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Character Creation for Games

Character Creation for Games

A 9-week course that guides students through the fundamentals of creating and sculpting a real-time character in 3D
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Learn the fundamentals of character creation

Learn the fundamentals of character creation
This course covers the foundation of creating an appealing, production-ready character bust from start to finish. From blocking in and sculpting your character, to retopology and UVs, to texturing and presentation—by the end of the course you’ll have a portfolio-ready character render.
Registration Now Open
Registration Period
Oct 09, 2024 - Jan 30, 2025
Course Start
Jan 25, 2025

Course Format

Standard

Skills Level

Intermediate to Advanced

Duration

9 weeks

Q&A

Once a week

Feedback

Individual recordings

Lecture Type

Pre-recorded
Assignment
Due each week. Expect to spend 10-20 hrs/wk viewing lectures, Q&A, and assignments
PREREQUISITES
Must have intermediate knowledge of Zbrush, Maya or 3DS Max; recommended course prereqs: Anatomy for Production, Character Texturing for Games in Substance, and Hair Creation for Games
MATERIALS
Maya (3DS Max or Blender ok), Zbrush, Photoshop, Substance Painter, Marmoset Toolbag

The more you know, the better.

Starting a project | Inspiration, workflow | Different “styles” of artwork | What makes a good/clean model | Break down level of detail | Blocking in Character | Importance of big shapes and silhouette | Tackling the project (Breaking down the focus of the character, how to plan ahead, symmetry) | Focusing on the grand scheme of things, big shapes and silhouette | DEMO: block in, loose sculpt (Dynamesh, Sculptris Pro), Maya modeling
Head and hair sculpting: we will take the head and hair portion of the bust from very simple block in geo to completion. We will focus on adjusting her facial features and creating an appealing hair sculpt.
Clothing/Props Sculpting: this week we will be finishing up on up-resing the clothing, neck portion and also the headphones. We will also take the concepted neck sculpt into Maya and creating a cleaner version to import back in Zbrush to use as high res
Facial Topology | Neck Topology | Hands Topology | Optimizing resolution
Hair, Clothing and Props retopology | UV layouts | Creating a model that is easy to work with (both for yourself and your co-workers)
Now we have all the ingredients, we can bake! | Soft and hard edge baking | Getting all the necessary utility maps: AO, Curv, Color ID, etc. | Checking and getting clean bakes | Baking in Marmoset Painter / Designer / Xnormal
Begin the texturing process in Painter | Introducing a non-destructive workflow (utilizing layer masks) | Focusing on the organic parts of the character: Face, eyes, hair
Finishing Textures on the rest of the bust. Focusing on the clothing, neck and headphone portions.
Basic rigging | Setting up a scene in Marmoset for render

GET ONE YEAR ACCESS AND TRANSFORM YOUR ARTISTIC JOURNEY

Take your CGMA learning further with CGMA+, a companion add-on featuring over 70 new, stand-alone workshops—more than 250 hours of content you won’t find in your core CGMA program. You’ll learn from multiple instructors, each with a unique style, so you can see how different artists approach the same subject in various ways. This additional material builds on what you’re already studying, broadening your perspective and helping you look at topics from fresh angles. It’s a straightforward way to strengthen your studies and boost your skills.

PRICING SCHEDULE

Even though our courses are the most affordable for the quality of education, these finance options allow you to focus on your goals instead of the barriers that keep you from reaching them.

3x Payments

$249.67

2x Payments

$374.50

Full payment

$749

Spring TERM REGISTRATION Now Open
Jan 30, 2025 - Apr 21, 2025
COURSE BEGINS on Jan 25, 2025
Character Creation for Games

What makes this learning experience unique?

PERSONALIZED FEEDBACK

Receive personalized feedback on all assignments from the industry’s top professionals.

LIFETIME ACCESS

Enjoy lifetime access to the spectrum of course content, including lectures, live Q&As, and feedback sessions.

CERTIFICATION

Show off your Certification of Completion when you turn in 80% of course assignments.

FLEXIBLE LEARNING

Learn anywhere, anytime, and at your own pace with flexible, online course scheduling.

Testimonials

Patrick was a great instructor. An excellent teacher and a very positive and enthusiastic motivator.

Carsen

Patrick went above and beyond to give me the guidance and instruction I needed despite my difficult personal schedule.

David

The course give me the opportunities to work on the correct production pipeline for a game character. All the process now is more clear.

Flavia

Need guidance? We’re Here to Help.

We can help with admissions questions, portfolio review/course recommendations!

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