I'm Aiming to become 3D character artist in Games

supermedo · Mar 2010

I hope that The right Section to post in.

First Hi Everybody ,
I'm Aiming to become 3D character artist in Games
i started to take Anatomy Drawing class
Still i'm confused about :
1-Starting To learn Zbrush to sculpt characters.
2-Or Start Learning Maya Polygon modeling for characters .

Which Path should i take ??

I like to learn 3D Character design but there plenty of books , DVDs that teach Character modeling or sculpting
So i want Your opinion & what DVDs you see is good at teaching character design & beginners friendly (In Zbrush or Maya )

NOTE: I know maya basics for modeling .

Thanks for anyone can help me .

TheWinterLord · Mar 2010

1, 2 later.

SinisterUrge · Mar 2010

Learning to draw and knowing the anatomy of animals and humans is vital. Of course, you can learn all at once. Youtube has plenty of tutorials on for free. Digital tutors is good, gnomon is great and eat 3d has some good tutorials as well. There are also plenty of books out there if you rather read than watch videos. Personally, I'm more of a video tutorial type.

Jeremy Lindstrom · Mar 2010

you'll need to be on par with the greatest of the great in that field. There's sooo many talented character artists out there that you'll need to be a rockstar to get a job as a character artist. Good luck with that.

BoBo_the_seal · Mar 2010

Learn the basics of 3d before jumping into Zbrush

- BoBo

konstruct · Mar 2010

Regarding your question- the answer is both. If you jump into Zbrush w/o having an understanding of the do`s and don'ts basic 3d, you`ll find your self struggling quite a bit. conversely- if you want to compete in the character market, you`ll need to know a sculpting package.

Progg · Mar 2010

It really depends on your workflow... which you haven't developed yet

... some people find zBrush to be a great base modeling app using zspheres... some people still prefer to build the base in Maya or 3DS... I would agree with Sinister.... learn anatomy before trying characters. There are too many character artists floating around that don't understand anatomy. It will really help you land a job.

Scott Spencers zBrush books are always great. I'm a bit of a fanboy though since I went through the same classes at SCAD that he was involved in putting together. I really only used the books as some filler material... most of the time I spent learning zBrush was just diving in and messing up.

Zwebbie · Mar 2010

Personally, I agree with BoBo, and would, in fact, encourage you to stay out of subdivided models for a while too. Too many people go mad with power if they have the ability to model the tiniest detail, and they'll end up with problems with loops polygon distribution. By contrast, a low poly model, say somewhere in the range of a few thousand triangles, doesn't need belly buttons or nipples or serratus anterior, and allows you to focus on proportions and basic forms. Plus, you'll still get to add the detail in the textures, where they're easily changed and fixed.

I do suppose it's all up to personal preference, but I don't see 'oldschool' modeling as something outdated. Rather, it's the first step, and most great next gen artists have their roots in the age of more primitive 3D. A painter starts his education doing sketches with a pencil, even if he wants to create huge paintings in the end.

*disclaimer: Polycount alone has about a million artists who are better than I am, so take it all with a grain of salt.

supermedo · Mar 2010

Thanks For everybody help
What i concluded from your comments is :-

1-Focus in Anatomy ((Which i'm currently doing))
2-Know The Basic of 3D Modeling at least know how to setup a base model / or use Zsphere for base modeling.
3-Then Sculpt in Zbrush .

i think i you will go to Zbrush Path ((Unless anyone want to add something))
Zbrush 3.5 introduction from 3DEat looks good for starter

Well Thanks again .

AtlusZMH · Mar 2010

Learn to model with polygons before you sculpt.. for games, those high poly models are useless if you dont know how to make/retopologize good 3d meshes.

Slash · Mar 2010

I'll echo that you'll need to have a good understanding of human and animal anatomy, grab a pencil and start drawing! Pay attention to weight and balance. Also things to consider is to learn the basics of rigging and animation, so you know how your mesh should be constructed to avoid issues come rig/anim time.

ebagg · Mar 2010

The tools are extremely easy to learn, so you should be able to hit the ground running on modeling in both in a week or two. So focus both on edge flow techniques and most importantly, anatomy.

Anuxinamoon · Mar 2010

BoBo_the_seal wrote: »

Learn the basics of 3d before jumping into Zbrush

- BoBo

Zwebbie wrote: »

Personally, I agree with BoBo, and would, in fact, encourage you to stay out of subdivided models for a while too. ...

I do suppose it's all up to personal preference, but I don't see 'oldschool' modeling as something outdated. Rather, it's the first step, and most great next gen artists have their roots in the age of more primitive 3D. A painter starts his education doing sketches with a pencil, even if he wants to create huge paintings in the end.

AtlusZMH wrote: »

Learn to model with polygons before you sculpt.. for games, those high poly models are useless if you dont know how to make/retopologize good 3d meshes.

All of this. Dont jump straight into modelling high poly. Start with simple and quick lowpoly characters that let you learn how to texture without needing normal and cavity bakes. So important.

JacqueChoi · Mar 2010

Heck, start with Props.

Start with mailboxes, stop signs, guns. You'll notice there's a common workflow for modelling EVERYTHING.

Reference. You search for reference on how things look. On how to make things look believable. Search for references on different types of materials, how those look. You'll find references on details (how to scratches look, how does weather make these things become more worn).

Then onto how to conserve polygons, how to unwrap your textures, how to paint textures, or manipulate photos.

When you Finally start modelling characters, youll have a good solid understanding of the general workflow of what you need to do. Anatomical understanding is a part of the 'reference searching'.

arshlevon · Mar 2010

BoBo_the_seal wrote: »

Learn the basics of 3d before jumping into Zbrush

- BoBo

learn the basics of art before jumping into 3d. i look at portfolios all day, and the number one fail is no foundation knowledge.. if your good at art then making art on a computer is easy, if your good at using a computer learning art is not so easy.

Hazardous · Mar 2010

arshlevon wrote: »

learn the basics of art before jumping into 3d. i look at portfolios all day, and the number one fail is no foundation knowledge.. if your good at art then making art on a computer is easy, if your good at using a computer learning art is not so easy.

+999999 to this.

supermedo · Mar 2010

Real Guys i can't thank you enough
Polycount is Gold mine & have great community
i will focus now in anatomy Drawing & Spend some of my time into modeling props .

skankerzero · Mar 2010

I agree with what's said.

Often times I see people who can zbrush really well, but suck at making in-game models.

Concentrate on lower poly models first. This will also help you when making base meshes for zbrush later when you get to that point.

I'm Aiming to become 3D character artist in Games

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