Really a lot of your job when working on productions involves interpreting a script and making something cool which will not only make the director happy but also make you proud to say I did that when it gets up on the big screen.  This dvd series (or download, it really depends on your preference) will take you through the thought process of one of the leading art directors in the industry.  Alex Jaeger’s fingerprint can be seen in just about every majorly cool sci-fi movie for the past 15 years. Including Star Trek: First Contact, Wild Wild West, Starship Troopers, Galaxy Quest, Star Wars: Return of the Jedi Special Edition, Star Wars: Episode 2, Star Wars: Episode 3, Transformers, Mission Impossible 3, Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen, J.J. Abram’s Star Trek. So check out the dvd its definitely worth your time and it should help you improve that aching mech portfolio.

Vehicle Design with Alex Jaeger Volume 1: From Script to Concept

description:
In this series, Alex Jaeger demonstrates his process for designing a futuristic military vehicle based on descriptions from a science fiction screenplay. In this first volume, he covers the ideation phase through to completing a detailed three-quarter view drawing in Photoshop®. Alex discusses his design philosophy, informed by his automotive design background, and he uses key story details to inspire his decision making. As he starts to sketch in Photoshop, you will see his process for roughing in quick ideas and choosing which of those ideas is most successful based on the visual strength of each design and how well it adheres to the script’s guidelines. Alex then picks a sketch to develop into a refined three-quarter view drawing, and demonstrates his techniques for detailing the vehicle and making sure that all the parts fit and flow together with a theme. Finally, Alex discusses the value of using reference as he adds elements to his futuristic vehicle to keep it believable but relevant to its world.

Vehicle Design with Alex Jaeger Volume 2: Concept Breakdown and Rendering

description:
In this second volume, with an emphasis on the production pipeline, he shows how to break down a three-quarter view of a vehicle design into orthographic views for a 3D modeler, and then demonstrates the process for rendering that three-quarter view into a final presentation piece in Adobe Photoshop®. Alex begins with the side orthographic view, showing you exactly how to correctly measure and position each element from your design. He leads you through his workflow to then create top, front, and back views, as well as alternates for “on-rode” and “off-rode” modes. Throughout the orthographic demo, Alex focuses on keeping the design accurate, well organized and easy for a 3D modeler to “read”. He then moves on to rendering the three-quarter view in Photoshop, adding details to the line drawing and finishing with color, lighting, graphics, photo-textures, scale cues and atmosphere to present the vehicle in its world and bring the final design to life.

Buy Alex Jaeger’s Tutorials!
Be sure and keep your eyes on CG Channel for our upcoming video interview with Alex Jaeger, creator of cool futuristic mech tech.