Learn to Unwrap and Texture a Stylized Character for Games

Name: Learn to Unwrap and Texture a Stylized Character for Games
Rating: 4.5 (19 reviews)

In this course we will learn the necessary skills to texture a 3D Game-Character in the hand-painted style!

Highest Rated

Created by3dmotive LLC

Last updated 9/2016

English

English [Auto],

What you'll learn

Model and texture the low poly mesh for a video game character
Regenerate clean topology from the high poly source model and UV unwrap it to prepare for textures
Learn to texture a character using the popular hand-painted game texturing style

Course content

3 sections • 24 lectures • 3h 57m total length

Introduction0:51
Explore the preliminary steps of the texturing pipeline, including topology, uv unwrapping, and baking texture maps for a stylized game character.
Introduction to Head Retopology11:18
Retopologize a stylized head from high-res to low-res in 3d code using a decimated reference mesh, build eye, nose, and mouth loops, preserve detail with the normal and inclusion maps.
Continuing to Refine the Head Topology10:58
Refine the head topology by adding edge loops around the beard, eyebrows, and hair with symmetry and clean quad-based forms to prep for animation.
Upper Body Retopology12:38
Master upper body retopology for games by shaping arms as cylinders, refining elbow and shoulder topology with loops and triangles, and ensuring clean symmetry and collar integration.
UV Unwrapping the Head15:00
Learn UV unwrapping the head in Maya using the texture editor, create planar maps, place seams, unfold and relax UV shells, and manage multiple texture sheets for eyes and mouth.
Refining and finishing up the Head UVs16:49
Refine the head uvs for a stylized game character by optimizing texture maps and resolution between visible and hidden areas, then organize hair, eyes, and beard on separate sheets.
Baking Maps6:57
Bake normal and inclusion maps from high- and low-resolution head meshes using xnormal, then apply maps in marmoset and color the stylized character in Photoshop.

Introduction0:52
Explore painting skin and hair with color variation and saturation differences to stylize and breathe life into a character, moving beyond the initial model with expressive paint.
Setting up for Painting4:22
Set up a stylized game character for painting by organizing Maya files, applying Lambert materials with albedo maps, exporting a low-res head, and importing into 3D Coat to paint.
Blocking in Base Colors14:56
Block base colors on the head using multiply and symmetry in 3D code, manage layers for skin and beard, and sample colors from a concept image.
Painting the Face11:34
Paint the face with a focus on the diffuse map, building up light and shadow through layered color choices, brushwork, and anatomy details for a stylized character.
Linework and Edge Details12:05
Explore linework and edge details for a stylized game character by building the eye area, nose, and facial planes with saturated colors, ambient occlusion, and painterly techniques.
Blocking Large Details Quickly10:53
Block large details quickly by laying bold color planes and defining the face with layered highlights and shadows, including stylized hair, lips, and nose.
Finishing Touches16:55
Unwrap and texture a stylized game character, defining the jaw plane. Enhance with ambient shadows and brush texture in Photoshop and 3D Coat for cohesive color and detail.

Introduction0:42
paint the rest of the body using a gradient map and inclusion map to guide coloring across wood, metal, cloth, and leather in the diffuse texture with light and shadow.
Setting up a Gradient Map4:59
Set up a gradient map to create a top-to-bottom lighting gradient on the character, using a point light with quadratic decay, adjust normals, and generate texture maps for multiple objects.
Painting Block In11:59
Learn to block in a character's colors and textures by setting up base color, gradient, and texture layers, then paint the upper body with leather, metal accents, and blue highlights.
Body Painting14:54
Master body painting techniques to texture a stylized character, using brushes with 50 percent opacity, top-light highlights, warm and cool color contrasts, saturation, and edge blending for depth.
Finer Detail Painting of the Body9:24
Master metal textures for a stylized body by sculpting edges, layered highlights, ambient shadows, and vibrant color variations with strategic brushes and selective saturation.
Painting Refinement13:53
Paint refined textures by layering highlights, shadows, and mid-tones on a worn belt, adding color variations and subtle reflections.
Continued Refinement of the Body And Head10:42
Watch a time-lapse of painting a stylized character for games' upper body with color variants and ambient shadows. Block key areas first, use symmetry, and keep details selective for coherence.
Refining the Smaller Details5:12
Texture wood on a stylized character by enforcing vertical grain direction, adding cracks and distress, color variation with mossy yellows and greens, and refining edges and highlights.
Finishing Touches and Wrapup in Marmoset19:28
Bonus Lecture: Further Learning with 3dmotive0:18

Requirements

3D-Coat
Adobe Photoshop or a similar image editing software
Autodesk's Maya
Marmoset 2 for the final renders (though not mandatory for painting)

Description

In this course, Ryan Ribot we will be teaching the necessary skills to prepare and hand paint a 3D Character for game production. To begin, he will focus on the process of setting up topology and UVs, as this is an important process to understand as a texture artist. Following this, the real fun begins: we will dive right into skin tones and simple principles of rendering volume and color variations, and finally, we will learn about other materials such as wood, leather, and cloth to close out with. All of this will be done using a combination of 3D Coat, Photoshop and Maya, with a final output in Marmoset 2.

(Students - please look under Section 1 / Lecture 1 downloads for the source files associated with the lesson.)

More about the Instructor:

An adopted son of San Francisco and the Academy of Art University, Ryan Ribot lives a small apartment with 3 cats and a Wacom. Currently working as a texture artist and character modeler with Telltale Games, Ryan spends most of his time painting and sculpting. ZBrush, Photoshop, and Maya are like breathing to him, and he is always looking to share his knowledge. Ryan has been teaching for several years, and is experienced as both an instructor and an industry professional.

Who this course is for:

Intermediate to advanced game art students interested in learning a new art style for video games

Learn to Unwrap and Texture a Stylized Character for Games

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Building the Low Poly and UV Unwrapping7 lectures • 1hr 15min

Painting the Character7 lectures • 1hr 12min

Painting Refinement and Presentation10 lectures • 1hr 32min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: