Tutorial – Modeling for Film & TV: Hard-Surface Vehicles
The Gnomon Workshop has released Modeling for Film & TV: Hard-Surface Vehicles, a best-practice guide to creating 3D models for use in VFX production, recorded by Josh Docherty.
The workshop provides over two and a half hours of video training in Maya and the Arnold and Redshift renderers, plus PureRef, Photoshop and Lightroom.
Create a detailed 3D vehicle model suitable for use in VFX production
Although VFX artists are often supplied with scan data to work from, there are also times when 3D assets have to be created from very limited reference material, often to very tight deadlines.
In the workshop, which is aimed at junior-level modelers, ILM veteran Josh Docherty reveals how to model a high-resolution vehicle without scan data, relying solely on camera lineups.
He sets out practical techniques for creating a clean, robust model using Maya’s native modeling tools, focusing on producing a pipeline-quality asset in a limited amount of time.
Docherty also discusses how to create a 3D model that meets the needs of artists working in other departments of a VFX studio, including look dev, rigging, animation, FX and lighting.
According to The Gnomon Workshop, the tutorial reveals how to “push [3D] models to the industry gold standard” for visual effects production.
It uses reference images available on Bring a Trailer, and a free HDRI from Poly Haven.
About the artist
Josh Docherty is a freelance Senior Visual Effects Asset Artist with over eight years of industry experience, working on over 30 film and TV shows and over 20 commercials.
He has worked for VFX and animation studios including Industrial Light & Magic, Wētā FX, The Mill and Blink Industries, and on cinematics for Gunzilla Games.
Pricing and availability
Modeling for Film & TV: Hard-Surface Vehicles is available via a subscription to The Gnomon Workshop, which provides access to over 300 tutorials.
Subscriptions cost $57/month or $519/year. Free trials are available.
Read more about Modeling for Film & TV: Hard-Surface Vehicles
Have your say on this story by following CG Channel on Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter). As well as being able to comment on stories, followers of our social media accounts can see videos we don’t post on the site itself, including making-ofs for the latest VFX movies, animations, games cinematics and motion graphics projects.
Full disclosure: CG Channel is owned by Gnomon.