Creating a Game-Ready Character in ZBrush & UE4

Introduction

My name is Hooman Raad, I’m a self-taught artist. I studied General Biology in the university but as I remember I’ve always been fascinated by art-related things around me when I was a child. I started my journey in the CG industry about 11 years ago. I have worked with many international studios like Axis Animation, EA games, Keos Masons, WarnerBros. And I’ve worked on different projects like animations, cinematics, ads, and games.

Getting Into Character Art

I’ve studied different fields of CG for many years, and one day I realized that I should take something that I enjoy the most and gain some more deep experience. After I see a character or creature I made walk or do some actions, it feels amazing for me and I get excited watching my characters become alive.

Sapphire Project

Sapphire character is a model based on Trevor Claxton's concept. The concept itself has a lot of nice ideas from the design to the artistic attitude, also it can cover different fields of 3D character creation, like the Hard Surface, fabric, hair, and so on. So, it would be a good case to study for a 3D character artist.

Anatomy

Usually, knowledge of anatomy is the key to start, then we can start sculpting, and landmarks on the face and body would help us to make a good model. There are some tips and tricks that can help 3D artists to get an acceptable result for their model.

The techniques change every day and I usually update some of them. I have some alphas for the face and I also use TexturingXYZ's maps, but for this special project, I’ve used a new method.

Modeling the Suit

I usually find the main shapes and try to keep everything simple. By comparing the 3D model to the concept I’m trying to transfer the element to 3D.

Sometimes we should trust our imagination while making some parts because there is no real reference for it. About the functionality, I can say it depends on the project, sometimes it's important and sometimes it is not! But in both cases, I try to keep the artistic view on the model

Texturing

I use Substance Painter for texturing, and for this project, I’ve recorded each step and added the layers step by step to make it clear and understandable for students. For the details like wear and tear, I have a few approaches.

Conclusion

When I was a beginner I had some concerns about making a 3D model. There are some questions like where I should add the details? How I can make the hair? how much polycount do I need? In this course, I’m trying to answer these questions, besides teaching the experience I gained in these 11 years working on different projects.

As I mentioned before, this 3D model would cover different fields of 3D character creation so it can answer most of the questions and show a good pipeline to creation. My concern is showing the way of thinking to the art students and push them to the next level of their career way.

The good thing about online tutorials is they are accessible at any time and that they are cheaper than the university, I think if art students set a plan for their future this way, they can reach a good result and reach their goals in the near future.

You can find the course by clicking this link. And by using promo code "WS50" you'll get a $50 discount.

HoOman Raad, Senior Character Artist

Interview conducted by Arti Sergeev