ZBrush Studio Projects: Realistic Game Characters - Softcover

Kingslien, Ryan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 047087256X ISBN 13: 9780470872567

Publisher: Sybex, 2011

Synopsis

Tips and techniques for bringing reality and creativity to your game characters and art

As video games evolve, the bar moves ever higher for realism, one of the most challenging artistic frontiers is creating realistic human characters. In ZBrush Studio Projects: Realistic Game Characters, ZBrush expert Ryan Kingslien zeroes in on specific areas of concern for game creation: human body style, faces, skin texturing, clothing, shoes, weaponry, and putting your character into a game environment. Throughout the book Ryan offers tips and insights that provide readers with the depth and breadth they need to bring reality and creativity to their game characters and art. Projects start from the beginning, just as they do in the studio, with the author to guide you step by step through attributes and tools. Projects encompass multiple disciplines to obtain finished, professional results.Although some step by step explanations are given, projects serve more as a guide for readers to complete their own version of the project. Each project comes with support files to validate results

• Covers one of the most unique challenges for game artists -- sculpting realistic and moveable human characters for a game environment
• Brings you up to speed on ZBrush, the top digital sculpting tool used to create characters and props in such games as Rock Band and World of Warcraft
• Covers body style, faces, skin texturing, clothing, shoes, weaponry, and how to put your character into a game environment
• Provides in-depth techniques and tips for everyone from aspiring digital sculptors to high-level professional ZBrush artists
• Includes a DVD with supporting files from the projects in the book, as well as videos that illustrate concepts

Build the next game-winning action character with ZBrush and this professional guide!

Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

Get real and give your game memorable characters

How do you create unforgettable characters for today's games? Pick up ZBrush and follow the anatomy lessons and studio-savvy tips in this insightful guide. Using ZBrush's rich toolkit and his own experience as founder of zbrushworkshops.com and as a former ZBrush product manager, Ryan Kingslien helps you hone the techniques you'll need to create human characters with compelling faces, bodies, clothing, and weaponry.

You'll learn by doing a series of projects that encompasses anatomy, sculpting, proportion, gesture, color, and texture—and master techniques straight from the studio. Discover what to do, what not to do, and how to make your game characters breathtakingly real with this must-have guide.

• Get comfortable with key ZBrush 4 tools

• Tackle the complexity of the human form with easy-to-follow projects

• Master human body and facial anatomy

• Sculpt eyes, noses, brows, and mouths with ease—and paint skin texture, exotic eye makeup, and brilliant color

• Build killer weaponry and costumes that draw players back again and again

• Apply pictures to models using photo reference, with the new Spotlight tool

• Connect seamlessly with Photoshop® and spot-fix texture files

Learn the anatomy of the face

Use Transpose to pose your models

Create realistic clothing and wrinkles

Sculpt hard surfaces using Clip brushes

VALUABLE COMPANION DVD

The DVD includes all the project files and other support files you need to complete the projects in the book, as well as video instruction on key topics.

About the Author:

Ryan Kingslien is the founder of www.zbrushworkshops.com. He was the first product manager for ZBrush at Pixologic, where he meshed programmers and artists to help create some of the revolutionary tools in ZBrush. He also created the first industry-standard curriculum and documentation that helped bring ZBrush to companies such as ILM, Sony Pictures Imageworks, and Electronic Arts.

About this edition

• Publisher: Sybex
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 047087256X
• ISBN 13: 9780470872567
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 320