Game asset creation: highpoly to lowpoly workflow

Name: Game asset creation: highpoly to lowpoly workflow
Rating: 4.3 (18 reviews)

Highpoly & lowpoly game asset creation workflow using Blender and Substance Painter

Created byImran Naeem

Last updated 10/2020

English

English [Auto],

What you'll learn

Understand the lowpoly and highpoly workflow
How to UVunwrap a mesh to avoid baking errors
Preparing and exporting a mesh in Blender for perfect bakes in Substance Painter
Creating lowpoly and highpoly meshes in Blender 2.8
Assigning different materials to different parts of same mesh in Blender 2.8
How to bake perfect normal map in Substance Painter
Creating layer based procedural materials in Substance Painter

Course content

4 sections • 16 lectures • 2h 31m total length

Introduction3:53
Learn a complete high-poly to low-poly game asset workflow using Blender and Substance Bainter, including modeling, unwrapping, texturing, baking normals, and exporting ready-to-use assets.

2 Overview of Blender’s user interface9:46
Explore Blender 2.8's user interface, from layout to modeling and UV editing, and master the left toolbar tools, keyboard shortcuts, and object, edit, and component selection for game asset modeling.
3 Important keyboard shortcuts to work in Blender efficiently15:18
Learn essential blender keyboard shortcuts to speed up modeling, including g, r, s for move, rotate, scale with axis constraints, and shift-a to add objects.
4 Creating lowpoly geometry for game asset9:30
Create a low poly life ring geometry in Blender, set accurate scale with metric or imperial units, and extrude faces; save the file for the next high poly conversion.
5 Creating highpoly geometry for game asset13:06
Learn how to turn low-poly geometry into high-poly game assets using subdivision surface modifiers, edge loops, and support loops, with a non-destructive workflow and weighted edge control.
6 UVunwrapping the lowpoly game mesh14:27
unwrap the low-poly game mesh by marking hard edges, separating faces at 90 degrees, and packing uv islands with consistent orientation and spacing.
7 Preparing for and exporting lowpoly and highpoly meshes6:28
Assign a single smoothing group to the low-poly mesh and triangulate, then export the selected object with proper low and high poly naming for accurate normal maps.

8 Overview of user interface of Subtance Painter8:11
Navigate the Substance Painter interface, importing meshes, choosing templates for Unreal Engine or Unity, and using layers, masks, and maps like color, height, normal, and ambient occlusion.
9 Baking mesh maps in Substance Painter5:47
Bake mesh maps from a high-poly to a low-poly workflow in Substance Painter, focusing on the normal map and using projection limits to prevent edge errors.
10 Ensuring proper material assignment to high & low-poly meshes in Blender9:25
Explore how to correctly assign plastic and glass materials to high- and low-poly meshes in Blender, using non-destructive modifiers, precise face selection, and consistent material setup.
11 Texturing our game asset in Substance Painter - Part 117:13
Texture a game asset in Substance Painter by assigning glass and plastic materials, adjusting color, opacity, roughness, and using masks, grunge maps, and smart masks to add dirt and variation.
12 Texturing our game asset in Substance Painter - Part 22:42
Learn to create a text texture in Photoshop with a black background and transparent export, then use it as a black mask in Substance Painter.
13 Texturing our game asset in Substance Painter - Part 311:34
Import alpha textures in Substance Painter, apply via black masks, align to the camera, and adjust scale. Use dirt, roughness, and crunch maps for wear with procedural texturing.
14 Texturing our game asset in Substance Painter - Part 46:55
Create a front-facing logo and text on your game asset in Substance Painter by using alpha textures, black masks, and symmetry to align shapes and apply wear and tear.
15 Texturing our game asset in Substance Painter - Part 55:26
Create a glass material in Substance Painter by adjusting opacity and roughness, applying a grungy scratches map for surface roughness, and layering alpha hand marks for finger impressions.

Requirements

Familiarity with 3D in general and a passion for becoming a 3d game artist
There are lessons discussing basics of Blender and Substance painter, hence no prior experience with these applications is necessary

Description

Despite powerful computers and advanced game engines, polygon count of game mesh has an important bearing on the performance of any game and lower the polygon count, better the game performance. Hence game artists with skills like highpoly and lowpoly modeling and baking mesh maps have been in great demand.

This course will help you learn the core concepts behind highpoly and lowpoly game asset workflow using Blender 2.8 and Substance Painter. Together, we'll learn the lowpoly & highpoly game assets creation workflow using Blender and Substance Painter

In Blender 2.8, we'll:

Learn about the blender's user interface and learn commonly used keyboard shortcuts to speed up our workflow
Model low poly game asset using different modeling techniques i.e. inset, extrude, bevel
Model highpoly game mesh and use modifiers to add subdivisions and bevel
Uv-unwrap low poly game mesh and discuss key points in the context of baking normal map
Prepare high & lowpoly meshes before exporting to Substance Painter for baking maps

In Substance Painter we will:

Go over its user interface
Bake mesh maps such as a normal map, AO, roughness etc..
Texture our game asset by building layered effects such as roughness, dirt/dust and surface damage
Texture game asset using a layered approach and a procedural non-destructive workflow

By the end of this course, you'll have skills for game asset creation using lowpoly & highpoly workflow.

You'll be equipped to create game assets using Blender and bake mesh maps and texture them using Substance Painter.

The course is targeted at beginners but artists of all levels interested in revisiting the concepts of lowpoly & highpoly workflow will benefit equally.

Who this course is for:

The course is intended for those interested in learning lowpoly and highpoly game asset workflow
Those who want to learn how to bake perfect normal maps and avoid baking errors

Game asset creation: highpoly to lowpoly workflow

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Introduction1 lecture • 4min

Modeling lowpoly & highpoly meshes, discussing core concepts, UV and exporting6 lectures • 1hr 9min

Baking maps and texturing the game asset in Substance Painter8 lectures • 1hr 7min

Final thoughts and your questions and feedback1 lecture • 2min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: