Creating a Cute Character in Maya and Photoshop

Name: Creating a Cute Character in Maya and Photoshop
Rating: 4.6 (31 reviews)

Learn modeling techniques as well as UV Mapping, Texturing, Lighting and Rendering in Maya then compositing in Photoshop

Created byDigital Saucer Studios

Last updated 2/2021

English

What you'll learn

Students will learn 3D modeling, UV Mapping, Texturing, Lighting and Rendering.
Students will also learn how to use Photoshop to create textures and make the final composite.

Course content

4 sections • 63 lectures • 9h 2m total length

Introduction3:33

01. Setting Up the Image Plane3:10
02. Blocking Out the Body6:03
Begin by blocking out the character’s body using a cylinder or sphere, then refine with subdivision caps for a rounded bottom, center the model, and adjust vertices for curvature.
03. Creating the Horns4:35
04. Creating the Ear Part 14:27
05. Creating the Ear Part 210:15
Isolate one half of the model, delete the back half, manually create center loops on quad geometry, then clean the topology with history deletion and mash adjustments for smoother quads.
06. Creating the Ear Part 319:56
07. Creating the Eyeballs2:05
08. Projecting Curve for Mouth5:21
09. Creating the Left Arm7:49
10. Creating the Left Hand Part 14:16
Block out the left hand in Maya using a cube, focusing on the palm and thumb, extruding fingers, and aligning the pivot with the geometry in phase one.
11. Creating the Left Hand Part 26:28
12. Creating the Left Hand Part 310:15
13. Creating the Left Hand Part 410:21
14. Creating the Left Hand Part 511:24
15. Creating the Left Hand Part 616:54
16. Attaching the Fingers to the Left Hand18:24
17. Attaching the Left Hand to the Arm21:17
18. Creating the Right Hand Part 15:43
Mirror the left hand along the X to create the right hand, rotate 180 degrees, then bend the wrist and elbow into a V shape and block out the hand.
19. Creating the Right Hand Part 210:54
20. Creating the Right Hand Part 311:38
21. Creating the Right Hand Part 416:29
22. Creating the Legs16:44
Create the legs for a cute character in Maya using cylinders, edge loops, extrude, and soft select to shape feet, curvature, and pivots.
23. Creating the Eyelids0:45
24. Making the Side View More Interesting3:00
25. Using Quad Draw to Create Topology Part 114:33
26. Using Quad Draw to Create Topology Part 218:20
Build and refine topology for a cute character in maya using quad draw, increase resolution, convert triangles to quads, attach body parts, and relax geometry for smooth surfaces.
27. Using Quad Draw to Create Topology Part 36:02
28. Finishing the Eyelids7:11
29. Finishing the Ear7:56
30. Finishing the Arms, Horns and Mouth16:07
31. Creating the Teeth8:23
Create and refine the character's teeth in Maya by modeling a mirrored half, adjusting vertices for curvature, beveling edges, and aligning the pivot at the edge for a goofy smile.
32. Posing the Model16:01

41. Texturing the Eyeballs5:48
42. Creating the Eyeball Material8:28
Create the eyeball material in Maya, plug a texture into the color channel of the standard surface, adjust the iris in Photoshop via the UV editor, then reload and pivot.
43. Texturing the Body11:22
44. Creating the Body Material3:25
45. Texturing the Left Leg4:25
46. Texturing the Right Leg3:11
47. Creating the Legs Materials2:05
48. Texturing the Teeth15:25
Texture the teeth for a cute character in Maya and Photoshop by mapping UV textures, shaping with liquify and warp, adjusting color and contrast, and saving as JPEG.
49. Creating the Teeth Material12:21
50. Texturing the Horns8:04
51. Creating the Horns Material1:22
52. Creating the Skydome Light and the Camera5:15
Refine materials and textures with test renders using a skydome light in Arnold, then set up and frame a camera, adjust resolution, and lock the camera for consistent previews.
53. Creating a Simple Background3:33
54. Adding HDRI Lighting and Tweaking the Background4:46
55. Refining the Body Texture13:36
56. Refining the Legs Texture2:51
57. Refining the Teeth and Horns Textures12:38
58. Adding Area Lights15:22
59. Adding Bump Maps14:09
Apply bump maps to the body, teeth, horns, and eyes in Maya to add subtle elevation to textures, compare before and after, and adjust bump strength for realistic, low-noise renders.
60. Setting Up the Final Render5:40
61. Creating the Ambient Occlusion Render2:33
62. Creating the Final Composition in Photoshop8:07

Requirements

You will need to have Maya and Photoshop and some basic understanding of how Maya and Photoshop work.

Description

Creating a Cute Character in Maya and Photoshop

Welcome!

This course dives deep into creating a character in Maya 2020.

First you will learn how to import an image plane, and how to set it up in preparation for modeling.

Then begins the modeling process. You will learn all the tips and tricks, as well as professional techniques, needed to create your 3D model.

We will look at what tools are used for the modeling process as well as learning how to use the options and shortcuts.

You will soon become familiar with the most common modeling tools in Maya, like the:

QUAD DRAW TOOL
MULTI-CUT TOOL
EXTRUDE TOOL
MIRROR TOOL

Then we will begin the process of UV Mapping. Maya has excellent UV tools, so the process is quick and painless. You will learn how to create the UVs, how to cut and sew the UVs, how to unfold the UVs, and finally, how to layout the UVs in the texture space to maximize your texture resolution.

Then we move on to some truly interesting stuff with texturing in Photoshop, and how to bring the textures into Maya, and plugging those textures into materials to be used on the 3D model.

Then we will set up the lighting and I will show you how to set up the render options in order to create a stunning render of the 3D model.

Let's get started!

Who this course is for:

Target students are those that want to improve their 3D modeling skills.
Also, to learn how to texture and render a 3D character in Maya and how to composite the final renders in Photoshop.

Creating a Cute Character in Maya and Photoshop

What you'll learn

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Course content

Introduction1 lecture • 4min

Modeling32 lectures • 5hr 23min

UV Mapping8 lectures • 51min

Texturing, Lighting and Rendering22 lectures • 2hr 44min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: