THE CREATE 3D CHARACTERS – PRIVATE MENTOR COURSE

 

The Create 3d Characters Mentor Course is a 3d generalist program for self-motivated students who are serious about gaining employment in the 3d industry.

Unlike programs with large class sizes, this course is mentor-based (one-to-one), and you can choose your personalized path.

This course (scroll down) is taught by Andrew Silke, who is a veteran animator/generalist from movies such as Avatar, Harry Potter, The Batman, and Marvel’s Shang Chi.

Choose from the following path options; there’s no order, and you can customize the modules based on your goals and needs.

These private lessons are not included with the site subscription. Email info@create3dcharacters.com for more information.

*Student average times (below) are based off university students studying full-time.

 

Non-Organic Model/Texture/Light
Character Model/Texture/Light
Character Animation
Character Rigging
Short Films

 
 

 
 

PART 1. MODEL/LIGHT/SURFACE/COMPOSITE

In this section learn how to model, light, texture, surface, and composite non-organic models using Maya, Photoshop Substance Painter and After Effects.
 
 

Beginner Model: Poly Basics
Task: Model simple houses lego, simple cars.
Time: One day – two weeks depending on difficulty of project.

 

3d Model by Andrew Silke (Instructor).

 
 

Beginner Model: SubD Simple Hardsurface
Task: Model hard-surface simple props with Sub-Division Surface modeling.
Time: One-two days no textures one week with textures.

 

3d Prop Models by Leo Nygen.

 
 

Beginner Lookdev: Simple Still Life
Task: Model five simple still-life scenes with minimal textures.
Time: Three days to two weeks per image.

 

3d by Samantha Sheppard (outer) and Ming Bong (center) based off photo reference.

 
 

Intermediate Lookdev: Still Life Rich Textures
Task: Model light and composite a still life from photo reference that is rich with textures and complexity.
Time: Two – six months.

 

3d Models by Ming Bong and Phillip Wang based off photo reference.

 
 

Intermediate Model/Texture: Poly Toon House
Task: Poly model and texture simple houses from reference.
Time: One to two weeks with textures.

 

3d Models by Ming Bong and Bailey Smith based off 2d concepts.

 
 

Intermediate Model: Hard Surface
Task: Model simple stylised vehicles with Sub-Division Surface modeling.
Time: One to two weeks per model with textures.

 

3d Models by Ming Bong and Bailey Smith (Caravan) Based off 2d concepts.

 
 

Intermediate Model/Texture: Complex House
Task: Model a complex poly house scene.
Time: One month or more.

 

3d Model by Ming Bong based off 2d concept.

 
 

Advanced: Complex Hard Surface
Task: Realistic or complex hardsurface, objects.
Time: One month or more.

 

3d Models By Phillip Wang (top) and Gerrard Southam.

 
 

Advanced Lookdev: Complex Interior
Task: Create a complex room or set of rooms for a long flythrough camera move/edit.
Time: Five months to one year.

 

3d by Jay Shadlow (top) Jessica Sommerville (bottom).

 
 

 
 

PART 2. CHARACTER MODEL/SURFACE

Students focus on characters models, surfacing and lighting.

Characters are generally more difficult than non-organic modeling so its a best have non-organic experience before taking on these lessons.

 
 

Beginner Model: Rough Intersecting Toon Characters
Task: On a timer model full body simple characters with intersecting shapes.
Time: One to two hours timed each.

 

Models by Irena Bendeich from 2d concept images.

 
 

Intermediate: Stylised Simple Production Ready Characters.
Task: Model production ready characters. Can be rigged and animated (advanced)
Time: One to two weeks or longer.

 

Models (left to right) by Bailey Smith, Anthony Chu and Albert Hogel Lee from concepts.

 
 

Intermediate: Head Sculpts and Retopology for Production.
Task: Twenty head sculpts, and retopologize and cleanup two.
Average Student Time: Forty mins to two hour sculpts, then one week for cleanup.

 

ZBrush Head Sculpts by Baily Smith and Andrew Silke (Instructor).

Polished heads Jessica Sommerville (left) Cosmo Park (right) based on concepts.

 
 

Advanced Modeling: Full Character Production Ready Model/Rig
Task: Complex character full model with potential rig and animate.
Average Student Time: One month or more.

 

Model by students Joel Best, rigging and animation by Alex Karonis/Alex Jeremy.

Character models by Andrew Silke (Instructor).

 
 

 
 

PART 3. CHARACTER ANIMATION

In this next section you can learn 3d character animation. You’ll be able to use our professional rigs and learn animation from the ground up.

Students learn foundations and build by practicing cycles in increasingly complex scenarios.

In the advanced classes you students can learn action, dance or acting based performance.

 
 

Beginner Animation: Setting Keyframes
Task: Follow spaceship, lego man and bouncing ball tutorials.
Average Student Time: Two days.

 

Animation beginner tutorials by instructor Andrew Silke (Instructor).

 
 

Beginner Animation: Robo Ball Runs and Walks
Task: Following reference, animate and render many run and walk cycles. Ten runs/ten walk cycles.
Average Student Time: Two hrs – one day per cycle.

 

Frames from animation cycles by Mike Meister.

 
 

Intermediate Animation: Link Robo Ball Link Cycles with Custom Animation
Task: Link the various runs and walks with custom animation such as jumps and turns.
Average Student Time: One to two weeks.

 

Frames from sequence by by Irena Bendeich.

 
 

Intermediate Animation: Full Body Runs and Walks
Task: Various runs and walks with full bodied characters.
Average Student Time: four hours to two days per cycle.

 

Runs by Andrew Silke (Instructor).

 
 

Intermediate Animation: Animate Action, Dance or Fight Clips.
Task: Animate short clips from reference with full bodied characters.
Average Student Time: one days to a week per clip.

 

Action animations by Andrew Silke (Instructor).

 
 

Advanced Animation: Acting and Lip Sync.
Task: Animate lip sync animation.
Average Student Time: One week to one month per animation.

 

Lip sync animations by Arthur Collie and Michael Tebble.

 
 

 
 

PART 4. RIGGING

The rigging modules will help you to learn the foundations of manual rigging in Maya right through to automated character rigging and facial.

The rigging lessons can be combined with modeling and animation allowing students to create and animate their own characters too.

 
 

Beginner Rigging: Manual Rigging Foundations
Task: Follow beginner tutorials on the basics of rigging in Maya.
Average Student Time: Two days to one week.

 
 

Beginner Rigging: Manual Simple Rigs
Task: Follow the rigging tutorials to create simple rigs.
Average Student Time: Two days to one week.

 

Simple rig tutorials by instructor Andrew Silke.

 
 

Beginner Rigging: Manual Rig Simple Humanoid
Task: Follow the rigging tutorials to manually build a simple mannequin rig.
Average Student Time: Two days to one week.

 
 

Beginner Rigging: Automated Cartoon Rigging.
Task: Auto-rig the body of a simple cartoon character with Hive.
Average Student Time: Two days to one week.

 
 

Intermediate Rigging: Simple Toon Facial Rigging.
Task: Learn how to rig variations of toon faces manually.
Average Student Time: Two days to one week.

 
 

Intermediate Rigging: Auto-Rig A Human Body.
Task: Auto-rig a human body with Hive.
Average Student Time: Two days.

 
 

Intermediate Rigging: Skinning and Deformation.
Task: This section focuses on skinning and deformation techniques such as correctives.
Average Student Time: Two weeks.

 
 

Advanced Rigging: Manual Facial Rigging.
Task: Manually rig a complex human facial blendshape rig.
Average Student Time: Two weeks.

 
 

 
 

PART 5. SHORT FILMS

Short-films for advanced artists can be the most fulfilling personal projects of your career.

Mentoring can be in tandem with students enrolled in a university course such as UTS or AIE (below).

 
 

Advanced Shorts: Short Sequence
Task: Create a short sequence of ten to fifteen seconds from reference concept art.
Average Student Time: One week to one month.

 
 

Advanced Shorts: Single-Person Short-Film
Task: Create a short-film up to one minute long.
Average Student Time: Six months to one year.

 

Cooking With Fire by Joel Best. (UTS)

Dying Light by Boris Fomin.

 
 

Advanced Shorts: Multi-Person Short-Film
Task: With a small team create a full short film between one and five minutes.
Average Student Time: Six months to one year or more.

 

Love Bites – Agaki Bautista, Michael De Caria, Jonathon Iskov, Aram Davenr. (AIE)

TMNT At Home by Laura Heath & Eddy Herringson. (See Gee Studios)

The Albatross by Alex Jeremy, Alex Karonis, Joel Best. (UTS)