If you are keen about Game design, you should know that one of the significant parts is game character. As the game-player plays the role of the protagonist character, it is essential to craft a full-scale design and personality.
This influences the emotional connection and identification of the game-player plays with the main character itself. Much of the character’s personality is acquired from their appearance, which leads to creation of the animated character as one of the most eminent parts of the process of game design.
If you take an interest in the field of game design, then it will be possible for you to find the beginner’s manual guide towards the game character modeling to be essential. Some of the fundamentals of modeling characters for designing games are elaborated below; it may also help you get knowledge about how one can start to learn further about these skills.
Let’s take a look at what game character modeling is all about?
Game Character Modeling, also referred to as animated character creation, involves the process of how a character of a game is designed from the beginning to the end. This generally take place in stages and the professional makes use of different gaming tools, software and other media forms for developing the game character.
Game Characters are frequently developed for the video-games in the form of animals, people, robots and other kinds of creatures. The character will either be controlled by the game-player or he/she will communicate with the different other characters that have been created.
3D Character Modeling is a technique of graphic design that generates a 3-dimensional virtual representation of an object or a surface. Moreover, experts are required to perform diverse complex stages to achieve a compliant and convincing figure. Starting with a basic shape, professionals employing certain specific software, gradually embellish it adding more details into it. In a nutshell, the process starts with elementary sketches and ends with progressive intricacies. Therefore, the 3D modeling process is an essential technique for character animation and special effects. It is a process that develops a digital entity that can conceivably be animated. 3D models can be used for different other mediums, such as video games, commercial ads, architecture, illustrations, movies, etc.
What is the process that works behind the 3D Modeling Character?
The role of the character in the story involves are as under:
It is important to understand the role of the character in your story. Whether the characters in the story are the heroes commencing a quest, a rotten apple causing commotion or a mere supporting character (one who provides comic relief or critical support).
Next, you have to examine how your structure of the character changes or emerges throughout the narrative, influencing their design, exhibiting development or transformation. You would also have to examine and pay attention to how your character is interacting and relating to others in the narrative.
The social background determines the social status and community ties of the character. Another aspect of the narrative comprises the psychological aspect. It delves into the psyche of the character, artfully influencing the mannerisms and appearances the character may have (e.g. fears or secrets, etc.).
Now, how to integrate a concept into a design?
Using the personality traits of the character and background story, you can inform visual elements like facial expressions, posture and attire. Incorporating motifs or symbols that would reflect their aspirations or past beliefs into their design structure.
The Process of 3D Modeling Character:
The Process of designing a character starts with extensive research and detailed knowledge on the setting of the game. The duration of the game is expected to promote the character’s design. Post completion of the extensive research phase, the process of actual design begins, creating an overview of the figure.
3D human characters are required to be designed for contemporary video games. Soon after the overview and the 3D game character figure are created, the professional would continue to add details that would breathe life into the character!
Depending on the appearance of the game’s background, the character will either have to be designed as life-like and realistic or more caricatured similar to cartoon characters.
How do you design 3D characters?
A 3 Dimensional character should blend seamlessly with the theme and the environment of a game. A Game Character creation is a significant part of the game. Hence professional experts need to adhere to steps before 3-Dimensional character modeling.
Following are the steps that an artist is required to adhere to, while creating a 3D character:
1. Creation of Concept Art: In order for creating a design idea, professionals should essentially make implementation of a concept that would hold the personality of the game character, i.e. appearance, features, behavior, background, habits etc. What do you understand by the term Concept-art? It is the design of a particular character’s entire style and concept. If you want to design concept-art, experts need to seek sources for creating concept, study, and character drafting, character inspiration.
2. Character Modeling: You would require going through some stages of modeling, for creating the resulting figure. These stages required to follow by the expert are as follows:
- Blocking: This stage involves blocking out the fundamental shape of the body and the face of a character model. If the professional is familiar with the anatomy of the human body, they are likely to be capable of stylizing the character.
- Sculpting: This technique enables the professional to design a 3-dimensional character with digital material. Making 3D characters that are hyper-realistic, stylized and photo-realistic is an essential part of this entire process.
- Retopology: Retopology functions in changing a high-polygonal model with a selected number of polygons.
In a nutshell, it is a decrease in the number of polygons in the model. - Unwrapping / Baking: Soon after the previous stage, professionals are required to implement UV unwrapping and baking the 3D character.
- Texturing: At the phase of texturing, the surface and color elements are applied to the character by the 3D expert professionals. Artists try to make sure that there is similarity between the model and its real life prototypes or notions in finest details. If any mistake or features, lacking realism are found even post completion of all detailing, it can be rejected by the players.
3. Character rigging and skinning: Rigging enables the character to move. In order to initiate normal movement in the model, professionals add joints to the model’s body. A skeleton is required for the bending movements while the character makes movements. Skinning involves binding of the geometric mesh of the model to the rig. The game character’s quality determines their appearance at the time of their performance. Now, the character is all set for animation.
4. Character Animation: It is the phase where life is breathed into the 3D model- both the body functions and the facial expressions are active. Each movement aims at showcasing the personality of the game character model. Movements should be natural and realistic in nature. These movements should be able to create emotions amongst players (e.g. happiness, laughter, etc.)
Which softwares do the professionals use while creating a 3D-character?
Although there are several programs for creation of character models, there are a few more animation softwares used for games, let us take a look at them! These softwares are:
- Autodesk Maya: It is the one of the oldest programs in animation that exists today. It is extensively functional and several companies with the help of Autodesk Maya are able to achieve creating different animation projects. It is high-priced, and not suitable for beginners. But it does also have a free trial version.
- MakeHuman: This program enables one to create characters for gameplay. It is suitable for both professionals, beginners. It is a good choice to begin with. It has an interface that is consumer-friendly.
- Poser: This program is used for creating human figures of 3D poly-meshes. Although it is an expensive course, it has a free trial version available. Poser is a software that can be used by professionals, beginners as well as amateurs.
Now let us throw some lights on some of the best specialized 3D software applied for designing 3D characters by both amateurs and professionals.
Few software tools that are especially designed to create Chara design are:
Autodesk Character Generator– A web-based program that allows you to achieve rigged models, especially used for video games and animation. 3D figures can be created quite quickly using this 3D software. This software enables the creation, customization, and download of 3D characters with Character Generator. It is user friendly and both amateurs and professionals can use this software to achieve desired results.
Daz Studio– It is a free rendering and composition software. This program enables you to modify characters, which can probably meet your requirements.
iClone– Animators and filmmakers use it for animation, video games and movies. It is designed for professionals. It allows free-form body morphing to function on body motion and facial animation. iClone offers you the chance to work on props and scenes; it also works on light and shadows for creating the appropriate scenes required for your characters.
MakeHuman: It can be applied in order to create a 3D character for any application, starting from illustration to the final cinema. It is an open-source software tool and is just appropriate for learners. This program has an easy-to-use interface, and all other parameters are also easy-to-handle.
Some of the other modeling software tools, applied for chara design include:
3ds max: A 3D tool used for graphic-design visual images and renderings. 3ds Max is a software tool developed by Autodesk, mainly applied by professionals for creating universes and environments in video games.
Blender: This program enables game creation which would help you in developing 3D figures. This is a powerful software tool and it allows you to produce outstanding 3D character designs. It can be used for producing realistic characters for game projects or animations.
ZBrush: A software tool that is developed by Pixologic. It is a unique and most competent software tool to function on painting, modeling and texturing. Zbrush allows you to make explorations on character designs. Digital illustrations and digital paintings can be achieved by using this particular software.
Maya- Maya is also software developed by Autodesk used for 3D modeling. This software is hardly dedicated to 3D character design, but mostly used for working on animation projects, video games and for movies. Incredible tool set allows you to create models and figure drawings. Some really impressive renderings and environments can be achieved using this software. Maya enables you to work on the hair and fabrics’ movements making your 3D character very close to realism.
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