Realistic Prop Creation for Video Games

25 lessons & 20 downloads

Start by learning more about Paula, her influences, her beginnings in the video game industry, and her experience as an environment and prop artist and a supervising 3D artist.

Explore the pipeline and phases of asset development for video games before downloading and configuring 3ds Max to help you work more efficiently. Paula then shows you different sites that she uses to find inspiration.

With clear dimensions for your asset and an organized game plan for creation and delivery, explore the techniques for modeling more complex parts and take a closer look at containment or support loops to make sure your high-poly model looks right.

Paula then introduces you to Booleans before guiding you through the basics of ZBrush so you can quickly and realistically combine parts into high-poly models. Analyze the workflow for quickly creating high-poly details via floaters.

Then, create the final meshes, reusing your model as much as possible to ensure that it works. Learn more about smoothing groups and how to apply them as you advance onto UVs and prepare your asset for texturizing. The next step involves creating quality bakes to transfer the detail from high- to low-modeling without errors.

Delve into Substance Painter for texturing, examine the base materials, and learn more about the importance of PBR and the use of masks before finalizing the texture so your asset tells a visual story.

Wrap up the course by illuminating your scene with the Marmoset rendering engine, optimizing your modeling renders so that they look better in your portfolio and on social media. Review final touches like contrast, shadows, background, effects, focus, and overlapping elements.

Create a realistic model of a power generator. Adjust its optimization to turn it into a video game-suitable mesh, learning to give your asset realistic textures and a story that transforms a run-of-the-mill object into a prop that's full of life.

3D artists, designers, digital artists, students, and professionals interested in learning to create a quality video game prop following real industry workflows.

Basic knowledge of 3ds Max, ZBrush, and Substance Painter are recommended, but Paula also guides you through the entire process of creating the proposed model.

In addition, you need a computer with the minimum versions of the following: 3ds Max, ZBrush 2018, Marmoset Toolbag 3, Substance Painter 2018, and Adobe Photoshop.