Just started a new project, a cartoonish fish, using sculpting tools in Blender 2.54. In this series of tutorials, I start with the default cube, add loopcuts and extrude to make fins, then dive into sculpting to refine the rough shape. After getting the rough shape, I work to add in details like like eyes, mouth, and gills. Finally I finish up by add smaller details like scales.
1st video: http://vimeo.com/15171699
2nd video: http://vimeo.com/15183016
3rd video: http://vimeo.com/15183859
4th video: http://vimeo.com/15195475
5th video: http://vimeo.com/15195643
Update: Just uploaded 8 videos on modeling a cartoonish fish. Starting with a plane and using snapping tools, I model a low poly mesh that follows the shape and contour of the hi poly sculpted fish. I concentrate on adding edge loops in areas that maybe animated later on to ensure good deformation.
1st video: http://vimeo.com/15368306
2nd video: http://vimeo.com/15369224
3rd video: http://vimeo.com/15369540
4th video: http://vimeo.com/15382955
5th video: http://vimeo.com/15383141
6th video: http://vimeo.com/15384449
7th video: http://vimeo.com/15390502
8th video: http://vimeo.com/15390960
Update: Just uploaded 3 videos covering creating eyes for the character, including creating an eye ‘socket’ for the eyeball, making the actual eyeballs, and final character mesh adjustments.
1st video: http://vimeo.com/15614854
2nd video: http://vimeo.com/15615035
3rd video: http://vimeo.com/15622443
Update 10/24: Just uploaded 9 videos covering various topics on texturing this cartoonish character.
1st video: http://vimeo.com/16125012
- Covers marking seams and unwrapping the mesh to ensure minimal stretching.
2nd video: http://vimeo.com/16125208 - Organization of the UV layout and baking a normal map from the hi-poly sculpted version.
3rd video: http://vimeo.com/16125389 - GIMP is used to create a basic color map, including using GIMP’s layer masks.
4th video: http://vimeo.com/16125704 - Corrections to basic color map are made using GIMP & Blenders’s texture paint system.
5th video: http://vimeo.com/16125857 - Details are added to the character’s scales in GIMP using layer masks, in a way to allow creating a specular map later.
6th video: http://vimeo.com/16129485 - Details are added the the character’s fins in GIMP in a way to allow creating a bump map later.
7th video: http://vimeo.com/16129733 - Blender’s texture paint is used to hide seams in the color map and creation of a specular map.
8th video: http://vimeo.com/16129884 - Creating a bump map from the details added to the character’s fins.
9th video: http://vimeo.com/16130111 - A few final touchups are made to the color map.
Update 11/30: Just added 8 videos on rigging this character, quite a few topics covered.
1st video: http://vimeo.com/17334362
- Building the basic animation rig.
2nd video: http://vimeo.com/17334846 - Why I choose the mesh deformer setup and building the deform cage.
3rd video: http://vimeo.com/17335288 - Binding the deform cage to the armature and bind the mesh to deform cage.
4th video: http://vimeo.com/17335614 - Excluding parts of the mesh from deform cage deformation… That’s a tongue twister!
5th video: http://vimeo.com/17335986 - Tail controller setup.
6th video: http://vimeo.com/17336353 - Top fin controller setup.
7th video: http://vimeo.com/17336612 - Side fin controllers and bugfixing the rig.
8th video: http://vimeo.com/17336929 - Organizing the rig and custom bone shapes for controls.
Update: 1/17: Just added 10 videos on face rigging, topics covered listed below.
1st video:http://www.vimeo.com/18878572
- creating the basic deform bone rig.
2nd video: http://www.vimeo.com/18879045 - creating the basic control bones for the deform bones & setting up constraints.
3rd video: http://www.vimeo.com/18879565 - weight painting the deform bones.
4th video: http://www.vimeo.com/18880739 - covers creating shapekeys for the eyelids, including how to create one shapekey that builds upon another shapekey.
5th video: http://www.vimeo.com/18881312 - setting up drivers to control the shapekeys for the eyelids based on rotation of control bones.
6th video: http://www.vimeo.com/18881570 - Eyes. Parenting the eyes to bones, creating controls, and shapekeys for pupil dilation.
7th video: http://www.vimeo.com/18881947 - Organizing the face bones and locking transform channels.
8th video: http://www.vimeo.com/18882323 - Creating custom bone shapes for face control bones.
9th video: http://www.vimeo.com/18882872 - Touch up of bones shapes, further organizing of bone layers, and creation of bone groups.
10th video: http://www.vimeo.com/18883172 - Bug fixes for the facial rig.
(microphone was failing on the last 3 videos, I’ve tried to compensate as best as I can)
Update: 7/31: Just added 4 videos on the finishing touches to this character, topics covered listed below.
1st video: http://www.vimeo.com/27086970
- Fixes for the color map.
2nd video: http://www.vimeo.com/27087182 - Fixes to the rig, organizing the character and getting it ready for animation.
3rd video: http://www.vimeo.com/27087419 - Adjustments to the control widgets for easier animation.
4th video: http://www.vimeo.com/27104304 - Updating the character to work with blender 2.58a
Links to completed .blend files for each tutorial can be found in the description of the video. Enjoy!
Randy
PS - Even though I started these videos with Blender 2.54, they are still valid for any version above 2.54…