Wish I was a Character Modeler!
Whats up,
I was looking for a point in the right direction. I want a J.O.B in character modeling. I am currently modeling with 3DS Max. I am very comfortable with this program. ZBrush is great its a very fluid way to model. I just need to learn the interface better. I don't know how to bake my mesh into a UV map yet. I grasp rigging very well. I also enjoy animating.
To be a modern character modeler for video games or film what do I need to know. Does a current modeler rig their own model? Also are they expected to be a good animator?
I do want to be all of these things but I also have to be realistic and focus on whats going to get me the J.O.B that I'm looking for.
This brings me to my question. What do I need to know to be a Character Modeler for video games or film? What Programs do I need to have master as well as be familiar with?
Sorry for the long post I appreciate any help in this subject.
I was looking for a point in the right direction. I want a J.O.B in character modeling. I am currently modeling with 3DS Max. I am very comfortable with this program. ZBrush is great its a very fluid way to model. I just need to learn the interface better. I don't know how to bake my mesh into a UV map yet. I grasp rigging very well. I also enjoy animating.
To be a modern character modeler for video games or film what do I need to know. Does a current modeler rig their own model? Also are they expected to be a good animator?
I do want to be all of these things but I also have to be realistic and focus on whats going to get me the J.O.B that I'm looking for.
This brings me to my question. What do I need to know to be a Character Modeler for video games or film? What Programs do I need to have master as well as be familiar with?
Sorry for the long post I appreciate any help in this subject.
Replies
agreed
It helps, sure, but you should focus on learning anatomy, physiology, characteristics and traits of your subject matter you want to model - and then apply that knowledge to building things using the tools.
to answer your question, you should know a 3d modelling package, but most places are flexible if your work is great. Someone with bad work but a mastery in Maya vs someone with amazing work and only knows 3dsMax will get the job over the software master any day.
Thanks for your reply,
I defiantly agree that you need to be an artist in order to be a character modeler and having a solid foundation in human and nonhuman anatomy is crucial to having the audience/player believe that the character can and does exist in the world that it lives in. I understand that if my portfolio/ demo real is really great that that will speak louder for me than what software package I'm using. Would it not be wise to be using the preferred programs to make my demo real? But lets go with what youre saying. What do I need to know to be a character modeler? Does my demo real just have a bunch of posed characters nicely textured or do I animate them?
If you are a current Character modeler how did you get your first job doing this?
A thorough understanding of anatomy and proportion. After you've mastered those two things, silhouette, weight, topology, and an intuitive design sense will follow naturally.
Forget about the demo reel for now. You'll know when you need it. Right now you just want to focus on learning the basics. Chances are good that you won't be putting any of your preliminary experiments into your portfolio/demo reel anyway.
I'm just doing contract work at the moment, but I got my current gig by showing I had an understanding of high- and low-poly modeling, an ability to create original characters with strong and readable silhouettes and a portfolio that showed a variety of skills and styles.
The only way you're going to learn to be a character modeler is by actually modeling characters. You can say you like the idea, and you can tell us how much you want it, but none of that matters if you don't back it up with practice and a lot of hard work.
And that's all this or any other art is: Hard work. There's no magic in art, there's no secret to becoming a better artist, and there's nothing that any other person can do to help you aside from providing feedback on things you've made and demonstrating techniques that you may find helpful.
So, in short, make some characters. Get some feedback. Improve.
If the artist knows at least the basics of one app its a lot easier to train them to use another. Hold this key pan, these to zoom and this one to rotate, if you hit any snags press F1, if you need help after that, google and after that bug your lead.
May sound like a lame answer, but to be a character modeler, you gotta make some characters!
As others have said - start with the basics and learn anatomy. Study characters you think are cool, whether its anime, disney, squaresoft, call of duty, etc - figure out what you like about them and apply it to the characters you make.
There are other technical aspects of character modelling you mention (topology and rigging), but as Swiz says - just build some stuff and get feedback from everyone. Study other's works & edge loops and learn how to build a mesh with good flow of edges while maintaining weight, form, anatomy, silhouette, etc.
I'm not a modeler, I texture weapons, creatures, and the occasional character - but I could be a character modeler if I wanted to, just need to practice my skills and make some sweet stuff
Try finding a modelsheet
and yeah it is stylised comicbook anatomy..but you could easily find a turn around of a realistic physique and use that as well..
Start a thread in Pimp and Preview and give it a Title like : Super Fucking Extreme Character Learning ..and start posting your progress
Here is the title for pimp and prevew "Spider-Man Project"
It will make it harder for people to critique when they cant see what you are (not) showing. No-one gains anything from stealing, nor do you actually lose anything.
As for the model itself, bury your nose in some anatomy reference and start over, don't approximate, aim to nail it. I hate to sound harsh, but pretty much everything is off.
My best advice to you is to start thinking about the rough shapes in silhouette, once you get the overall shapes right, you can start to dive into detailing it in iterations. Don't be afraid of using place-holders smacked together in the first stages.
Advantages of such a block out is that you dont have to worry about topology, but only shape and silhouette, you can then use that as a guide, when you go in to make proper topology. At some point you wont need this step as you will have a very clear idea of what you want your character to look like. I however do prefer to do this as it allows me to muck around with the silhouette non-destructively without any worry or intent until I have a look I like, or one that matches my reference.
There are two major schools in how to go about using that to make the final mesh. Box modelling and extruding loops from planes.
Box modelling is pretty much adding and re-routing loops from coarse geometry whereas plane modelling is about extruding the main loops around the object and then bridging them together. Some people will swear to either one, but I personally prefer to use a mix where most convenient.
Example: Box modelling for the body, plane modelling for the face and hands/feet
Although I've been a member for almost 2 weeks now, this is my first post here.
I was just watching all of your outstanding work and absorbing all the content I could, while I'm also on my own quest to become a character modeler.
Said that, I found pertinent to post my question here, since david.l.flores already touched on the subject I was going for.
Actually I'm already having classes of comic art and game art (a course where I'm learning a little about each of the applications used at this line of work, like Maya, UDK, Mudbox and so on) but this classes are not enough to get me ready, so I'm studying on my own at home.
Hereupon I'm also in doubt about what to learn first, since I have no free time enough to do all together (only the nights and holidays are free for me).
Reading this actual post I learned that body anatomy is Highly important, so it means that I should stop prioritizing Maya and instead get heavy at drawing on paper?
The point of anatomy needs to be studied and grasped really wasn't what I wanted to hear. Being that that is what everyone says. I went ahead and got a few books on anatomy. I will start with that. It feels a little overwhelming to take on anatomy, but I am set on what I want to do. Any other advice is welcomed.
Be on the look out for The Amazingly Anatomically Correct Spider-Man coming soonish.
Composition of a 3D object might seem like an odd concept at first and I'm sure there is a better word for it that I am unfamiliar with. But essentially its the balance between detail, shapes and colour blocks. For example, crazy detail is accentuated by smooth surfaces in other areas and vice versa. Just keep lapping up cool art and try to de-construct it into the mechanisms that makes it great.