CG Channel Store - Hard Surface Shading and Texturing

Whatcha gonna learn?

In this DVD Neil introduces his pipeline for shading and texturing hard surface models. This pipeline can be applied to any high-res model, such as models for photoreal effects work, animated feature films, ride films or video game cinematics. In the first part of the DVD, he discusses reference gathering, how to make a visual details list, and common shaders. Next he outlines all of the major methods for placing patterns on your surface, their advantages and disadvantages, and ways of creating patterns, including procedurals, photo manipulation and hand painting. The lecture includes practical demos in Adobe Photoshop® and 3d Studio Max®, using the Scanline, Brazil and Mental Ray renderers. In the second part, he uses the theory and pipeline from part one to shade and texture a 2000+ object robot character and simple environment using 3ds Max, Photoshop and Brazil. With a focus on texturing thousands of objects fast and efficiently, this intermediate level course is useful for any 3d application or renderer and will add many new tricks to your personal arsenal.

About Neil Blevins
Raised on a healthy dose of sci-fi and fantasy films, books, and video games, Neil Blevins started off painting and drawing traditionally, and then got into 3d graphics while he still lived in his hometown of Pointe Claire, in Quebec, Canada. After getting a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Design Art at Concordia University, he moved to Los Angeles where he worked at Blur Studio for three years, creating graphics for video game cinematics, commercials, TV, ride and feature films. He was also a senior tester for the Brazil Rendering system. He now lives in San Francisco working as a Technical Director for Pixar Animation Studios, primarily creating Environments and FX, and has worked on films such as The Incredibles, Cars, Wall-E and Up. In his spare time, he makes sci-fi 3d/2d hybrid artwork depicting creatures, robots and alien landscapes, and he writes art related lessons and tutorials to, as he puts it, “give back to the community that’s been so gracious at helping me get to where I am today.”

“Neil is a rock star and is always raising the bar for us. He can paint, he can use procedurals, he can use both at the same time. Neil just has this amazing ability to consistently create the best looking assets using whatever techniques are necessary to get the job done.”
- Chris Burrows
Sets Shading Supervisor,
Pixar Animation Studios

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