Build hard surface props of any size! Leading concept artist Lars Sowig will guide you through his entire professional workflow, from blocking and modeling to texturing and rendering, all the way down to designing your own stickers and decals. Every movie, TV show and video game needs a prop designer. Why shouldn’t that be you?
This first lesson will get you right into the action. After studying what makes a great prop, you will come up with a concept and gather reference for your own design. Lars will first show you the basics of blocking out a simple prop, before guiding you through three separate design blockouts. You’ll combine the best elements of these into one hero concept, which you’ll refine throughout the rest of the course.
Now that you’ve blocked out your design, you will begin modeling and refining. First, Lars will take you through his preferred software and give you various tips and tricks to keep in mind while modeling. Next, you’ll import your blockout and begin tracing its shapes to create a more consistent look. After this, Lars will go through his three-stage modeling process, in which he continuously builds detail without overly focusing on any one part. At the end of this lesson, you will have a fully modeled design, ready for texturing.
This lesson will cover various aspects of rendering and texturing your model. First, Lars will take you through his preferred rendering software and build an example scene to show the basics. At this stage you’ll learn how to apply textures and shaders to your prop to boost realism and readability. Lars will also take you through his process for designing and implementing labels to accompany his models. At the end of this lesson, you will have a fully textured hard surface design, ready for the paintover stage.
Now it’s time to bring everything together. In this lesson, Lars will demonstrate how to make several different kinds of images, utilizing various visual techniques. Then you will learn to finalize your renders with attractive UI and graphical elements, which will look great in any professional setting. After finishing your art, Lars will also show you how to deal with various kinds of client changes, and help you graciously accept feedback about your designs- a critical skill for any working artist!
