Do I have to use Maya/ZBrush/Substance/Marmoset? Can I use something else?

The course is designed with these programs in mind due to their place as industry standard tools. You may use other tools if you wish (blender, gimp, etc) and apply the same techniques to those programs, but keep in mind the course was designed for Maya, Zbrush, Substance, and Marmoset

Why do I need to present my models in Marmoset if I just want to make models for games?

While making models for games is all about getting it into the game, presenting your work in the best possible light is a big part of art. For personal or portfolio projects you should always take the time to present them. A few hours of lighting and rendering in marmoset will get much better results than spending those hours further polishing your model and textures.

Wow, this seems like too much work!

You will find the difficulty of your project has a lot to do with the complexity of the model you attempt to create. If it is your first time tackling these subjects I recommend keeping it simple for this course (a screwdriver rather than a car). You can always spend more time later improving and polishing your work after the course. Perfect is the enemy of done!

Does my model have to be of a real-world object, can it be fantasy, an illustration, or my own original design?

Every problem is a combination of what to do and how to do it, it's best if you aren't trying to do both at once. Most 3d artist work from image or concepts generated by another artists, so being able to follow someone else's design is an essential skill. As for concept art, it's best to stick to real world things. Just like 2d artist start drawing with still life, 3d artists can learn a lot by recreating a real world object. Paintings lie, and concept art can often contain lots of visual shorthand, they are sketches meant to convey the idea the artist is going for. It will be much easier to find all the reference you will need from a real world object. You could pick a movie or tv prop, as long as you can find enough reference. Our goal in this course is to learn how to take an object and create a photo-real facsimile of it. When you have done that, you will be much more able to make the kinds of assumptions and leaps in logic you will need to work with limited reference.

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?

To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.

What will I get if I subscribe to this Specialization?

When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.

Is financial aid available?

Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

Current Gen 3D Game Prop Production

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Current Gen 3D Game Prop Production

This course is part of Art for Games Specialization

Instructor: Andrew Dennis

7,829 already enrolled

Included with

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6 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

51 reviews

Intermediate level

Recommended experience

2 weeks to complete

at 10 hours a week

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

6 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

51 reviews

Intermediate level

Recommended experience

2 weeks to complete

at 10 hours a week

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

What you'll learn

Model accurate block-in, mid poly meshes
Create high poly models with a real world level of accuracy
Create game-ready low poly meshes for a real-time environment
Texture and render models to give them the appearance of photo-realism

Skills you'll gain

Tools you'll learn

Autodesk Maya

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Assessments

10 assignments¹

AI Graded see disclaimer

Taught in English

91%

of learners achieved a positive career outcome

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Build your subject-matter expertise

This course is part of the Art for Games Specialization

When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.

Learn new concepts from industry experts
Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
Earn a shareable career certificate

There are 6 modules in this course

In this course you will learn to create a photo-real game prop using modern game art production techniques. You will gather reference, generate a base model, create a high polygon model, bake details onto a low poly model, and then texture and present a final portfolio piece. This course is aimed at students who have some knowledge in 3d and game art and would like to learn more advanced techniques employed in the creation of modern game assets. We will be using Maya, Zbrush, Marmoset, and Substance Painter extensively throughout the course. When you are finished you will have your own model based of of a real-world prop suitable for use in modern game engines.

Module details

To start the project we will choose an object to model, gather reference, and create a initial, rough block-in of the model. The goal is to understand as much about the object as we can before we start modeling. This will likely be the lightest workload of the course, so make sure to take the extra time to check over the essentials module and make sure you have mastered the skills covered there. Later weeks will be much more time-consuming.

What's included

9 videos2 readings3 assignments1 peer review

9 videosTotal 93 minutes

Essentials Normals and Baking8 minutes
Essential Modeling Tips8 minutes
Essential Modeling Tools19 minutes
Essentials Substance Painter9 minutes
Essentials ZBrush10 minutes
01 Reference8 minutes
02 Image Planes7 minutes
03 Initial Block-In20 minutes
04 Refining Initial Block-In4 minutes

2 readingsTotal 20 minutes

Essential Skills/Software10 minutes
Choosing Your Project10 minutes

3 assignmentsTotal 30 minutes

Essentials Quiz30 minutes
Planning and Reference0 minutes
Rough Block-In0 minutes

1 peer reviewTotal 60 minutes

Project 1: Reference & Rough Block-In60 minutes

In this module you will work to create the form of your model. This mid-poly block-in will not be textured, nor smoothed into a high resolution model. The goal is to create a mesh that is accurate to your reference that can become the starting point for your high and low poly models. This is often the most challenging part of the process.

What's included

8 videos1 assignment1 peer review

8 videosTotal 83 minutes

01 Mid-Poly Objective Lens15 minutes
02 Mid-Poly Eye Piece Swivel9 minutes
03 Mid-Poly Eye-Piece Viewer7 minutes
04 Mid-Poly Body16 minutes
05 Mid-Poly Battery4 minutes
06 Finish Mid-Poly Body15 minutes
07 Mid-Poly Swivel Mount9 minutes
08 Mid-Poly Strap Mount9 minutes

1 assignment

Mid-Poly Modeling0 minutes

1 peer reviewTotal 60 minutes

Project 2: Mid-Poly Model60 minutes

In this module you will take the low poly block in and generate a high polygon mesh that is accurate to the real world model as possible. We will be using a combination of sub division modeling and . The sky is the limit with poly counts, this model will never be UV unwrapped, it will just be used to generate texture maps for the game-ready version.

What's included

10 videos2 assignments1 peer review

10 videosTotal 104 minutes

01 High-Poly Dial7 minutes
02 High-Poly Eye Piece Swivel6 minutes
03 High-Poly Eye Piece5 minutes
04 High-Poly Swivel Mount6 minutes
05 High-Poly Objective Lens14 minutes
06 High-Poly Battery & Switch14 minutes
07 High-Poly Body Cap12 minutes
08 High-Poly Prepping the Body12 minutes
09 High-Poly Body10 minutes
10 High-Poly Floaters18 minutes

2 assignments

Sub Division Modeling0 minutes
ZBrush Modeling0 minutes

1 peer reviewTotal 60 minutes

Project 3: High-Poly Model60 minutes

In this module you will take the mid-poly model from week 2 and reduce the geometry. This is the model we will be UV unwrapping and baking maps to. The goal for this model is to still achieve the silhouette of our object while using fewer vertices than the mid or high poly model.

What's included

9 videos1 assignment1 peer review

9 videosTotal 49 minutes

Low Poly Dial5 minutes
Low Poly Objective Lens9 minutes
Low Poly Strap Mounts4 minutes
Low Poly Battery Pack4 minutes
Low Poly Battery Switch3 minutes
Low Poly Swivel Mount4 minutes
Low Poly Eye Piece5 minutes
Low Poly Finishing Body12 minutes
UV Layout5 minutes

1 assignment

Low-Poly0 minutes

1 peer reviewTotal 60 minutes

Project 4: Low-Poly Model60 minutes

In this module you will take your low-poly model and add back the missing detail from the high-poly by baking texture maps. You will also use Substance Painter to add color, material, and micro-details not present in the high poly. This is where the model will start to become photo-real. The goal here is to take a well crafted model and use texture maps to bring it to life.

What's included

9 videos2 assignments1 peer review

9 videosTotal 103 minutes

Preparing for Baking4 minutes
Baking Texture Maps11 minutes
Creating Initial Textures in Substance Painter10 minutes
Adding Height-Map Details18 minutes
Creating a Texture Stencil8 minutes
Using Texture Stencil9 minutes
Additional Details9 minutes
Texturing Surface Noise, Dirt, & Wear21 minutes
Indicator Light13 minutes

2 assignments

Baking Texture Maps0 minutes
Texturing0 minutes

1 peer reviewTotal 60 minutes

Project 5: PBR Texturing60 minutes

This last week is set aside for you to spend more time polishing you model and going back to fix any issues that might have popped up during production. Often you will get to the end of a project and realize there were things you should have approached differently. Taking the feedback you received from the previous week's project, resubmit a final, portfolio ready version of your work. Our goal is to finish the course with the best possible looking final result.