If you’ve taken any interest in game design, then you probably know that one of the most important parts of a game is the characters. Since the player plays as the main character, it’s important to create a detailed design and personality. This will influence the emotional attachment and identification of the player with the character.
Much of the personality of the character is derived from how they look, which makes animated character creation one of the most important parts of the game design. If you’re interested in game design, then you’ll find this beginner’s guide to game character modeling essential. Here are the basics of modeling characters for games and how you can begin to further learn these skills.
What is Game Character Modeling?
Game character modeling, also known as animated character creation, is the process of how a game character is created from start to finish. This typically occurs in stages, and the artist uses different software, tools, and other media forms to develop the character.
Characters are often created for video games in the form of people, robots, animals, and other types of creatures. The player will control the character, or he/she will interact with other characters that are created.
The 3D Modeling Character Process
The process of the character design often starts with research and having a thorough knowledge of the game’s setting. The game’s time period will often contribute to the design of the character. After the research phase is complete, the actual design process begins with creating the outline of the figure.
For many modern video games, human characters are designed as 3D. Once the outline and 3D figure of the character is created, then the artist will continue with adding details to bring the character to life. Depending on how the game’s background will look, the character will either be designed as realistic and life-like or more cartoon-like.
While this is a simplified explanation of the process, there is much more that goes on behind the scenes. The process can be broken up into the following phases:
- Character concept
- Character blocking
- Character sculpting
- Topology
- Model rigging and skinning
- Character rendering
- 3D character animation
If you’re interested in learning animated character creation, then it’s important that you have the right foundation and education.
Animated Character Creation Education
Game character modeling skills often take time and experience to learn, especially when lacking in education. In years past, people interested in this profession were required to attend a college and pay a hefty tuition. The overall costs and inconvenience of in-person classes have hindered many artists from learning the art of these skills. Luckily, better options are available today!
Vertex School offers an online Character Creation for Games Bootcamp that you can take without enrolling in a college and is a fraction of the price. This Bootcamp shows you all of the skill sets and workflows needed to create a game-ready character from start to finish.
By the end of the course, you’ll:
- Have developed a fluency in the various stages of the PBR workflow
- Know how to create dynamic poses for your character
- Have mastered the pipeline for 3D character creation
- Have created your own game-ready character
Character Concept Design Overview
This course is broken down into 9 easy-to-understand modules. Here is a bit of what you can expect:
Module 1: Blocking Out The Character
Module 2: Facial Development
Module 3: Creating the Clothing
Module 4: Creating Secondary & Tertiary Details
Module 5: Creating Our Game Ready Mesh
Module 6: Texturing the Character
Module 7: Creating Hair in Maya’s XGen
Module 8: Eye Creation & Texture Sets
Module 9: Lighting & Presentation
Frequently Asked Questions
You may be wondering how you can attend an art course without enrolling in a college, and you may also have other questions. Here are some of the most commonly asked questions about the course.
What is the course format?
Vertex School is a one-of-a-kind alternative to expensive college degrees. The primary goal is to make art and design education widely available to all who may not have access to college classes.
All Vertex School classes are hosted online in a pre-recorded format, so you can take the information at your own pace. Each course is taught by a professional within the specified industry, and all student work is critiqued by highly skilled Teaching Assistants. You’ll also have access to the Teaching Assistants for answering any questions you might have and a private Discord group to discuss with peers.
What software do I need?
ZBrush, Maya, Substance Painter, Photoshop, Marvelous Designer (optionial) and Marmoset Toolbag
What is the refund policy?
Vertex School strives to create happy artists. Your investment is fully backed by the 15-day money-back guarantee. For more information on the refund policy, refer to this page and scroll down to the frequently asked questions.
How long will I have access to the course?
When you learn from Vertex School, you’ll have lifetime access to the workshop videos. This allows you to refer back to them again and again as many times as you need to.
Take the Next Step
Enhancing your skills to achieve professional quality characters doesn’t need to be a lengthy process of obtaining a degree, and it doesn’t need to cost years of savings. With Vertex School, you can have a quality education from top professionals, the convenience of self-paced learning, and a simple process to get started at a fraction of the cost.
Character Creation for Games Bootcamp is open for enrollment, see you on the inside!