Digital sculpting is the use of tools to push, pull, smooth, grab, pinch or otherwise manipulate a digital object as if it were made of a real-life substance such as clay. Mudbox is the premier sculpting solution for digital artists, in that it allows them to naturally and easily sculpt detailed, organic characters and models in a way that feels like traditional sculpting. This book guides CG professionals through the process of creating amazing digital sculptures using the Mudbox arsenal of ground-breaking digital sculpting and 3D painting tools, and porting the models into their Maya or Max work. Artists will explore tried and true, traditional, sculpting techniques and learn to apply them to digital sculpting. A series of in-depth tutorials are incluced, each challenging them with progressively more complex models as they go on. Unique to this book are topics specific to fine art sculptors transitioning from traditional sculpting to digital sculpting. information found nowhere else for professional sculptors shows them how to successfully integrate digital sculpting into their workflow. Associated web site with: support files, models, materials, and textures for completing the tutorials in the book.

One of the first books on Autodesk's new Mudbox 3D modeling and sculpting tool! Autodesk's Mudbox was used to create photorealistic creatures for The Dark Knight, The Mist, and others films. Now you can join the crowd interested in learning this exciting new digital modeling and sculpting tool with this complete guide. Get up to speed on all of Mudbox’s features and functions, learn how sculpt and paint, and master the art of using effective workflows to make it all go easier. Introduces Autodesk's Mudbox, an exciting 3D modeling and sculpting tool that enables you to create photorealistic creatures for film or games; it is interoperable with Autodesk's 3ds Max and Maya products Explains what digital sculpting is—and what it isn’t—and how to fit it into the pipeline when creating assets for film, television, games, and advertising Shows you how sculpt and paint a model in Mudbox; breaks down the complexities and gets you started right away with interesting projects Helps you set up workflows to cut the time you spend on the technology, freeing you to focus on the creative aspects Includes case studies and examples from industry leaders as well as a DVD with movies, sample project files, MELscripts, and more Develop skills as a digital content creator or visual effects or CG artist with a good understanding of Mudbox and this valuable guide.

Digital sculpting is the use of tools to push, pull, smooth, grab, pinch or otherwise manipulate a digital object as if it were made of a real-life substance such as clay. Mudbox is the premier sculpting solution for digital artists, in that it allows them to naturally and easily sculpt detailed, organic characters and models in a way that feels like traditional sculpting. This book guides CG professionals through the process of creating amazing digital sculptures using the Mudbox arsenal of ground-breaking digital sculpting and 3D painting tools, and porting the models into their Maya or Max work. Artists will explore tried and true, traditional, sculpting techniques and learn to apply them to digital sculpting. A series of in-depth tutorials are incluced, each challenging them with progressively more complex models as they go on. Unique to this book are topics specific to fine art sculptors transitioning from traditional sculpting to digital sculpting. information found nowhere else for professional sculptors shows them how to successfully integrate digital sculpting into their workflow. Associated web site with: support files, models, materials, and textures for completing the tutorials in the book.

Taking into account that many of today's digital artists -- particularly 3D character animators -- lack foundational artistic instruction, this book teaches anatomy in a coherent and succinct style. A clear writing style explains how to sculpt an accurate human figure, starting with the skeleton and working out to muscle, fat, and skin. Insightful explanations enable you to quickly and easily create and design characters that can be used in film, game, or print, and allows you to gain a strong understanding of the foundational artistic concepts. Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

Sculpt digital masterpieces like a modern Michelangelo

Digital sculpting is the use of tools to push, pull, smooth, grab, pinch or otherwise manipulate a digital object as if it were made of a real-life substance such as clay. This book guides CG professionals through the process of creating amazing digital sculptures using the Mudbox, other digital sculpting software and 3D painting tools, and porting the models into their Maya or Max work. Artists will explore tried and true, traditional sculpting techniques and learn to apply them to digital sculpting. A series of in-depth information are included, each challenging them with progressively more complex models as they go on. Fine art sculptors transitioning from traditional sculpting to digital sculpting will benefit for unique never-before-published guidance on how to successfully integrate digital sculpting into their workflow. Beginning with the fundamentals of digital sculpting as well as a thorough introduction to the user interface, Digital Sculpting will have you creating a variety of professional-level 3D models in no-time. More than just another button-pushing manual, this comprehensive guide is packed with start-to-finish projects that ease you into the workflow of the program, while at the same time providing tips and tricks that will allow you to achieve certain tasks much more quickly.

Well-known Maya professional, Michael Ingrassia, takes readers through his unique style of modeling: "Image Based Modeling" where efficient, realistic models can be created very quickly. Ingrassia's techniques allow modelers to create exact replicas of their concept characters or objects. The techniques presented are very efficient and allow game modelers to quickly build out stand alone props to populate environments and game levels. Presented are tried and true techniques that the author has used successfully in game production for the past 10 years. Most, if not all 3D books, focus on basic "box" modeling techniques, which are the basis for proper 3D modeling but not the complete solution. In the author's experience, students who have learned through the Image Based Modeling brand, have quickly excelled into effective modelers. One of the hardest things for any modeler to do is match their model EXACTLY to the concept art or photos they are provided. The insider tips in this book walk artists through this process. Artists begin with basic modeling and advance to a creating a complete scene and set design/game level. Rather than including sporadic models with zero association from to one another, each model in the book becomes an integral part of an overall theme realistic in game development today. The accompanying downloadable resources include 8 exclusive video tutorials on advanced Maya techniques as bonus tracks for artists providing invaluable modeling, rigging and texturing samples. Also, an in-depth video on assembling a "Killer Demo Reel" showing simple but effective video editing techniques used by the author so that artists can learn how to get their work seen. The book not only teaches effective methodology, but provides the user with impressive content for producing effective demo reels and portfolios. Pros and cons of demo reel, website and artist representation are given, along with insights into the expectations of game studios today. The video tutorials show users the finished product, and then run through the process of step by step creation of that particular technique.