Creating a Low Poly Game Character in Maya and Silo

Silo 2.2, Maya 2012, 3D-Coat 3.7, Photoshop CS4, CrazyBump

In this tutorial we will be modeling and texturing a low poly game character. Rather than focusing on the higher-end scale that is commonly seen in other tutorials, with this tutorial we will be limiting ourselves to just a few thousand polygons. We will begin, not by sculpting a high detail model in ZBrush or Mudbox, but by focusing on the character's actual low polygon in-game model. Once that's built and optimized, we will then focus on adding a good set of UVs before we move onto painting diffuse, normal and specular texture maps. By the end of this tutorial we will have taken a look at numerous tips, techniques and shortcuts all geared towards saving precious time by simply focusing on the actual game model itself.