the
suit and the more rubbery parts of his
outfit, I select the body subtool at the
lowest subdivision level. Using the UV
Planar function, I unwrap each face of the
mesh to overlap so they use the same UV
space. Then I jump back up to the highest
sub-division level and assign a waffle type
alpha as a texture, and mask the mesh
using the textures intensity. Then I deflate
the inner part of the waffle mask, invert
it and inflate the waffle ridges. Finally, I
polypaint the whole suit.

64
Fundamentals
ZBRUSH
Do you have any advice
on skin texturing? EXPERT TIP
Add blur effects
Mark Jacobson, US To create a more
convincing bokeh
effect, assign an
M Scott replies emissive material
This character bust has Polypaint to your dust
applied to create a skin texture. To model.
add a simple subsurface scatter
effect, use the Wax Modier on the Dust specks floating
Material setting. I select the Basic Material in the scene create a
then set the Wax Modier Strength to 36. To bokeh effect against
make this effect visible, turn on WaxPreview the background
under Render>Render Properties. This gives
the model a much more realistic skin look. This
image was rendered using BPR.
When painting a creatures skin, be sure to MAYA | OCTANE RENDER
modulate colour temperature across the face.
Since this character has a lighter skin tone, more How do I model a bokeh effect?
of the vascular tissue is visible in the skin. I spray
in warm colours in the cheeks and lips while
David Gooding, US
spraying blues into the beard line and recesses
of the eye sockets. By layering passes of warm
and cool colours, separated by light transparent Hugues replies speck with convoluted shapes offering
passes of the base tone, a very realistic skin In one of my recent personal more surface area for the light to hit. It
texture can be created with just Polypaint. works (above), I wanted to use is modelled to scale, which is less than
the negative space of the blue a millimetre in diameter.
velvet background of the scene The material created for the speck has
to create an effect reminiscent of the soap-bubble characteristics: rstly it is
stars against the night sky. very specular to reect as much light as
In general, I tend not to leave anything possible; and secondly it is nished with
to the post-processing stage. I take a thin lm in order to create mild colour
pride in making sure that everything variations, dependent on the viewing
I want the viewer to see is physically angle of the surface.
present in the scene. This is one luxury In Maya, I used a simple emitter and
that using an unbiased renderer offers: If lled the scene with particles that were
When painting the I dont want to fake it, then I dont have then used as input co-ordinates to
skin, warm colours will to. I can simply model it. In this specic generate the thousands of instances it
appear on features case, I decided to ll the volume of the takes to create a convincing effect in
with a thinner surface scene with dust. the nal render. Once out of focus, the
Starting from a cylinder that I then specks that catch the light will bloom
deformed and sculpted, I created a dust into a fairly convincing bokeh effect.

65
EXPERT PANEL ARTIST

Q&A
Davide Bianca
Davide is founder, CEO
and executive creative
director of Saizen Media,
Fundamentals

an award-winning creative agency with


ofces in Los Angeles and Milan.
www.saizenmedia.com
Your software queries solved
Francesca Forzoni
Frankie is a 3D artist
and visualiser in London.
by our CG experts
She has recently moved
from working in post-production
to branding and packaging.
www.francescaforzoni.com

Shao Jun
Shao is a character artist.
He works at Red Hot CG,
a Shanghai-based digital
art and animation studio serving the
game, TV and lm industries.
www.redhotcg.com
MAYA | PHOTOSHOP | V-RAY
Vasin Alexander
Vasin works at Wolphins What are the most important aspects of
in Moscow, where he
also teaches at the creating mechanical objects or characters?
Moscow State University of Printing
Arts. www.wolphins.com/graphic-
Daniel Barrett, UK
designers/alexander-vasin

Francesca replies
Ive built a few mechanical
objects and characters in
recent years, my favourite
being Steampunk Buttery
(right), and the rst thing I like to do
is work out the mechanics behind the
object youre about to build.
I normally start by looking at the
anatomy of organic equivalents, such as
humans or butteries, if Im building a
mechanised character. I study the basic
fundamentals of structure, joints and
movement range, and this allows me to
get a basic understanding of how the
mechanics in my object or character
are going to work. It just adds a level of
realism to whatever it is you are creating.
I usually nd that building the model
from the inside out helps me to make
my mechanical objects much more
convincing. So for my buttery, I started
by splitting up the abdomen and thorax
into sections and building the inner cogs
and joints between them. I enclosed
the entire body with glass, and then
proceeded to add a metal casing, which
I envisioned would protect the inner
working mechanics.
From there, I focused on separately
constructing the legs, head, and nally
the wings. What I found with this layering
system is that it allows you to focus on

66
EXPERT TIP
Hair plug-in
I used Hairtrix to create
the hair for this model,
a handy plug-in that
integrates Hairfx and
Ornatrix and gives
good results.
STEP-BY-STEP MAKING MECHS
ONE WORK OUT THE ANATOMY
Break your structure down: work out the 3DS MAX | ZBRUSH
engineering behind certain joints and the
range of movement needed. Work out How can I sculpt facial
the mechanics behind the object youre
building. Start by sketching it, then in 3D details for a young boy?

Fundamentals
you can look at the hinges more closely
by moving pivot points, parenting smaller
Seema Ali, India
parts to larger ones and so on. This basic
skeletal structure helps when positioning
your model and makes mechanical objects Shao Jun replies
more convincing to the viewer. The importance of using proper
reference material for any portrait
TWO INSIDE OUT work cant be underestimated. For
Breaking down your model into sections this piece (called So Young), I asked
allows focus, and starting from the inside a neighbour to pose for me to ensure my
and building an entire structure around it proportions were correct.
gives it a depth that will get noticed. The I start the model from the head, building
layering adds more interest and again, a a topological base model in 3ds Max with
more convincing final product. Symmetry on, and then import the base model
into ZBrush for further sculpting. After the rough
THREE FOCUS ON THE DETAILS shape is done, I start to sculpt with Symmetry
How do pieces fit together? How do parts off, and then concentrate on the facial features.
move (if they need to)? Do certain parts The skin of a young boy is fresh and clear,
have functions? You have to make sure so create a layer so you can easily adjust the
everything looks like its meant to be intensity later. Use the Standard brush with an
where you put it. Be aware of why youre alpha to make a base skin layer, then use the
adding certain parts to your construction DamStandard brush to sculpt the structure
this makes you think about why its there, like the forehead and chin. Next use the
how it would look physically and how ClayBuildUp and Slash3 brushes to sculpt
it connects to other parts of the model. distinct details such as mosquito bites or scars.
Again, it validates your creation and makes Use the Standard brush to sculpt lips, and then
it more convincing to the viewer. the Inate brush with an alpha for details. I make
good use of layers, building a base bump layer
FOUR MAKE INTERESTING TEXTURES for skin rst and then others for details.
Dont just create a clean material and My working process might be a little different
leave it. For mechanical objects, add many artists start from a lower level and work
a slight bump or a texture into your up to a higher level, but I start at the highest
reflection glossiness. Give your metals (Level 6). I use the Standard and ClayBuildup
some age and realism by rusting up the brushes for main structure sculpting, the Move
textures. Materials always have some brush for shapes, and Smooth to smooth.
elements of irregularity to them make The boys runny nose is created with the
sure you dont forget this when building InsertHSphere brush (perfect for simple uid
mechanical objects. shapes) and DynaMesh brush with a ZSphere.

adding very intricate detailing to each


individual section of your object it just Working out where the hinges
wouldnt look the same without it.
For example, when I added the metal
casing to protect the inner mechanics,
and joints of the metal pieces
I had to make sure the metal shields
were bolted to the inner case somehow.
in your model should go is key
Adding the nuts and bolts, and working
out where the hinges and joints of all the
metal pieces in your model should go EXPERT TIP
is key, and the tiny detailing makes the Tiny details matter
image so much more interesting. For me its all about layering
The last step in my process is to your construction, adding
texture the parts of my model. Metal will details such as nuts and
always have scratches on it or grease bolts to join various pieces
from ngerprints, or some smudges or together, as well as making
rust something that creates an irregular sure that the joints would
highlight and adds realism. Even when all work and move in the
working with brand new objects, there correct manner. Understanding how the human eye and its elements
will be small irregular details to be added work will help you create a physically accurate render
when you add the textures.

67
ARTIST Q&A

EXPERT TIP
Render times
To obtain high quality
renders at reasonable render
times with Arnold, increase
the settings only for the
aliasing value. The aliasing
Fundamentals

is used as a multiplier for the


other setting values, and as
the textures are procedural
they are transformed in .tx
prior to rendering, which
drastically reduces
render times.

Using a forced perspective


foreground to push the scene
further away will increase the
depth of an environment

MAYA | ZBRUSH | PHOTOSHOP STEP-BY STEP CREATE DRAMATIC KEY ART


ONE SET THE POSES
How do I compose and Statuesque poses contribute to creating
a sense of dynamic charge in the scene.
create dramatic key art? Each pose emphasises the characters
specific personalities, and suggests the
Wayne OConnor, US respective roles within the group. The
poses were also chosen in order to allow
the proper showcasing of the characters
Davide replies powers and accessories, such as their
Key art is what should sell the concept, so you weapons and accessories.
should make something that grabs peoples
attention, has the right colour palette and TWO MODELLING THE DETAILS
poses, and essentially tells a story in a single The majority of details are created in
glance. This key art illustration (above) was created for ZBrush using hard surface modelling
our motion comic Slavers. techniques and the Extraction tool, and
It portrays the epic arrival of the Slavers, and the dawn the UVs are created in ZBrush and then
of a new era of humanity. We wanted to convey a sense optimised in Maya. Aside from the armour,
of vast scale and powerful destruction in the image. The masks, weapons and poses, a great deal of
composition had to be developed around the triad of attention went into creating a believable
the Slavers, which would be the main focal point, but environment, with piles of smashed rubble,
in order to empower the characters we also needed to debris and burning tires.
showcase the environment in which they were placed.
Given the characters poses we opted for a classic THREE MATERIALS AND TEXTURES
compositional approach, so we took advantage of a Grunge is the name of the game! Grungy
forced perspective foreground to push the scene further textures and realistic scratches are crucial
away and increase the depth of the environment. In the to telling the story and selling the shot.
The idea is to create believable wear and
The composition had to be developed tear, so nothing too extreme nor too soft.
Here we used a combination of grunge
textures, scratches and paint stains, and
around the Slavers, but to empower them bump maps, with the additional grittiness
added in post-production.
we needed to showcase the environment FOUR BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER
mid-ground are the characters, and the background Once the characters and environments
disappears into the distance. Additional smoke, re and are set up, the lighting is what brings
sparks help bring the scene to life and add drama. the shot together. We created a lighting
We used Clo3D to rapidly create the cloth portions setup in Arnold with a total of eight lights,
of the Slavers suits. It enabled us to quickly create high- maintaining a cinematic look and feel: two
level details without the time overheads of physics- coloured area lights top left; two white
based simulations. Once we were happy with the cloth area lights bottom right; a strong white
look, we baked it and exported it back to ZBrush for area light behind; and one spotlight per
detailing, then Maya for texturing, UVs and bump maps. character to illuminate their faces.

68
There is no universal
pipeline for creating
a character, but Vasin
sets out a sample
workflow below

The detail in the


textures makes this
image realistic

Fundamentals
ZBRUSH | PHOTOSHOP
How do I create realistic
still life images?
John Seldon, UK

Francesca replies
My rst ever 3D piece was a still life
scene with plums and pears sitting
on some cloth. For me, realism
comes with the subtlest of things, like
imperfections and irregularity.
Taking my meshes into ZBrush, for example,
allowed me to sculpt into the plums as well as EXPERT TIP
areas of the cloth around the edges of where Face your fears
the fruit would be resting, which set the base When I was creating Sci-Fi
scene incredibly well. From there, I had to make Girl I had to face different
sure that my UV maps were clean, followed by difficulties and bugs. This
using photography to create my texture maps in is normal, and I think you
Photoshop for the fruit. By also adding texture need to know how to
maps in my material reection for the fruits, I fight them. This is why
got that almost dappled glossiness that you you take time to solve
get with plums and pears, which really made the such creative crises.
textures come to life.
Focusing on clean models and building an
environment for your still life objects is key.
But getting the textures as realistic as you
can by using real world photography, bump
maps if needed, and maps in your reections ZBRUSH | MUDBOX | MARVELOUS DESIGNER
for example really makes a massive difference
when trying to make your scene look as realistic What is a typical character design workflow?
as possible. I even ended up adding some water
droplets to the plums just to add another level
Anna Williams, Australia
of detailing to the image!

Vasin replies didnt use any unusual techniques here


First I start with a name. So, I because it is essential to have a clear
EXPERT TIP named this model Sci-Fi Girl. order of procedures when teaching the
Be imperfect The title is pretty simple but process of creating a character.
Nothing in the real world I think that every character Also, there is no universal pipeline for
is perfect or untouched. should be named in the early stages creating a character; it usually depends
For still life pieces, take of the modelling process this will on the task. For example, with the 3D
note of scratches on the determine the characters nature. models I create at Plarium Ukraine, the
surface, fingerprints or Its important when designing nal image is essential and the pipeline
the irregularity of characters to note that every type has does not matter.
certain textures. Its its inherent traits, form and nature. You However, in this example, the pipeline
all about attention notice this right away when you look at should be as simple as possible in order
to detail. famous artists concepts. Presently, sci- for everyone to follow. It goes something
girls are very popular, especially when like this: I develop the characters image;
their proportions kind of seduce the create a concept in ZBrush; retopologise
viewer. But I dont like clichs, so with in ZBrush; clean up the model and add
my character I incorporate serenity and details; UV mapping is done in Headus
femininity into the design. Working on UV Layout; bake the normal maps and
such a character is very interesting as displacement maps; textures are created
well as challenging. in Mudbox; scene adjustment and
The cloth on the girls thighs and skirt rendering in Maya; then into Photoshop
was simulated in Marvelous Designer. I for post-processing.

69
EXPERT PANEL ARTIST

Q&A
Bjorn Klaassen
Bjorn has a background
in post-production and
video games. He works
Fundamentals

in Themepark Construction as a 3D
generalist and Python developer.
www.nl.linkedin.com/in/bjornklaassen
Your software queries solved
Hugues Giboire
Hugues is a 3D artist
with more than 20
by our CG experts
years experience in the
CG industry. Hes a BAFTA nominee for
artistic achievement in video games.
www.3dpeyote.net

Mike Griggs
Mike is a concept 3D,
visual effects and motion
graphics artist
working across television, exhibition
and digital design.
www.creativebloke.com

Nuttavut
Baiphowongse
Nuttavut a creature
ZBRUSH | MAYA | PHOTOSHOP | NUKE
designer and character
artist. He freelances for the Aaron How do I model a lifelike dinosaur scene?
Sims Company and other studios.
www.baizilla.blogspot.co.uk
Jane Henderson, US

Bjorn replies
Research is always key to a
strong scene, especially with
dinosaurs. My example here
is a project that started as just
a dinosaur walk cycle, as a pitch for an
animation project, but it evolved into
this full rendering to be used as a wall
decoration at work; to teach children how
to see the world, as well as demonstrate
the scale of puertasaurus.
Research is key, then, especially when
creating a scene based on scientic
evidence. For example, the puertasaurus,
a titanosaur, was big even by dinosaur
standards; the largest found vertebrae
is 1.6 metres wide and scientist estimate
that the whole animal is about 30-35
meters long. The belly has enough space
for two hummer vehicles!
My dinosaur models are made in
ZBrush (with DynaMesh for fast model
iterations and ZRemesher for export)
while the scene layout, vegetation
(PaintFX), rigging, shaders and lighting
is done with Maya and mental ray.
Textures are created in both ZBrush
and Photoshop, then composited in
Nuke. I want to get the ZBrush model,
with all the detail, back into the render
this is accomplished with the use of
(vector) displacement and normal maps.

70
STEP-BY STEP RIGGING DINOSAUR MUSCLES
ONE MODEL THE DINOSAUR
This is the first ZBrush model. Take a
DynaMesh sphere, and then push and pull
it based on reference images and research
acquired before starting. The result is this
initial model pictured. I am using this as EXPERT TIP

Fundamentals
the base for the rig in Maya. Specular component
All of my fabrics are
TWO RIGGING THE MODEL composites of diffuse
The rig itself is quite basic. The neck is a and specular materials.
splineIK and the muscles are from Maya. Remember all materials
With this base setup I can check the have a specular
muscle flow, which is important as this will component.
form the base for the further work to be
done in ZBrush.
MAYA | OCTANE
THREE SET THE PROPORTIONS
After a while of going back and forth How can I create
between Maya and ZBrush, and following
the references, youll probably find new believable fabrics in 3D?
proportions as I did. Its important to pose
the rig in Maya and send it back to ZBrush
Eugene Clarke, US
to see how the deformations occur. This
way both the model and the rig get quite
a few fast iterations. Hugues replies
Whether its for modelling, lighting or,
FOUR TEST THE POSE in this case, creating textures, I love
The final model in a test pose. Since working in details. Naturally, one of
new models from ZBrush get instantly my favourite ways to approach the
incorporated into the rig, which has a few construction of precise textures is to rst look at
poses setup with keyframes, I can easily how much of it can be achieved using procedural
see if there are problems. All in all it was a methods. I like that procedural textures take very
pretty smooth ride for this project. little memory and allow for extreme detailing
and nesse at almost no cost other than render
time. I recently found myself in need of a variety
The 3D scenes are kept small and of fabric materials and decided to create them
split into different les for use with all using simple procedural functions.
referencing. This keeps down load times The rst thing I like to look at is the bump
while iterating, and theres less risk of or displacement texture, as it is the one that
scene-breaking changes, automatic rig conveys the most information. To start, I use
updates and so forth. The main scene simple sine waves to create the threads, which
contains only the materials and render I then combine into a weave using a simple
layers. To lower iteration times, I write chequerboard texture. The size ratio of the weft
small scripts in Python. For example, and warp threads, as well as the horizontal and
textures chosen by me are automatically vertical proportions of the chequerboard, help
reloaded in Maya, linear workow nodes dene the initial weave of the fabric. Using this
simple technique, we can create a wide variety of
I kept the 3D scenes small weave patterns that provide good starting bases
ready for further enrichment.
We can use fractal noises to slightly distort
and split it into different the threads and eliminate the obvious overall
symmetry of the weave. By using similar noise
les, which meant I could functions, we can modulate the weaves intensity
globally to offer a slightly uneven surface. I
iterate more easily usually create a few surface noises to create
variation in depth and other incidental details.
get setup automatically; theres also a
EXPERT TIP switch between a fast smooth-bound
Set the composition version for posing and a muscle-bound WEFT WARP MASK RESULT
Mock up the scene with one for rendering.
dummies before the real Finally, I dont tweak the 3D scenes
models are done. This way on materials and lighting, I let the
youll have control on how to compositing take care of making it
guide the viewer through pretty. I ood Nuke with all kinds
the picture. Using relative of passes such as specular colours, You can add fractal noises to slightly distort the threads
scale helps; I used small ID-mattes, depth, occlusion, shadow and eliminate the obvious overall symmetry of the weave
reptiles and trees. and indirect lighting.

71
ARTIST Q&A
Fundamentals

EXPERT TIP
Selectable geometry
To create the material
selection areas, use Airtight
Final w/parts with Material
Groups selected to create
polygon election sets,
these can be selected in the
Statistics window. These
The new boolean selection sets can also
modelling plug-in for be used for detail
Modo could transform enhancement with
the way you work Modos modelling
wider toolset.

MODO | MESHFUSION STEP-BY STEP USING MESHFUSION


ONE CHOOSE THE OBJECTS
How do I use MeshFusion in Start with one of MeshFusions Qbic Mesh
sphere objects. Add another Cubic Qbic
Modo for rapid prototyping into the item list and select them both
with the cube to subtract from the sphere.
Timothy Martell, Australia Even if you get the order wrong simply
click and drag the objects to the right node
in the interactive MeshFusion tree. Then
Mike replies use Modos modelling tools to adjust the
The new MeshFusion plug-in for Modo sphere to a shape which you like.
could transform the way that you approach
modelling in 3D. The intuitive tree view allows TWO CREATE SCULPTED SIDES
you to visualise all of the meshes in your Add another Qbic sphere and then drag it
MeshFusion object and their boolean interaction with from the item list onto your mesh object:
each other. The rapid prototyping of designs is an area Modo asks which MeshFusion task youd
where MeshFusion excels. like to perform with this object. Choose
For this training Ive created a new shape for a mouse; subtraction and move the new sphere
this would normally require the creation of a Nurbs to the side of the MeshFusion object to
model in another application or a very complex subD sculpt out a thumb grip. In polygon mode
model which would be hard to iterate, with MeshFusion duplicate the sphere so you can sculpt both
we can start with a simple base shape, which you can add sides independently or with Symmetry.
or subtract from with either preset meshes or meshes
that you make yourself with Modos modelling toolset. THREE CREATE THE BUTTONS
This same advanced modelling toolset can be used Make an intersection mesh by adding a thin
to tweak meshes on the y once they have been added Qbic object which enables you to create
to the MeshFusion objects to tweak your design as you thin cuts into the surface. Duplicate the thin
Qbic object and rotate it 90 degrees to form
Use the strip tools within MeshFusion to the front cut for the buttons; add it as an
intersection object. Go to Polygon mode and
flip the polys for each thin object to create
rene the corner and intersection edges the cuts. Repeat this process for the side cuts,
but use the Bend tool create curved cuts.
to create proles that enhance the shape FOUR REFINE THE MODEL
go. As you rene the model, use the strip tools within Once youre happy with the overall shape,
MeshFusion to rene the corner and intersection edges refine the edges by using the Strip tool.
to create proles that you feel enhance the overall shape Adjust the profile and width of the strips
of the model. When you have a shape that you like, you either one at a time or by using the Select
can preview the design with your client via a simple single Sibling Sub-Strips to choose all the strips
material options render. When you have sign off, you can on a specific intersection between the two
convert the model into an airtight mesh for 3D printing or shapes. Now youre happy with your model,
for more complex 3D work such as advanced texturing, you can use Modos render tools to create a
both of which can be handled within Modo. render of your live MeshFusion prototype.

72
An unused alien
design for Falling
Skies season 2

EXPERT TIP
Create cool FX
Experiment with the
alignment of your

Fundamentals
lens attachments
in order to create
interesting tilt- and
shift-like effects!

MAYA | OCTANE
Is there any way to
recreate camera optics?
Elana Rizzo, Italy

Hugues replies
From thin lens, to panoramic, to
sh-eye, many unbiased rendering
engines now offer the possibility of
using physical camera lens simulations
to render out images and allow for realistic EXPERT TIP
camera behaviour. Still, theres a limit to what is Artistic inuences
offered to us. What are our options if we want I tend to look at nature
to use completely intangible setups to create a and the work of leading
wide range of optical effects and even defects? artists for inspiration:
Failing everything else, the natural choice would People such as Jerad S
be to turn to post processing, but wheres the Marantz, Aaron Sims,
fun in that? As always, I want to see the results in Vitaly Bulgarov, Carlos
my renders. Fortunately, good physically based Hunate, Takayuki Takeya
renderers will allow us to close that gap. and Allen Williams.
In one of my projects, I needed to gure out a
way to distort the light reected by the subject
in order to create an uneven underwater look ZBRUSH | KEYSHOT | PHOTOSHOP
with strange chromatic aberrations. After a bit
of experimenting, I found that the best way to Whats the trick for making realistic aliens?
approach was simply to create attachments for
the camera. One of the easiest ways to do this is
Nathan Biggs, UK
to parent a sphere with inverted normals around
the camera. Anything beyond the boundaries of
that reverse bubble will be seen by the renderer Nuttavut replies accident, where interesting shapes and
as an innite eld made of the material you After deciding the body shape forms occur. Then I look back at the
assign to it. By adjusting the refraction settings of the alien consider what kind reference and mix specic details in.
and giving our materials subsurface scattering or of folds, wrinkles and detail You need to think about how deeply
dispersive properties, we can get alien effects. you should add. I always start detailed each section needs to be. I
by looking at reference material, which recommend using the Slash3 brush for
includes my book library, images found adding detail. Compared to the Dam
We can extend online, and my favourite new reference Standard brush, the Slash3 brush makes
this technique by website, Pinterest. deeper marks and I feel more in control
creating wide For this alien I chose to use a mixture with this brush.
varieties of of insect details and old peoples Other things to consider are: dont
attachments wrinkled skin. Once youve got your put too much detail everywhere leave
reference sorted its time to jump back some space in your work; and think
into ZBrush. Before I put detail in I tend about the use of soft and sharp edges in
to experiment with alpha maps. I have a your detail. I use these two rules all the
big alpha library, gathered from various time. Make sure the detail in your work is
websites or custom-made by myself. I dynamic; show how you care about the
use a mixture of alphas to nd a happy small elements.

73
EXPERT PANEL ARTIST

Q&A
Alexis Anderson
Freelance artist Alexis
creates 2D and 3D art
and also has a passion
Fundamentals

for grafti art that has inspired his


modelling for this issues Q&A.
www.laedokrt.blogspot.co.uk
Your software queries solved
Hugues Giboire
Hugues is a 3D artist
with more than 20
by our CG experts
years experience in the
CG industry. Hes a BAFTA nominee for
artistic achievement in video games.
www.3dpeyote.net

Francesca Forzoni
Frankie is a 3D artist
and visualiser in London.
She has recently moved
from working in post-production
to branding and packaging.
www.francescaforzoni.com

Lee Souder
Lee is a cinematic artist
ZBRUSH | MAYA
at Treyarch, and has
previously worked for How can I finish off
Trion, EA and Sony, where he created
models for God of War: Ascension. my mech design?
www.leesouder.com
Matthew Griffiths, UK
Tomi Visnen
Tomi is a 3D generalist
and compositor working Lee replies
in the advertising The last stretch of completing
industry. His clients have included your mech design can be the
McDonalds and drinks brand Pommac. most gruelling. The beginning
www.tomivaisanen.com is always the most exciting,
but staying focused and motivated at the
end can be tough. Here I suggest four
things to think about while nishing up.
The most important would be mimicking
design details. Try to reuse design

Try to reuse design elements


to speed up concepting and
keep the mech cohesive
elements as best you can. This will work
two-fold by speeding up concepting and
keeping the mech cohesive.
If your model is very balanced, add
some asymmetry. Use this asymmetry to
guide the viewers eye and mix things up.
Most machines are asymmetrical anyway.
As you come across problem areas, cover
it up with nCloth: Sometimes you cant
gure out a connection solution. I like to Choose a maximum of
cheat by wrapping that area with cloth. four colours in your mech
Finally, limit your palette to four colours. I design to keep it clean
feel this is the maximum number of hues

74
EXPERT TIP
Use asymmetry
Use asymmetry to
add wires, decals,
techy modules,
missing parts and
so on. This will help
to make your mech
STEP-BY-STEP MAKING A COHESIVE MECH look interesting
and real.
ONE MIMIC DESIGN DETAILS
For this mech, half the inspiration came
from robotic factory arms and the other
half from aggressive sportscar styling. Try
to mimic your details as much as possible.
Whenever I get stuck in an area, I look

Fundamentals
around the model itself for ideas. I set
up some rules so I can hold the design
together. My first rule is to use angular
styling for any armour plate. The second is
to use ring bolts that are found on robotic
arms for any rotation joint.

TWO ADD NCLOTH TO PROBLEM PARTS


Cloth can save you time when elements
do not connect smoothly. I solve this by
using nCloth in Maya. Copy your geometry
and reduce it to its basic form without 3DS MAX | MUDBOX | FUSION
fine details. Next, cut it up or smooth it for
dense quads and good topology. Scale it How can I give my sci-fi
up so the cloth encases the problem area.
Convert the dense geo to nCloth and let characters a realistic look?
the CPU take over! Try not to overdo it.
Save nCloth for when you catch yourself
Sarah Jackson, UK
wasting too much time.

THREE ADD ASYMMETRY Tomi replies


Once everything is working design wise, I dont usually worry too much about
add some asymmetry. These can be wires, realism or how useful designs could be
decals, techy modules, missing parts, and in a real life, therefore my main point
so on. This works well just like in character is trying to nd a nice ow of different
design when someone has a scar or forms and shapes and by doing this a realism
parrot on their shoulder. Most machines emerges in the model.
never look perfect, but they usually have Modelling is by far the most time-consuming
some random functional attachments. My part, my character bust pictured here is
favourite is when sportscars have an offset modelled with 3ds Max. I use Mudbox to sculpt
bulge on the hood. Since this asymmetry some minor parts, like the neck area. I start by
will stick out, make sure you mean for the blocking out the main shapes, and then begin
viewer to look there. to play around with the details. Doing it this way
means I create elements as I go, in time I have
FOUR MATERIAL HIERARCHY gathered a huge library of different nuts and
I tend to stick to a maximum of four bolts of my own so theres no need to model
different colours and if necessary, two these separately. I also love to recycle geometry
different accents. Its best to develop a from earlier projects, too.
hierarchy of these materials. For example, Rendering is done with V-Ray and most of the
I used a matte graphene for body shapes, materials are fairly simple, with different glosses
a glossy black for an accent, a shiny grey and colour variations. Not a single piece is
metal for the angular pieces and a chrome unwrapped, everything is done using Box, Planar
accent for tiny pieces like bolts. The cloth or Cylindrical mapping options because I nd
was just a dirty greenish tint. Finally, I used it is quicker to do it this way.
a bright red for the sparse wires to make When it comes to the compositing I render
things pop. out the typical passes and composite them with
eyeons Fusion. Fusion is a great tool for working
with a linear colour space and very good for
that should be used, as otherwise your to keep in mind. Vehicles are beautiful adjusting the overall colours in a render.
design will become too busy. forms because their language hardly After this I take the render into Photoshop.
Most of my theories come from changes. The tail lights and headlights I blend in different textures and paint where
analysing the human gure and sports use similar forms and shapes. The necessary. Its also fun to try different render
cars. Mechs are essentially walking curves and angles also stay on the passes in obscure ways and mix these up with
vehicles. When you look at a person, the same wavelength. blending modes. Even if youre trying to attain
most interesting part is their face and In addition, if you hit a difcult area, a level of realism dont be afraid to experiment.
the way it moves. Make sure your mech move on to another and come back to the At the nal stage I add in the z-depth,
has character and work up the detail problem later. When you return, you will different lters, chromatic aberrations and
on the face. In contrast, the average most likely see it differently. The mech vignettes and anything that comes to mind the
persons mid section and chest do not here was rst sketched in ZBrush to get thing is there should be a little bit of everything,
have as much detail. The parallels of started as a 3D modeller, I nd it easier but on a really small scale, to get that real look.
transportation design are very necessary to sketch in 3D when concepting.

75
ARTIST Q&A

STEP-BY STEP GET THE CLAY LOOK


Fundamentals

ONE SCULPT THE CLAY INTO SHAPE


I often use the Clay and Trim Adaptive
brushes. Try to mimic the strokes someone
would do when they drag their finger over
a clay material. Here you can build and
subtract until you get the desired look.

EXPERT TIP
Find your own look
When you are working in 3D,
dont get stuck at making
it exactly right, or exactly
how it should be done.
Instead find your own
aesthetic approach. Better
fake and interesting than
perfect and boring! TWO APPLY IMPERFECTIONS
Start with the creases and crackles. Paint
crackles in Photoshop and save them as
MAYA | ZBRUSH | PHOTOSHOP .psd files, then in ZBrush click the Brush
Alpha and import the .psd file. After that
How can I achieve the look of modelling clay? use dragRect to place them randomly.
Chris Maskell, UK

Alexis replies a nger dragging over the clay and


The rst thing I do when I sculpting it just as if it is real clay or
create a material is that I always plasticine that you are trying to mould.
look for a lot of references Clay usually has creases and
on the internet. In this case I ngerprints. To make these ne details
searched for clay, wet clay, play doh and we can use alphas in ZBrush. I looked for
plasticine or whatever I could come up ngerprints on the internet, but if you
with. I do this to nd the look that I am have ink you can make your own. You THREE ADD THE FINGERPRINTS
searching for and to see the differences in then import it to Photoshop and invert Next add the fingerprints. Be careful not
the behaviour of the material. I also have it because the white part in the alpha is to overdo it with the fingerprints and
to see how the material reacts to different whats affecting the mesh; its like with a dont repeat them too much, it could look
types of lighting. bump map. Then you need to save the artificial and not realistic at all.
le as a .psd and import it to ZBrush as
ZBrush is an extremely powerful tool for an alpha. I choose to paint the creases in
using Photoshop.
Now, returning to ZBrush, I choose the
sculpting in details... It allows you to Standard brush and for the stroke I select
the dragrRect. Finally, by selecting the
work with a very high polygon count alpha I can drag out the details.
When I am done in ZBrush I use Multi
When I have nished my character Map Exporter to extract the maps that
in Maya I export it to ZBrush to make a I need. For my render here I exported a
detailed clay look. ZBrush is an extremely 32-bit displacement and a cavity map.
powerful tool for sculpting details on For rendering in Maya I use V-Ray and FOUR USE NOISE TO ADD REALISM
models. It allows you to work with a very Fast SSS 2 Mtl on the character, and play Next, break up the perfect fingerprints and
high polygon count. with the parameters to get the effects use Trim Adaptive again. We want it to
In ZBrush I use Claybrush and Trim that I want. I use a pretty low scatter look like weve worked with it a lot, so the
Dynamic to kind of roughen up and radius as otherwise details like the fingerprints will be in layers. Finally, add
randomise the mesh, and try to simulate ngerprints would be blown out. noise to break up the surface a bit more.

76
Materials make your
model come to
life so spend time
crafting each one

From a very simple model, to


a quick panorama and a final
render even with such a
simple environment, the lighting
already shows a wealth of EXPERT TIP
tones and bounced light Post-processing
Put your panorama
CINEMA 4D through editing software
in order to adjust as many
How do I get started with

Fundamentals
aspects as you want.
I tend to boost the contrast,
materials in Cinema 4D? saturation and hotspots,
and add elements like
Alex Peters, London glows to enhance the
final results.

Francesca replies
There are a million possibilities when
creating materials. I would suggest
you go in and play! To create a new
material, double click in the Material
Manager to create a new material, then click
the material youve just created which opens up
the Material Editor and this is how you go about
building your material. To apply this material
to an object you can either drag and drop it
straight onto the object into your scene or drag
it onto your object over on the right hand side,
in the Object Manager, where there is a list of
Asian Dragon Model courtesy of XYZ RGB Inc.

everything in your scene.


Go back to your material and tick your Colour
channel, here you can play with your base colour
and youll also see a Texture tab with a little
arrow and this is in all of your channels. When
clicking on this Texture arrow, you can add
images, noise, Fresnel and many more effects;
and within each of these are multiple parameters
that allow you to control those effects you
can even animate these textures. You can add
Transparency to make objects completely
transparent or translucent; or you can add
Luminance or Glow to create a glowing effect. MAYA | MUDBOX | OCTANE RENDER
Bump and Displacement maps are also put into
your materials here, to create the appearance of, How can I use an HDRI environment proxy
or to create, actual texture.
There are also preset materials that you can to light a 3D asset in a scene?
have a look at in Cinema 4D that may give you
a better understanding
Julia Fullman, New Zealand
on how materials can
EXPERT TIP be broken down and
Endless possibilities constructed. There Hugues replies an open doorway and two windows that
If youre just starting out are lots of places to As part of an ongoing project, I can very easily modify, or bring into
in Cinema build some test learn about using I am faced with the arduous Mudbox or ZBrush, to sculpt or paint
scenes and play with various materials in Cinema task of lighting a scene with walls and rough details. I then render
colour, reflections, masks 4D, including 3D multiple characters. I want the a panoramic image of the environment
and bump maps within your Worlds YouTube lighting to be as accurate and rich as and save it in HDR format. Now I use
materials. The best way to channel and the possible, but I also want it to be coming this image to light the scene containing
learn is by trying to replicate magazines own entirely from the physical environment my characters.
textures around you, so website www. that surrounds my subjects. The This means I can now go back to my
take this as your creativebloq.com. environment is my light rig. environment and increase the detail
starting point. For more immediate The creation process for such a precise where needed or add more models to
training you should log- approach takes a lot of tweaking. It is the scene, adjust the sun direction and
on to your Vault account at a heavy procedure. In order to simplify re-render the panoramic proxy until I
www.3dworldmag.com/vault to download your this process, allow for a more exible am satised with the overall depth of
free beginners guide to using Cinema 4D, called workow and faster iteration speed, I illumination. It greatly accelerates the
R15 Crash Course the video training covers worked on the environment separately by rendering time of the nal subjects, and
everything from modelling, animation, texturing using an HDR environment proxy. allows for photo manipulation on the
and rendering in an hour. The perfect starting I created a very simplied version of my environment probe itself in Photoshop to
point to learn Cinema 4D, and its free! environment that I could rapidly iterate adjust light intensity, gamma and global
on in this example, a simple room with or local colour grading.

77
EXPERT PANEL ARTIST

Q&A
Hugues Giboire
Hugues is a 3D artist
with more than 20
years experience in the
Fundamentals

CG industry. Hes a Bafta nominee for


artistic achievement in video games.
www.3dpeyote.net
Your software queries solved
Francesca Forzoni
Frankie is a 3D artist
and visualiser in London.
by our CG experts
She has recently moved
from working in post-production
to branding and packaging.
www.francescaforzoni.com

Gleb Alexandrov
Gleb is a 3D artist and
indie game developer.
He has been involved
in developing games, educational
projects and historical reconstructions.
cgcookie.com/prole/spelle
MAYA | PHOTOSHOP
Erik Major
Hungary-based Erik has How can I have maximum control when
been using Cinema 4D
R15 for over two years, retouching glass products?
since discovering the software its
become his tool of choice.
Brandon Mayes, UK
www.erik-major.tumblr.com

Rob Redman Francesca replies


Rob is the technical Ive always found that its
editor of 3D World, best to render out as much
and is a digital artist information as possible so
and designer with over a decades that when you composite your
experience in the CG industry. render in Photoshop or Nuke, you have
3dworld.creativebloq.com everything you need to recreate your
image and achieve the result you want.
This Diesel bottle was the rst glass
product Id ever attempted to build in 3D,
so there was a multitude of things I had Take some photographs if possible, as these will
to learn. Before you get to the retouch help when it comes to retouching the final image
stage though, there are a few things Id
recommend especially when modelling
glass objects. to real-world scale this will create
Have the object youre building to more accurate lighting results, as well as
hand, if at all possible. Look at how the helping if you need to move your model
in and out of different applications,
Look at how light shines through the especially if youre using RealFlow.
Make sure you have a clean mesh and
double check your normals to avoid
object, and how light affects the colours any inconsistencies when lighting glass
objects. And if you are lling your glass
seen within the glass and the liquid with liquid, ensure that the liquid mesh
lies in between the interior and exterior
light shines through the object, and how of your glass model.
light affects the colours that can be seen When it comes to lighting glass
within the glass and the liquid. objects I normally try a few different
Id also recommend taking some HDRs for a base lighting, then set up
photographs at this point, as you will three-point lighting to mimic traditional
nd it useful to incorporate these when lighting setups. However, to achieve
it comes to retouching your nal image. more intricate strip lighting you can
When you start modelling in 3D, build build upon your basic setup if need be.

78
EXPERT TIP
Render all options
Render in layers, separate
out your main objects
(if there are a lot of
reflections) and make
use of multi-passes. This
allows you to rebuild your
image from scratch in
Photoshop and gives you
optimum control over
all aspects.
CINEMA 4D
How do I set up global
illumination in Cinema 4D?

Fundamentals
Alison Whittaker, UK

Erik replies
This image was created for a
Greyscalegorilla render challenge,
and as a chance to show what can I
do. Thankfully I didnt have to model
the grape because I found an ideal readymade
model from CG artist Jarom Brand.
I used global illumination, and within the
global illumination I used Interior/Preview (High
Diffuse Depth) and made two softboxes with
the disc object and one overhead box with the
Bezier Spline and Extrude Nurbs combination.
The light setup was the easiest part, because
I have a lot of experience in studio photography
from my school studies.
The hardest part of this project was to nd the
STEP-BY-STEP MODELLING GLASS OBJECTS right material, because at rst the colour of my
grapes didnt look real. I made a lot of versions
ONE LIGHT LINKING before I found the solution: the colour was
Linking up lights to objects separately initially too unied, so I used the Noise option
allows you to tailor each part of your within the colour to mix the brightest and the
model to achieve the highlights you want. darkest green, and I added a little reection with
I find this really helps when doing glass fresnel. The water drops were given a simple
products and cars in particular. For my transparency and high specular height.
Diesel bottle, I had lights purely for the The render challenge wasnt a particularly
glass and lights linked only to the chrome complex project and the render time was
lid. You have a lot more control this way, extremely short but thats what makes the
and when rendering you can render results really surprising.
individual passes for each light, which
again helps so much when retouching.

TWO V-RAY MULTI-PASS RENDERING


Making use of multi-passes allows you
to retouch your render with maximum
control. Material or objects IDs are a
must for creating quick masks when
retouching. I like to render out a ZDepth
pass (to create depth of field in my
shots) by inputting it into the Lens Blur
in Photoshop. Heres a good tutorial on EXPERT TIP
compositing in Photoshop Id recommend: Google is your friend
www.bit.ly/184-compositing Nowadays its simpler to
learn how to use a software
like Cinema 4D using online
THREE RENDER OBJECTS SEPARATELY resources. You can watch
Once everything is set up with lights, tutorials, read blogs and
cameras and multi-passes, I find it really if you have a question you
helpful to set up render layers. With glass can join a forum youll
bottles I normally render a master layer, quickly find people who
then the glass with the floor, without can help you!
the floor, and the lid separately if youre
getting too many reflections from your
bottle. That, combined with your multi-
passes, should provide you with enough Erik modelled his grapes for a CG challenge, and found
information to create a final product the material and colour the hardest elements to get right
composition youre happy with.

79
ARTIST Q&A
EXPERT TIP
Here we have three Light scattering
spots turned on, two You can also use geometry
reflectors and minimal other than simple planes
setup time. Unlike here, as emitters to scatter your
remember to turn off light in different manners.
the planes primary You can create simple gels
visibility for your or even highly diffractive
final renders! shaders to obtain
STEP-BY STEP CREATE DRAMATIC KEY ART exotic effects!

ONE SET UP YOUR OBJECT


This technique is used for object-centric
shots. Build a simple generic stage that
will not distract your viewers from the
focus in this case, a simple cylinder
Fundamentals

covered with an nCloth object. Once this is


in place, organise the planes around your
main subject in a geometric pattern. Keep
the setup clean and name your objects
appropriately so that you can easily tell
which one you will affect, depending on
their respective shaders.

TWO SET UP THE UVS INPUT


Thai Statue Model courtesy of XYZ RGB Inc

Remember that each of the planes


arranged around your focal object must
have UVs in order to be able to support
texture input. Set the UVs to a range of
0 to 1. This could not be easier. I always RESHAPE RAMP
use a 16-bit gradient texture to drive
the intensity of my spotlights and keep
the manipulations as precise as possible.
These gradients are then reshaped using
ramps in order to vary their intensity and
radius and overall aspect.
MAYA | MUDBOX | OCTANE RENDER
THREE PROCEDURAL TEXTURES
How do I set up a quick To add depth to the lights, we can use
further layering. First I multiply the x x =
shader-driven light stage? output with a colour. Then, thinking of
it as simple mattes and shades for your
Jean Baptiste, France lights using procedural textures, we can
create objects like blinds or barn doors.
All we need to do then is to adjust the x x =
Hugues replies width and height ratio of the texture.
Sometimes I am asked to create images for Alternatively, we can use simple bitmaps
product visualisation. One of the challenges for more exotic effects, like foliage or INPUT COLOUR MASK OUTPUT
of this type of project is the lighting setup. more geometric shapes.
You have to make sure that the subjects
contours and silhouette are nicely underlined to present FOUR PLACING REFLECTORS
it in the best light and to accentuate the aspects the Once we are satisfied with the overall
client wants to put forward. orientation, colour and intensity of our
When I work, I like to experiment with novel lights, we still have the option to polish
techniques. Unbiased rendering engines offer us the the final results by placing reflectors
possibility to work in ways that werent possible before, around the scene in order to diffuse
and I like to take advantage of that. With this in mind, I the light on the darkest contours of our
recently had to create a series of renders for small items. subject. Generally simple bright planes do
I decided to create a simple object-centric light stage the trick but sometimes, by adding a slight
that I could reuse for every single render, with the ability colour or specular aspect to the shader
to quickly manipulate and modify the lighting setup that assigned to the reflector, we can enhance
would then be shared across all scenes. the richness of the final result.

Thinking of the set of planes as a sphere Thinking of the whole set of planes as a simple sphere
centred on my subject, I can easily rotate the entire rig
centred on my subject, I can rotate the to adjust it to the view angle, and scale it up and down
in order to t the size of the subject. Each light is driven
entire rig to adjust it to the view angle by a simple circular or square gradient texture that I
reshape through a scalar ramp.
This setup comprises a set of 14 planes organised We can use procedural or raster textures to add
symmetrically around the object to be rendered. Each details to our lights, like barn doors, blinds or even
of these planes is set as a light emitter driven by its own import high dynamic range (HDR) images of windows
shader. The shader attributes are shared across the or any other bitmap source to add more richness to our
board and each shader instance is named after the plane scene, and provide a good ll light if necessary. Finally,
it is assigned to (for example, top, bottom, and left). a couple of simple diffuse reector planes strategically
That way, I can easily control each plane independently. positioned around the object help seal the deal.

80
EXPERT TIP
Get the rays just right
In order to get high-quality
images from path tracing, a
large number of rays must
be traced to avoid visible
noisy artefacts, but dont be
afraid to cut the maximum
light bounces and caustics
chances are the scene
will not lose too much
if set up correctly.
CINEMA 4D
Can I create an object
in Cinema 4D without

Fundamentals
modelling by hand?
Jo Chen, China

Rob Redman replies


The need to create an object without
modelling by hand crops up now and
then, for various reasons. There are
times when using textures to add
detail is the best way but its less common for
people to model base geometry this way.
That doesnt mean it cant or shouldnt
be done though. There are times when this
technique will come in handy, from simulating
how objects might interact (think tyre tracks
in the mud, or footprints in deep snow) to
generating terrains. Its this second example
that well be looking at here.
Its actually very easy to do and works much
the same as using a displacement or bump
map. The main difference is that you get real
geometry that you can then use like any other
object in your scene.
The rst thing to do is create the texture not
a material, an actual image le that you want
to use. This should be a greyscale image, where BLENDER
black is your lowest level and white is the highest,
so white would make the peaks in a mountain Is there any way I can reduce noise in Cycles?
range in this example.
Save the image as a 16-bit le to help cure
Charlie Friend, UK
any smoothing issues you might get. It can
sometimes be worth blurring the image a little as
well. Now add a relief object from the primitives Gleb replies management tab. The same goes for
menu to your scene and, in its attributes, set the The default Cycles settings the caustics usually the effect is subtle,
basic size and polygon count seems to be congured to so consider disabling it.
and, more importantly, load give us the physically correct Light clamping is meant to take care
EXPERT TIP your height map in the render straight away, with all of very bright pixels caused by lighting,
Height to normal Texture eld. bells and whistles. For example, the but it can be used to lower the amount
Its worth trying out a Once done, you can maximum number of Diffuse, Glossy and of overall noise (try values of 1 to 5).
plug-in or app like NMG control the overall Transparency bounces is set pretty high, However, if overused it can destroy all
to use your height map height using the top and Caustics is enabled and higher values the specular highlights and bright spots,
to create other maps, bottom level controls. of light arent clamped. The transparent so use it with caution.
such as normal or bump, shadows have also been enabled. Multiple primary samples of the
This really helps you While this default setting leads to a environment are also a must-have when
get your material physically correct result, which is very you use an HDR image to illuminate your
details to match. handy, in some cases it introduces too scene. And if you have semi-transparent
much noise in the picture, or slows down objects like balloons or alpha-mapped
the render, which leads to fewer samples leaves in it, you can try disabling
per minute and can result in a noisy transparent shadows. It takes the burden
picture anyway. of transparency calculations out of the
So what can we do? Often we can get rendering and reduces the workload
away with limiting the maximum number for Cycles.
of light bounces to two or even one. There is one nal setting you can
Usually these numbers are sufcient to adjust that works wonders when you
You will notice there is a checkbox for Spherical Mode. get the global illumination working. We have a lot of glossy materials: set Filter
This is great for loading in height maps for planets, can compensate for scene darkening Glossy to 1 to reduce the noise in the
making creating a solar system animation really easy by cranking up the ambient lighting glossy materials and you will even get
or tweaking the gamma in the Colour some new highlights as a bonus.

81
EXPERT PANEL ARTIST

Q&A
Gleb Alexandrov
Gleb is a 3D artist and
indie game developer.
He has been involved
Fundamentals

in developing games, educational


projects and historical reconstructions.
cgcookie.com/prole/spelle
Your software queries solved
Hugues Giboire
Hugues is a 3D artist
with more than 20
by our CG experts
years experience in the
CG industry. Hes a Bafta nominee for
artistic achievement in video games.
www.3dpeyote.net

Paul Hatton
As the 3D visualisation
team leader at CADS 3D,
Paul creates renders and
models, visualisations, animations and
interactive walkthroughs.
cadesignservices.co.uk/3d

Rob Redman 3DS MAX


Rob is the technical
editor of 3D World, Is there an easy way to create complex
and is a digital artist
and designer with over a decades and interesting surfaces from 2D splines?
experience in the CG industry.
3dworld.creativebloq.com
Louis Marks, USA

Mike Zheng
Originally from Toronto Paul replies EXPERT TIP
and currently living This is a great question and I Reduce your regions
in Los Angeles, Mike want to propose an answer to it When trying to make sure your
specialises in look development, that is not immediately obvious regions are three or four sides,
lighting, and compositing for when you think of the tools make use of the Create Line
production and is currently at MPC. that are available to you in 3ds Max. The tool in the Geometry rollout
www.linkedin.com/in/mikezhangvfx reality is that if you can use multiple tools with Automatic Welding
in conjunction with each other then you turned on. You can insert
can do some really powerful things. lines between vertices to
The technique most people use when reduce the number of sides
modelling is the polygon modelling in your regions.
technique which involves adjusting
vertices, polygons and edges to build up
your model. You can then apply smooth
modiers on top to generate topology
in between your base mesh. While this
method has its benets, when it comes
to creating organic objects in a quick and
easy way, I prefer a different technique.
I do it by utilising the power of splines.
They are exible, simple to use and yet
incredibly powerful. They allow you to
create organic shapes and adjust their
overall look by moving only a few vertices.
Now youre probably wondering how
on earth you go from simple splines to
complex surfaces. Well what we have to
do is think of our object as a series of
cross sections. If our object can be split
up into multiple slices whereby each This decorative ornament model has been created using five simple
slice is made up of a similar shape then splines. Its a great technique to make organic shapes, like lamp shades

82
STEP-BY-STEP USING SPLINES
ONE BACKGROUND
To create complex surfaces we will use
multiple splines and two separate modifiers,
the cross-section modifier which connects
the splines together and the surface MAXWELL RENDER
modifier which adds a surface on top of the
How can I control Maxwell

Fundamentals
splines. The thing to remember is that the
surface modifier will only create geometry
where there are three or four-sided regions. grass for my renders?
You will need to add extra splines to your
shapes to ensure the regions are not made
Dominique Benage, UK
up of more than four sides.

TWO CREATE THE SPLINES Rob replies


Create your first spline; hold down [Shift] The key to working with Maxwell
while you move or scale the spline. We must grass is all down to the use of maps.
use the first spline as a base as all splines Many aspects of the nal render can
must have the same number of vertices, be dialled in using numeric values,
and the first vertex of each spline must but you may nd that your grass still looks too
be aligned, otherwise the cross-section uniform, which isnt quite believable, even if you
modifier wont do a good job of joining need a neat lawn!
them together. Build up your splines until By painting maps, or even using procedurally
you are happy with the shape. This will take generated noise you can achieve a much better
a little imagination; try to think of how your result, while retaining complete control over
object would be split into cross sections. each element.
If you add a Maxwell grass tag to a simple
THREE ADD CROSS SECTION MODIFIER plain, then open its Attributes menu you will see
With your splines all set up and ready a number of elds, some already open (for the
to go, add the cross-section modifier. basic functions), while others need unfolding to
You will see that it creates new splines have a closer look at what you can do.
by connecting the equivalent vertices For the actual colour of the grass you can
between splines. Because the tool works use a standard material, dropping it into the
like this, it is vital that each spline has the appropriate slot, but other elds require you to
same number of vertices and that they are load an image le. These tend to be for things
aligned properly. At this stage it also makes like length or density.
sense to edit the splines to ensure that For the density I painted a map in Photoshop.
every region is either three- or four-sided. Its very simple; just a greyscale image with black
This is preparation for the next modifier. where I dont want any grass to grow and white
where I want full coverage. You can see the
FOUR ADD SURFACE MODIFIER results live by turning on Maxwell Fire, meaning
Finally, apply the surface modifier. This quick tweaks are fast and easy.
will create the geometry required. If there You can paint similar maps for the length and
are any places that the geometry is not other attributes. Here I used a modied version
created then this will be because you of the same map for the length, which resulted in
have regions that are more than four longer grass in the areas where it is denser. Try it
sides. I always try to create four-sided for yourself and experiment!
regions so that when the surface is
applied it will all be made up of quads.
This is ideal for smoothing. You can still
make edits to the base splines at this
stage if required.

we can use this technique. Examples


would include a snake, a tree or a lamp Splines allow you to create
tting. Rather than working these items
up using polygons, we can create a series organic shapes and adjust
of splines, one for each section and then Not only can you create
join them together using a couple of
built-in 3ds Max modiers.
their overall look by moving and use maps for texturing
and controlling things like
To describe it is probably harder than
to just show you how to do it. Once
only a few vertices grass growth, but you can
also make use of them in
youve got your head around it, its an Maxwells SimuLens.
incredibly simple and useful technique Try adding smudges on
that you will no doubt make use of on a the virtual lens or shapes
regular basis. So lets dive into the steps. for bokeh effects.

83
ARTIST Q&A
EXPERT TIP
Generated mapping
for textures
When you want to move fast
through texturing, try using
procedural mapping types:
Generated and Object. These
texture coordinates dont
require you to prepare the UV
maps, so the time saved on
this procedure can be spent
on tweaking the values of
the mapping nodes.

Old and rusty metal can be a


tricky material to reproduce,
Fundamentals

but it can be easily achieved


by mixing materials in Blender

BLENDER STEP-BY STEP CREATE RUSTY, OLD METAL MATERIAL


ONE MAKE THE BASIC MATERIAL
How can I make a realistic Start by making the base of our material.
The first shader will be the mix between
metal material in Blender? Diffuse and Glossy shaders, with a Fresnel
node (2) plugged in the Mix factor input.
Friedrich Engel, Germany Connect the image texture to the Diffuse
BSDF Color input. Convert it to RGB using
material node, tweak the contrast with the
Gleb replies Color Ramp node and put it into the Color
Metal is an extremely tricky subject to and Roughness slots of the Glossy shader.
reproduce in 3D. To make it look believable
we need to pay attention to many different TWO PREPARE THE TEXTURE
things: details in specular highlights, rusty Take care in preparing your texture:
parts, edge scratches, roughness and glossiness You need to make sure your texture is
variation. In this training, Ill show you how to easily seamless, as its probably going to tile
create an old and rusty metal. Well also cover various a few times across the model. Also Id
properties of the old metal and ways to reproduce it recommend picking a rather uniform-
using material layers. looking texture, because it will work best
First we need to start with a pretty basic material, to for the base layer. As well be adding
which we will add details, one layer at a time. So, well more layers, it may look funny if the initial
make a dull metal base, cover it with rust, then go even texture has its own prominent features.
further and scratch the surface until it looks terrible
(which is what we want, in this case). In the nal step well THREE ADD THE RUST
place the lamps to emphasise the materials highlights. Copy the material. Add the Curves node
What I nd interesting is that if we think in terms of after the Image texture and crank up the
material layers, rather complex material, the CG metal, Red channel. Delete the Glossy shader and
becomes easy to understand and reproduce. This the Mix node. Now we need to mix it up.
practice of decomposing works well when paired with Use a black and white grunge texture, add
Mapping node and try changing Scale and
To make it look believable we need to Position parameters to find the right values.
Mix the two grunge maps with a Multiply
blend type to lower the influence of rust.
pay attention to many things: specular
FOUR ADD THE EDGE SCRATCHES
highlights, rusty parts, edge scratches... Now make a procedural edge map.
Blenders built-in tool, Dirty Vertex Colours,
Blender material nodes. Do scratches happen to appear could find the edges of the geometry, but
only on the edges? This feature can be represented by lets try the FakeAO node of bwide Node
Mix shader and Dirty Vertex Colour, used as a mix factor. Pack (www.bit.ly/185-nodepack). Cavity
Rust splotches? Just use some kind of built-in procedural output provides a good approximation of
noise to get this effect. the edges. If it creates a cavity in the wrong
Of course, mixing materials isnt the only path that place, mask it out using Vertex paint and
we can take. Another approach would be to paint all black. Mix everything with a grunge texture.
distinctive metal features by hand straight into the
texture, but here well stick with a procedural approach FIVE PLACE THE LIGHTS
for now. It can be very fast and efcient, so its denitely Lighting strongly influences the character
worth taking the time to learn. of the metal material; think of it as an
To make sure we are all on the same page, lets take integral part of the material. The first thing
just a moment to download the free model of the drill we need is an environment. I suggest using
from Blendswap www.bit.ly/185-blendswap (we still HDRI spherical panorama to get a soft
need something to texture!). ambient lighting and at the same time the
Ive prepared a highpoly version of this model, as well sharp, glossy highlights. Then place the
as .blend le. It is included in the downloads for the area light behind the object to emphasise
magazine, at www.creativebloq.com/vault/3dw185. the reflection of our metal material.

84
Fundamentals
MAYA | ZBRUSH | ARNOLD | PHOTOSHOP
How do you keep a sense of scale
with stylised 3D animations?
Polly Friend, UK
OCTANE
Whats the best way to set Mike replies The scale and depth of the castle also
I encountered a problem with gave me some problems, but together
up image-based lighting scale in a recent personal with a foreground element that was
project: Hayao Miyazakis out of focus and some grass and rocks
and reflectors in my scene? lms were a big part of my to compare with the scale of the castle
childhood and when I heard that he itself, I was able to pull more width in
Toshir Leung, China planned to retire this year, I wanted to the scene and give the illusion of the
pay tribute to his retirement! I picked immense castles size.
Howls Moving Castle because I felt that For my workow, I used Maya to
Hugues replies its variation of materials and stylistic model the assets, Mudbox to sculpt and
One of the two most important textures would translate well into 3D, not texture everything (along with a bit of
aspects of rendering is lighting. Even to mention 3D was used in the original Photoshop), Arnold to render everything,
a great model loses its potential to movie to animate the castle. Optical Flares in After Effects to render
make an impression under the wrong Keeping the stylistic watercolour and a lens are out of, and Nuke to nally
light. Unbiased rendering engines such as painterly quality to the render became a composite everything together. Arnold
Octane Render offer numerous possibilities in huge challenge. In the end, I used many proxies were also essential to this project
order to create various types of lighting. procedural noise textures, soft ambient as it allowed me to navigate and work in
One of my favourite ways to rapidly light lighting, and a couple tricks and cheats in the viewport while having tens of millions
an object is to use panoramic HDR images in comp to solve this problem. of polygons in my scene!
order to immediately provide a rich, natural
light to work with. Colour and ambience are
present, but it rarely compliments our subjects
perfectly, often leaving areas of darkness that EXPERT TIP
should be lled. Adding extra light sources is the Arnold proxies
traditional solution to this problem, but I tend to I used Arnold proxies to
recall my own experience in photography to nd render out the grass in the
a better approach. foreground and midground.
Remembering that They were essential as doing
EXPERT TIP we are working with this allowed me to navigate
All shapes and sizes advanced rendering and work in the Maya
Dimensions, shape, colour, techniques that viewport even though there
curvature, material Every allow us such were tens of millions of
aspect of your reflectors have luxury, something polygons in my scene!
an impact on how the light is as simple as
bounced. Look around online a carefully
to discover what is available positioned white
to photographers and polygon will provide
extrapolate from there. a perfect solution in
Unlike actual reflectors, most cases.
virtual ones are free By the use of such
reectors, we can employ
the natural light already
available to us and bounce it back
onto our subject to the keep the mood and Mike created a sense of scale
tones of our scene coherent. Whats more, unlike by using lens effects and
real life, we can make our reectors invisible to foreground elements in his
keep them out of the shot. tribute to Hayao Miyazaki

85
FEATURE
Better portfolios
Fundamentals

THE PRO GUIDE TO...

Rene your art and animation as industry


experts share their experiences,
advice and examples of
standout portfolios

86
ANDREW GORDON ON
SUCCESSFUL DEMOS
Pixar Animation Studios directing animator Andrew Gordon reveals

Fundamentals
eight simple things you can do to ensure a job-winning demo reel
ANIMATION
When I rst started was amazing. The problem was,
ABOUT THE AUTHOR at Pixar there was a the content of the reel was not
Andrew Gordon has wall of fame of demo enough to get them an interview.
worked in animation reels. Back then, demo Having been involved with the
for 20 years. He is a reels were on VHS tapes or even artist training at Pixar I have seen
Pixar Animation Studios bigger D1 format tapes as big as a lot of work come in and out, and
directing animator. a dictionary. The demo reel cases I can say condently there are
Andrew has taught were decorated with all kinds of many different types of reels.
since 2000 and teaches different packaging to attract the The reality is that if a demo reel
around the globe. viewer. I remember one that was a does not capture the attention of
www.splinedoctors.com clay sculpture of a person reading the viewer quickly then it is very
a paper where the headline said, quickly changed out for the next
Animator gets job at Pixar. one. I know this sounds harsh, but
The amount of trouble that the there are so many reels sent in, its
artists went through to be noticed simply the reality of the situation.

PRO ADVICE: Showreels and demos


Keep it short, know your audience and show your personal side, says Andrew

1 4 7
TAYLOR TO THE AUDIENCE WHAT WORK IS YOURS? SHOW PERSONAL WORK
If you are a VFX animator but want Animators should separate scenes If you are a professional who is
to break into feature animation, by colour or title. You dont want not getting the chance to shine
showcase the work that shows your to claim any work that isnt yours. Its with the work you do day-to-day, then
potential as a feature animator. If you a small industry, people know who did animate something you would want to
are applying to games, then show how what. A reel breakdown is a good idea. do instead and include this in your reel.

5
good you are at action and so on. Some of the best reels I have seen have
START AND END STRONG

2
good work, done professionally, but
KEEP IT SIMPLE You should hook your audience with had some amazing personal tests that
Place your name and information at great work and end on something showcased acting and performance.

8
the beginning and end of the reel. special. Ive been in reviews where
Choose music that does not upstage or someone would pop in a reel and fast- ALWAYS BE ORIGINAL
drown out the animation on the reel. forward until they saw something good. One thing that really bugs me on

3 6
demo reels is when I see a stock
KEEP IT SHORT MAKE SURE YOUR REEL PLAYS rig on a grid background. I want to
There is no reason to put everything About a third of all reels we receive see what you bring to the test you are
you have ever animated on the reel. do not work. Make it fool proof. You animating. Who is the character lifting
Nobody cares about bouncing balls. can do this by providing a link to your the heavy object? Where are they? Why
Potential employers want to understand reel on a website. Most people do not are they doing it? Give that assignment
that you have ideas, character, acting, have physical reels anymore, but its context. Show them you, not that boring
physicality, appeal and so forth. still nice to look at extra material. grey colored rig you downloaded.

OUR PICK OF OUTSTANDING PORTFOLIO PIECES

DAVID MACIAS DIES DAS CREATIONS RICARDO CHICAIZA


Borrowed Ornaments shows good light. A fun Blender Halloween submission. A great, slippery version of Spideys foe.
www.bit.ly/1fNZ2iP http://on.fb.me/1kfxGpi You can find Ricardo on FaceBook.

87
FEATURE
Better portfolios ABOUT THE ARTIST
Ben is a freelance concept designer in the game
and lm industries who uses 3D and 2D tools
to create environment and mechanical designs.
www.benmauro.blogspot.com
Fundamentals

GAME ART

PRO ADVICE: Game art portfolios


Explore new techniques, share your
working and get online, says Pascal
Ben designs are

1
always fresh. Hes
one of our favourite THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX
concept artists; Pascal If you really want to stand out, you need
loves his work too! to bring something to your work that
others dont have yet. Explore and master new
techniques, you will always improve your own
style in the process.

PASCAL BLANCHE
2
CHALLENGE YOURSELF
A great way to improve your work is to take

CHOOSES BEN MAURO a design of a recent movie or game and try


to create your own take on it. Make your design
look stronger, cooler. This will show what is or
Ubisofts senior art director Pascal Blanch says game and isnt working and how you would improve it.
lm artist Ben Mauro has got his portfolio just right...

3
EXPLORE AND LEARN
Never commit to the rst draft or concept.
WHY PASCAL CHOSE BEN have to be exible and adapt to Always try new approaches, new angles.
MAUROS PORTFOLIO the needs of the production, and You need to fall in love with every piece you
Ben is one of these rare Bens portfolio shows us a brilliant make and then be able to put it aside, learn from
ABOUT THE AUTHOR artists that are leading example of the new set of skills it and try something new.

4
Pascal Blanch is one of the the new trend of game needed by todays artists. By
most popular digital artists artists. Not only do his going back and forth from ZBrush SHOW YOUR PROCESS
working to day. Hes currently unique designs stand out from sculpts to Photoshop paintovers, Showing process helps studios to understand
an art director at video game the pack, but also his approach Ben can explore shapes with lot your way of thinking, and shows them your
giant Ubisoft. to the job embraces a wide range of freedom and in the same time communication and social skills. Displaying
www.3dluvr.com/pascalb of tools and techniques, and show stay strongly anchored in reality. an open-minded attitude is always a plus.

5
us a glimpse of where the game His works have a sense of
art industry is heading to. practicality and are grounded EXPOSE YOUR WORK
From sketching, to modelling, designs, but yet they still always The industry is big, but still a small place.
rendering and photo feel open to any other possible When you create good pieces of work,
compositing, Ben embraces all iterations that is something that display them and create your own blog. The
the genres to achieve a vision. could be hardly achieved in more exposure you get, the easier it becomes
Now, more than ever, game artists another way. Im a big fan. to get the studios attention.

OUR PICK OF OUTSTANDING PORTFOLIO PIECES

NELLO FONTANI MICHAEL KOTOFF DAVID JIMENEZ SAIZ


Tragico Epilogo shows a great palette. Lamborghini Murcielago is a superb render. Salarian is a striking ZBrush concept.
www.drawlight.net cg-car.blogspot.com www.pixelsinthemaking.com

88
ABOUT THE ARTIST
After graduating from Supinfocom Arles,
Alejandro Diaz landed a job at the new Oriental
DreamWorks studio in Shanghai.
www.alejodiaz.com Alejandros designs
for his graduation lm
Home Sweet Home
caught Shelleys
expert eye

Fundamentals
C0NCEPT ART

PRO ADVICE: Concept art portfolios


Great art for animation needs to show
humour, passion and understanding
SHELLEY PAGE CHOOSES
ALEJANDRO DIAZ
1
DONT FORGET THE STORY
Whatever the subject of your story give it DreamWorks Shelley Page discovered animation concept
heart. The best short animation lms have artist Alejandro Diaz recently and says hes one to watch...
the power to move the viewer even if the main
intention is to entertain.

2
WHY SHELLEY CHOSE USA provided great design
SHOW YOUR WORKING ALEJANDRO DIAZS PORTFOLIO opportunities for exploring many
Concept art portfolios should show a variety I love discovering great different locations, times of day,
of artistic skills we also like to see rough ABOUT THE AUTHOR new artist portfolios and changing seasons and interior and
colour studies and sketches to show how you Shelley is head of international websites particularly exterior environments.
arrived at your nal designs. outreach at DreamWorks student work, which is The great success of Alexs

3
Animation, she has worked in often so inspiring! artwork is that he imbues the
GET FEEDBACK feature animations since 1986 A question I frequently get story with a range of emotional
Funny is hard. If you are making a comedy on movies like Kung Fu Panda, asked is: What exactly do highlights through his subtle
lm show your work in progress to your How to Train Your Dragon. you look for in a concept art colour palettes and lighting
colleagues often - if they laugh in the dreamworksanimation.com portfolio? One outstanding choices, which gave his team an
appropriate places you are on the right track! recent discovery is concept artist amazing canvas to build on.

4
and matte painter Alejandro (Alex) This variety of designs is key
DO YOUR RESEARCH Diaz. His designs for his delightful to a really successful concept art
Story, design, lighting, effects and animation graduation lm Home Sweet portfolio for feature animation.
all benet from close observation and Home are lively and appealing Some concept artists feel most
analysis of real-life references. Do your research and his excellent portfolio condent working in a particular
and show how you got to the end result. instantly attracted my attention at style (whether fantasy, graphic

5
his graduation show last summer. or photoreal), however, I mainly
SHOW PROGRESS The story of this charming and look for artists who can tell many
Polish your work. Good enough is never the unusual lm where two small different stories using a range of
best option for a demo reel or portfolio aim buildings escape from their colour and lighting techniques,
to be self-critical and gure out how you can suburban foundations and set and design styles.
always improve on your work. off on an epic journey across the Alexs portfolio presentation
includes some great examples
of early designs for both the main
characters (the buildings) and the
OUR PICK OF OUTSTANDING PORTFOLIO PIECES key locations. It is always helpful
to see early concepts, work-in-
progress and nished designs
through to nal lm images
especially when looking at designs
for CG animation projects. I
particularly love the variety of skies
in this lm the weather is almost
another character in the story!
One of my favourite moments in
DAVIDE DI LORENZO CHRISTOPHER SUPARDJO Home Sweet Home is the magical
Sci-fi waxy monkey frog is a fresh idea. Mr Crab is wonderfully modelled. ice-skating sequence who knew
wix.com vimeo.com/user1037728 that houses can skate!
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Rebeca Puebla is a spanish artist from
Madrid who works as 3D character artist for
videogames, TV, lms and advertising.
www.rebecapuebla.com

Rebecas ne
modelling,
Fundamentals

texturing and
shading, combined
with unique
themes, make
great art 3D ILLUSTRATION

PRO ADVICE: 3D illustration portfolios


ALESSANDRO Keep it simple, show complete works
and do your research says Alessandro

BALDASSERONI CHOOSES
1
POLISH YOUR PRESENTATION
Maximise your presentation by studying

REBECA PUEBLA texture and shading and render with a good


lighting setup. Even if you only want to model
as a career, demonstrating these skills will show
Alessandro Baldasseroni nds Rebeca Pueblas character youre adaptable.
modelling work intrguing and strikingly original...

2
BRING THE ART TO COMPLETION
Dont rely on speed sculpts to enhance
WHY ALESSANDRO CHOSE theres a clear intention to nd your portfolio. These can show potential,
REBECA PUEBLA and express her own visual style, but studios want to see nished work, images
Looking at Rebecas create moods, and to also be that show your skills and above all a multi-
ABOUT THE AUTHOR online portfolio one provocative and original. discipline approach.

3
Alessandro is lead character of the rst things What really comes through
artist at Blur Studio. Samples that caught my Rebecas portfolio, and is USE REFERENCE
of his character modelling attention is the ability to convey something thats hard to nd, is Use reference and search for research about
work can be seen in several great technical skills with an the intention to transcend the a subject before working, leave the minor
recent game cinematics, original aesthetic and sense technical stiffness and articiality details to imagination and interpretation. And
movies and commercials such of storytelling. Not only is the of the 3D medium to express show your reference, employers like to see your
as: The Girl With The Dragon modelling very well executed, ideas. I strongly recommend you workow and thinking as it demonstrates how
Tattoo, Thor: The Dark World, but also the shading and texturing try to differentiate your portfolio you can t into their studio.

4
Elder Scrolls Online. is very polished, and these as much as possible from the
www.eklettica.com elements combine to serve others when it comes to 3D, PUT YOUR WORK IN CONTEXT
a quite original aesthetic. and this can be accomplished in Rebecas portfolio works because she
Most of her modelling work is different ways. contextualises her art, she uses themes
put in context, in nely crafted, One is denitely through and composition to show how her technical
moody illustrations and this is contextualisation of your models, skill translates to wider ideas of storytelling
quite refreshing in the modern poses, gesture and lighting, even and project creation.

5
scenario of derivative, trendy on simple subjects, these skills
subjects when it comes to 3D art. and attention to detail show the KEEP IT SIMPLE
The appeal of looking through viewer a lot about yourself as It is better to have few elements very well
her portfolio comes from her an artist more so than several polished even if simply done, rather than a
unquestionable technical skills, anonymous grey-shaded models. noisy mess of intricate details all over the place.

OUR PICK OF OUTSTANDING PORTFOLIO PIECES

POTA TSENG JAMIR BLANCO DAVID AGUERO


Tiny Sheep is a delightful animation. Jungle Fever is packed full of colour. The Edge shows wonderful lighting.
http://bodapota.net jamirblanco.blogspot.com www.davidaguero.com

90
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Rafa Barnas is an architectural visualisation
artist in Poland. The images shown here are but
a small sample of his work.
www.uniquevisionstudio.com Ronen says
photorealism is no
longer the main goal
of top architectural
visualisation rms

Fundamentals
VISUALISATION

PRO ADVICE: Visualisation portfolios


Strive to tell a story of a place rather
than just show it, advises Ronen

RONEN BEKERMAN
1
DONT GET CAUGHT UP WITH DETAILS
If there is one thing Ive learned from Rafa
is how powerful a simple sketch can be. Go
back to basics and lock in your ideas with the
most basic of tools you are comfortable with.
CHOOSES RAFAL BARNAS
Ronen Berkerman nds Rafa Barnas highly emotive approach

2
PHOTOREAL IS NOT A MUST to image-making refreshing and inspirational...
It is mostly a preference and a specic
requirement outside the core architecture
visualisation stream. Focus on the subject and WHY RONEN CHOSE creating a 3D model and render,
what you want to convey rst. RAFAL BARNAS going with a physical scale model

3
Rafas work is unique, or just some collaged image
LET YOUR IMAGINATION LEAD ABOUT THE AUTHOR vivid, highly emotive scraps as a starting point, doing
Try to express your own approach to the Ronen is an architectural and tells a story. He all of it by hand.
subject and how you envision the process all visualisation artist based is very talented and The process is more of a
the way to the nal images. Clients will respect in Tel-Aviv, Israel. Starting at the same time very humble, conceptual one, cinematic
you more for that and youll probably be a lot as a freelancer in 2002, giving lots of respect to his even, with Rafa as the director
happier with the autonomy you have set for he founded Polytown clients and the subject matter setting the tone and mood using
yourself as well as with the end results going Media in 2005. He is well he so masterfully takes care smart composition, bold and
directly to your portfolio. known for his Architectural of. I like the fact he always contrasting colours, with strong

4
Visualization blog. approaches a project free from lighting leveraging the free-from
DONT FORGET THE REAL THING www.ronenbekerman.com any predetermined techniques painterly approach to its fullest.
You visualise architecture so visit it and in mind for executing it. For He even takes it a step forward,
experience it as much as possible under him, every topic with the right creating an animation, based on
various light conditions and different seasons. approach and way of thinking, the images, for almost each one
Take pictures and feel the materials that make can evolve into an interesting of his projects.
up a place. There is no better schooling. project at the nish line. The best Im fascinated by what he

5
example of this is his Biotherm accomplishes by departing from
SHARE YOUR WORK AND GET FEEDBACK Radiators project who thought 3D and photorealism so early on
Dont be shy. After almost ve years of this subject could be so exciting! in the process, and the levels of
blogging, Im still amazed to see how many Looking at Rafas raw renders creativity he manages to reach in
artists do not share their work. Just state it is up clearly shows where his attention the execution and presentation
for critique and learn from the feedback you get. lays. In some case he even skips of his work.

OUR PICK OF OUTSTANDING PORTFOLIO PIECES

BERTRAND BENOIT TAMAS MEDVE JIM MARTIN


Eames Photoshoot shows masterful light. Dioptase Colony is full of detail. Spaceship in a Desert is a great design.
www.bertrand-benoit.com m3dve.cgsociety.org/portfolio/about martinconceptart.blogspot.co.uk
FEATURE
Put yourself in the frame
Fundamentals

PUT
YOURSELF
IN THE
FRAME ANTXON GMEZ
An experienced art director and
production designer, Antxon won a
Goya for his work on Che. He was
also nominated three times for Pedro
Ian Dean speaks to art directors from lm, Almodovars films: All About My
Mother (2000), Bad Education (2005)
animation and video games who reveal how and The Skin I Live In (2012).
www.imdb.com/name/nm0351016
to get noticed and land your dream job

G
etting your foot in the Speaking with Marcelo at the the industry at that time, says
door of the CG industry recent Workroom Barcelona Marcelo, highlighting the need
is a major challenge. Just congress on art direction in the to tailor your portfolio. Theyre
how do you get that rst great CG industry is an eye-opening not developing talent, theyre
job on your way to a career at glimpse behind the curtain. A 25- selecting it and plugging it in
Pixar? It feels like its even harder year veteran in animated features, right away, so work on your
than it used to be, right? Marcelo sees that the industry is design and expression sheets,
I think people look back changing. Dressed in a Hawaiian your turnarounds and mapping.
on the industry with shirt, relaxed and condent,
rose-tinted glasses and Marcelo is a seasoned pro. Its all about the basics
nostalgia: they say it The brutal, honest truth is When it comes to portfolios,
was easier back then that its an industry, a business, Marcelo is clear: Know yourself
to get a job, but they forget the and the likes of Pixar dont hire and know your limitations.
industry was smaller, says art your knowledge of design but The process of observation
director Marcelo Vignali. the design that is relevant to is important: distil the design

92
92
Fundamentals
Photos by Angel Ruiz. www.tr3senlinea.com
MARCELO VIGNALI FRANK MARIA MARCOS
A respected production designer, art Frank is the director of specialist
director and visual development artist, animation studio Animaldia and runs
Marcelo has worked in animation for the Media Design Masters degree in
over 25 years, on projects such as stop-motion animation at the Bau
Atlantis, Open Season and Surfs Up. Center Design College.
www.vignalistudio.blogspot.co.uk www.animaldia.com
CARLES GRANGEL
Starting in comics, Carles moved
to animation in the 1980s before
eventually settling into a career in teaches a masters degree in think its great to have a strong
CG and stop-motion animation. His photography and CGI through knowledge of visual arts and
films include, Madagascar, The Corpse Leonard Blum, using LightWave. design, but that can come from
Bride and Hotel Transylvania. If you know about photography anywhere these days, says the
www.grangelstudio.com then your backbone in CGI is artist, adding: If you can paint
strong, he says. nice scenery then you can light
Likewise Daniel Prez, art an environment.
director at video game studio Theres a sense that what
and observe. I often see work Digital Legends agrees employers are looking for are
thats technically impressive but with the need to show artists who have a knowledge of
academically awed. the core knowledge core skills. Software is changing
The idea of a grounding in the in your portfolio. I so fast that if you focus too much
basics to showcase your skills in a on the technology, you may get
portfolio is picked up left behind. Those guys who had
by Iaki Gonzlez, CG Know your limitations. The process to learn the technical language
artist and specialist on of a particular software ten years
photoreal rendering of observation is important: distill ago are nding it can now be
techniques at Leonard Blum. done at the push of the button,
CGI is about writing with light,
so photography is the starting
the design and observe says Marcelo.
The industry is interested
point, says Iaki, who also Iaki Gonzlez, CG artist, Leonard Blum in making the process more

ABOUT WORKROOM BARCELONA Masterclasses and


Workroom Barcelona was a congress round tables are a
that brought together art directors and chance to network
teachers from all aspects of the lm,
TV, games and animation industries. A
three-day event, the objective was to
share, learn and network. Check the
website for news on the next event.
www.workroombarcelona.com

93
93
REALISM CAN LEAD
TO A CAREER
Iaki Gonzlez, CG
artist and specialist on
photoreal rendering
Fundamentals

techniques at Leonard
Blum, reveals how the studio
created a virtual prop in LightWave
to demonstrate the importance of
photorealism as a training option
[This model is] based on the
Chippendale chair that was proposed
for art director Antxn Gmez in LEONARD BLUM
Pedro Almodvars lm Talk to Her. We Leonard Blum is an advertising
decided to make a virtual model of photography studio specialising in
it and comped it into the main room advanced retouching techniques, film
where the conferences were held. and VFX. They also run an annual
We used LightWave and Masters Degree in Photography and
Photoshop to get the most realistic CGI, and several weekly and weekend
results. To generate a virtual based workshops. For a 15% discount,
environment, we took several pictures use code XHF0264L on the website.
of the room at several exposures www.leonardblum.com
and stitched them to generate the
environment (HDRI) that we used for
lighting (IBL) and reections. We did
the nal comp in Photoshop using This model of a Chippendale chair
different render buffers for reections, was created and then comped into
shadows, diffuse, ID etc. the virtual conference room

IHMAN 3D SCHOOL
An online teaching site, IHMAN
automatic and easier, so you is to work with free software to 3D School uses Blender to teach
dont need to study for a year to teach the fundamentals that the fundamentals of CG, including
make it work. can then be applied to any modelling, rigging and programming.
What we require now is software, to learn a Courses run 24 hours a day and offers
people who have a good sense general workow, says networking beyond the training.
of the movement, a natural talent director Diego Moya www.3dschool.ihman.com
for the timing thats Parra. But the main
really the issue, ingredient is to study something
highlights Toni Garcia, you have a passion for, he adds.
creative director at of work, and you t into the role,
BRB Internacional/Screen21. Show your intentions so know what youd like to do
You may have good skills with Passion should be reected in and focus on that, says Daniel,
the software but this is going to a portfolio too. People relate who points to team goals being
to people, and not simply important to smaller studios.
work on a page. I look for And if you want to aim high,
What we require now is people who have a potential, personality and be aware that you restrict your
professionalism, says Digital chances: If you want to make
good sense of the movement, a natural Legends Daniel Prez. Above StarCraft models, theres only
all you want people to know one place to go and thousands
talent for the timing thats the issue youre professional. Its going to
be hard, sometimes tedious work
of others want that job.
Dressed immaculately all in
Toni Garcia, creative director, BRB Internacional/Screen and you need a certain kind of black, Carles Grangel, character
personality and professionalism artist on Tim Burtons
change, and then maybe your to do it. Corpse Bride and Boo!
skill is forgotten what wont Personality in your portfolio (which is currently
change is your need for skills is key. Does it show your ability in production for
with timing, with emotion; this is to handle pressure, understand DreamWorks) puts it this way:
natural in some people and this workows and pipelines? Start Show that you can do some
is the thing we need to promote by being honest with yourself. things very well or many things
because software is no longer Then focus on what you want to not so well. He suggests taking
as important. do a generalist or a specialist, time to invest in yourself as an
To this aim, IHMAN 3D School freelance or studio work. artist. Time is precious, he says
Carles Grangel was a offers online courses in Blender, Being a 3D generalist means quietly. Become the best artist
character artist on Tim designed to teach the core skills you wont be a creative person; you can be, then look to the big
Burtons Corpse Bride and pipelines of CG. The plan its a business, a chain method studios later.

94
94
INDUSTRY ADVICE
Stop-motion animator Can you explain this concept in
Frank Maria Marcos more detail?
explains what it takes to Animation can be done in a lot of

Fundamentals
make it in animation ways, its surprising and visual. Its
important to match the technique
What is fundamental to good with the story, but the story comes
animation? rst and then the techniques
Its important to have passion you
have to really want to do it. If this is What makes a good animation?
what you want to do, dont give up, Good animation has to have a soul.
get the dream. Youre not moving things, youre
animating them giving them life.
What advice can you share for When you forget about the person
improving animation? behind the animation and only see the
BRB/SCREEN21 Its important to have a message to character, this is a good animation.
BRB has over 40 years experience in tell, a story and a script. Also, good
TV animation, with brands including communication and creative skills Do you think its important to
Dogtanian and Willy Fog. They DANIEL PREZ if you know how you want people remain creative?
currently work with Barcelonas An art director at game studio Digital to feel, you can then use the right Yes! Dont forget that stop-motion
Screen21 on the award-winning TV Legends Entertainment, Daniel began tools. Knowing how to use a camera animation can be done with anything:
series Invizimals. his career at Dygra Films on The Living or software is meaningless without a you can use cutouts, people, objects,
www.c21media.net Forest, before moving into video message, something to tell. rotoscoping anything!
www.screen21.es games to focus on character design
and animation.
www.digital-legends.com
Stop-motion animation
can be done using any
media you like...

Invest in yourself to create content, make your


own IP and stories. The future of the industry
for the next ten years is about content
Marcelo Vignali, art director

Freelance is also becoming Invest in yourself to create have talent then you can do
a good route for people to content, make your own IP and this you can be the creator
gain experience and build stories. The future of the industry and do something important on
their portfolio if studios arent for the next ten years is about the internet.
responding, but its not for content, says Marcelo as he Its a direction of travel that
everyone. You need a certain describes how Amazon, even seasoned art director Antxon
personality to make it work, says Warner Bros. and Disney are Gmez agrees with.
Marcelo Vignali cryptically. falling over themselves to nd Smartly dressed, curly
Carles is a freelancer, and it new content. They cant keep grey hair, Antxon has
works for him: Freelance is the up, he says. worked closely in the
freedom to be an exotic bird; to Toni is equally direct: The lm and advertising industries
be in the jungle outside the cage. traditional TV broadcast system with Pedro Almodvar. Young
I exercise more, I work harder. In is in crisis, they arent paying for Antxon Gmez has people should take risks,
the cage life can be easier, they new animations. So who is? The decades of experience as experiment and try new things,
feed you and you dont have to answer is marketing departments a production designer, he says thoughtfully, combing
work as hard to nd the work I inside toy and video games and says you should take his hair through his ngers.
love it outside the cage. studios, who are searching for risks to land your dream Dont be afraid, be positive,
new IP and stories. job in lm and TV dont follow other people. Enjoy
Do it yourself We [BRB] are a small making mistakes and do what
Talk at the Barcelona Workroom creator going to YouTube and other people arent doing learn
event soon turns to the industry the internet and nding ways to break the rules. Above all,
itself. While ten years ago there to market what we have, its he reects, its better to regret
was one route into a CG job, the great because theres a direct something you tried and failed at,
consensus now is to nd your relationship between the creator than regret not trying at all.
own path. If the industry wont and the audience, there are no Discover more interviews at
give you a job, create your own. rules, explains Toni. If you
FYI 3dworld.creativebloq.com

95
95
Theory

96
THEORY
VIRTUAL LENSES 98 PARTICLE SYSTEMS: PART 1 108
Create faultless renders with virtual lenses Part one of two looking at particle systems

PIXEL PERSPECTIVE 102 PARTICLE SYSTEMS: PART 2 110

Theory
Think of pixels as data and not colours Further advice on particle systems

DEPTH OF COLOUR 104


The basics of colour depth of raster images

97
AUTHOR PROFILE
Denis Kozlov
Denis is a CG
generalist with 15
years experience
in the lm, TV,
advertising, game
and education
industries. He is
currently working
in Prague as a
VFX supervisor.
www.kozlove.net
Theory

THEORY

Behind the virtual lens


VFX supervisor Denis Kozlov exposes the theory of the
virtual camera to help you create faultless renders

W
hile there is hardly a position and rotation coordinates certain cases, you may also nd the
CG image rendered (just like any other object), clipping planes handy to quickly
without them, virtual horizontal and vertical angles slice the scene into portions based
cameras are often overlooked by of view, and two clipping planes: on depth for separate rendering.
the artists, who understandably near and far. Put together these Once the position and rotation
prefer to focus on scene geometry, properties form the view frustum, of the camera are known, it is two
lighting and animation. A camera, or the pyramid of vision of the angles of view (horizontal and
with its seeming simplicity, stays notional camera. vertical) which do the best job of
behind the scenes both literally Clipping planes are designed to describing what exactly is going
and metaphorically. Nevertheless, optimise rendering by excluding to be seen/rendered. The relation
it possesses some not too obvious unneeded portions of the scene, between them also provides us
features and properties, which can and normally have little practical with the information about the
either help or hinder you during signicance as they are most nal images aspect ratio. (Angle
the project. Ill be addressing these commonly set automatically by the or eld of view abbreviate as AoV
things here, so that you can get to software. One thing to watch for is or FoV respectively.)
know your CG camera better. that nothing gets unintentionally More often you would have
clipped off especially when one value for the angle (either
The cameras anatomy transferring a camera between horizontal or vertical), and the
Anatomically, a CG camera is applications and/or drastically second one would be derived from
described by three-dimensional changing the scale of a scene. In the nal images aspect ratio,

98
Far clipping plane:
nothing gets
rendered behind it
X Near clipping frame:
Y nothing closer
gets rendered Horizontal angle
X=800px of view denes
the width of the
rendered area

=60
Y=600px

Location and
orientation: the
basic properties
View frustum common for
is a clipped any 3D object
EXPLAINING THE pyramid dened
by the cameras Vertical angle
VIEWING FRUSTUM properties: only
the objects inside
of view limits
the rendered
The pyramid of vision of the notional camera it are rendered area vertically

which is pretty much the same generally facilitate dynamism Because of this, to describe the
and easily convertible. Well touch and drama while introducing zoom level in photography and

Theory
upon this and the focal length distortions, whereas narrow ones cinematography we use focal
which is another parameter allow for focusing on details and length instead, which is a great
describing the cameras angles compressing the space. convention for those who deal
later in the article. Position, rotation and eld with real cameras daily, but makes
of view is all you really need to things much less straightforward
Revert from default know to perfectly match your when applied to the computer
Every piece of software I can notional camera with the majority graphics world. Here is a very
think of defaults to average camera of 3D editors. However, life has a rough description of how it relates
angles. Whether the project allows tendency to make things harder, to the angle of view (AoV).
FURTHER you to set them arbitrarily or so this is where things start to get Light passes through the lens, is
STUDYING you need to match a live-action more complicated. focused and projected or ipped
plate, leaving these values at their
defaults without even considering Matching the cameras Wide angles facilitate dynamism
Read up on the an adjustment is ignoring an In the rst instance, we need to
language of opportunity to improve the work. check how each of the programs
camera angles Natural human eld of view is were matching the cameras with and drama, whereas narrow ones
a subject for a longer discussion measures the AoV horizontally,
FRAMED INK than we have room for here, and vertically, both or even diagonally? allow for focusing on details
Marcos interpretation is based on what Then we can just copy and paste
Mateu-Mestre one would dene as seeing and the data if the measurement is onto a lm or a sensor lets
other individual factors. However, of the same type, or do a simple use the word lm for nostalgic
GRAMMAR OF a horizontal angle of 40-60 is conversion using the image aspect reasons. Moving the lm closer
THE SHOT often considered to correspond ratio as a coefcient if they differ. to or further away from the focal
Roy Thompson to the useful eld of view the However, this might not work, point makes different parts of the
& Christopher area in which we can distinguish as one of the programs you are image appear sharper or softer.
J Bowen objects at a glance, without using might rely on real-world This is a relatively small movement
moving the eyes or the head. camera parameters, like focal in an area dened by the lens
HOLLYWOOD Therefore the default camera length and aperture size, to dene design and marked as the lenss
CAMERA WORK angles should provide a decent the cameras FoV, which would focal length (F) the distance
Video training starting point for representing an bring us to the second point: what from the focal point to the lm.
course observer, but deviating from them if you need to match your virtual
enables you to emphasise drama or camera to a real-world one? Simple setups
other artistic aspects of the image, The difculty is that it is quite Lenses with a higher focal number
making it more interesting and hard to measure the actual angles will have lm located further away
expressive overall. Wide angles of view for a physical camera. from the focal point. However,

99
MEASURING THE AOV
OF A CAMERA LENS
Focal length conversion between 35mm and digital

X
AoV=2 arctan
F 2F

Heres the formula,


its quite simple.
AoV What makes it
X
complicated is not
the maths, but the
way we measure
each variable

since the lm has a constant documentation on your particular The bottom line is that if you
Theory

width (X), the longer the lens, the lens/camera model. However, even have a choice, stick to the angle
narrower its angle of view will be. with 35mm lm there are issues of view rather than focal length
Actually, it is usually the lens that as the actual area exposed to light when transferring your camera
moves not the lm back but (and this is the area that denes data between different programs.
thats irrelevant for our discussion. the angle) is smaller, about 24mm.
Another thing we can change You also have the additional Rendering overscan
in our setup is to put the lm back problem that almost every DSLR However, if you do need to use
in front of the focal point all camera has its own sensor size. focal length rather than the angle
the angles and ratios will stay of view, there is a neat CG trick,
geometrically the same, but now Errors and aberrations which you can do. This can be
the setup will be simpler and As if this doesnt make things hard used when you need to overscan
correspond better to a CG camera. enough, your 3D software will render a wider image of the
Knowing all this we can now probably have its own system for same scene so that the middle
convert the focal length into the describing the virtual aperture part matches perfectly. This
size and proportions with allows you to add zoom, shake
Overscanning allows you to add coefcients for overscanning and
rules for which dimension (width
or simply recompose the image
in compositing, and is especially
or height) is the dominant one. useful when using virtual camera
zoom, shake or simply recompose Even more confusingly, you projection techniques.
will have to interrogate all these The problem is that if you
the image in compositing measurements to nd out which were to increase the AoV, the
axis (horizontal or vertical) is size occupied in-frame by the
angle of view. The rst thing to described, and if the sizes are original image would change in
notice is that focal length alone given in inches or millimetres. non-linear proportion. So if, for
tells us absolutely nothing about Oh, and remember that you may example, we double the AoV, our
the angle of view unless we know have to do a sum or two as well initial framing will not be exactly
the lm back size (or sensor size, double-checking if the tangent half the width or height of the
as it is often referred to in CG). function uses degrees or radians, new image. The better option is to
A good thing is that lenses are for example and not simply trust divide the focal length by two. The
usually marked with focal length the scripting manual. benet of using the focal distance
which corresponds to a 35mm Finally, we should be mindful is that the picture size changes
lm. Usually is the important that the error of such conversions proportionally, so an object shot
word here, since no-one would is increased by the fact that with with a 50mm lens will look 1.5
actually guarantee this is the case; physical cameras, there are times smaller than one shot with
you will simply have to check the always physical aberrations. a 75mm lens from the same point.

ALTERNATIVE CAMERA ORIENTATION


You can dene the cameras orientation by using the target rotations. This method requires specication of the up-
vector as well and often doesnt export well. Free or non-target cameras are more straightforward and reliable in
this sense. For the purpose of following the target in an arc, a free camera can be rotated around the parent object.

100
Arch-viz renders The correct way
often preserve to stitch these
the verticals, but renders together
that only happens is to rst project
if the camera is them onto a
pointing parallel to sphere (as below)
the ground, which centred around
doesnt make for a the cameras
great composition

NATURAL
SELECTION

Digitally
replicate the
imperfections of
a lm camera

ABERRATIONS
Geometric-like
distortion and
chromatic-like
diffraction
So if you want to render a wider Unless youre using some fancy instead of a full 3D solution. It

Theory
version of the image, while camera shader that does vertical also means that images rendered ARTEFACTS
preserving the initial render lines compensation for you (like in this way can be stitched Grain, noise
matching pixel-to-pixel in the the one in V-Ray, for example), together seamlessly. However, and compression
centre, you need to divide the the way to go is to expand the if you try to stitch them in a artefacts
focal length by the same number vertical angle of view, render the straightforward manner, it wont
that you multiply the output image centred (with the camera work, which can be seen in the EFFECTS
resolution. This is a handy trick pointing parallel to the ground two frames in the example above. Depth of eld
as it works in the same way in plane) and then reformat (crop out The right way to do so would be to and motion blur
any application. the unneeded areas) in 2D. In such rst project them onto a sphere,
cases its also worth considering centred around the cameras. In a LENS FLARES
Aligning the perspective rendering only a partial region of similar way, when creating a pan Lens ares (caused
Showing the scene from a low the frame to save time. animation from a still frame, it is by bright hotspots)
point, especially with a wide lens, And as were touching on best to rst project the image onto
is one way to accent its scale and perspective issues, the further the a sphere, or to at least mimic this TRAJECTORIES
objects are away from a camera, behaviour with a distortion applied Camera movement
Showing the scene from a low point, the more of them it takes to ll up
the view. This means it is often
after the pan animation in 2D.
Hopefully, the aspects listed
in reality is
restricted to the
practical to use foreground objects in this article will be useful capabilities of
especially with a wide lens, is one way or telephoto (narrow angle) lens in improving your artistic the rig. Too much
to create a busy impression with experience. We have been looking freedom in the
to accent its scale and signicance fewer assets in the frame. at the capabilities of a CG camera virtual cameras
which is basically a simplication ight might make
signicance. This is a method Nodal panning of its real-life counterpart and your shot look
thats used often in architectural Rotating our notional camera in the sidebar here I have listed unconvincing
visualisation. However, another without changing its position effects that you might get with
thing often desired in architectural mimics what is called a nodal lm but which would need to be
visualisation renderings is to pan in cinematography, and added to CG shots.
preserve the verticals, and that features no parallax changes in Replicating these features can
will only happen when the camera the resulting images that is, all add a breath of life to the frame,
is pointing exactly parallel to the the objects keep their positions but overdoing them can make the
ground. As a consequence, the relative to each other; even the whole image look articial. Its all
horizon line has to coincide with shape of the reections dont about balance and achieving the
the vertical centre of a frame, change. This is very useful for cleanest picture you can.
which results in an image that is visual effects shots, since it allows To see Deniss showreel and
not very good compositionally. for the use of a 2D matte painting
FYI work, visit www.kozlove.net

CREATING A STANDARD USING NODAL PANNING


In a centred turntable render, a camera rotating around an object produces a geometrically identical image as an object
spinning in front of a static camera. The difference is in the lighting changes: with the rotating camera, the model needs
to be lit from all angles, while spinning the object causes light directions to stay the same relative to the frame.

101
AUTHOR PROFILE
Denis Kozlov
is a CG generalist
with 15 years
experience in
the lm, TV,
advertising, game
and education
industries. He is
currently working
in Prague as a
VFX supervisor.
www.kozlove.net
Theory

THEORY

Pixel perspective
Denis Kozlov explains why a pixel is not a colour square
and why you should think of images as data containers

A
lthough those raster formats like .gif as it allowed for numbers, and again there are
image les lling our certain size benets at the expense multiple ways of describing the
computers and lives are of a limited palette. colour with few (usually three)
most commonly used to represent Another way (the most common numbers each in 01 range. In
pictures, I nd it useful for a one) is to use a continuous range an RGB model they stand for
CG artist to have yet another from 0 to 1 (not 255!), where 0 the amounts of red, green and
perspective a geekier one. And stands for black, 1 for white, blue light, in HSV they stand for
from that perspective a raster and the numbers in between hue, saturation and brightness
image is essentially a set of denote the shades of grey of the accordingly. But whats vital to
data organised into a particular corresponding lightness. This note is that those are still nothing
structure, to be more specic way we get a logical and elegantly but numbers, which encode a
a table lled with numbers (a organised way of representing a particular meaning, but dont have
matrix, mathematically speaking). monochrome image with a raster to be interpreted that way.
The number in each table cell le. The term monochrome
can be used to represent a colour, happens to be a more appropriate A logical unit
and this is how the cell becomes than black and white since the Now let me move onto why a pixel
a pixel, which stands for picture same data set can be used to depict is not a square: Its because the
element. Many ways exist to gradations from black to any other table, which is what a raster image
encode colours numerically. For colour depending on the output is, tells us how many elements are
instance, (probably the most device like many old monitors in each row and column, in which
straightforward one) to explicitly were black-and-green rather than order they are placed, but nothing
dene a number-to-colour black-and-white. about what shape or even what
correspondence for each value, ie. This system, however, can be proportion they are. We can form
3 stands for dark red, 17 for pale easily extended to the full-colour an image from the data in a le
green and so on. This method case with a simple solution each by various means, not necessarily
was frequently used in the older table cell can contain several with a monitor, which is only one

102
option for an output device. For be just lled with interpolated This raster image
example, if we take our image le (averaged) values of originally has been created
and distribute pebbles of sizes neighbouring pixels. by lling a table
proportional to pixel values on In a similar fashion, a PPI with the digits of
some surface we shall still form (pixels per inch, commonly Pi divided by ten
essentially the same image. also called DPI dots per inch)
And even if we take only half parameter is only an instruction
of the columns, but instruct establishing the correspondence
ourselves to use the stones twice between the image les resolution
wider for the distribution the and the outputs physical
result would still show principally dimensions. And so PPI is pretty
the same picture with the much meaningless on its own,
correct proportions, only lacking without either of those two.
half of the horizontal details.
Storing custom data ...and this one has
Returning to the numbers stored been created using
This numerical way of image-thinking in each pixel, of course they can random values.
be any, including so-called out-of Both data sets
is of paramount importance and is range numbers (values above 1 and have a particular
negative ones), and there can be meaning different
extremely benecial to all CG artists more than three numbers stored from each other;
in each cell. These features are yet visually they
Instruct is the key word here. limited only by the particular le represent the
This instruction is called pixel format denition and are widely same thing noise
aspect ratio, which describes the utilised in OpenEXR to name one.
difference between the images The great advantage of storing
resolution (number of rows several numbers in each pixel

Theory
and columns) and proportions. is their independence, as each
It enables you to store frames of them can be studied and
stretched or compressed manipulated individually as channels. Every time you render
horizontally and is used in certain a monochrome image called something out, you decide which
video and lm formats. Channel or a kind of sub-raster. data to include and where to place PIXEL
Now lets talk about resolution Additional channels to the it. In the same way you decide in VALUES
it shows the maximum amount usual colour-describing Red, compositing how to manipulate
of detail that an image can hold, Green and Blue ones can carry the data you possess to achieve
but says nothing about how much all kinds of information. The the result you want. It helps if you
it actually holds. A badly focused default fourth channel is Alpha, This numerical way of thinking think of a pixel
photograph cant be improved which encodes opacity (0 denotes about images is of paramount as a digit...
no matter how many pixels the a transparent pixel, 1 stands for importance, and will benet you
A computer camera sensor has. In the same completely opaque). Z-depth, greatly in your visual effects and The described
monitor is just way, upscaling a digital image in normals, velocity (motion vectors), motion graphics work. perspective is also
one of the many Photoshop or any other editor will world position, ambient occlusion, how programmers
possible ways to increase the resolution without IDs and anything else you could The benets see image les.
visualise the raster adding any detail or quality to it think of can be stored in either Applying this way of thinking So, for example, in
image data the extra rows and columns would additional or the main RGB to your work as you use the game industry
render passes and carry out the it can help
compositing work is vital. artists achieve
In this example Basic colour corrections, a better mutual
of an image stored for example, are nothing but understanding
with the pixel elementary mathematical with developers,
aspect ratio of 2.0, operations on pixel values and resulting in better
representing pixels seeing through them is pretty custom tools and
as squares results essential for production work. cutting corners
in erroneous Furthermore, maths operations with various
proportions like addition, subtraction or tricks like using
(left). Correct multiplication can be performed textures for
representation on pixel values, and with data non-image data.
needs to rely like Normals and Position
on the stretched many 3D shading tools can be
elements like in the mimicked in 2D.
image on the right To see Deniss showreel and
FYI work, visit www.kozlove.net

THINKING NUMERCIALLY WILL AID VFX AND MOTION GRAPHICS WORK


Texture maps controlling the properties of particles emission, RGB displacements forming 3D shapes, encoding
multiple passes within RGBA with custom shaders, and so on... All these techniques become much more transparent
after you start seeing the digits behind the pixels, which is essentially what a pixel is a number in its place.

103
AUTHOR PROFILE
Denis Kozlov
Denis is a CG
generalist with 15
years experience in
the lm, TV, game
advertising and
education industries.
He is currently
working in Prague
as a VFX supervisor.
www.kozlove.net
Theory

THEORY

How deep is your colour?


Dont feel out of your bit depth Denis Kozlov explains
about colour precision in raster images

P
reviously weve discussed address the precision of such a (1-bit image) would give us a
encoding colour information representation, which is dened picture consisting only of black-
in pixels with numbers by a number of bits dedicated in a and-white elements with no
from a zero-to-one range, where particular le format to describing shades of grey.
0 stands for black, 1 for white and that 0 to 1 range, or a bit depth of However, the great thing about
numbers in between represent a raster image. bits is that when you group them
corresponding shades of grey. Bits are the most basic units together there is exponential
In a similar way, the RGB colour of storing information. Each can growth, as each new bit does not
model uses three numbers for take only two values, which can be add two more values to the group,
storing the brightness of each red, thought of as 0 or 1, off or on, the but instead doubles the amount
green and blue component, and absence or presence of a signal, of available unique combinations.
represents a wide range of colours or black or white in our case. It means that if we use 3 bits to
through mixing them. Here well Therefore using a 1-bit per pixel describe each pixel value, wed

HOW ADDING EXTRA BITS GENERATES GREATER PRECISION


The two values can be interpreted as anything (for instance you can encode two different arbitrary colours
with them like brown and violet, but only two of them with no gradations in between), and for the most
common purpose (which is representing a 0 to 1 gradation), 1 bit means black or white and higher bit Although each bit
depths serve to increase the amount of possible grey sub-steps. can represent only
two values, three
1 BIT 3 BITS of them grouped
together results
in eight possible
combinations

104
The circle below
shows the gradient
banding, which
can be solved by
adding noise, as
can be seen in the
circle below right.
By introducing
other artifacts
you can reduce
unwanted ones

Theory
get not 6 (2*3) but 8 (2^3) possible
combinations. 5 bits can produce
simply because they count
the sum of all three channels
Going above 2 bytes per channel
GRADIENT 32, and 8 bits grouped together together. An 8-bit RGB image
BANDING result in 256 different numbers. can possibly reproduce 16,777,216 becomes impractical as the le size
That group of 8 bits is typically (256^3) different colours and
called a byte, which is another results in colour delity normally increases proportionally to the bit depth
How to reduce standard unit computers use sufcient for not seeing any
banding artifacts to store data. This makes it artifacts. Moreover, regular the purpose. But even 10 bits like
convenient (although not consumer monitors are physically in Cineon/DPX format can give
Insufcient bit necessary) to assign the whole not designed to display more four times higher precision against
depth of an byte to describe a colour of a pixel, gradations (in fact they may be the standard 8. Going above 2
output device and it is one byte which is most limited to even less, like 6 bits per bytes per channel, on the other
can be another commonly used per channel. This channel) so why would someone hand, becomes impractical as the
cause for is true for the majority of digital bother and waste disk space or le size increases proportionally
banding artifacts, images existing today, giving us memory on higher bit depths? to the bit depth.
especially in the precision of 256 gradations But regardless of the number of
gradients. Adding from black to white possible in Special cases gradations (2, 4, 256, 65,536, and
noise can help to either a monochrome picture or The most basic example when so on), as long as we are using an
ght this issue each Red, Green or Blue channel 256 gradations of an 8-bit image integer le format, these numbers
through dithering for RGB and is what is called an are not enough is a heavy colour- all describe the values within the
8-bit image in computer graphics, correction, which may quickly range from 0 to 1. For instance,
where the bit depth is traditionally result in artifacts called banding. middle grey value in sRGB colour
measured per colour component. Rendering to higher bit depth space (the colour space of a
In consumer electronics the solves this issue, and normally regular computer monitor not
same 8-bit RGB image would 16-bit formats with their 65,536 to be confused with RGB colour
be called a 24-bit (True Colour) distinctions of grey are used for model) is around 0.5 not 128,

105
0 1
and white is 1 not 255. It is only
because 8-bits representation is 1 BIT
so popular, many programs by
default measure the colour in it.
But this is not how the underlying 2 BITS
maths is working and thus can
cause problems when trying to
make sense of it. For example,
take a Multiply blending mode 3 BITS
its easy to learn empirically
that it preserves the colour of the
underlying layer in white areas
4 BITS
of the overlay, and darkens the
picture under the dark areas but
why is it called Multiply? What
exactly is happening? With black 5 BITS
it makes sense you multiply
the underlying colour by 0 and

You can quickly fake HDR data by 8 BITS

converting an integer image to oat


16 BITS
and gaining up the highlights
get 0 black, but why would it enough precision. At the cost of Moreover, you can quickly fake The statement that
Theory

preserve white areas if white is the memory usage, this allows HDR data by converting an integer 256 gradations
255? Multiplying something by for representing High Dynamic image to oat and gaining up the of 8 bits are
255 should make it much brighter, Range (HDR) imagery, additional highlights (bright areas) of the normally enough
right? Well, its because it is 1, not freedom in compositing, and picture. This wont give you a is illustrated here
255 (nor it is 4, or 16, or 65,536) makes it possible to store arbitrary real replacement for the properly as well through
and so with the rest of the CG numerical data in image les like acquired HDR, but should sufce comparison with
maths: white means 1. the World Position Pass. for many purposes like diffuse 16 bits
It is natural for a 3D renderer to IBL (Image Based Lighting). In
The oating point work in oating point internally, other words, regardless of the
So far weve talked about how so most often the risk of clipping output requirements, if you do your
the bit depth works in integer would occur when choosing compositing in at least 16 bits the
formats; dening the amount of a le format to save the nal nal downsampling and clipping
possible variations between 0 image. Having said that, even for delivery wont be an issue.
and 1 only. Floating point formats when dealing with already given Its important to have a clear
work in a different way. Bit low bit depth or clipped integer understanding of bit depth and
depth does pretty much the same les, there are certain benets integer/oat differences to deliver
thing here denes the colour in increasing its colour precision the renders in adequate quality
precision. However, the numbers inside of the compositing software. and not to get caught during the
stored can be anything and may (Nuke converts any imported post-processing stage later. Read
well lay outside of a 0 to 1 range, source into a 32-bit oating point up on the le formats and options
like brighter than white (above representation internally and available in your software. For
1) or darker than black (negative automatically.) Such conversion instance 16 bits can refer to both
numbers). Internally this works wont add any extra details or integer and oating point formats,
by utilising the logarithmic scale qualities to the existing data, which may be distinguished as
and requires higher bit depths but the results of your further Short (integer) and Half (oat)
for achieving the same delity manipulations would belong in Maya. As a general rule of
in the usually most important to a better colourspace with thumb, use 16 bits if you plan
[0,1]. Normally at least 16 or even less quantisation errors (and a to do extensive colour grading/
32 bits are used per channel to wider luminance range if you compositing, and make sure you
represent oating point data with also convert an integer to oat). render to oating point format
to avoid clipping if any out-of-
range values need to be preserved
CALCULATING IMAGE FILES SIZES BY RESOLUTION AND BIT DEPTH
(like details in the highlights
Whether its a oat or integer, the size of a raster image in memory can be calculated or negative values in z-depth
as a product of the number of pixels (horizontal times vertical resolution), bit depth or if you simply use a linear
and the number of channels. This way a 320x240 8-bit RGBA image would occupy workow). 16-bit OpenEXR les
320x240x8x4 = 2,457,600 bits, or 320x240x4 = 307,200 bytes of memory. can be considered a good colour
This does not show the exact le size on disk though, as rst, there is additional data precision/le size compromise
like header and other meta data stored in an image le; and second, some kind of which can be used in most cases.
compression (lossless like internal archiving or lossy like in .jpg) is normally utilised in
image le formats to save disk space.

106
The same source
image rendered
to 8 bits integer,
16 bits integer
and 16 bits oat
with two different
colour corrections
applied. Notice the
colour banding in
8-bit and clipping
highlights in
This shows clipping after
integer versions lowering the brightness
(gain down). It happens
because no data is stored
above 1 (white) in integer
formats can be solved
only with oating point
formats (as shown below)

This shows banding


after heavy colour
correction solved in 16 8 BITS INTEGER
bits renders (whether
integer or oat)

Theory
COLOUR
INTEGRITY

How to test if
your image is
clipped

Integer formats
always clip the
out-of-range
pixel values. The
quick way to
test for clipping
is to lower the
brightness of a
picture and see 16 BITS INTEGER
if any details get
revealed in the
overbright areas

16 BITS FLOAT

107
AUTHOR PROFILE
Denis Kozlov
Denis is a CG
generalist with 15
years experience in
the lm, TV, game
advertising and
education industries.
He is currently
working in Prague
as a VFX supervisor.
www.kozlove.net
Theory

THEORY

Part 1: Evaluating
a particle system
In this two-piece article, Denis Kozlov takes a look at
the criteria for evaluating a particle system

M
ost 3D and compositing aid of scripting or by utilising some denition, however, it can offer
packages offer some application-specic techniques. It some unique speed optimisations
sort of particle system often requires adjusting your way and convenient features like per-
toolset. They usually come of thinking to t the particular particle blurring control, extended
with a nice set of examples and tools setup, and I personally nd support for blending modes and
demos showing all the stunning that knowledge of the various utilising data directly from images
effects you can achieve using different products available is a big to control the particles. The ability
the software. However, the best help. Even if youve made up your to dial-in existing 3D camera
way to really judge a packages mind about your software choice, motion is quite important in a
capabilities is often not by the you might still nd the following real production environment.
things it can do, but by the things list useful as a set of exercises, In general, it is all about
it cannot. And since it may not be which can help you gure out control. The more control you
so easy to think of all the things how to achieve the necessary have over every thinkable aspect
one might be missing while using functionality within your app. of a particles life, the better. One
a given bit of software, it is good distinctive aspect of this control
to have a checklist at hand when Taking control is the data ow how much data
evaluating it. The rst question would be can be transferred into the particle
Even if some possibilities are whether it is a two- or three- system from the outside, passed
not obvious out of the box, you can dimensional system, or one that through it and then output at the
usually make particles do pretty allows for both modes. A 2D-only end? Which particles properties
much anything you want with the solution is going to be limited by can it affect? Ideally, we want

108
as much as possible. The need
for high levels of control over
particles also means that if the
system doesnt have some kind
of a modular arrangement, like
nodes for instance, it is likely to be
limited in functionality.

Emission features
Following the old-fashioned
tradition of starting at the
beginning, lets start with the
particles emission. What are
the predened emitter types and
shapes and, most importantly,
does the software allow for user- This shows a simple
dened emitter shapes? You can particle system driving
only get so far without custom the metaballs

How much data can be transferred into with image data, so we want all modelling tool. Whether youre
the various properties of the using sprites or geometry, in
the system from the outside, passed particles (amount, size, initial order to have real power you
velocity, age and mass and so will need versatile control over
through it and then output at the end? on) to be controllable through the timing and randomisation
texture data, using as much of of these elements.
sources input geometry or the texture images channels as Can an elements animation

Theory
image data increase the systems possible. For instance, you might be offset for every individual
exibility enormously. want to set the initial particles particle to start when it gets
Emitting from custom volumes direction with vectors stored in born? Can a random frame of the
MAKING allows for great possibilities RGB channels of an image, and use input sequence be picked for each PARTICLE
HAIR & FUR as well. What about emission the alpha or other custom channel particle? Can this frame be chosen INSIGHTS
from animated objects? Can to control the size, as well as use based on the particles attributes?
the emitters velocity and the emitters texture to assign Can the geometry animation be
Creating hair deformations data be transferred groups to particles for further stretched to the particles lifetime? Important
and fur strands to the particles being born? For manipulation. The same applies So, for example, if you have a clip functions in your
with particles the geometry input, particle birth to driving particles properties with a balloon being blown up and particle software
should be possible from both the with different volumetric channels eventually bursting, you should
Rendering a static surface and the enclosed volume (density, velocity, heat) or dialling be able match it to every particle Does your
particle system of the input mesh, and then we an image directly into the 2D in a way so that no matter how system allow
as strands for will often need some way of particle system as a source. long a particle lives, the balloons you to create
representing hair restricting it to certain areas. So appearance will coincide with its custom particles
or grass is yet to achieve real control, texture The look options birth, and the bursting will exactly attributes and
another possible information also needs to be taken Now lets consider the options match its death. assign their values
technique which into account. available for the look of each from a sources
some software Geometry normally allows particle. Both instancing custom Rotation and spin texture?
might offer. for cruder control compared geometry and sprites are a must And the last set of controls that
for a full-featured 3D particle we will touch upon in this article With a good level
system and of course animation are rotation and spin options. of randomisation
should be supported for both. Are Although the Always Face Camera and timing
there any additional special types mode is very useful, it is also management,
of particles available that allow important to have an option to animated sprites
for speed benets or additional exchange it for a full set of 3D and meshes are
techniques? One example of such rotations, even for at image quite powerful
a technique would be single-pixel instances such as sprites think when creating
particles, which can be highly small tree leaves, snowakes or effects such as re
optimised and so can be available playing cards. and crowds.
in huge amounts (like in eyeon Another frequently required
Fusion for instance), allowing for task is to have the elements
some unique results. oriented along their motion paths
Another good example are (in shooting arrows, for example).
metaballs. While each one is And of course having an easy way
merely a blob on its own, when to add randomness and spin, or to
instanced over a particle system drive those through textures or
These images show especially if the particles can other particles attributes, is of the
an effect created control their individual sizes utmost importance.
with millions of and weights metaballs can On page 110 we look at the tools
single-pixel particles become a powerful effects and
FYI needed to drive particles further.

109
AUTHOR PROFILE
Denis Kozlov
Denis is a CG
generalist with 15
years experience
in the lm, TV, game
advertising and
education industries.
He is currently
working in Prague
as a VFX supervisor.
www.kozlove.net
Theory

THEORY

Part 2: Evaluating
a particle system
Denis Kozlov looks further at the toolset required
to efciently drive particles later in their lives

I
n this two-part article we are be controlled along and with key functionality for a particle
looking at some criteria for their age? Colour and size are a system. Its numerous applications
SYSTEM evaluating a particle system. must, but it is also important for include changing the look of
BASICS The last time we considered the age to be able to inuence a particle based on events like
options required at the initial any other arbitrary parameter, collisions or parameters like age,
emission stage, and now were and in a nonlinear fashion, like creating different kinds of bursts
Taking control taking a look into the further life plotting an age-to-parameter and explosions and creating all
of the particles of a particle. The questions and dependency graph with a custom sorts of trails. Firework effects is
considerations here can serve as curve. For example, when doing a a good example where spawning
Gaining maximum a checklist for evaluating new dust cloud with sprites you might functionality is used in at least
control over software or as a list of exercises want to increase their size while two ways: it creates the trails by
all thinkable within your existing program decreasing opacity towards the generating new elements behind
parameters and of choice. The key requirement is end of their lifetime. Can custom the leading ones, plus produces
undisrupted data to have maximum control over all events be triggered at the certain the explosion by generating
ow through the parameters and undisrupted points of a particles lifetime? Can new leads from the old ones at
a particles life data ow through a particles the age data be transferred further a desired moment.
and between life and between the different to those events? Just like with the initial
the different components of the system. emission discussed last time, it is
components of The rst question I would Spawning paramount to be able to transfer as
the system is key ask after the emission is how Spawning (emitting new particles much data as possible from the old
many particles properties can from the existing ones) is the particles to the new ones. Velocity,

110
shape, colour, age and all the
custom properties should be easily
inheritable if required; or possible
to set from scratch as an option.
Recursive spawning is the last but
not least option. A good software
solution provides the user with
the ability to choose whether to
use newly spawned elements as
a base for spawning in each next
time-step (to spawn recursively)
or not. Although this is a powerful
technique, beware; due to
the number of elements growing
exponentially, recursive spawning
can quickly get out of hand.

Behaviour control
Forces are a standard way of a certain timeframe. Now lets be limited in number or limited to Stunning and
driving the motion in a particle consider the options to limit contain some particle exclusively. complex effects
system. The default set of any force or event (including For example, you might want to like this spiral
directional, point, rotational, spawning) that may be added group some particles based on galaxy can be
turbulent and drag forces aside, to the particle ow. speed, others based on age and created entirely
it is important to have an easily What are the ways to restrict then create yet another group: with particles
controllable custom force the effect of each particular an intersection of the rst two.
functionality with a visual control operator? Can it be restricted Flexible enough software allows
over its shape. The ability to use to a certain area only? A certain

Theory
arbitrary 3D objects or images as
forces comes in very handy here.
lifespan? Can it be limited with a
custom criteria like mathematical
It is paramount to be able to transfer
Forces raise the next set of expressions, arbitrary particle
FRICTION questions: How much can the properties or a certain probability as much data as possible from the
FORCE system be driven by physical factor? How much control does a
simulations? Does it support user have over the active area for old particles to the new ones
collisions? What are the supported each operator custom shapes,
Friction helps types of collision objects, what textures, geometry, volumes? Is for quite complex effects like the
drive the motion are the options for post-collision there a grouping workow? spiral galaxy shown above, created
behaviour and how much data can with particles alone.
An often a particle exchange in a collision Group work There are more considerations,
overlooked drag with the rest of the scene? Groups provide a powerful way which have less connection with
force plays a very Can further physical phenomena to control particles. The concept the direct capabilities of a given KNOW THY
important role like smoke/combustion or uid implies that at the creation point system, but would still make a NEIGHBOUR
as it counteracts behaviour be simulated within or further down the life of a difference in a real deadline-
the other forces, the particle system? Can this kind particle it can be assigned to some driven production. (See the boxout
not letting of simulation data be dialled into group, and then each single effect below.) Aside from the presence of Create
them get out of the system from the outside? One can be simply limited to operate variation/randomisation options, cool effects
control through efcient technique, for instance, on the chosen groups only. For which should be available for the with particles
overgrowing is to drive the particles with efcient work all the limiting maximum number of parameters
the results of a low-resolution options just discussed should be in the system, you need to check Many interesting
volumetric simulation, using them available as criteria for groups how stable and controllable the effects can be
to increase its detalisation. assignment. Plus the groups randomisation is. If you reseed achieved if the
In order to direct particles themselves should be a subject to one parameter will the rest of the particles have
they can also be set to follow a logic operations (like subtraction simulation stay unaffected and some awareness
path and to nd targets within or intersection), they should not preserve its look? How predictable of each other (like
and stable is the particle solver? which particle
Can the particle ow be split into is its nearest
FURTHER CONSIDERATIONS TO EVALUATE YOUR SYSTEM
or merged together from several? neighbour).
Ask yourself the following questions to check your workow efciency: And it is worth considering Then forces like
s Whats the max amount of particles the system can manage interactively and render? the quality and accessibility of ocking can be
s Are there optimisations for the certain types of elements? documentation of the software used to simulate
s What kind of data can be output from the particle system for further manipulation? solution, together with the amount the collective
s Can the results be used for meshing into geometry later or in another software? of available presets/samples and behaviour
s Can a particle system deform or affect, in any other way, the rest of the scene? the size of the userbase. Trying
s Can it be used to drive another particle system? to dig through a complex system
s Can the results of a particle simulation be cached to disk or memory? like Houdini or Thinking Particles
s Can you play it backwards or scrub back-and-forth across the timeline? would be daunting without these
s Are there options for a pre-run before the rst frame of the scene? documents and guides.
s Does the system provide good visual aids for working interactively in the viewport? Discover more of Deniss work
s Can individual particles be manually selected and manipulated?
FYI at www.kozlove.net

111
164

142

136
Tutorials

160
TUTORIALS
ANATOMY: PART 1 114 LIGHT AND TEXTURE 142
Sculpting the torso Apply texture and light to a complex character

ANATOMY: PART 2 118 RIG-READY CREATURES 148


Sculpting the masses Get to grips with retopology tools

ANATOMY: PART 3 122 CHARACTER CONCEPTS 154


Sculpting the muscles Successful character concepts in 15 stages

ANATOMY: PART 4 126 12 CAR RENDER TIPS 160


Creating a master model Use 3ds Max and V-Ray for perfect car rendering

HANDS 130 SCI-FI RACING 164


Detailed hands in ZBrush Create futurist racing machines in 3ds Max 2015

UNWRAPPING UVS 136 REALISTIC ENVIRONMENTS 168


Master this core skill Build your own cityscape in fantastic detail

BIG SCREEN CREATURES 138 PHOTOSHOP TEXTURES 172


Cinematic creatures in 10 easy steps 10 top tips for better textures in Photoshop

Tutorials

148

113
Tutorials

114
ZBRUSH

ANATOMY PART 1:
SCULPTING THE TORSO
Learn the core skills to sculpt accurate gures in the rst part
of this anatomy series from Ninja Theorys Dan Crossland

O
ver the course of this discuss rening the gure before comes to reproducing an corch
tutorial series, which will detailing, adding veins and so gure, before we look at how to
be printed in consecutive forth, then briey touch on posing roughly block in the torso. We will
issues of 3D World, we will look the gure; to add feeling to the look at achieving smooth surfaces
at dissecting the process of form and rhythms; to make our and accurate sculpting. I will also
ARTIST PROFILE sculpting a character for 3D print. gure look natural. Lastly well set reveal my general process, which
Dan Crossland In the coming tutorials Ill cover up a watertight le for 3D print. can then be applied to other areas
With a background in blocking in the model using a Here, in part one of my anatomy of the gure over the next stages
ne arts, Dan discovered ZSphere base mesh, honing in on series, I will cover gathering of this tutorial.
digital sculpting seven separate areas of the gure to reference for the model, as this is For the assets, go to
years ago and nds it give each one our attention. Ill the most important part when it creativebloq.com/getinto3D
the most immediate
method of transferring
drawing skills to digital.

Tutorials
Dan has worked in the
video games industry
for 10 years and is a
senior character artist
at Ninja Theory.
www.dancrossland.co.uk

STARTING POINT
I typically start new
characters with a
ZSphere rig, as theres no
laborious box modelling
involved and its a fun 1 MAKE A ZSPHERE RIG 2 CHOOSE REFERENCE
dynamic way to feel a For the characters basic sculpt begin by making Later well use ZRemesher to create a clean topology
characters proportions a biped with ZSpheres. The ZSphere rig will make that will hold the details more economically.
our lives super easy when it comes to making base Spotlight is used to load in some reference images
meshes to sculpt on. This is the quickest method I these particular images are from 3DSK I chose this
have found it frees you early on to experiment with model because her proportions are nice, and we can
TOPICS COVERED a basic mesh, plus you can place the points exactly at clearly see muscle groups and the bony landmarks. I
Using reference the key bone positions so you know the proportions am going for a generic representation of a female, so
Sculpting forms are pretty much locked in early on. I chose a model of average height and weight.
Smoothing surfaces

115
LIMITED INFO
This is exactly the same as
using a limited palette in
painting; limit yourself so you
focus only on whats necessary

3 ADD THE MAIN MASSES 4 THE BIGGER PICTURE


EXPERT TIP Once youre happy with the general dimensions I will go over all the body at this stage before
Brushes used from the ZSphere rig, start making a new focusing on the torso later. This gives me a good
The main brushes adaptive skin, which will give a very basic quaded grounding and feel to the gure as I work. Doing
used at the mesh on which we will work. Looking at the this also helps you to hint at the pose to give the
rough-in stage references, loosely block-in the gure, focusing on character the correct weight and balance. I nd that
are the Move tool, the main shapes. Only use one level of subdivision by working over the entire gure at the early stages I
ClayTubes, Inflate at this stage, as you dont want to get bogged down get a good feel for the direction Im headed.
and Standard with unessential information.
brushes.

MUSCLE DIRECTION
Using the ClayTubes brush
at the blocking in stage
is great to break up the
surface, so we can start
to hone in on muscle
direction and so on

Working on two separate 5 ROUGH IN THE FORMS 6 USE THE BONE LANDMARKS
Aim to block in only the major forms giving a strong Pay close attention to the bone landmarks and their
models for the two halves foundation to ensure our success later. Keep your
strokes light but precise, look at the form directions
construction. The areas where the bones are closest
to the skin gives us a lot of information about how
of the sculpt helps focus and ow, and make marks that respect these
directions. Work the whole model lightly and hint
we should sculpt those areas to keep them realistic.
Exaggerate areas such as the clavicle, the hip bone,
our eyes on symmetry, turned on and resist the urge to divide the mesh, we the
at areas and muscle groups. Work with Symmetry patella and the elbow on the model, so they are
always in the back of your mind. Later we will blend
before we add them together are focused on large shapes and their placement. them as we constantly work over the gure, adjusting
our work in the previous session.
Tutorials

NATURAL MODEL
A nice-looking gure that
reads well, is relaxed and
natural looking, that is
our ultimate goal

7 CHECK THE ANGLES 8 USING PHOTO REFERENCE


Constantly check all views to give you a good read I used 3DSK photo as a source, the female gure I
of the gure and to see how one muscle intersects chose has the correct height and weight, with the
with another. Dont think about the corch just yet, right amount of body fat for use in this exercise. I
for now we only need to know where the placement sculpt in accordance with the gure, paying close
of the muscles are as per our reference. The aim is to attention to the shape around the hip and thigh area
produce a natural-looking sculpt and following the to instil a good feeling of feminism. These forms
reference will ensure our success, before moving to are vague on photos and its easy to get lost in the
the muscle groups. The corch can be made later undulations on a contour, for now keep it rough.
from the placements made to the gure here.

116
EXPERT TIP
Subdivisions
Work broad
changes at low
subdivisions levels
to keep the model
from becoming
lumpy later in the
detail stages.

9 ADD ANOTHER SUBDIVISION 10 SHAPE THE HEAD


At his stage everything is in place and theres a Simplifying the head and face into basic masses
good basic form coming through the model, so now makes it easier to nd the models attitude. By
is a great time to give our model another level of focusing on the broad masses we will setup the
subdivision to rene some muscle groups. I generally model for renement later on. Also, by having basic
work until I cant get any more out of the current facial forms sculpted in at this stage you can make
level, at which point I subdivide. That way you have an emotional connection to the model, and I feel this
no overpowering masses of polys to pull around. It actually affects your decisions in the sculpt.
helps to avoid blobby surfaces that can occur when
a model is overworked at too high a subdivision level.

SMOOTHING OUT
Back and forth
You may nd your model is
looking blobby in certain areas
due to all the pushing, pulling
11 FOCUS ON THE TORSO and moving its undergone. Dont
This is a complex area to work on as everything worry, theres a simple technique
hangs from this main trunk. Reference images will we can use to smooth out the
only take you so far, you really have to study anatomy model. Once you are happy with
reference books to understanding of whats going a muscle, drop it down a level
on under the skin to give your characters life. So we and give it a little smooth over.
will use the muscle chart from Step 8 as a guide to Because we over exaggerated
block the muscle in, quite forcefully at rst, as this will earlier, the model can now take
also be our base for the corch side of the gure, so this smooth out at a lower level.
we should save some time. Once we step back up the levels,
we get some detail back, which
is good and then on this more

Tutorials
rened mesh, I do the process
again and again as I work to push
the torsos renement.

TORSO CONTOURS
The torso has very
specic contours, so
checking the outline
is a very effective
method of checking
12 RHYTHMS AND FORMS 13 CHECK THE SILHOUETTE the angles and shapes
Try not to focus on minor details. Carefully examine Finally, check the silhouette of the torso to look for of your model
ways to add to the overall attitude of the model, its opportunities you might have missed to add more
posture and pose. Gradually develop your forms life into the character. I constantly check with my
over the entire torso. Once you are happy with the anatomy reference to make sure Im not mindlessly
large masses, start to look at the secondary shapes sculpting a surface. I am looking for the relationships
included within those masses. This is a process of between the outline and the inner muscle, the way
self correction, as we get closer to a realistic surface one wraps around another and folds over another.
we need to adjust the overall shapes at a lower level This is one of the hardest things to grasp with digital
if we spot parts that feel incorrect. sculpting, but with practice it starts to make sense.

117
Tutorials

118
ZBRUSH 4+

ANATOMY PART 2:
SCULPTING THE MASSES
In the second instalment of Dan Crosslands anatomy
tutorial, he focuses on sculpting the limbs

I
n this series we will dissect the can delve deeper into specics at and focused our attention on
process of sculpting a character your leisure. The human form is the torso. With the main trunk
for 3D modelling. In this second so complex and full of subtleties established, we will now pay
instalment of the tutorial, we will that it will take dedication and attention to developing the
outline general workow rather consistent study to master. Youll corch version, starting with
ARTIST PROFILE than focusing on the specics of come to master the forms in the other side of the torso,
Dan Crossland anatomical naming, as that is a time, and the more you sculpt the establishing the arms and hands,
With a background in whole section in itself that would better and clearer it all becomes. then the legs and feet.
ne arts, Dan discovered require more time and space than However its difcult to convey In the next part, we will focus on
digital sculpting seven we have here. without confusing the process. the head.
years ago and nds it My main focus for this tutorial In the last tutorial we worked For the tutorial assets, go to
the most immediate is to show you my workows; you on developing the whole form creativebloq.com/getinto3D
method of transferring
drawing skills to digital.
Dan has worked in the

Tutorials
video games industry
for ten years and is a
senior character artist
at Ninja Theory.
dancrossland.co.uk

FINGER SHAPE
If you look at the cross
section of a nger it is
quite square, more so
than a cylinder. Making
it square and at is 1 START WITH THE HAND 2 SHAPE THE FINGERS
closer to reality The hand is very complex and can take time to I look at the three teardrop muscle masses of the
develop, but following some simple rules will ensure hand. I like to atten the ngers on the top and
success and avoid the typical cylindrical ngers that bottom adding this atness early brings us closer
can look unrealistic. First I pose the nger geometry to realism and aids the progress of nuanced shapes.
into the position I want for the gure. I block in the I move over the whole hand, bringing shapes and
bony landmarks, the knuckles and joints these give forms to life with a very low powered Standard brush.
TOPICS COVERED us indications of length and proportions to base the However I dont linger too long on details as I want
Sculpting block in sculpt on. an overall gesture and feel to the hand.
Forms and muscle groups

119
THE ELBOW
The complex motion of the
elbow joint is divided
into two components that
act around different axes,
exion/extension and
pronation/supination

3 THE WRIST 4 THE FOREARM


Continuing from the hand sculpting, I tie this into I start the forearm by sculpting the elbow, then
the wrist and start on shaping this area in earnest. radiate the strokes out towards the forearm to
I rst block in the bony mass of the ulna at its base nd the form the orientation of the elbow is so
where it meets the hand, then continue to dene the important to the position of the muscles and how
tendons on the inside of the wrist. I usually square they intersect at the elbow and wrap towards the
off the sides a little at this stage too, and then, using ulna. I continue to dene the individual muscles.
SCULPTING THE NAILS a Standard brush, I mark the bony edges of the wrist In the female form they can be quite subtle, so
The details matter going into the forearm. take care. I like to drop back to lower levels, give it
another smooth pass and work back up again.
Once I have established the nail
bed, I select the Dam Standard
brush with Lazy Mouse turned on,
then carve the shape of the nail
and dene the sides. I then use
Clay Tubes to give the actual nail
some depth. I constantly smooth
things out and reiterate the lines
with the Pinch tool (using the
Pinch tool gives the model greater
clarity and a more dened surface
early on). With the method set
I move onto each nail; theres
a tendency to rush this step
because it very repetitive, so to
combat that I generally isolate the
nail Im working on so I can focus.
5 THE UPPER ARM 6 THE SHOULDER
I like to start by cutting in the separation of the bicep The is one of the most complex areas to sculpt, but
on the inside using a small brush and cutting in the devising simple shapes aids the process. Think in
EXPERT TIP placement. Sometimes I will create a morph target terms of triangles. Start at the spine of the scapula
Avoid lumps so I can erase areas that arent working well. I also (to which the deltoid muscle is attached) and the
Work broader create some polygroups as the arms will be down. trapezius muscle, which forms that diagonal shoulder
changes at low I continually turn the model and work forms from line coming out of the neck. If one looks closely,
subdivision levels every angle, paying attention to the tricep shape, there is an angle break. This area is so subtle that
to keep the model the bicep head and the tendons, which add realism you have to pay close attention to the shapes that
from becoming as they connect to the forearm. meet and form the mass of the shoulder.
lumpy in later
stages.
Tutorials

DEFINE THE FEET


Lots of character comes
from the foot, so pay
attention to its weight
and positioning

REAL WORLD SCULPTS


Mirror real life
My renement stage, in which
I go over each area of the body,
is akin to real-world sculpting. 7 START ON THE FOOT 8 GETTING THE SHAPE RIGHT
Some sculptors dont use this I rst like to dene the overall gesture and character Next I focus on the tendons and the bony masses.
method but for me its a personal of the foot, and then move on to working on the When sculpting them, check the angles and the
preference because I feel it gives weight and rening the positioning, which relates curve of the nails from the front as this indicates the
me control over how the surface back to the rhythm and the attitude of the model. roundness or curvature of the toes. I just need to hint
is handled. I feel like it brings me I do this at level 0 rst and then start to gently work at the nails and carve those in but I dont need to
closer to the surface of the model my way through the subdivision levels. I dene the overwork it as this will be for 3D print. Its important
in many ways, and that helps my ball of the foot and the arch of the foot with a larger to know your end goal and what details will be
sculpting process. Move tool. retained in this case, its more important to get the
overall shape and attitude right.

120
EXPERT TIP
Block in
Using Clay Tubes
at the blocking-in
stage helps break
up the surface so
we can start to
hone in on muscle
direction.

9 WORK ON THE PELVIS 10 SCULPTING THE UPPER LEG


Getting the pelvic area right is key when sculpting For the upper leg, start by sculpting in the main FEMALE MODELS
the female form. Closely measuring the width of the masses, paying attention to how the leg is offset There is a tendency
shoulders to the width of the hips and dening the from the knee and then wraps into the back of the to overwork female
gluteal fat pads will give us a realistic representation. calf. Using the silhouette to guide the placement of sculpts, and this can
If we render them properly, the fat pads in the inner the knee, I cut in denition with smaller brush sizes give the model an
thigh and outer thigh are key parts of dening the then go back to dene overall positioning with larger unnatural appearance
shape around the pelvis and buttocks. brushes and the Mode brush, cutting the calf into
the back of the hamstring.

11 FOCUS ON THE LOWER LEG 12 IMPORTANCE OF KNEES I see so many overworked


The lower leg adds so much life to a sculpt. I see so many overworked knees in digital sculpting
Everyones legs are different in real life and there its a difcult area to get right, and hitting the
are lots of variations, but Ive found that if we only specic forms can be tricky. For now I rough in the knees in digital sculpting
use conventional and academic examples to sculpt knee in a basic way and then work on the shin bone:
legs, we miss the opportunities that life presents this will give me more information on the position of its a difcult area to get
us with. So I found a model that had a slightly more the knee, and working on another area gives me a
interesting curve in the calf and used that as an break so I can have fresh eyes when I move back to it. right, and hitting the
opportunity to add life to the character something
most learning aid corchs wont offer. specic forms can be tricky

Tutorials
READ THE TUTORIAL,
GET THE MODEL
Get the corch model Dan
has created for 3DTotal
The model featured by Dan
Crossland is the second in a
range of affordable anatomical
reference gures for artists from
www.3dtotal.com. Coming soon
to Kickstarter, the female gure
will be a 26.5cm tall, grey resin
13 OVERALL REFINEMENT PASS 14 SETTING UP FOR DETAIL statue, making her the perfect
I dened polygroups earlier; now I go back in and After getting the correct undulations and shape, desktop companion for digital
look in detail at the masses, making a precise the Clay Tubes marks are gently erased with a little artists. To nd out more and to
surface. My general technique is to drop down to a smoothing. This leaves you with a dened surface, register for the Kickstarter project,
lower level and smooth the area a little, then dial the ready for pores and super high frequency details visit www.3dtotal.com
detail up again and use Clay Tubes to break up the safe in the knowledge your base can take it. I wont
surface. I use a low power at 2 or 3 to block in the add pores to this model, but I will add a slight noise
volumes of each form following muscle direction and some supercial veins to add realism as this will
and sculpting the correct volume, and bringing read well under lighting. On page 122 we will focus
shapes to a standard Im happy with. on sculpting the head in part three of the series.

121
Tutorials

122
ZBRUSH 4+

ANATOMY PART 3:
SCULPTING THE MUSCLES
In the third part of Dan Crosslands anatomy tutorial, he
focuses on sculpting the muscles in intricate detail

I
n part three of this anatomy dedication and consistent study version, establishing the limbs.
masterclass we will outline to master, but little by little it will Now we will move onto marking
the general workow rather sink in and the more you practise the muscles for the skinned
than focusing in on specics of sculpting, the better and clearer it version, before sculpting the main
anatomical naming, as that is a will all become. muscles groups.
ARTIST PROFILE whole section in itself that would In the rst part of the tutorial, As with the previous tutorials
Dan Crossland require more time and space than we worked on developing the so far, I will work on the model
With a background in we have here. whole form and focused our symmetrically and then combine
ne arts, Dan discovered My main focus for this tutorial is attention initially on the torso. the two halves in the last step to
digital sculpting seven to show you the workows I use. And in the last issue, the second form a complete model.
years ago and nds it The human form is so complex part of the tutorial concentrated For all tutorial assets, go to
the most immediate and full of subtleties that it takes on developing the corch creativebloq.com/getinto3D
method of transferring
drawing skills to digital.
Dan has worked in video

Tutorials
games for ten years and
is a senior character
artist at Ninja Theory.
www.dancrossland.co.uk

PLACING YOUR FORMS


Looking at placement of
forms using Polypainting
is a great way to visualise
your completed model
1 MUSCLE MARKING 2 SCULPTING THE MUSCLES
To begin making the muscles of our model, make Start the sculpting process by carving along the lines
a duplicate copy of the gure you have created so you marked with the Dam Standard brush. Once
far, and then mark the muscles by polypainting their carved, start adding volumes with the ClayTubes
placement. This gives you a good read of how the brush while following the striations of the muscle.
gure will look and also gives you the opportunity Make sure you pay attention to the ow direction of
TOPICS COVERED to review placement before committing to sculpting the muscles and their intersections.
Sculpting muscles and tendons the muscle itself. While you dont need details at the
Forms and muscle groups moment, you do want to break up the form into the
Sculpting the hair main masses.

123
3 SCULPT HAND TENDONS 4 DEFINING THE MUSCLES
EXPERT TIP Mask off the hand and soften it ([Ctrl]+click on the Continue to follow the lines of the muscles and add
Muscle denition model) then go to the Deformation palette and volume with the ClayTubes brush. When the muscles
This is key to getting select Inate with a value of -1. This will make the look like they are in good shape, smooth out the
your figure looking model look more skeletal while keeping the boney lines slightly and polish the muscles into dened
good. It can take landmarks intact, which you can use as the base for muscle groups. Use masking to give the edges of the
a while to achieve sculpting the muscles. Add mass to the thumb and muscles a shaper edge, and to add a more realistic
the correct level of major muscles, then hang the rest of the form from look to the muscles so that they lie on top of the
detail so work at these. Sculpt in the extensors with the Standard bones and intersect with one another, rather than
it carefully. brush with LazyMouse turned on. just looking carved in.

USE ZREMESHER 5 THE SMALLER SHAPES 6 RETOPOLOGISING


ZRemesher can Now the forms are roughed in you can focus on Once all the main muscle groups are blocked in
really speed up the the secondary shapes within the main masses. Pay it becomes clear that to get any more detail into
workow, and making close attention to the undulations as they will give the mesh, Im going to need to make some new
new meshes has never you a more realistic result in the end. I like to hint at topology. I start by duplicating the mesh, then make
been easier. To achieve them with the ClayTubes brush rst again always a new topology for it. I use ZRemesher at 50 per cent,
greater accuracy use following the form and the striations that the muscle then once complete I divide the new mesh to level 6
ZRemesher guides to presents us with. Give them another smooth, and and reproject the details onto the new ZRemesh.
dene tricky areas then add the striation detail later on another layer.
Tutorials

MORPH TARGETS
Using a Morph Target
on the mesh when
sculpting details is
good for dissolving
veins into the muscle
use the Morph brush
to gently pull back to
the original mesh

7 START CLEANING UP 8 DETAIL THE STRIATIONS


Now go back through the levels of detail, cleaning Start detailing the striations of the muscles rst
up any blobby surfaces into an accurate overall store a morph target at the highest level, then create
form that will be able hold good details in the a new layer. I like to use the Dam Standard brush
next section. Use ClayTubes at a really low level (with LazyMouse on) to carve in the striations and
at this stage, and gently do a cross hatch motion accurately follow the ow. It is important to get the
along the forms to dene them with more accuracy depth of the striations, as this will enable you to see
while smoothing out the lines for a clean nish. I the detail in the end model. I keep them relatively
sometimes also atten some of the surfaces with deep and also give them enough separation so they
an hPolish brush. show up and read well on the model.

124
FURTHER READING
Artistic Anatomy
Dr Richer wrote the seminal
volumes on artistic anatomy
in the late 1800s, and theyve
9 ADDING VEINS 10 FACE REFINEMENT PASS become the standard to which all
Add another layer and, using the Standard brush Now its time to focus on the muscles that make up other artistic anatomy books are
with LazyMouse turned on, start to add the veins. I the face. These are very complex, so you will need compared. The English-language
follow the guide images from Paul Richers anatomy to use a lot of masking to dene the shapes and get edition brings Dr Richer together
book (see boxout, right), which clearly shows the the correct overlapping of muscles. Add two spheres with the twentieth centurys most
placement of the vein network. Next we can increase for the eyes. These will only show up very small in renowned teacher of anatomy and
or decrease the look of the veins using the power the model so they will have to be very cleanly and gure drawing, Robert Beverly
slider on the layer; I choose to go with 50 per cent carefully dened around the eyelids. Hale, who translated and edited
power, which should show up well in the nal model. the book for the modern reader.

Tutorials
READ THE TUTORIAL,
GET THE MODEL
Get the corch model Dan
has created for 3DTotal
The model featured in Dans
tutorial is the second in a
range of affordable anatomical
reference gures for artists from
www.3dtotal.com. Coming soon
to Kickstarter, the female gure
will be a 26.5cm tall, grey resin
I sculpt in the hair, rather than 11 SCULPTING THE HAIR
I choose to sculpt in the hair, rather than separate it
statue, making her the perfect
desktop companion for digital
separate it into a subtool, as into a subtool, because I like the really soft transition
that you get from the scalp to the hair and I think it
artists. To nd out more and to
register for the Kickstarter project,

I like the soft transition looks more natural in a sculpt. After sculpting the
hair you are ready to move onto the nal stages of
visit www.3dtotal.com.

sculpting. The fourth instalment of this series will


from the scalp to hair cover sculpting the head and face. Turn the page to
begin that tutorial now!

125
ZBRUSH 4

ANATOMY PART 4:
CREATE A MASTER MODEL
In his nal anatomy tutorial Dan Crossland reveals how
to compile a sculpt into a nal model gure for printing

D
uring this anatomy series master, but little by little it sinks in the next task is to combine the
we have dissected the and the more you sculpt the better two halves of the model into one
process of sculpting an and clearer it all becomes. mesh, then I will show how I rene
anatomically correct gure. The nal model on these pages and tweak the model to ensure
We have looked at the general is now available as a 3D printed the render is lit properly to show
ARTIST PROFILE process and workow of creating reference gure from 3DTotal. off the muscle details. Finally, I will
Dan Crossland a lifelike gure, its muscles and A model like this is important to share some advice on creating a
With a background in details without being held back by use as reference as its so much watertight mesh and decimate the
ne arts, Dan discovered correct anatomical naming. easier to understand the form and model before explaining how to
digital sculpting seven The human form is so complex muscle structure of the human export the nal .stl to the printers.
years ago and nds it and full of subtleties that it takes gure when you can hold it. Now For all the assets you need go to
the most immediate dedication and consistent study to that my sculpt is nearly complete creativebloq.com/getinto3D
method of transferring
drawing skills to digital.
Dan has worked in video
Tutorials

games for ten years and


is a senior character
artist at Ninja Theory.
www.dancrossland.co.uk

REMESHING TOOL
ZRemesher can really
speed up the workow,
making new meshes has
never been easier, to
achieve greater accuracy
use ZRemesher guides to
dene tricky areas 1 COMBINING MESHES
To combine the meshes I need to create a mesh that
holds the details of the muscle side of the model
and the skin side. I create a new mesh for both sides
by duplicating twice, then run ZRemesher at similar
resolutions to both sides. I split the models down the
TOPICS COVERED middle and delete each opposite side. I take the two
Re-projecting halves and export them to Maya to manually weld,
Rendering in mode 1 clean and edit the mesh. With the mesh now joined
Sending files to print I can export back to ZBrush.

126
127
Tutorials
MUSCLE DEFINITION
Using a morph target
on the mesh when
sculpting details is
good for dissolving
veins into the muscle by
using the Morph brush
to gently pull back to 2 RE-PROJECTING
the original mesh To begin I import my newly created mesh and divide
it six times and store a morph target to hold all the
details at a good resolution. I step back down to
Level 1 and make Polygroups of each side of the
model. I hide the muscle side and project just the
skin side going up through the levels, projecting one
at a time. I repeat the process for the muscle side,
which now gives me a continuous mesh with all my
details from both models combined into one model.

USING LAYERS
Utilise the use of
layers to control
details over a model

3 CLEANING UP 4 MODELLING THE BASE


Down the centre line of the model there is a degree For the base I start with a cylinder. I bevel the
of clean-up because the projecting sometimes nds edges, and then I crease the newly created edges
it difcult to know what is happening with the open and divide the mesh to around Level 6. I then make
edge. I created the morph target while the model a DynaMesh at a resolution of 2,000. This gives
was smooth so now I can just go ahead and erase me enough geometry to add my signature and
any wrong areas with the Morph brush, I also clean- the 3DTotal logo to the base. Once done, I select
up the back of the head and add some thickness the cleaned-up model and create a DynaMesh
around the centre line to give the impression of the mesh model at full resolution. I can now move onto
skin being cut to reveal the muscled side. preparing the model to t the base.
Tutorials

EXPERT TIP
Check your model
Check all the details,
such as the fingers,
as these need to be
somewhat closed
and straight if youre
printing so they
dont break.

5 FLATTENING THE FEET 6 RENDERING IN MODE 1


To connect the model to the base I align my model I set up a Clay render scene for testing how the
to it and go into Transparency mode. I slightly sink details hold up. The scene is a basic mental ray setup
the model into the base to ensure a ush t where consisting of three area lights, one key light, one ll
the feet meet the base, and to give the model a light and a rim light. I use some Final Gather and use
sense of unity and solidity. a basic grey shader with a low specular value. After
rendering the images I assess the areas that are
maybe too light on details and may need pushing
further or where the model is lacking.

128
EXPERT TIP
Keep decimating
Dont be afraid to
keep reducing the
poly count to get the
file to a manageable
size. I decimated a
further 20 per cent
on from Step 8.

7 MAKING TWEAKS
After seeing the renders I decided to carve some
of the torso details in a little harder as they were
reading quite light. Since the model is now a
DynaMesh its really easy to carve new details or
smooth and adjust as needed. I also tighten up some
of the details on the back of the model and smooth
out some uneven surfaces. This last step completes
the model.

8 DECIMATING THE MESH


In order to send this to print for 3DTotal, I need
to reduce the poly count. Luckily ZBrush has
Decimation Master, which is an amazing tool for
3D printing and rendering, and I use it all the time.
I open the palette and precompute the model.
I decimate the model at 30 per cent. I see no
difference and thats a good sign as the mesh has
held all the details correctly but the resolution is
now massively reduced.

Tutorials
READ THE TUTORIAL,
GET THE MODEL
Get the corch model Dan
has created for 3DTotal
9 EXPORTING THE STL FILE
Now the model is complete I export the nal output The 3D print is just for the master
le. In this case we will be exporting an .stl le for 3DTotal then created resin
the printer. I dont need to worry about scale as the copies. For more details visit
printer will be scaling to match the clients sizes so 3DTotals website:
I tick the STL and the All boxes and hit Export. This www.3dtotal.com
gives me the le to send to the 3D print bureau. The
nal model on these pages will be available soon as
a resin reference gure from 3DTotal, so now youve
read the tutorial, you can get the model!

129
Video Guide
ZBrush
Modelling

Render a detailed
FOR
ZBrush 4R5 or 4R6

TIME TAKEN
Four hours

TOPICS COVERED
tStudying hand
anatomy
tSculpting a hand
tAdding details and
hand in ZBrush
creases Titouan Olive guides you through the techniques
DOWNLOADS needed to realistically sculpt a human hand
Youll nd the video
and assets you need
by going to: fter the face, hands are They also have the ability to betray Hands can be time-consuming
creativebloq.com/
getinto3D
A possibly the most important
part of a characters
our age and what we do in life: a
sherman wont have the same
to sculpt because you need to
individually sculpt each of the
creation. They express a large hands as a pianist. ngers as well as the ngernails;
variety of emotions, opinions and The rst thing you need to but fortunately for us hands are
choices. We move them about when consider before sculpting hands symmetrical, and its easy to create
we speak to make our point more is what type of character you are the second hand automatically by
clearly and eloquently. creating. Are they going to be mirroring the rst.
We also indicate what we want stylised? Are they male or female? Sculpting hands is a great way to
or dont want with our hands. How old are they, and whats their improve your skill and knowledge
Were often not really aware of this profession? In this tutorial, we of character creation as well. In
point, but they are the basis of an will create realistic male hands, fact, you could argue that if you can
elaborate hidden language, just like strong with classical proportions, sculpt hands successfully, you can
our facial expressions. of someone about 30 years old. sculpt anything.

01 Block out shapes


Open ZBrush (or your
preferred sculpting application) and
load the base mesh, hand_low.obj,
from the les folder in The Vault.
Tutorials

The basic proportions are already in


place, so this is a good model to use
as a base for our sculpting work.
Choose the Move brush from
the Brushes menu and use it at the
base between each nger to try to
give them a better direction. Rough
out the underlying bones on the
wrist and divide your model twice
(Geometry > Divide).
Now select the Standard brush and
roughly draw lines on top of the hand
to simulate the bones and tendons
located there. Once thats done, click
on the Rotate button (or press [R])
then hold [Ctrl] and click and drag
on the ngers to draw a mask. Hold
[Ctrl] again, and click on the canvas
ARTIST PROFILE to invert your selection. Keep [Ctrl]
Titouan Olive pressed and choose Mask Lasso in
is a freelance 3D artist who
works in the entertainment the Brushes menu. Hold [Ctrl]+[Alt]
industry on video games, Rough out the underlying to draw a selection around the thumb
lms, ads, toys and gurines
and architecture. bone structure of the wrist and to erase the mask on it. This
www.bit.ly/titouan-olive means all the ngers are masked.

130
Expert tip
Before sculpting, search
for reference on the web
or in books and dont
forget to use your own
hands, which are the best
references you can find
and are close to hand!

Tutorials

The key to creating realistic


hands is to use references
and to check and rene
your sculpt along the way

131
Expert tip
At the very beginning, the
first thing to do will be to
work on the overall form of
the hand and on the main
proportions, roughing out
the main silhouette.

02Enlarge the fingers


At this stage the ngers look too thin, so
the next step is to make them bigger and stronger.
To do this, open the Deformation menu in the Tool
palette and play with the Inate slider to beef
them up. Hold down [Ctrl] and click and drag on
the canvas to unmask the whole hand. Smooth
the ngers if you feel they need it by using the
Smooth brush. Try to improve the main shapes as
well, using the Move brush.

03 Correct the thumb


The thumb is not correctly
04The wrist and knuckles
Next we need to work on the wrist. Try
to observe how the hand is attached to it, and
Dont hesitate to divide your mesh again if you
feel you lack polygons. Sculpt each knuckle on the
ngers, remembering that bones are bigger in this
orientated and we will need to move or how the bones, cartilage and tendons will look area. Dont take too long over any of this because
rotate it. Mask the whole hand except the here. At this point it is also a good idea to work we are working very roughly at this stage.
thumb in order to place it correctly. Divide on the skin between the thumb and the palm Dont forget to use references to stay on track
your mesh by clicking on the Divide button of the hand; this area has the ability to really while you sculpt, and dont spend time yet adding
and try to give the thumb a better shape. distend, since the thumb is able to move freely details. Finish this step by trying to improve the
Roughing out the ngernail at this step is in all directions. whole hand, working on one area at a time.
helpful to see how the thumb is orientated.
You should also sculpt the space between
each nger with the Move brush.

To orient the thumb


correctly, rst mask off
the rest of the hand
Tutorials

Use reference to see how the wrist is


attached to the hand, then rene your sculpt

132
05Adding fingernails
Next well create the ngernails: start
with the Standard brush to build the shape around
the ngernails. Once thats done, hold down [Ctrl]
and draw a mask on each nger to shape the
nails. Then invert your mask and use the Move tool
to extrude the ngernails. You can now erase the
mask because you dont need it any more hold
[Ctrl] and click and drag on the canvas to do so.

Tutorials
Round off the shape
of the ngernails using
the Move brush

06Improve nail shape


Take some time to improve
the shape of the ngernails using
Work on dening the creases and
folds on the knuckles of the hand
the Move brush and give them a nice
rounded look, since nails are never
completely at. Use the Smooth
brush to soften your lines. Youll also
have to make some adjustments on
07Fold and creases
Keep working on the ngers and
create the folds and creases on the knuckles.
the ngertips as well. You can use a brush of your choice to do this;
Choose the Pinch brush from personally I use the Dam Standard brush,
the Brushes menu and use it on from the Brushes menu. If possible draw the
the borders of the ve ngernails, creases using references on the back and
including the thumb. Switch to the on the other side of the hand. Dont spend
Standard brush to try to frame the too much time at this stage, since well do
nails correctly, using a low radius another sculpting pass on them later.
gure to get an accurate result.

133
08Refining the details
Next we will very roughly sculpt the
creases on the palm of the hand and reinforce the
places for example they are very prominent at
the base of the ngers, on the back of the hand
and on the thumb so focus your attention on
tendons on the back of it. Rene the wrist, and identifying and sculpting those areas in order to
also the muscles and tendons on the forearm. suggest the underlying skeletal structure.
As you work, take time to step back and look at In the same way, areas where the skin is thicker
the sculpt as a whole to discern what is and isnt or where the bones are missing (between the
working, making sure to view your model from thumb and the hand, for instance) need to be
Add tweaks and renements to the palm, all angles, and make any small tweaks that are sculpted differently the most important aspects
ngers and wrist to rene your sculpt necessary to keep your work on track. The bones are proportion and shape. Check the ow of the
in the hand are very close to the skin in many ngers and the way they relate to each other.

09More detailing
Next we are going to focus our
attention on the smaller details, so divide your
model one last time and start to draw lines on
the back of the hand to create the veins. Try to
respect their particular ow and take also into
account their different sizes.
At this stage we will use the Standard and
Inate brushes to get a nice realistic result,
and use the Smooth brush if you feel your work
is too sharp, or to erase details such as a vein.
Dont hesitate to redraw one or more of the
veins if you feel that they arent working.
Tutorials

Expert tip
The anatomy is a
very important thing to
get right as it is the main
foundation under the skin.
Many of the underlying
bones, veins and tendons
are visible on the surface.

10Use LazyMouse
Continue to compare your
work with your references as you
sculpt and draw some subtle veins
on the wrist. A good tip for drawing
regular lines is to use LazyMouse, a
feature within ZBrush that is used to
sculpt more accurately. Simply press
[L] to activate it (and use the same
key to deactivate it).

134
Use the Inate
and Pinch brushes
to redraw and
sharpen creases

11Improving creases
Now we will work on the area between the thumb and the palm
of the hand, trying to rene the look, before switching to the knuckles,
where we will focus particularly on the creases. We are going to do another
sculpting pass on them, using the Inate brush at rst and the Pinch
brush afterwards. Redraw and sharpen any crease that you think is lacking
denition, then use the Dam Standard brush with a low radius to create ne
details around the knuckles and on the ngers.

12The palm and nails


Once youre done, focus your attention
on the palm to improve the detail. Draw the main
folds rst and then spend some time sculpting the
ner details. Use the Pinch brush to sharpen and
thin down the ngernails, as they are too thick
and need to be rened. This step may be quite
time-consuming, since you need to sculpt each
ngernail in turn, but it is necessary in order to
achieve a realistic result.

13Set finger position


Add very ne details on both sides of
the hand and on the back of the wrist, using the
need to switch to a lower resolution level rst so
you dont break the detail on the higher levels.
Put the SDiv slider at level 3 and mask both the
Dam Standard brush with a small radius. Once little and third ngers. Invert your mask and move
thats done, check the whole hand by turning it the two ngers down. Correct the elevation of the
around; as you might notice, the hand is still too other ngers if needed, then erase your mask and
at. You can see this most clearly in the front view. restore the higher detail level using the SDiv slider
Fortunately this is really easy to correct, but you (or press [D] on your keyboard several times).

Correct the elevation


of the ngers by masking
the rest of the hand, then
moving them as necessary

14 Adding surface texture


Were almost done! The last step

Tutorials
is add some texture and ne details. To do
this, open the Surface menu in the Tools
palette and click the Noise button. A simple
bump is automatically applied everywhere
on the hand, which adds more denition
and simulates skin pores on the back of the
hand. At this point, the noise is not actually
applied to the geometry its a simple 3D
bump texture that you can see in real time.
We dont want to add this noise to the
palm or ngernails, however, so mask
out those parts to erase it and then click
the Apply To Mesh button in the Surface
menu. The noise will only appear on the
appropriate areas, adding a realistic skin
Expert tip texture to the correct parts of the sculpt.
There are two prominent Congratulations, your realistic sculpt
masses of muscles inside of a hand is now complete. You can go
the hand: those of the further, if youre brave enough, by adding
thumb and the little finger. more colours and a bump texture to create
They are both clearly ngerprints, as well as rendering your model
visible, mainly on the palm. with lighting to create a photorealistic
render. The level of detail is up to you.

135
BODYPAINT

CORE SKILLS:
UV UNWRAPPING
Overcome the mental barrier to UV unwrapping with
this essential guide from Rob Redman
Tutorials

U
nless your job involves only put seams. If your character has modern shaders come close
creating greyscale clay hair, then hiding a seam there is to photorealistic, with most
renders of your models, you a good idea, as is following any applications providing the
will at some point need to apply natural folds in the characters essentials, such as wood grain,
materials and textures to your clothing or in the geometry. bricks and tiles. These can
work. At rst this will probably Included here is a simple toy be projected using standard
ARTIST PROFILE consist of adding simple colour model that you can download mapping types, such as cubic,
Rob Redman and reection, and maybe some to practise on. The model is in planar or camera projection,
Rob is the technical editor bump, but sooner or later you separate parts and each part while some are even volumetric
of 3D World magazine, will need to add more detail to is fairly low resolution, which 3D shaders.
and is a digital artist and specic areas of your models. should make it easy to work with. Even with the ability to layer,
designer with over While there are some Adding smoothing in your chosen mix and fuse shaders, procedural
a decades experience techniques you can use to help application should be easy materials very often still look CG.
in the CG industry. do this simply, the time will come enough. In this case I am using Grunge and organic randomness
3dworld.creativebloq.com when you need to learn how to Cinema 4D, with the models can be approximated using
UV unwrap your own meshes, so constituent parts grouped angle of incidence, noise and
you can have total control over under a null and then placed other tricks, but to generate truly
your texture placement. Many inside a NURBS object. For the believable materials you need
people nd the whole idea of UV UV unwrapping I am using to learn how to UV unwrap your
unwrapping a daunting prospect, Maxons BodyPaint. geometry and apply textures,
TOPICS COVERED but in reality it isnt difcult. Its possible to get quite a either as images themselves or to
Projection methods The important part of the long way towards your nal control other shaders.
Materials process is to plan ahead and goal using procedural textures. For all the assets you need go to
UV unwrapping think about the best places to They are versatile and many www.3dworldmag.com/vault

136
1 CLEAN UP YOUR MESH 2 CHOOSE YOUR SEAMS
The rst part of the process is to clean up your Make a selection set of the edges that you want to
mesh. Ensure you dont have any points that arent be the seams of your unwrapped mesh. Its usually
attached to polygons, or holes in your mesh. Moving best to try to hide them away if possible, to avoid
points around later isnt too problematic, but adding having to paint over them later on in the process.
or removing can be tricky. To remove points that As well as choosing edges that are less prominent or
dont form polygons, select your geometry in the that will be hidden, you can also select entire edge EXPERT TIP
object manager, right-click and choose Optimise. loops, which is helpful if you want to separate an ear Wireframes
(You can right-click and choose Run With Menu to (or any other complex piece of geometry) that may When taking a texture
set some options, but the defaults should be ne.) not otherwise unwrap so easily. into your image editor,
screengrab your UV
wireframe view so you
can easily see what goes
where. Just add it to
your texture and use
a blend mode to
aid visibility.

3 PAINT WIZARD 4 PAINTING TEXTURES


Swap to the BodyPaint interface and run the paint At this point in the process you can start painting
wizard, which will set up materials for you based on textures. You can use the built-in tools for 3D
your choices. I went with simple colour and bump, painting, like I did for the quick scribbles pictured
with default texture sizes. The texture size options here, or you can open the scene in an image editor
are really going to be based on your nal output, (after saving the textures, of course). BodyPaint ships
so keep in mind the memory overheads, as larger with numerous preset brushes some arty, others
textures will take up substantially more space. You more technical while others even paint across Texture size options are
can create textures for all channels, but remember channels to give the look of rivets that have colour
that you dont have to use them. bump simultaneously. going to be based on
your nal output, so

Tutorials
keep in mind the
memory overheads

5 TEXTURE PAINTING 6 BACK IN 3D


At this point, you can open the textures in your Once you are back in your 3D program, you can carry
image editing program and paint whatever you on with your project. Load your textures back into
choose using the tools you are most familiar with. I your material and from then on its a case of working
use Photoshop for most of my texture work. For this as normal. All the other material channels will work
tutorial, I drew the details quickly to demonstrate as you expect, so you can easily change settings
the technique. Once you have painted your textures, without needing to create a texture for each. In the
save and then you can reload the textures again in end I used a large-scale noise texture to add some
BodyPaint, to continue working in 3D. subtle bump, along with fresnel reections.

137
Depth of eld will add
a lot of believability
to your images
Expert tips
Creature
creation

FOR
ZBrush

ALSO REQUIRED
Maya
Nuke
Photoshop
V-Ray

TOPICS COVERED
tBlocking out
tSculpting
tUV layout
tTexture map
t Lighting

Create a creature
for the big screen
Tutorials

Tyler Bolyard reveals how to model a creature like


Louis from Disneys The Princess and the Frog
y typical workow when within the NEX plug-in. After and Global Illumination features,
M starting a piece is to begin
in ZBrush and start sculpting
retopologising, I smooth and rene
all the areas that are hard to get
as well as its easy-to-use render
passes. After adding in all the maps
right away. With tools like Dynamesh, clean within Dynamesh and add and making some nal tweaks,
its so easy to just jump right in in the scales and wrinkles. Next, I I render out the nal image.
and start blocking out a character paint the entire character and base For the image in this tutorial
relatively quickly. in ZBrush using Polypaint and adjust I only rendered out three basic
ARTIST PROFILE Generally I start with a ZSphere the maps in Photoshop. passes: a Beauty pass, an Ambient
Tyler Bolyard armature to get the basic structure Once textures are completed, Occlusion pass and a ZDepth pass.
Having graduated from and proportion of the character. I use the Transpose Master in After converting the .exr renders
Gnomon School, where he
specialised in modelling I then turn it into a Dynamesh for ZBrush to pose him just like the to .tif format in Nuke, I brought
and texturing, Tyler is now sculpting. Once all the main features original concept by Disney artist Bill them into Photoshop for nal
freelancing for Gentle Giant
Studios in Burbank, California. of the character are blocked out, I Schwab. I like to use V-Ray because colour adjustments, adding in the
www.tyrassicinc.com import it into Maya for retopology of its physically accurate lighting background to nish the scene.

138
Tutorials
01Blocking out the
basic model
There are multiple ways to begin
modelling by using base meshes, box
modelling and so on, but if getting
to the sculpting stage as quickly
as possible is the order of
the day use ZSpheres. Try
to think of ZSpheres like an
armature in traditional clay
sculpting, and keep it simple. For
more freedom during the sculpting
process, turn your adaptive skin
mesh into a Dynamesh, since it will
be retopologised anyway.

Using ZSpheres enables you to


pose and position your character
while you model

139
02Sculpting primary forms
Next dive into the sculpting and use a
combination of the Move, Standard and Clay
Buildup brushes to establish the models main
forms. Its best to concentrate on the big
overall forms rst and work your way down
to the details last. Keeping the topology
as low as possible for as long as you
can will help give you clean forms and
eliminate lumpy geometry.

Try to maintain low


topology for as long
Expert tip as possible; it will help
Setting up render keep your forms clean
globals can be a bit
confusing and time-
consuming. To speed up
your workflow, set up a
render preset as a custom
script in V-Ray.
03Drawing new topology
Once all of the main features of the
character are blocked out, take it into Maya
for retopology within NEX. This step can be
quite tedious and boring, but if you want a
character with nice topology and the ability
to be rigged and animated its worth it. If
youre not condent with organic topology,
its best to use reference to ensure your
mesh has proper edge ow.

Maintain proper edge ow within your mesh

Separating your UV shells in


Maya will allow for cleaner UVs
Tutorials

when polygrouped in ZBrush

04Laying out the UVs


Many programs have
algorithms for laying out UVs in
organic models, but well use
ZBrushs UV Master in conjunction
with Maya. Planar project the entire
05Projection and
detail sculpting
Once the model is retopologised and
Using morph targets when
detailing with alphas can vastly
speed up your workow
character in Maya and separate the the UVs are set, bring my new mesh
UV islands, choosing where you want into ZBrush and use Project All to topology. Then go to town sculpting
the main seams to be. Take the mesh get the sculpted forms onto the new all the fun little scale and wrinkle
into ZBrush and Auto Polygroup by topology. Youll often need to mask details, using alphas as a base and
UVs, then use UV Master to attract out certain areas like the mouth sculpting into them until youre
the rest of the seams, and unwrap. and eye bags to protect the new satised with the results.
When you have a characters
body on one UV tile, use 8K
textures for best detail 07Creating the pose
Transpose Master is great
for posing characters, but there can
DIFFUSE be some stretching when deforming
a mesh. To get around this, youll
often have to resculpt and repaint
certain areas after posing.

Spend time on your pose, it will


bring your character to life

DISPLACEMENT

Make sure SRGB


is checked in your
render window to
ensure proper gamma

NORMAL

06Painting texture maps


When texturing stylised characters its
often best to paint the textures directly in ZBrush
Use Cavity Masks to
optimise small details
like pores, scales
08Lighting the scene
When lighting a scene its
best to start off with one shader for
a dome light HDRI for GI. From
there add in key, rim and ll lights
to make the character pop out
using Polypaint. Its good to stay in one program, and wrinkles everything, because it enables you from the background. A nice trick
and the brushes and masking features offer a to see how the lights are affecting for achieving believable eyes in
lot of versatility. Use the Cavity Mask feature the model void of materials and characters is to light link point lights
extensively in this project to give the scales and textures. Keep the lighting simple to the eye geometry to get nice
wrinkles as much depth as possible. and almost always start off with specular highlights.

A/O PASS ZDEPTH PASS


Concentrating
on one material at
a time will allow
for better breakup
in your render

BEAUTY PASS

Tutorials
Expert tip
When modelling
environments it can take
hours to place geometry
in your scene by hand. A
great plug-in for speeding
up workflow is spPaint3d,
which allows you to paint
and scatter debris.

09Setting up shaders
V-Ray offers a variety
of physically accurate material
V-Ray material and tweak the IOR
(Index of Refraction), reection and
refraction settings to achieve the
10Rendering and
compositing
When doing personal work dont
are Beauty, Ambient Occlusion and
ZDepth its often best to keep it as
simple as that.
attributes to achieve very realistic results you are aiming for. get too caught up in render passes; Always work in a linear fashion
results within your renders. When When beginning shading, its best instead you should try to get the and render your passes out as 32-bit
shading characters its best to use to do so without texture maps as it image as close as you can in the .exr les. For stills use Photoshop for
the V-Ray SSS2 with varied settings allows you to see how the material is render and then use compositing compositing; it doesnt allow you to
for skin, gums, teeth and eyes. For truly behaving and is easier to dial in for minor tweaks and colour edit .exr les so use Nuke to convert
all other objects, use the standard the correct attributes. adjustments. The main passes to use your .exr images to .tif format.

141
MAYA | ZBRUSH | PHOTOSHOP | MENTAL RAY

TEXTURE AND LIGHT


A COMPLEX FIGURE
Daniele Scerra reveals how to use Maya and Photoshop
to give your ZBrush illustration added impact

C
onceptualising a female wigs to give an exotic touch of the modifying the scene accordingly
character can be a really sci- or fantasy to the character. for the best results. For this cover
complex task, especially To add more realism, I try to use art I decided to create a sweet
if the base is made by directly as many details as I can in the character, with the peculiar detail
sculpting in 3D without having a mesh, and I sometimes work of the pipes inserted in the head,
ARTIST PROFILE perfectly dened idea of the nal excessively on every detail and giving the impression she was
Daniele Scerra result. I often use ZBrush to make the textures. The most important inspecting something to the right.
A 3D artist/graphic heads, bodies and armour in the aspect of a scene is, in my eyes, I wanted to use a dominant
designer and illustrator sketching phase, modifying the the light as with it I can make it colour pink to underline
since 1991, Daniele sculpture and the pose as I go hard or elegant as needed. the impression of a gentle and
has worked in lm along in order to work towards I then use Maya to nalise my gracious girl even if she could
and special effects. His that perfect concept. projects, inserting my models also be a combat android!
work has appeared in I particularly like to create as works in progress to test the For all the assets you need go to
magazines, books and different helmets, also using big lights and shadows, and then creativebloq.com/getinto3D
trade publications.
www.danielescerra.com
Tutorials

1 START WITH A SPHERE 2 DETAIL THE NOSE AND LIPS


Using a DynaMesh sphere with low resolution, start The face still doesnt have an interesting or beautiful
by sculpting a basic head shape. Using the Move shape, so its important is to start adding details to
brush, push inside the eye sockets and extrude the nose and lips. Using the Clay brush, create more
shapes to resemble the nose and mouth. Keep the decisive shapes and then add small details around
TOPICS COVERED DynaMesh details very low at this stage, as you dont the nose, especially the nostrils, pushing the mesh
Sculpting want to add details but just obtain a general shape to the inside. Add some depressions above the lips
Texturing that follows the shape of the facial muscles. For the and move both cheeks and chin with the Move brush
Lighting mouth, mask the inferior (lower) lip and extract the following hypothetical skull bones, and then move
Rendering superior (upper) lip. the cheekbones to create the eye sockets.

142
143
Tutorials
CREATE THE EAR
Starting with a cube,
deform it to create
the ear and then
sculpt a hole for the
ear auricle

3 ADDING EARS AND EYES


Using the Append subtool add two spheres as
references for the eyeballs, and then start to sculpt
the eyelids and the general shape around the eyes.
SCULPT THE EYES Next, add a cube and deform it until it approximates
Using Append, add the shape of an ear, then melt the geometries using
spheres for the DynaMesh and dene the inside hole for the ear
eyeballs then sculpt auricle. Next, start to add details using the Pinch
the shape of the brush this tool will be helpful for dening both the
eyes and eyelids eyes and mouth.

EXPERT TIP
The eyelashes
To give more realism
to the eyelashes,
I create a single slim
model, duplicate and
modify it several
times and then
position each
one with care.

4 THE NECK AND SHOULDERS


After dening the face in a more feminine way,
raising the cheekbones and adding dimples around
the mouth, use the Append brush to add a cylinder
and a sphere, which will later be reshaped with the
Move brush. Using DynaMesh, merge the rst part of
the body with the roughly modelled neck, inserting
the shape of the clavicles and sternomastoid
muscles. Then add volume to the shoulders and
breast, leaving a generic geometry shape.
Tutorials

Using DynaMesh, merge


the rst part of the body
with the neck, inserting the
shape of the clavicles and
sternomastoid muscles
5 CREATING A HELMET
For me, creating the helmet and pipes is the fun part.
Use the Curve Tubes brush to insert the pipes. At
this point Im still sketching, but my goal is to get an
understanding of the general look. Add a cube using
Append, and then with the Move and Clay brushes
massage the shape until it sort of resembles cat
ears. Using the Clay and Mallet brushes, add round
shapes and then mechanical-looking ones. Finally,
add a monitor screen for the pipes to plug into.

144
IN-DEPTH
TEXTURES

USING PHOTOSHOP
FOR FINAL COMP

6 ARMS AND HANDS 7 RETOPOLOGY


This time I chose to use ZSpheres to work on the Once youve determined the high-res model,
arms and hands. Using ZSphere enables me to rebuild the mesh with low-polys to create the relative
rapidly see the sketch I have in my mind. I choose UV. Always try to approach retopology with different
to pose the hands near the chest, to cover the body angles. For the face I like to use a more traditional
and give a more sensual pose. In my idea, the hands and longer method, which is also useful for inserting
will also play with the pipes, as a model would with vertices where I want them. For the helmet I use a
her hair. Using Symmetry, try to nd the best position faster method: I start to trace the curves with the ONE EXPORT THE BASIC MODEL
for the hands before you transform the mesh and Topology tool at the points where there should be I use the MasterBeauty pass as
start to sculpt. loops, then I rebuild the mesh with ZRemesher. a base and then multiply the
subdivision levels twice, I use
Softlight both times to maintain
the soft tones and morbid whites
without burning them.

TWO AMBIENT OCCLUSION


For this composition I decided
to insert the Ambient Occlusion
immediately on several of the
layers, calibrating in them
Multiply mode or as masks
for colour correction.

Tutorials
THREE ANDROID SKIN & HAIR
The last setup is to use a Fresnel
pass in several different modes,
to simulate the plastic surface of
the androids body and head, and
to add shine to the hair.

8 UV AND MAPPING
For the UVs I use Maya. As she is an android, I select
the front and the back parts of the head and helmet
as separate mesh parts. In Maya, use the Planar
Mapping Projection (set to Project From) in front of
the face and then, and use Cutting Edge down the
vertical axis, use Unfold to open the UVs correctly.
Next, I export the models to ZBrush where I use a
photo reference to paint and project textures over
the surface, extracting the maps as 4K meshes.

145
9 PHOTOSHOP TEXTURES
Using Photoshop, its time to develop the textures
extracted from ZBrush to create more contrast for
the helmet and generate the SSS, specular and
diffuse maps. I also create the textures for the eyes,
paying particular attention to them and the face. I
EXPERT TIP want the gaze of the viewer to look directly at the
The eyes characters face. This part takes time, as it requires
To define the eyes in parallel lighting work, which may vary the texture
a more realistic way, map. Im aiming for a non-photorealistic look.
I divided the model
into four different
meshes to simulate
the iris, the crystalline
lens, the pupil and
the sclera.

10 LIGHTING AND SHADING


Once youre happy with the models pose and have
created the textures, start to set the lights over
the base geometry, with a Lambert material. Using
MATERIALS mental ray, set a background IBL with an HDRI image
Replace the and three area lights one to the left, one to the
materials using right and one at the front. After experimenting and
the Misss Fast Skin nding the right mood, replace the materials using
Shader and the Mia the Misss Fast Skin Shader for the skin and the Mia
Material X Passes Material X Passes for the rest of the models.
Tutorials

11 RENDER PASSES 12 COMP IN PHOTOSHOP


I always try to set a fast scene, to render in a few Searching for the optimal composition, I test the
minutes at an average denition. Mayas Render various passes in Photoshop, even though the image
View rendering is already quite interesting, but I can is still low-res and the passes are not completely
get more useful passes for the nal composition, to rendered. I want a look that resembles an illustration
create a better effect. In mental ray I choose these rather than a photo, so I play with the lights until I
passes: Beauty, Depth, Ambient Occlusion, Color, hit the correct mood. The background is essential
Diffuse, Specular, Reection, Shadow, Shadow Raw, and inuences the overall image and character
and Fresnel Object ID. Pre-compositing is useful to composition. Small details, such as the serial number
test the scene before creating the high-res image. tattoo over the arm, are added in Photoshop.

146
From the makers of 3D World

The Ultimate Guide to 3D

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In the Ultimate Guide to 3D Animation,
youll discover the secrets of creating 3D short
lms and animations just like the pros! From
designing characters to making them move to
adding special effects, all you need is here

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Print: www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk/design
Step-by-step
Mudbox
Sculpting

FOR
Mudbox Sculpt a rig-ready
creature in Mudbox
ALSO REQUIRED
Maya
ZBrush

TOPICS COVERED
tModelling
tSculpting
tUVs Adam Dewhirst shows you how to use retopology
tRetopology
tools to create a character ready for rigging
DOWNLOADS
Youll nd project
les, screenshots reating a good base mesh packages like Mudbox and ZBrush, its to be conned by lack of technical skill
and textures at:
creativebloq.com/
C is vital if you intend to
animate your characters. In
become increasingly easier to simply
retopologise your concept sculpt as
and can be free to sculpt in a creative
and limitless way.
getinto3D the past this would have been done part of the process of its creation. Here, Ill walk through how to turn a
painstakingly, polygon by polygon, in This gives you a complete and loose 2D sketch into a fully functioning
a 3D package like Maya or 3ds Max. usable model in as much time as it animation-ready model, using
However, with the recent addition took to conceive: the benets of this Mudboxs retopology tools and the
of retopology tools to sculpting are enormous, as modellers need not new retopology tools in Maya 2014.

01Starting out
and reference
For this tutorial Im using a concept
by Dan Mason (see previous tutorial).
I work with Dan at Framestore, so
I got to talk through a few ideas
rst. The concept for this character
was something dark and a little sad,
a creature that lives in darkness.
I wanted something that could t
into a number of worlds Lord of
the Rings, Harry Potter, Narnia so
Tutorials

we decided on the idea of a Coal


Troll, a being whose only existence
was to gather and collect coal. Dan
suggested that after some time he
might start to look like the thing he
collected. For this reason, my starting
point was to collect reference of
coal, rocks, caves and any creatures
that I thought were relevant.

02General shaping
Start out with a sphere in
Mudbox normally I would start out
with a human gure, but Im keen
ARTIST PROFILE to prove that this Coal Troll can be
Adam Dewhirst modelled entirely from a sphere.
Adam is a lead modeller at Mudbox may not have DynaMesh to
Framestores lm VFX branch
in London. He has worked in the play with, but using the retopology
industry for almost ten years toolset will allow us to increase the
for studios like Cinesite, Double
Negative, MPC and Passion
polygon spread as we go. Working in
Pictures. His lm work includes a similar way, start by using the Grab
The Golden Compass, The Dark tool to pull out very basic limbs and a Start by using a sphere and pull
Knight and World War Z.
www.adamdewhirst.com torso; this is the rough blocking. out the limbs to get a rough shape

148
Learn how to make
animation-ready
characters with Adam
Dewhirsts tutorial

Tutorials

149
03Add the clothing 04Retopologise
The only part of the model
were not making from scratch in
We dont want to spend too
much time rening this, but we do
05Refining the shape
The topology at this stage isnt perfect, but as its not going to be the
nal mesh, its enough to work with for now. Use the Wax brush to build up
Mudbox is the loincloth for this we need to step up a few subdivision the muscle shapes and rene the gure, and next well drop in two spheres for
use a simple cylinder in Maya as the levels early on and use the Wax brush the eyes. To do this, go to Create>Mesh>Sphere. Duplicate the sphere, then
belt, and extrude two cubes to make (on a high-strength setting) to shape go to Mesh>Flip Mesh>Around X.
the hanging cloth. Its important the sculpt a bit more. As were going
to keep the geometry as basic as to need a better spread of polygons
possible so we can rene the shape to continue, its time to retopologise
in Mudbox later on. (go to Mesh>Retopologise>New
Operation). Were only changing two
things: Target Base Face Count up to
5000 (as its the whole gure) and
Face Uniformity to 0.5. The result can
be seen in the image below.

Use the Wax brush to build up the muscle shapes and rene the character

06Adding the mouth


Tutorials

This character may need to open his mouth, so we want to model


in a mouth cavity just in case. Im going to use the Freeze tool to mask the
mouth out, and then go to Edit>Inverse Freeze. Now you can use the Grab
Use the Wax brush to shape the tool to pull the jaw down.
sculpt and add in some subdivisions

When youre happy


with the shape,
retopologise the
model again to get
a clean mesh

07Second retopology
After further rening with
the Wax and Grab tools, retopologise
again, as we have a lot more surface
area inside the mouth and also were
going to need to start working up the
other areas, such as the hands and
the feet. Use the same retopology
settings that we used the rst time.
Now we have a vastly superior mesh
to the sphere we started with.

150
Expert tip
There is plenty of
anatomy reference
available for free online
anatomy4sculptors.com
has great breakdowns of
muscle and bones for the
human form.

08Adding teeth and gums


The gums are created from simple spheres,
and then shaped using the Grab tool. Its a good
idea to run a basic retopologise on this. To make
the teeth, create a single tooth from a cube and
duplicate it, laying it out with the Transform tool
under the Select/Move tab. Use the Flatten tool to
bash the teeth in so they start to look like lumps of
coal. Use the Pinch tool to sharpen up the edges.

09Final shaping
of the hands
All the elements we need are now 10Add guide curves
for final retopology
present, so its time to rene the Now all the basic forms have been
detail. This is where you want to give sculpted, were ready to do the nal
your model a bit more love, working retopology pass in Mudbox. For this,
up the hands, feet and so on by using its best to lay down some guide curves
good references from the internet the most vital is a loop around the
or your own library. Were also going centre line in X. To do this, go to Curve
to freeze everything except the area Tools>Curve Loop. Make sure Mirror
directly above the eyes, so that we Tool is turned off, Snap is turned on,
can pull out some eyelids. Although and that Plane is set to X. Click on Expert tip
they would be pulled back in the the middle of your model, then use When you retopologise
pose were modelling, we want them the Curve Loop tool to dene areas a mesh in Mudbox it
to be quite prominent for the basic around the arms, neck and legs. With creates a duplicate, so you
bind pose in case the animation the window open, right-click on the never lose your original
requires a more prominent blink. curves and dene them as a soft or sculpt. This is useful for
hard constraint: we want the centre line exporting the mesh at
Use good reference to help you and the eye and mouth loops to be hard different resolutions.
work up the models ner details constraints, to ensure edges are there.

11Maya clean-up
Knock the subdivision down
to its lowest level and import the
12Basic UVs in Maya
In order to deliver your
ready-to-rig sculpt you will also need
mesh into Maya to clean up a few displacement maps from Mudbox, so
errors. The main thing you want to well need to create some UVs. Its
do is delete half the mesh, duplicate best to do this before bringing the
and ip it so that its symmetrical model back into Mudbox. First divide
(symmetrical retopology tools are the mesh up into sections; assign a
coming in the next release of colour to each section to identify
Mudbox). There are a few areas here them. These UVs are basic a simple
that need cleaning up. Maya 2014s cylinder map in most cases. We want
new topology tools allow you to set to create UV shells of each section.

Tutorials
a Transform Constraint, which lets
you import your high-res sculpt into
Maya and use it as a mesh to snap
your new topology to. You can set
this up by turning on the new
topology tools using the new icon
(highlighted green) next to the
Attribute Editor icon.

13Unwrap in ZBrush
Import the (half) mesh
into ZBrush as an .obj le.
Were going to use the UV
Master to unwrap the Expert tip
mesh using the existing Check the UVs via the
UV shell as a guide this Map box: hit Morph UV.
will do a much better Bring the mesh back into
job of unwrapping the Maya, duplicate and flip it
UVs than Mayas Unfold and lay out the UVs in a
option. Go to ZPlugin>UV symmetrical format over
Master, making sure that four tiles, making sure the
Use Existing UV Seams is head has its own tile.
on, and then hit Unwrap.

151
Expert tip
To make the rocks,
use the Wax brush to
build up the surface, then

15Adding the
asymmetrical detail
We want to add some asymmetrical details
knock it down to a hard
edge with the Flatten
brush. Finally use Pinch
as in the concept down one side of his and Amplify to sharpen

14Transfer attributes in Mudbox


We now have a good base topology with UVs. Import that back
into the Mudbox scene. With our new base mesh selected, Im going to run
back and arm, which should make him look
a bit more distinctive and give him character.
Create a new sculpt layer in Mudbox, and use the
the shape to a point.

Transfer Attributes. Go to Mesh>Transfer Attributes and select your target Wax tool again to build up some rocky surface detail.
model (new topology) and your source model (sculpt), then transfer the During the retopology phase, make sure to add some extra loops around the
details over. You may have a few stray vertices to clean up afterwards. shoulder with this in mind, so you have plenty of surface area to play with.

16The Detail pass


Next we want to add some
detail down the arm, so create a new
Sculpt layer and use a stamp, set to
Randomise, to create a subtle crack
down the rocky arm. Setting this detail
on a layer means we can ramp it up
or down depending on how much of
an effect we want. Set your shader to
a darker, more coal-like colour, so we
can get a better feel for the character.
You can add individual layers for
particularly prominent components,
such as the crack down his shoulder
and the facial detail all this work
should come out in the displacement
map. To nish the Mudbox scene, set
up some basic lights and shaders and
bring all the elements together, then
wrap up the sculpting and export the A B C D
displacement maps.
Tutorials

The nal stage reveals a named,


UVed, well-topologised mesh of a
Coal Troll thats ready for rigging

17Clean up and finish


Finally, import all the base
meshes back into Mudbox the nails,
errors; although most of these would
be xed when we retopologised, its
good to catch them now. We also
enough how important this nal
stage is: so many models I receive
are not clean. You should always
to create some nice colour maps,
but what we have created in a short
amount of time is a named, UVed,
teeth, gums, and clothing, as well as need to group and name the model, clean and check your models before well-topologised mesh thats ready
the main body. Were going to run the and check all the normals are facing you deliver them. And thats it, were for animation and we have done the
Maya Cleanup tool to check for any the right way. I cant emphasise nished! In the future you may want majority of that work in Mudbox!

152
Where great art begins (again)...

1P 80
AGE
OF ARTIS
SKETCH ST
ES!

Pick up Sketchbooks Vol.2 today and discover how the worlds best
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and for iPad at http://ifxm.ag/ipadifx
Expert Tips
Character
design

FOR
ZBrush

ALSO REQUIRED

Creating successful
Mudbox
Photoshop

TOPICS COVERED
tSketching

character concepts
techniques
tUse of colour
tUsing software
to aid the design
process
tComposition

DOWNLOADS Dan Mason talks you through 2D and 3D techniques


Youll nd full-size
screenshots at to create interesting and emotive character designs
creativebloq.com/
getinto3D ver the next few pages, other departments who will create possible, using traditional illustrative
O youll learn my method for
creating character concepts,
the nal image on screen. Being
exible with your concept work is
methods, while also getting as many
aspects of your concept image for
such as Coal Troll. My experience essential in this scenario, as clients free by using 3D packages to help
with concept work has been within will often change the brief before with perspective, lighting and layout.
a production pipeline and, in this coming to a nal decision on a design. On page 74, Adam Dewhirst will show
context, the concept is not the For this reason I focus on how to you how to take the design and make
nished product but a guide for the portray a character as efciently as it ready for animation.

01Start with research


Begin your concept by nding reference imagery
relating to your character, for inspiration. Think about what
02Consider the use
of your concept
Consider how your concept will be used. Is it going
physical characteristics your character may have, and why. to be a loose reference for another artist, or will it
Look towards nature for help. For example, a creature that lives need to be a precise blueprint for modelling? This
in the dark may have very large eyes to take in small amounts of information will shape your approach. Consider
light, like an owl. This link with reality will make your character whether you need orthographic views, or if you
Tutorials

more believable, and will help tell their back story. can take a looser, more artistic approach.

ARTIST PROFILE
Dan Mason
Dan is a senior texture artist,
concept artist, and modeller
currently working at An example of an
Framestore London. He has orthographic concept for
worked in the VFX industry
for around seven years. the Coal Troll character
www.danmasonvfx.com

154
155
Tutorials
03Be bold with
sketch work
The sketch stage is a time for
experimentation. Try to explore as
many different looks as possible,
and dont be afraid to go to town
creatively. Its always possible to
reign in a design if it goes too far in
one direction, but its not as easy to
make a mundane design exciting.
Try drawing several quick versions
of your character, changing the
proportions of a certain aspect
each time for example, the
position of the eyes, nose or mouth.
After the first few drawings your
design will start to become more
original, as you force yourself to Coal Troll
play around with scale and sketchbook
positioning past the normal character
proportions we are used to seeing. exploration

04Consider costume and characteristics


Costume can be extremely effective in telling the audience
about a character. Think about the people you know, and how they
express themselves with what they wear. Think about the clothes they
wear and how they style their hair, and what these idiosyncrasies no
matter how small say about them. Use this information in your designs.

Character
portrayed
through
costume

Expert tip
Flipping your image
horizontally in Photoshop
will help you get a greater
sense of balance, and will
help you see any diagonals
Tutorials

in your image from drawing


with your preferred hand.

Silhouette concepts for a chemical hazard clean-up team

05Prioritise
UV space
your
A really successful character should
give the viewer a real insight into a
character. Duplicating a silhouette
and exaggerating various parts of
be identiable by their silhouette its anatomy using the Liquify tool
alone. A strong silhouette can add in Photoshop can be a very useful
a lot to the designs personality, way of experimenting in a non-
as posture and proportions can destructive way.

156
Expert tip
Speed sculpting is a
great technique and skill
to have. Giving yourself a
one-hour speed sculpting
challenge will improve your
ability to create realistic
form quickly.

06Refine successful elements


Take the successful elements of your design and try to hone in
on a single concept. Add form to your silhouettes using varying tonal values.
Start by lling your sketch or silhouette with a mid-grey tone. Then add your
shadows and highlights with dark and light grey to add basic form to your
character. As an exercise, try duplicating your favourite silhouette and lling in
the form in different ways to give you different characters.

Example of a character concept created in Mudbox

Using 3D
elements,
before and
07Make use of 3D software
Mudbox and ZBrush are both great tools for creating your character in
3D. When sculpting in any package, make all of your big changes at a low level
after (below) of subdivision before you get carried away with sculpting detail. Your levels of
detail should correlate to your subdivision levels.
Start with large changes in form at a low subdivision level and work in stages.
Create a new layer for each stage. Your layer with the highest polygon count
should be the layer with the smallest details.

Camera framing:
menacing versus pitiful

Tutorials
Expert tip
Building up a library of
well-known characters from
TV and film is extremely
useful, as it will familiarise
you with successful
archetypes that will help to
inform your own designs.

08Add time-saving 3D elements


Using basic geometry in Mudbox or ZBrush to create landscapes or
terrain will give you your perspective for free. Lights can also be added, and
09Use camera framing to tell a story
Another useful element of your basic 3D scene is the ability to create
an easily adjusted camera to frame your image. Your image composition can
rendered as separate layers for use in lighting your character in Photoshop. be a useful tool in revealing your characters personality. For example, looking
Viewport lters can also be handy. For example, Mudboxs Screen Distance up at a character can make them appear overpowering and menacing, while
viewport lter can be rendered out and used as a depth of eld pass to add angling your camera downwards onto a subject can make them appear small
atmospheric haze to a Photoshop image. and, as a consequence, vulnerable.

157
This ManBat image shows how lighting can be used to create atmosphere

11Experiment with your lighting


Lighting in a scene is also very important. Keeping a reference library
of lm and game stills can be useful when deciding your lighting setup. As
with the colour of your character, the colour of your lighting can cast a very
different mood and atmosphere on your design. It can even signify your
characters intentions: we often assume that a character largely hidden by
shadow is up to no good, for example.

12Create a simple colour palette


To create your palette, nd an image that has the mood and
colours youre looking to mimic. Select three or four of the images most
prominent mid-tone colours and copy them twice. Darken the values
of one duplicate and lighten the values of the other. You now have a
concentrated palette of nine to 12 colours. Use your brush at close to
full opacity to avoid the colour values merging and becoming muddy.

10Play with colour


The colour of your
character can help to portray
bad. As a basic example, take a look
at any Disney animation: villains
are often clothed in black and red,
their personality, based on our
preconceptions. We subconsciously
associate certain colours with being
while heroes usually wear lighter-
coloured clothing. The images
above illustrate the use of colour
14Refine the
small details
When your image is close to
15Critique your work
Its always helpful to have
others critique your work. A fresh
good and other colours with being to hint at a characters personality. completion, you should set about pair of eyes on a concept can often
analysing each individual element throw up issues that you may not
of your design. Often the smallest have thought about. Get as many
of changes can make a big difference opinions as you can from forums

13Add more detail using texture elements


A quick and relatively painless way to add texture, detail and
to how your character comes across.
A slight squint of an eye or a raised
and your peers. Whoever you can,
basically. An alternate viewpoint at
Tutorials

colour to your scene is by using photographic images. Photoshops Overlay lip can completely change the way an early stage can push your work
layer mode is particularly useful when adding texture layers as the detail we perceive the mood or personality towards a very different and more
underneath isnt lost, but you should also experiment with other layer modes, of the character. successful result.
such as Color or Hard Light, for different results. This is where your research
images will come in handy.

Coal Troll with


various texture
elements

Coal Troll: nal


Expert tip revisions based on
To improve your feedback and critique
knowledge of form and
anatomy, keep a personal
sketchbook and try to draw
158 from life every day.
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TRAINING Improve your product renders

Expert Tips
3ds Max / V-Ray
Rendering
12 ways to make
better car renders
FOR Auto CGI artist Dave Cox shares his top techniques
t 3ds Max
t V-Ray for visualising cars using 3ds Max and V-Ray
TOPICS COVERED
t Preparation utomotive rendering is one tips that will help to remove some of lights and so on. They are designed
t Framing
t Lighting
A of the toughest disciplines
to master. As with pro car
of the mystery about the subject.
Whether youre creating shots in a
to help you understand what you
need to do to create an image that
t Testing photography, the techniques you studio or in an outdoor environment, youre proud of. Each will help you to
t Rendering need to use are often closely guarded youll nd these tips benecial to develop your own ideas, and although
t Compositing secrets, creating a large void between streamlining your workow. each of the tips are practical, they
beginners and those who know what The tips arent about providing you are the foundations rather than the
they are doing. So Ive selected 12 with render settings or the positions blueprints for success.
DOWNLOADS
t Post-production
time-lapse video of
E30 M3 rolling shot
t Screenshots
creativebloq.com/
getinto3D

Get highly polished


renders with Dave
Coxs tips on
composition, lighting
and processing
Tutorials

About the author


Dave Cox is a
London-based
automotive CGI
artist working
for the Burrows
CGI studio in Essex
blog.dav3design.co.uk

160
01Use reference
images
I can hear you groaning, but Im
determined to drill this point home:
good reference imagery is essential
to get a good render. The reference
images dont have to contain the same
car as the one youre rendering, they
dont have to have the same wheels,
and they dont even have to be the
same colour. The purpose of reference
imagery is three simple things:
composition, lighting and inspiration.
I constantly collect reference images
and store them in a folder on my PC.
I even have a collection on my phone.
Its important to have an idea of the
kind of image you want to achieve.

Good reference images are vitally


important in automotive rendering

Using and naming


dummies can help to
organise your scene

Tutorials
02Set up your scene
with dummies
A dummy is a positioning object that you can link
I always set up my scene with dummies. I assign
one to the whole car so I can move the car by
clicking one thing. I then have one assigned to
enables me to control the camber and how sunk
in the wheels and tyres are. Then I have another
for wheel rotation, so I can motion-blur the
geometry to, so when you move the dummy, the the whole car body, but excluding the wheels. wheels if I choose to. Get into the habit of doing
geometry moves with it. Whether youre setting This means I can control the cars ride height this in every scene; then if you want to change
up for a studio or an environment shot, youll and rake. I set up another four dummies, one for the position of something, youll be able to do it
inevitably want to move your scene around. each wheel, including the brake assembly, which quickly and efciently.

03Finesse your composition


with the rule of thirds
One of the many composition aids that
photographers use, and one that I use frequently
in my car renders, is the rule of thirds. I bet you
didnt know that you can bring up a rule-of-thirds
grid in 3ds Max? Well, you can.
In Viewport Conguration, set your Action
Safe frame and Title Safe frame parameters as Create a rule-of-
shown in the screenshot on the right. This will thirds grid to aid
give you a rule-of-thirds grid. You can then move effective composition
your camera to frame the shot how you want and in your 3D images
use your dummies to ne-tune the composition.

161
04Light one
at a time
The biggest pitfall in studio
rendering is not knowing what your
lights are doing. The best policy is
to start with one light. It doesnt
have to light the whole car just a LEFT FRONT RIGHT
part of it. Move it around, rotate it, LIGHT LIGHT LIGHT
change its size, and add gradient
ramps to it. Make sure youre happy
with the reections and illumination
until you create the next light.
By doing this, youll have a good
understanding of what the light is
doing. Its also a good idea to name
each light so you dont forget what
each is doing. The key is not to rush
speed will come from experience. REAR LIGHT
If youre using V-Ray RT, you can
see the results of moving your Make sure youre happy with
lights around in real time. each light before moving on

05Bounce your lights


Lighting a car in a studio doesnt always
involve pointing your lights at the car. By creating 06Review your work
Its a good idea to take some time away
at them on the bus or while having a coffee.
I write a list of changes I want to make and then
a box for your car to sit in, you effectively create a from the scene youre working on and review implement them. This way, I dont have to do as
studio. Bouncing your lights off the walls will give you your progress. I make a habit of saving out WIP many renders. Its also a good idea to compare
far more pleasing reections. Experiment with the renders and transferring them to my phone. I renders against your reference material to make
positions and rotation of the lights to see what effect can then carry them around with me and look sure youre heading in the right direction.
they have on the car.

08Animating the wheels


Who doesnt love motion blur? Using dummies, animating
car wheels is easy. Link the geometry to the dummy using the chain
link button. When setting it up for animation, do it over 10 frames
and then render at the fth frame, in the middle of the animation.
To get a good render youre going to need a good sample rate.
Tutorials

I nd 16 subdivisions on the camera and six geometry samples


works well. If you experiment, you might nd a better solution.

HARD LIGHT SOFT LIGHT

Adding a gradient into the texture slot on your light will


soften the hard edges of its reections

09Soften the light


Sometimes you can see the hard edge of a light reected
in the car paint, which isnt always desirable. An easy way of tidying

07Add touches of realism


You might not actively look for the
small details, but inevitably your eyes will pick
Tyre displacement,
spray from the tyres,
and raindrops these
these reections up is to add a softbox texture to the light itself.
This acts like an opacity map, softening the edges of the light.
Basically, its white in the centre, which then gradates out to black
them up. The more detail you can put into a little things can make at the edges. I normally use a rectangular shape rather than a
scene, the more realistic it will look. a big difference circular one. The size of the gradient will have an effect on how
hard and fast the transition is.

162 3dworldmag.com
10Split up your renders
High-quality renders arent always
created in a single pass. Rendering a tracking
shot in one pass with high render settings will
take forever unless you have a render farm at
your disposal.
What I typically do is render the car, then
the wheels and then the background. I then
composite them together in Photoshop. This
saves time on the rendering side because not all
the parts will need high settings. It also means
that if you need to re-render a section,
it wont take forever.
To do this, simply select the items you want An example of
to hide, right-click and then untick Visible to rendering different
Camera and Inherit Visibility. sections of a scene

11Pre-post-processing
If youre going to render just one render
pass, I would advise you to render VRayWireColor
BEFORE Changes at the
compositing stage can
because this will give you the opportunity to select make a big difference
certain sections of your render, which will speed up
your post-processing. Any other render passes are
entirely up to you, and how much time you want to
spend processing your image after the render.

Theres no correct way to use your render


passes its entirely up to you

Tutorials
AFTER

12Post-processing
The rst thing I do in compositing is to
stack my render passes so that they equal the
adjustments to each of the render passes both on a
general scale and on specic parts. I also make a few
colour corrections to some of the parts of the render
beauty. Ill then organise the renders into separate to sit it into the background better. Once I have
folders, for example wheels, background and car. this stage done, its time to start adding additional
I drag my VRayWireColor pass to the bottom of the elements such as ares, fog and so on. I usually use
stack and use the Magic Wand to create selections VRayZDepth for this. Finally, Ill apply a few global
when and where I need them. I then make small colour corrections.

3dworldmag.com 163
Tutorials

164
3DS MAX 2015

CREATE A SC-FI RACING


VEHICLE IN 3DS MAX 2015
Concept a futuristic vehicle quickly and easily in 3ds Max 2015 using
Symmetry, Select & Place and Materials Editor, with Al Brady
utodesks 3ds Max is a At the end of the training youll to no time, and how to make

A huge and sophisticated


program, capable of
making pro-quality special effects
have discovered a fun way to
make a racing speeder in an
afternoon for your portfolio, or
changes to your design to try
out new ideas quickly.
Well be placing primitive
and assets. Because 3ds Max is so generate lots of dynamic, organic objects, using a couple of poly
ARTIST PROFILE broad in its capabilities, using it to spaceship ideas against a tight modelling tools and modiers,
Al Brady create organic objects can be an deadline. Ill show you how to and the Material Editor, in the
Al has worked in the intimidating prospect, especially create organic objects, using latest version, 3ds Max 2015.
video games industry for a beginner. But here Ill show simple objects as a base to create For all the tutorial assets, go to
for EAs Visceral you that it doesnt need to be! owing dynamic shapes in next creativebloq.com/getinto3D
Games. He has
previous experience
at MPC and The

Tutorials
Art Department. Al
currently works at
architectural agency
Federation Design.
behance.net/albrady

USING MENTAL RAY


Feel free to experiment
with these settings,
but for now default
settings will work ne

1 MEET MR SUN 2 SKETCH THUMBNAIL


First make a mental ray Daylight object and enable Starting with the idea of a fast ying motorbike, I
the MR Sun and MR Sky functions. Change the sketched some outlines for my racer. I did some very
Position setting to Manual to move the sun so it rough drawings, picked one I thought might make
is shining from the correct direction. Enable MR a cool shape and sketched this simple plan out. I
Photographic Exposure and change the Exposure create an MR Arch and Design material and load my
TOPICS COVERED present to Physically Based Lighting>Outdoor. Mental sketch in the Diffuse channel, applying the material
Placing primitive objects ray will now light the scene realistically in the viewport to a plane of the same dimensions as the image. This
Poly modelling tools and the renderer. Mental ray also handily generates will be a rough guide for my geometry.
Material Editor beautiful skies and sunsets quickly during renders.

165
3 PRIMATIVE BEGINNINGS 4 FEARLESS SYMMETRY
EXPERT TIP Start with a primitive cylinder object, then choose Repeat the process until your shape roughly
Use shortcut keys Edit Poly>Polygon Sub-object; select and delete the conforms to the sketch. Youll notice I only built one
The Edit Drop down face at one end of the cylinder. Changing the Sub- half of my rough model. This is because 3ds Max
menu is alphabetised, object selection setting to Border you can select allows me to ip this half over onto the other side
so pushing [L] instantly the circle at the end of the cylinder. By choosing the using the Symmetry Modier. By moving the Mirror
brings you to Lathe Select and Move tool; [Shift]-dragging the circle Gizmo into the correct axis and location I can ensure
in the list. This can along the X axis, draw out a new section of cylinder. the geometry is mirrored in the correct way. This
really speed up The points that make the circle can be moved, Modier is a lot of fun to experiment with, creating
navigation of this changing the cross-section of the new geometry. cool forms. (I stick to my sketch for this project.)
dropdown menu.

USE A MAP MODIFIER


Use a planar UVW map
modier to make sure
the image is located
correctly on the hull

5 SMOOTH IT 6 TWO MINUTE TURBINE


At the moment the vehicle doesnt look too slick: Next lets detail parts using the Lathe and Extrude
Select the geometry and apply the Mesh Smooth modiers, by starting with an outline drawing using
modier, giving the simple model smooth curves! If the Line tool. Lathe out a curve for the central cone
a wing is too thick, turn off Mesh Smooth, make an of a turbine. An ovoid extruded along an axis and
adjustment, turn Mesh Smooth back on and see how twisted creates a blade. Then I use the Placement
it looks. Repeat this process, tweaking the geometry tool to locate the blade on the surface of the cone,
until the smoothed version is just how you want it. and move its pivot to the centre. Use the Array tool to
Remember, were just concerned with nding cool create copies of the blade arranged around the cone.
shapes with this project. Details can come later. Add some materials and install it into the engine.
Tutorials

OPACITY MAP

Rather than editing


geometry to add windows
and other apertures into the
hull, use an opacity map DIFFUSE MAP

7 MAKE IT CLEAR 8 USE BUMP MAPS


To add windows and other aperatures, use an opacity A great way to add small details or textures to my
map. This black and white image tells the renderer hull surface is to use a bump map. Because this
how opaque any surface I apply it to will be and a effect is an optical illusion it only works for small
large black circle on a white background will create a details, but its perfect for seams, rivets, or a smart
circular patch of transparency on the surface. I cloned linear texture to ow over the surface. I also use a
the hull, applying a glass material to it. By adding a bump map to create a fast water surface, see the
colour-inverted version of the same opacity map to Make Some Noise boxout on the opposite page.
the glass version of the hull, only the areas that are
cut out of the original are visible.

166
CREATING
THE SURFACE

EXPLORE AND
MAKE SOME NOISE

9 NEW PLACEMENT TOOL 10 LIGHTS & CAMERA


3ds Max 2015 has a clever Select and Place tool, Once youve got your racer looking crazy awesome,
which enables you to apply objects directly onto the place some cameras around it and nd some cool
surface of other objects. This makes adding small angles to shoot it from. Experiment moving both
details a snap. I messed around with the settings the camera and the vehicle around, zooming in and
until it snapped the correct parts of each object out, moving the sun, looking for shots that are both
together. I can see this is a tool Im going to get a descriptive and dramatic. Study photos of planes to
lot of use from. get ideas for nice shots. I use lower quality render ONE CREATE A SHEET OF NOISE
settings to nd good angles, and then bump up the To create a surface for your
quality later on for the nal outputs. futuristic racer to zoom across,
create a large Plane object below
the craft and apply a deep blue
reective MR Arch and Design
material to it. Tweak the values.

TWO ADD A BUMP MAP


In the bump map channel, add a
large sheet of noise to which you
have applied motion blur in your
favourite graphics software. (This
is very useful for any relatively
small surface relief details.)

Tutorials
THREE THE END TEXTURE
This creates a stretched out
texture, which reects your
craft and makes it look like
its travelling over a stretch
of water at supersonic speeds.

EXPERT TIP
Always experiment
Often very chaotic
base meshes will yield
strange, interesting,
11 FINISH LINE new forms, whereas
I usually take about eight shots and sketch over them more controlled
in Photoshop, tidying up imperfections that would ones will create smooth
be time consuming to x in 3D. Sometimes I use flowing designs with
those ideas to inform new areas of geometry on regular surfaces.
my design. I also output orthographic views of the
model to create a high-quality asset based on this
rough model. There you have it, a fun way to make
a racing speeder in an afternoon for your portfolio,
or to practice your futuristic vehicle design.

167
ARTIST PROFILE
Anthony Eftekhari
Anthony has been
working as an artist for
over six years on feature
lms, television and
video games. He is
currently a senior digital
matte artist at Blizzard
Entertainment working
on cinematics.
www.artofae.com

3DS MAX | PHOTOSHOP


Tutorials

CREATE A REALISTIC
ENVIRONMENT
Blizzards Anthony Eftekhari reveals how to take control
of a scene to create a photo-real matte painting

T
his image is called Palace: Palace took about three weeks atmosphere. These core elements
the idea was to create an to complete. This involved are essential to making a piece
environment that would concepting the environment and interesting, to look at and convey
feature a large palace and its architecture, gathering reference, a feeling and emotion. Here Ill
TOPICS COVERED surrounding architecture. 3ds and rendering the nal assets show you how to combine these
Scene planning Max was used for the modelling, and compositing. elements with an environment
Modelling texturing and lighting. V-Ray was What I like most about creating that is grand and unique, to create
Lighting used to render and compositing any image is trying to create an image rich with history.
Texture painting was done in Photoshop with a mood and feeling through Anthony created this project
Render passes different passes and renders. composition, colour, lighting and for The Matte Department

168
Tutorials

Over the course of this 3D


matte painting tutorial well
look at the entire workow,
from modelling to adding
nal effects such as fog

169
FRAME THE SHOT
Once you have
gathered all your
reference material,
start sketching to block
out a composition

1 START PLANNING 2 START SMALL, THINK BIG


Whenever starting a new piece, I do a lot of research, Once the composition and lighting design has
gathering photo reference for all of my ideas, from been established, refer back to the reference to
Photo reference helps me to architecture to lighting, exposure, colour and start modelling the buildings. Pay close attention
textures. This helps me to root my work in reality and to the design of the architecture. I try to keep the
root my work in reality gives me visual cues to implement into the piece. modelling process as simple as possible, knowing
Using the gathered reference as inspiration, I start to that I will use texturing heavily to push the details
and gives me visual cues to sketch and block out a composition in Photoshop. I of the architecture later on in the process. So start
end up with a page of thumbnails that will help narrow by modelling the larger forms rst and work down to
implement into the piece down the nal composition and lighting design. details if necessary.

SET DRESSING
Additional props can
help to add realism
to the environment
while giving the city a
sense of life

3 ADD PROPS 4 ADD TEXTURE AND DETAIL


Once the larger forms have been modelled, continue The texturing of the models is done using simple
to model props and set dressing. For Palace, I box mapping in 3ds Max. Lay out the UVs and begin
modelled ships, umbrellas and docks. I model props to texture paint, using a brick texture as a base and
and features for the ships that could be repurposed add dirt and grime for weathering. Paint streaks
to create new boats and ships since they will be used where crevices appear on the model to add further
to populate the water. The textures are varied to add weathering. To create more visual interest and add
more variety in colour and design. These elements scale to the buildings, create textural details from
add realism to the environment, and help to add photo reference; manipulate it in Photoshop then tile
scale and complexity to the scene. it and apply it on top of the brick.
Tutorials

BE A GENERALIST
Mastering many tools
As a digital matte artist, you
might be called on to create full
3D environments that sometimes
involve large camera moves and
you have to make it look real.
This involves a wide variety of
skill sets that have to contribute
to the believability of the scene.
This was the case for this project.
Things like animated crowds,
simulated ags and cloth, layout 5 LIGHT THE SCENE 6 CREATE THE REFLECTION
and creating animated camera The rst step is to establish a lighting direction and Next its time to create the water and the reection.
moves. Terrain generation with mood. The scene is mostly lit by ll light; I want a low The water is a simple V-Ray shader mixed with
World Machine, as well as trees lying light to subtly hit the tops of the domes and a ground shader. A black-and-white matte is
and vegetation distribution with buildings. The warm subtle sunlight and the cool ll used to blend the two together. Take care here:
Forest Pack may also need to be light create a nice colour contrast and mood through you have to make sure that the V-Ray shader has
used, so you tend to become a lighting. An HDR image is used to light the scene sufcient reection and is the appropriate colour
generalist with a wide variety and a key light is created for the direct light. These to sell the appearance of water.
of tools at your disposal. are both rendered separately so that I can control
them in the painting process.

170
7 ADD DEPTH WITH FOG 8 USE POINT LIGHTS
To further enhance the mood of the environment, To create the city lights in the environment, place
add a Fog pass that creates separation and depth small point lights around the scene. This creates real
between the buildings and knocks the furthest reections on the water and casts proper shadows
buildings back into space. Render the Fog pass from the environment. The lights help to create life POINT LIGHTING
as a separate layer so that you can control it in and adds more visual interest to the scene. The lights Placing point lights
Photoshop. A Z-depth pass is also rendered to add are rendered as a separate pass in order to have around the scene
even more control over the fog and depth. more control over the value, intensity and colour adds interest and
in the painting stage. helps the environment
come to life

CORE SKILLS
Study the Old Masters
I am inspired by the Old Master
painters and illustrators: The
9 CONTROL THE PAINTING brilliance of their designs,
I usually like to have as much control over the composition and their complete
painting as possible, in order to do this I have to mastery over colour and lighting
render different passes and mattes to be able is always a humbling reminder of
to control all aspects of painting. I render out how much further I still have to
object IDs for buildings, trees and boats to be go! Those are all things I aspire to
able to control, colour, value and atmosphere master and replicate in my own
on those elements. work and try to incorporate a bit
of in everything I do.

Tutorials

10 USE RENDER PASSES


In addition to object IDs, I like to render out lighting
passes separately to add even more control in
painting. I render out a key light pass, top light pass,
a Fog pass, an RBG pass without Fog, a Z-depth
pass, AO pass and a reection pass. It is important to
render these passes knowing how you want to direct
your painting and use them to help you achieve the
look and mood that you want. Rendering too many
passes that wont aid your work only wastes time.

171
Expert Tips
Texturing

FOR
Photoshop

TOPICS COVERED
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DOWNLOADS
t4DSFFOTIPUT
creativebloq.com/
getinto3D

10 tips for better


Photoshop textures
Tutorials

Photoshop offers intuitive ways to build up your


textures. Leigh van der Byl reveals her top tips
hile 3D painting applications to blending and adjusting layers in are particularly notable for their non-
W such as The Foundrys Mari
are gradually replacing
a texture. Additionally, the user-
friendliness and familiarity of the
destructive approach. In other words,
they use tools and techniques such as
2D software for texture painting, application make it a good solution adjustment layers and layer masking,
Photoshop nevertheless remains a for things that need to be done which offer a great way to alter
stalwart for many, with its exibility quickly and with minimal fuss. your document in a non-permanent
Leigh van der Byl and advanced blending, painting This is a collection of essential fashion, so you can change or even
is a VFX texture and masking tools still offering a techniques and tips for texture completely undo your work at a later
painter in London.
Her recent credits
robust package for texture painters painters using Photoshop. These stage without excessive reworking.
include X-Men who have either not invested in a 3D represent some of its greatest This non-destructive workow
First Class and the painting package yet, or continue to strengths with regards to our has always been one of Photoshops
upcoming sci- thriller Gravity.
She also scours the globe use it alongside a 3D package. particular discipline, and will help to greatest exibilities when it comes to
shooting landscape Photoshop still has a few tricks up improve your efciency and texturing painting textures, and is a core reason
photography in cold,
bleak environments
its sleeve that the 3D options dont approach if you incorporate them why it remains an essential part of
www.leighvanderbyl.com yet offer, especially when it comes into your workow. Many of these most texture painters toolsets.

172
01Customising
your brushes
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UPBDIJFWFBTQFDJmDFGGFDU$SFBUJOH
CSVTIFTGSPNBOZCJUNBQTIBQFJT
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#SVTI5PPMQBMFUUFBOEBEEBEEJUJPOBM
FOIBODFNFOUTUPJU"NPOHUIFNPTU
VTFGVMPGUIFTFBSF"OHMF+JUUFS XIJDI Using Angle Jitter
DBVTFTUIFCSVTITTIBQFUPGPMMPXUIF set to Direction with
EJSFDUJPOZPVSFQBJOUJOHJOoXIJDI a custom brush is great
JTHSFBUGPSQBJOUJOHUIJOHTMJLFGVSPS for painting hair and fur
TUJUDIJOHEFUBJMTPODMPUIJOH

02Good cloning
techniques
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CSVTIFToSPVOECSVTIFTEPOUMPPL Original image Clone tool with soft round brush Clone tool with hard-edged brush
HPPEXIFODMPOJOHXJUIIBSEFEHFT

Tutorials
04Advanced blending
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MBZFSCFOFBUIJU PSCPUI5IFZFOBCMFZPVUPEFmOF

03Use layer blend modes


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XJUIQMFBTJOHBOEPSHBOJDMPPLJOHSFTVMUT XJUIFBDI UIFMPPLPGMJWJOHPSHBOJDUJTTVF mOFUVOJOHMBZFSCMFOEJOH

173
05Adjustment layers
Adjustment layers have long been
one of Photoshops greatest features,
when used in combination with the Blend If
sliders (see tip 4), theyre a powerful way to
selectively alter tones and colours without
allowing you to alter the values of colours or having to use layer masks. For example, you
tones of the layers beneath them without can use the Blend If sliders to make the
permanently applying the change to them. adjustment layer affect only the light pixels, or
Levels, Hue/Saturation and Color Balance are just the dark ones, or any of the red, green or
all of particular use to the texture painter, and blue tones of the underlying layers.

Adjustment layers
non-destructively
alter underlying tones
and colours

06Layer clipping
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QPTJUJPOPOFBCPWFUIFPUIFS IPMEEPXO<"MU> QPTJUJPOZPVSDVSTPSCFUXFFOUIF
Tutorials

UXPMBZFSTJOUIF-BZFSTQBOFMUPHFUUIFDMJQPQUJPO UIFODMJDL

Clipping an adjustment
layer to the layer below
protects the layers
beneath the clipped layer Layer masks are the
most effective way to
control a layers visibility
non-destructively

07Layer masks
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QJYFMTPGUIFNBTLBSFOUQFSNBOFOUMZBMUFSFECZBEKVTUJOHUIFN

174 3dworldmag.com
08Masked adjustments for removing lighting
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QIPUPTPGBDUPST PSTFUQJFDFTUIBUOFFEUPCFQSPKFDUFEPOUPUIFJSFRVJWBMFOU
EJHJUBMEPVCMFTJOmMNXPSL

Masking adjustment
layers is the best way of
non-destructively removing
lighting from an image

The High Pass lter


can be used to create
a quick base for bump
maps from a texture

09The High Pass filter


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DFOUHSFZBTUIFNFEJBOQPJOUGPSHSFZTDBMFNBQTTVDIBTCVNQBOETQFDVMBS

Carefully build up
tones by using low
opacity brushes for a
more natural look

Tutorials

10Using opacity effectively


Perhaps one of the most crucial pieces of advice I can give about
painting textures in Photoshop is to use a build-up approach in other
words, painting (whether its actual painting on layers or on layer masks) is
often best accomplished by using low-opacity brushes to build up the tones
slowly, as opposed to simply slapping opaque paint details onto a layer and
trying to blend them down. Painting with a gentle approach is likely to yield
the best results in most cases, especially when it comes to organic textures,
but also when dealing with hard surfaces

3dworldmag.com 175
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