We'll begin with the exploratory sketching phase, which is a stage where the concept artist produces loose grayscale sketches to communicate ideas to the team. We'll then take that sketch from a rough idea into a fully realized piece of concept art. From there, we'll take the design into a key part of video game character concept art: the orthographic. By the end of this tutorial we will have taken a look at a typical video game studio pipeline and learned numerous tips and techniques for how to be efficient in a video game production environment.

We'll start by looking at the preparation that is needed in order to get the best results when creating the hair. From there, we'll look at the actual hair creation using the Hair Farm plug-in. We will learn how to generate the hair mesh and then convert it into actual hairs using Hair Farm modifiers. By the end of this tutorial we will have looked at how to create different hair effects using different hair objects as well as adding materials and lighting for our hair.

Throughout these lessons we will discover ways of troubleshooting problem topology and learn how to reproduce a 3D model from a perspective reference illustration. By the end of this tutorial you will have learned efficient modeling workflows in 3ds Max.

We will be using tricks and optimizing techniques so that we can keep our banner within “Standard Flash” specifications: Under 40kb, 18fps, and under 15 seconds in length. Along the way we'll look at workflow and file organization tips and tricks.

Throughout the lessons we will model, pose, texture and shade a 3D character. We will use lot of different techniques within ZBrush and Softimage to bring to life a bio-mechanical concept. Along the way we will learn creative ways to use a wide set of tools to build details in a quick and effective way. All the techniques shown can be translated in different kinds of pipelines and can bring up a huge speed up to your usual modeling and texturing workflow.

Throughout these lessons we will cover the foundations of modeling a high resolution female that will deform properly when animated. Along the way we will learn how we can avoid many common beginner mistakes and develop a workflow that is efficient and effective. We will also learn a lot of basic and advanced female anatomy, and how to capture high resolution realism with simple geometry. By the end of this course you will have a great foundation for building your own female characters for film, broadcast and video games.

Until now hair inside of ZBrush has primarily been sculpted. Using the new FiberMesh system inside of ZBrush 4R3 we can take a simple base mesh and apply fibers to the model to create more realistic long hair. With the power of ZBrush these fibers can be quickly groomed to achieve a wide array of hair styles. This tutorial will cover some tips and tricks to help speed up usage with FiberMesh to get your models hair that salon look.

These lessons will guide you through lighting for sets and characters in two scenes: one interior and one exterior. Lighting and rendering are often the biggest bottleneck for student and independent productions and can grind a project to a halt. In these lessons we'll focus on the tools and techniques that will help your lighting stay lean without sacrificing quality. Along the way we'll learn about the tools, techniques, and terminology used in character lighting.

Throughout these lessons will work through a pipeline from tracking to rendering and finally compositing CG elements into a live action plate. Over the course of the tutorial we will find the most efficient way to communicate through the different programs to achieve our final result. We will examine how essential the 3D space within linear space of a compositing package is and use it to our advantage. By the end of the tutorial you will have and understanding of how to create custom passes from within your compositing package. You'll also be able to work within a linear workflow to take your color corrections to the next level.

Along the way we will be encountering topology issues and learn new ways of troubleshooting those. We will be focusing on less of a traditional tools that are used today for modeling, and rather explore creative ways of application for the news onces. Upon completing our model, we will look at basics of V-Ray material setup for Maya, where we explore various options and what effect they have, look at couple of a rendering tips to improve the quality of our final image, and touch a few basic steps on compositing of our final image.

Throughout these lessons we will use a combination of Maya, After Effects and Photoshop to do everything from the modeling, animating, texturing, lighting and rendering of an animated title sequence. By the end of this tutorial you'll have an understanding of the knowledge required to create a robotic title sequence from start to finish.

Throughout these lessons we will focus on creating an exterior visualization. We will go through several different stages including modeling and preparing vegitation models like grass and trees so we can use them in our scene as proxy. We also go through lighting, texturing and post-production when you will learn couple of techniques about how to make our renders looks better and more appealing.

Throughout these lessons we'll create a shot that resembles realistic-looking video footage that would otherwise be difficult to shoot. This tutorial offers an overview of key moments from the production that can inspire. Its lessons cover everything from initial analysis, modeling, texturing, rigging, animation, rendering to final comp using primarily modo and Fusion. The discussed techniques are, however, easily applicable to other mainstream applications.

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.

Through these lessons we will learn the whole process of making interior visualizations. We will start by modeling the walls before modeling the floor with Floor Generator, a free plugin. We'll then model the rest of the furniture. After modeling we are going to create lighting in our scene for the final render. We'll finish our project by looking at how to make small adjustments in Photoshop to make our colors look better.

These videos will walk through the essential tools for creating photorealistic materials. We'll start with establishing our shading toolkit through the various models of simulating real-world light interactions. Then we'll jump into a series of challenging material types, and develop the basic shading networks required to make them happen.

Throughout these lessons we will learn how to quickly create block out shapes such as our creature's wings, horns, cloth and other ornate pieces. We will look at brushes that are used in a typical art pipeline as well as how to create custom brushes. Using 3ds Max, we'll learn how to create chains that conform to the character's body using splines. We will also take all the SubTool pieces in ZBrush to rig and pose our character in Transpose Master.

Throughout this tutorial we are going to talk about the core feaures of RealFlow. Starting with the basics, we'll discuss the fundamental parameters of a standard SPH system as well as looking at the Hybrido solver. We'll also cover some meshing techniques using the RenderKit particle mesher to avoid flickering issues. Then we'll look at how to render our mesh in V-Ray for Maya and finally how to composite our passes in NUKE. After completing this tutorial, we'll have a much better understanding of the entire process to make a realistic and believable fluid.

When creating a creature concept for the film industry, it is common for a director to ask for a detailed character rendering or even a 3D print of the creature before approving a character concept. Throughout these lessons we will look at the creative process of taking a 2D concept and turning it into a 3D digital maquette that is detailed enough to show a film director for approval. Once approved, before the VFX studio can integrate the character concept into it's pipeline it must first be fully retopologized into a clean mesh that is ready for rigging and animation. By the end of this tutorial we will have gone through the entire conceptual process of creating a film-ready character concept that is posed, prepared in accordance with 3D printing standards and rendered for a dramatic presentation.

Throughout these lessons we will take an in-depth look at some mixed polygon modeling techniques using Maya 2011. We'll focus on creating animation-friendly topology for our fantasy style character that will not only deform correctly but will also showcase detailed anatomy. By the end of this tutorial, we will have learned how to model clothes, props, books, candles and a human skull while covering a wide variety of modeling techniques to produce detailed and accurate meshes. While this tutorial uses Maya 2011, the techniques used are transferrable to any other polygon modeling software program.

From a reference picture to the finished shader, these videos will show how to choose the shading models and surface parametrizations to use. We will go over the math and physics involved and how to derive a shader implementation. We will address the issues caused by using raytracing as well as animation whithin the shader and support for use of the shader with Maya's particle system.

We will begin these lessons with the final result from the Creative Development: Modeling a Cowgirl Character in Maya and Silo with Antony Ward tutorial. We will continue on with our cowgirl character and take her to the next level. By adding color, light and texture we will bring her to life all while sharing some essential time-saving tips. Starting in Maya, we will explore how to light the scene before we apply and adjust a series of shaders to add a splash of color. We will then output the various render passes we need to move into Photoshop and enhance the overall image. Finally, we will work in some finer details as we apply layers of texture before we complete her look by painting in her hair and adding a background. By the end of this tutorial you will have a good understanding of lighting and rendering in Maya, along with working with render passes and image-based lighting. You will also be confident in taking a render into Photoshop to enhance its look without the use of UVs or complex shaders.

Throughout these lessons we will be learning some of the MEL commands needed to add HIK to a character rigging pipeline. Along the way we will look at some of the limitations with the HumanIK toolset and how we can work around them. By the end of the this tutorial, you will comfortable with HIK whether you are an animator with no rigging experience or a TD looking to add HIK to your rigging pipeline.

Throughout these lessons we will focus on creating a polished image of a cartoon nature. Doing still images for your personal portfolio is important because this builds a library of techniques that can be used later for production. By the end of this tutorial we will have gone through all the steps required to learn the importance of each part so that our image is appealing in the end.

Throughout these lessons we will look at the basic parameters needed when constructing environments inside Vue. We will also look at building an efficient pipeline between 3ds Max and Vue. By the end of this tutorial, we will have gone over integrating seamless integration between multiple pieces of software in order to achieve our final image.

Throughout the tutorial, we'll cover all of the hidden details that are needed to use HDR imagery for lighting in Maya. We'll start with physically based lighting, world scene scale, color management, proper render preview and verification of valid floating point linear color images. Once the rules for using HDR images are clearly laid out, we will take a look at how you can create your own HDR images at home using a DSLR camera, tripod, nodal head and software. Lastly, we'll go over examples of using and editing these images for a variety of indoor and outdoor lighting situations as well as covering light extraction and making HDR kooks from an HDR photo of a light.

Throughout the tutorial we will learn methods that allow us to focus on the expression and emotion of the character and the personality it conveys, instead of having to worry about the topology while modeling using ZBrush and 3D Coat. We will look at how we can take advantage of 3D Coat's excellent retopology tools, including automatic retopology. Other modeling techniques we'll learn are Shadowbox, DynaMesh, insert brushes, extractions, alpha to 3D and ZSketch.

Throughout these lessons we'll delve into the animated growth of a tree branch as a time-lapse video. We'll learn everything from modeling, texturing and shading to the animation and final compositing. By the end of this tutorial, you'll have a better understanding of how you can employ efficient and productive techniques for a time-lapse video that can be used when up against a tight deadline.

We will be introduced to a few tools and techniques to create photorealistic material that is suitable for commercial design projects. By the end of this tutorial, we will have touched on modeling, lighting, shading, animation, scripting and rendering for efficiency and quality.

Throughout these lessons we will explore the use of subdivision surfaces to help us quickly create a stylized cowgirl character. We will begin with a base mesh before posing her and adding clothing and detail. The result will be a highly detailed model ready for textures and rendering that can be used in an illustration or even animation. Although we will primarily be using Silo throughout the tutorial, the techniques taught in these lessons can be followed along using any subdivision surfaces software.

Throughout this tutorial we are going to talk about FumeFX and PFlow from the basics to more advanced techniques. We'll also cover some rendering techniques in Krakatoa, including the Magma Flow Editor, we'll see how to increment our particle count using the partitioning, and finally we'll look how to composite the particles in NUKE. After completing this tutorial, we'll have a much better understanding of fluids and how to manage and render particles.

This tutorial will cover the creation and implementation of a car rig in 3ds Max. We will look at the creation of a generic animation rig and then expand on this by adding automation and terrain attachment controls.

This tutorial will go through all of the steps of the process of making a polished image of a creature character. We will learn the importance of each part to ensure that our image is appealing in the end.

We are going to take a character mesh all the way through animation in 3ds Max. Throughout the tutorial, we will discuss workflow for an animation pipeline. We will start with rigging with 3ds Max's CAT system and learn some tips and tricks for skinning along the way. We will then talk about planning a shot and setting up a basic cameras. Finally, we take all of our assets and create a two shot animation utilizing the rig we created.

Over the course of this tutorial we will look at how to sculpt a Wolfman creature concept using ZBrush. Once our base mesh has been created in Maya, we will use industry-proven techniques to block out and then add anatomical and fine detail before creating a custom brush and alpha to easily and intuitively add dense fur detail. We will then look at some of the new BPR rendering features that are new inside of ZBrush 4R2 to render out a turntable that replicates the look of a vinyl maquette. The final sculpt could be used to get approval for a design from a director as the base for a hero character model for TV, film, games or to be printed out and used as a vinyl statue.

Using DOPs to control initial performance, this tutorial teaches the user how to use extra information like speed, size and orientation and to manage it. Generating little bugs that walk around and avoid one another. We will cover expressions, channel generation, and rendering with physically based rendering.

In this Maya tutorial, Boston based artist Farley Chery will lead the viewer the unusual yet intuitive technique of multi-mesh skinning, a process created in his last production. The entire rigging process can be long and arduous, so great work flow is essential to speeding up the process. Multi-Mesh is an unorthodox method which allows the user to use the best possible initial settings throughout the body and blending them into a a seamless mesh. This eccentric approach allows for skinning most body parts in seconds and problem areas such as the clavicle and shoulder regions in minutes. The artist will show some of his best techniques in efficiency and troubleshooting into this amazing tutorial.

While this series of tutorials is not a step-by-step guide, they instead offer an in-depth look at the key aspects of production that goes into creating realistic-looking shots that would otherwise be difficult to shoot without the aid of computer graphics. These tutorials will cover everything from the concept sketches and visualization to modeling, texturing, rigging, animation, rendering and final compositing of the photorealistic shots. While the tools used in this series of tutorials are primarily Maya and modo, the techniques discussed are easily applicable to other mainstream applications.

This tutorial will show how to set up a complex Particle Flow system to make a tornado inside of 3ds Max. Going beyond a traditional vortex field, the tornado that we'll create in this tutorial will employ recursive logic to keep the system alive while still being lightweight enough to be animatable inside the viewport. We will then look at getting much more natural movement by simulating FumeFX based off of the particle simulation. We'll also touch on Krakatoa and using that to render a large number of particles. Partitioning will be covered along with some of the rendering options available. Finally, we'll look at some techniques to fix artifacts in NUKE.

In this tutorial we will learn the basics of using L-systems with turtle functions, randomness, gravity and metaballs to sculpt the set. Our system will then be run to create a small forest of growing trees.

Planning, reference materials, and imagination will be addressed, so that students are led to optionally create their own version of the tutorial, equipped with the methods they learn in the video. Included is creating a 3D set to scale, how to make models appear large and dramatic, and maximizing the use of 3 simple tools -- extrude, inset and bevel in polygonal modeling. We will create textures for variation in tones of buildings. Cloning of buildings and attention to staging will be discussed and demonstrated, to maximize the use of a limited number of models to achieve a sense of scale, without sacrificing variety. The fly-through will include creating and animating a camera as it travels with a vehicle flying through the model city. Textures will be from the 3ds Max libraries. A procedural map will be used to create a futuristic sky around the scene. We also cover mental ray rendering and the daylight system for sophisticated shadows, ambient lighting and reflections for glass.

We'll learn how to build a procedural SOP Network and simulate its behavior using a SOP Solver in tandem with RBD. We will light and shade this geometry to build an animation system that can be run to create an infinite number of possibillities.

These video lessons will introduce a compositing workflow that emphasizes efficiency. We'll look at a variety of color correction methods, depth and height-based haze, and faked camera effects such as depth of field and motion blur. Throughout, we'll develop a visual style for our comp that will be easy to replicate and re-use for later shots.

This series of videos will guide you through the process of creating realistic renders using V-Ray for 3ds Max. While rendering is an extremely powerful method for enhancing an artist's work, the process can be very confusing for not only beginners but also for advanced users. This course will help simplify the process. We'll begin by learning how to prepare the assets for rendering and continue all the way through to performing post-work on the final render. After completing this tutorial, we'll have a much better understanding of the overall process involved with rendering a realistic character in V-Ray for 3ds Max, as well gaining many valuable tips and tricks for more specific topics like skin shading and linear workflow, which in the end will help the artist add new levels of realism and life to their own work.

This training series looks at the modeling and rigging considerations of a cartoon shark in 3ds Max. We look at creating a basic FK skeleton for our shark model and the skinning consideration we need to think about to create some great deformations. We then expand upon our basic FK rig by using Max's built-in modifiers to create an automated swim cycle, finally finishing the tutorial with a quick look at a controller system and corrective shapes.