Master character look dev in Maya and Arnold
The Gnomon Workshop has released Photorealistic Character Look Dev in Maya & Arnold: a guide to look development for visual effects recorded by Industrial Light & Magic senior TD Şefki Ibrahim.
The workshop comprises over two and a half hours of video training on creating a realistic human character.
Light and shade a photorealistic character in Maya and Arnold
In the workshop, Ibrahim demonstrates how he approaches the look development of a digital double, setting out his complete process for lighting, shading, and rendering using Maya and Arnold.
He begins in May, using area lights, HDRI maps and light blockers to establish the right mood before adjusting the camera to achieve the best likeness of his digi-double.
Ibrahim then sets up shaders for the character’s eyes, including the sclera, iris, pupil, caruncle and meniscus, using the Arnold Standard Surface shader.
Once the eyes are in place, Ibrahim demonstrates how to set up the skin shader, plugging in texture maps and fine-tuning values for a photorealistic finish.
He then explores procedural techniques to refine the look of the skin in Maya’s Hypershade window.
Ibrahim concludes by setting up shaders for the character’s hair groom using the Arnold Standard Hair shader, and setting up a leather and cotton material for the clothing.
About the artist
Şefki Ibrahim is a senior look dev TD at Industrial Light & Magic, specialising in high-end digital doubles. He previously worked as a freelancer, primarily on digital human demos and ads.
He has also lectured in computer animation, training students in the character art pipeline, and has developed a variety of tutorials for companies including Reallusion, Texturing.xyz and 3D Artist magazine.
Pricing and availability
Photorealistic Character Look Dev in Maya & Arnold is available via an online subscription to The Gnomon Workshop. Subscriptions cost $49/month or $490/year. You can try the training for free.
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Full disclosure: CG Channel is owned by Gnomon.