Creating a Cartoon Monster in Maya 2020

Introduce the process of creating a cartoon monster in Maya 2020, using a scenario where the Army discovers a flying disc to spark asset development and modeling ideas.

Learn to set up an image plane in Maya 2020 to reference a cartoon monster. Import the image, center it in the front view, and adjust grid units for modeling.

Block out the monster’s body by starting with a sphere and shaping it with soft select, vertex moves, and move/rotate/scale to match basic proportions, then save often.

Block out the arm in maya 2020 by creating a cylinder, adjusting radius and subdivisions, using the multi tool to bend with vertices, then mirror to the other side.

Block out a finger in Maya 2020 by shaping a cylinder, adjusting resolution and round caps, deleting faces, and refining vertices with edge flow smoothing to form a cylindrical finger.

create a cartoon fingernail by selecting four faces, duplicating, extruding, beveling corners, and refining with quad edge loops and smooth flow for a polished shape.

Learn to create the other fingers in maya 2020 by duplicating existing geometry, adjusting pivots, moving vertices with soft select, and separating fingernails into a group while cleaning history.

Create the hand by selecting and combining the fingers, bridging gaps with edge loops, extruding the hand, and shaping vertices with soft select to build clean geometry.

Finish a cartoon monster hand in Maya 2020 by extruding edges, moving and rotating vertices with soft select, refining edge flow, and bridging edge loops to connect parts.

Position eyeballs in a Maya 2020 cartoon monster by duplicating spheres, adjusting front and side placements, and using snap and focal length for accurate visibility.

Create and refine the horn in Maya 2020 by building a cylinder, adding a rounded cap, refining edge loops, and duplicating with scale X minus one for placement.

Create a pierced horn ring in Maya 2020 using the Taurus object, adjust radius and section radius, then position it through the horn.

Learn how to project a drawn curve onto a high-resolution Maya mesh to shape a mouth, using two methods: curved route and circular outline, and manage history and layers.

Apply quad draw to block out the face geometry, projecting polygons onto the character surface with Make Live, then shape the mouth, eyes, and eyelids while refining loops and edges.

Continue building the monster’s topology in Maya with quad draw, blocking arm and eyeball loops, adjusting geometry, and using the relax brush to smooth quads while avoiding distortions.

Create the character's head in Maya 2020 using quad draw, build four-sided polygons, add resolution, relax the geometry, and refine the mouth for a smooth, workable model.

Clean up holes by adjusting vertices toward near-circular cutouts, align the pivot to the edges, and use MASH add flow to even edge spacing for a polished look.

Create the eyelids around the eyeballs in Maya 2020, adjust geometry to avoid inside surfaces, hide horns and arms, and choose one eyelid layer for a clean cartoon monster look.

Create and refine cartoon monster eyelids in Maya 2020, adjusting island geometry, pushing and pulling vertices, straightening edges, exploring sleepy looks, and finishing by deleting history.

Add depth to the eyelids by extruding edge loops, adjusting bevel and fraction settings, and smoothing the geometry for an organic look while avoiding triangles and deleting history.

Resize and center each eyeball to fit inside the eyelids, using scale and pivot for precise alignment and ensuring they move naturally within the eye geometry.

Create and position the iris for cartoon monster eyes in Maya 2020 by duplicating geometry, aligning pivots, and applying a black iris material with Arnold's standard surface.

Learn how to attach the right arm to the body in Maya 2020 by matching topology, merging vertices, and smoothing the joint for a clean, natural connection.

Attach the left arm in Maya 2020, align the pivot, orient the palm with the fist clenched and nails visible, then fix topology to four-sided shapes and smooth the mesh.

Create a cartoon monster fist in Maya 2020 by moving vertices, adjusting pivots, and refining knuckles with soft selection, then delete history for a cleaner mesh.

Refine the fist by adjusting edge loops and vertices to shape knuckles and nails, then combine the nails with the hand and adjust the pivot in Maya 2020.

Adjust vertices to add depth to the mouth, fine-tune edge alignment, and raise or move edges in the front view for a more expressive cartoon monster in Maya 2020.

Explore depth and detail for the cartoon monster mouth in Maya 2020 by extruding edges, pushing along normals, refining the lip with bevels, and shaping edge flow.

Refine cartoon monster eyelids and eyeballs in Maya by adjusting edge flow and loops, bulge corrections, and precise vertex edits, then reset transforms and center the pivot for a finish.

Begin the top teeth in maya by starting with a cube, shaping and beveling edges, adding segments, and following the mouth's bend; duplicate across the mouth with proper pivots.

Create bottom teeth by duplicating the top teeth, rotate 180 degrees, and refine vertices to shape a distinct, natural bite. Extrude, fill holes, and shape gums for realism.

Refine the bottom teeth in Maya 2020 by adjusting history, using edit match, and rotating, scaling, and shifting each tooth; then position, group, and delete history for clean setup.

Learn to sculpt gums by extracting tooth geometry, extruding edges, and bridging loops in Maya. The lesson guides isolating, reversing normals, and combining pieces to block out gum shapes.

Continue building the gums in Maya 2020 by extruding, bridging edges, and aligning vertices in world mode, reversing selected faces, and cleaning history for a cohesive cartoon monster.

Learn to sculpt cartoon monster gums in Maya 2020 by extruding and shaping geometry. Align pivots and adjust vertices to create a smooth gum line that fits around the teeth.

Block out the gums around the teeth in Maya 2020, sculpting with vertex moves, adding resolution with the multikulti tool, and refining edge loops to achieve the between-teeth bulge.

Block and refine Maya gums by adjusting edge loops, extruding from teeth, beveling the gum mesh, and removing back faces to keep clean topology and natural curvature.

In Maya 2020, add lumpy skin detail by reshaping the body and pushing vertices with soft selection and falloff to create natural lumps around the torso and back.

Create and refine the ooze droplet in Maya by shaping a sphere with soft select, extruding edges, and adjusting vertices to attach the drop to the monster’s body.

continue refining the ooze in Maya 2020, adjusting the control duplicator, sizing droplets, adding air flow mesh, and outlining views for the body as you prepare for the next lesson.

Extrude the top edges and shape the form, using the middle mouse snap to align vertices and refine curvature, then add geometry and delete history for smoother Maya 2020 mesh.

Model the ooze in Maya 2020 by extruding and merging vertices to form a smooth, spherical droplet. Adjust edge loop and edge flow for cohesive, attached geometry.

Extrude and align geometry to shape the ooze, merge vertices into a single mesh, and refine topology by deleting triangles and adjusting edges to match the reference in Maya 2020.

Continue modeling the ooze in Maya 2020 by isolating parts, combining meshes, bridging edges, and refining divisions and curves for a soft, gooey look.

Block out the ooze monster in Maya 2020 by connecting edges, extruding geometry, merging vertices, and refining blocks to quickly shape the model before polishing in the next video.

Block and refine the cartoon ooze in Maya 2020 by adjusting vertices, adding geometry for smoother curvature, and setting up a back view and turntable animation.

Start cleaning up the mesh by adjusting edge flow and vertices to smooth the ooze. Use soft select to widen areas, then extrude and bevel for depth and lumpiness.

Block and shape ooze dripping from the hand in Maya 2020, using low-resolution geometry, extrude, and bridge while following a reference image to form three major lumps.

Connect hand pieces in Maya by circularizing edges, aligning surfaces, and bridging edges, then increase resolution, merge meshes, and delete history during the blocking phase.

In Maya 2020, this lecture guides creating hand ooze by selecting and combining parts, using circularize, bridging, and blend with added divisions, then rotating and blocking for final refinement.

Finalize the ooze on the hand in Maya 2020 by sculpting details and refining volume with grab and smooth tools. Decide on puddle rendering or a close-up composition.

Clean up the character by deleting unused layers, grouping eyeballs, horns, teeth, and body into a master monster group in Maya 2020; prepare for textures, lights, and shaders.

Create and position a camera, adjust the pivot, and use the attribute editor to frame the shot, display the edges, and tune lens options like 35, 50, or 100 mm.

Map the horns with a UV map in Maya 2020, using the UV editor, seams, unfold, and layout to apply two colors via a ramp and clean texture squares.

Texture the horns in Maya with Arnold AI standard surface, ambient occlusion, and ramp colors; set lights via skydome HDRI and tune specular and material properties to match the reference.

Apply a gold metal shader to the horn ring using Arnold, adjust color and roughness, and add ambient occlusion to enhance shadows.

Texture the eyeballs with a standard surface material, label assets clearly, and use ambient occlusion for the irises while tweaking specular and roughness for a polished, believable look.

Create textured teeth in Maya by isolating teeth from gums, assigning a standard surface material, adjusting roughness, and adding a subtle yellow occlusion to suggest a lazy character.

Map and optimize the gums using the UV toolkit, apply a darker-to-lighter red gradient, unfold gum shells, lay them out, delete back faces, and group gums with teeth.

Texture the gums by assigning a material, creating and plugging a color ramp into the gums eye, and fine-tuning roughness and specular for a pink, glossy finish.

Explore skin texture in Maya 2020 by wiring ambient occlusion into the subsurface color, tuning subsurface scattering with radius and scale, and adjusting specular color for an orange, matte look.

Texture the monster's nails in Maya 2020 by using ambient occlusion to drive color, adjust roughness, and render a dark green nail material.

Explore texturing the ooze in Maya 2020 using Arnold shading to achieve translucent, green, glass-like material by adjusting transmission, color, depth, scatter, specular, roughness, and IOR.

Fine-tune the character textures by adjusting horn colors and shader settings to harmonize lighting. Adjust roughness and specular color, sample colors with the eyedropper, and refine purple and orange hues.

Adjust the skin shade with subsurface settings, refine eye and mouth colors, and tweak radius, roughness, and specular highlights to enhance shading and realism in Maya 2020.

Adjust the camera angle and set up Arnold lighting to highlight the cartoon monster. Explore area lights, back and front lighting, and exposure to match a purple background.

Learn final render settings in Maya 2020 by adjusting Skydome and material samples, refining occlusion and subsurface color, and choosing a transparent background format for high-quality output.

Add a purple background, sample colors, and build a final composite with gradients, rays, a vignette, and soft light, then adjust levels and brightness for balance.

Create a new Maya render with a skydome HDR and a background plane, model a translucent puddle with soft edges, and prep with light linking and flat shaders for postproduction.

Finish the render in Photoshop by distorting the pose, applying color ID corrections, selecting the body with the selection tools, using channel mixer, and adding a vignette and color grade.