CG Essentials 2022: Term One | Assets
This term, we'll be diving into the nuts and bolts of creating photoreal assets for VFX. To compliment your technical skills, we'll also be studying the fundamentals of topics such as storytelling, cinematography, art and colour.
Term schedule
26.09.2022 - 16.12.2022
Tutor
Jahirul Amin
Learn how to create a photorealistic asset suitable for high-end VFX
Overview
This course covers Term One for CG Essentials 2022, where we’ll be diving into the nuts and bolts of creating photoreal assets for CG. To strengthen your technical skills, we’ll also be studying the fundamentals of topics such as storytelling, cinematography, art, and colour.
The aims of this term are to give you a solid understanding of the primary tools used in the CG industry and give you the skills and knowledge to create a believable photorealistic asset. Working from a high-quality scan provided by Clear Angle Studios, you will learn to:
- Model and UV an asset
- Texture and create photorealistic materials
- Light and composite your asset into a CG environment
- Grade and edit your final shot
- Look at upcoming and game-changing tools and technology
To underpin the technical skills, we will explore fundamental topics such as:
- Storytelling and observation
- Form, function, relationships, and hierarchies
- The science behind light and matter
- Cinematography and the Art of the Cut
- Art history
- Colour fundamentals
Lessons in this course
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Week 03. Form and Function | Sculpting
For week 03, we will study the fundamentals of form and see how form is driven by function. We’ll look at the importance of design and its influence on creatures, characters and the world around us. We’ll then look at how we can add high resolution detail to our model in ZBrush. -
Week 05. Light and Matter | Look Development
Now that we are at the stage where we can add materials and colour to our model, let’s break down the science behind light and matter. We’ll then look at using Arnold to create a series of base materials and a calibrated look development template in which we can assess our materials. -
Week 06. Material Analysis | Texturing
This week, we’ll continue to push the look of our asset by creating texture maps both procedurally and from photographic references. Before doing so, we’ll also spend some time getting to know better the materials we’ll be creating, such as leather, metal, plastic and glass.