Hi
Iโm Sidney, a 3D character artist, and this knowledge pool is for me, you, and everyone else.
More about this handbook
Iโm a self-taught artist, and I know just how difficult it can be to piece together a variety of snippets from various sources in an effort to get a complete picture. So, I made this handbook to cover the entire workflow, as well as other things, like composition, character design theory, anatomy, and more. Iโm not saying that this is the end-all-be-all, but it can definitely be your main support line, which you can compliment with a bit of your own research.
My goal with this handbook isnโt to cover entry level stuff. Rather, the methods and workflows I explore are mainly industry standard; following them will yield great results. A perfect example of this would be the baking page, in which I demonstrate how even amazing studios, like Riot Games, donโt always have the best approaches to difficult problems.
This is probably best suited for intermediate and advanced 3D artists. If youโre a 2D artist, then you might find something interesting here. My 3D workflow mostly consists of the following software: Blender, ZBrush, Marmoset Toolbag, Substance Painter, Photoshop and Unreal Engine. Therefore, this handbook will cover workflows in the software listed above, but many of the concepts are universal and can be applied to other software, as well.
If you donโt understand a term, give the glossary a visit.
Handbook's features
Learn more about this handbookโs features on the GitHub.
Feel free to leave feedback in the discussion area on any aspects that may not be the best practice or are plainly incorrect, and Iโll make the necessary improvements.
Some parts of this handbook are still a work in progress, and those parts are denoted with the ๐ง symbol.
Explorer
โฌ ๏ธ This explorer is always visible on the left side (if not, try pulling your browser window wider).
Theory
๐ Glossary
๐ Composition
๐ฉ๐ฝโ๐ป Technical Side of Character Design
๐ง Artistic Side of Character Design
๐ Topology & Retopology
๐ Optimization
๐จ Color
๐บ๏ธ Texture Maps
๐ผ๏ธ Image Extensions
Art SoftwareProcess
๐ง๐ฟ Organic Sculpting & Hard Surface Sculpting & Modeling
๐ Workflow between ZBrush & Blender
๐ Sculpting in Blender
๐๐ฝโโ๏ธ Hair
Anime Style CharactersTexture
๐ UV Mapping
๐งญ Baking & Texturing Preparations
๐๏ธ Baking
๐๏ธ TexturingPresentation
๐ฆด Rigging
๐ญ Posing & Animating
๐ก Lighting
๐ Blender to Unreal PipelinePost
๐ฅ Rendering
๐ช Compositing
๐ SharingSoftware Specific Knowledge
โช ZBrush
๐ Blender
๐ฎ Blender Add-ons
๐ฎ๐ Blender Add-ons GuideExtra
Anatomy
Unreal Engine
All Things from This Handbook Relevant for 2D Artists
- ๐ Composition
- Anatomy
- ๐จColor
- ๐ง Artistic Side of Character Design
- โจ๏ธ Photoshop Hotkeys
- โจ๏ธ Clip Studio Paint Hotkeys
- โจ๏ธ Procreate Hotkeys
- Art Courses
- 2D Art Resources
Awesome Blender GitHub by Mdsanima
A treasure trove of links to all kinds of places.