Character and Scene Development in Maya and Mudbox
In this series of lessons we will learn the process of creating a finished scene, complete with character, using Maya and Mudbox.
In the initial portion of the course, we'll turn a sketch into 3d geometry using a variety of modeling tools and techniques in Maya. We'll then take our geometry from Maya to Mudbox where we'll begin sculpting a wide range of high resolution details into the different parts of our scene. Then we'll stay in Mudbox to quickly paint color texture maps, specular maps, and bump maps. With all of our detailing and painting done, we'll export our result as an FBX, allowing us to quickly and easily get all of our geometry and maps out to Maya where we then render the scene.
Lesson Outline
Introduction and Project Overview
In this lesson we will get an overview of the tools and techniques used in this course.
Blocking in the cell and alien's head
In this lesson we will build the jail cell and some base geometry for the alien's head.
Adding eyes and modifying the lids
In this lesson we will model the eyes and add eye lids to the head.
Building the alien's body
In this lesson we will model a posed torso and connect it with the head geometry.
Modeling the alien's leg
In this lesson we will build a posed leg using primitive geometry.
Attaching the leg and building a shoulder
In this lesson we will attach the leg to the body and create a shoulder.
Building the base of the arm
In this lesson we will create some base geometry for the arms.
Posing the arms and attaching
In this lesson we will pose the arms and attach them to the alien's body.
Extracting the shorts from the body
In this lesson we will extract geometry from the body to create clothing.
Setting up UVs on the body and cell
In this lesson we will setup UV layouts for the various pieces of our scene.
Transferring geometry from Maya to Mudbox
In this lesson we will export our geometry from Maya and import it into Mudbox.
Sculpting the body
In this lesson we will begin sculpting high resolution detail into the alien model.
Using stamps to sculpt the ear
In this lesson we will use a stencil to add ear detail to the head.
Adding wrinkles and other detail to the alien
In this lesson we will sculpt wrinkles and folds into the skin.
Sculpting the clothing
In this lesson we will sculpt folds and surface detail into the clothing.
Painting a color base for the alien
In this lesson we will paint a color texture for the alien's body.
Painting textures for the eyes
In this lesson we will paint a color texture for the eyes.
Creating specular and gloss maps
In this lesson we will modulate the specular color and gloss using painted maps.
Texturing the cell with Projection Painting
In this lesson we will use the projection tool to transfer photographic detail to the jail cell.
Adding paint and dirt to the cell
In this lesson we will use stencils and stamps to add graphic elements and dirt to the walls.
Adding a bump map for the cell
In this lesson we will create a bump map for the jail cell.
Extracting normal maps and applying as bump
In this lesson we will extract a normal map from the sculpted geometry.
Exporting as FBX from Mudbox
In this lesson we will export our geometry and maps quickly using FBX.
Resizing scene to real-world scale within Maya
In this lesson we will resize our scene to a real-world scale in order to get more accurate lighting results
Placing primary illumination source
In this lesson we will create the primary source of illumination for our scene
Adding secondary illumination sources
In this lesson create additional illumination sources and use light decay rates to mimic real-world light behavior
Creating materials for clothing and jail cell
In this lesson we will rebuild the shading networks for the character's clothing and prison cell using mental ray materials
Using SSS to create the character's skin
In this lesson we will create translucent skin for our character using subsurface scattering shaders
Using Photoshop to modify the character's textures
In this lesson we will use Photoshop to enhance details in the character's texture maps
Combining procedural bumps with normal maps
In this lesson we will learn how to combine the effects of a procedural bump map with a normal map in order to add subtle details to the character's skin
Adding Global Illumination and Final Gather
In this lesson we will use Global Illumination and Final Gather to add indirect illumination effects to our rendered image
Creating shadow patterns using gobos
In this lesson we will connect textures to our light source in order to create dramatic shadow patterns
Adding volumetric light rays to our render
In this lesson we will add mood and atmosphere to our rendered image using volumetric light rays
Creating additional render layers for compositing
In this lesson we will use Render Layers to create additional passes for our scene that can be used for compositing purposes
Compositing and color correction in Photoshop
In this lesson we will take our rendered images into Photoshop for final compositing and color correction
