Basic workflow that I follow for my characters:
Software Used: Photoshop, 3ds Max, Marvellous Designer, ZBrush, xNormal, Crazy Bump, Marmoset Toolbag, Unreal
Over my 3 years this is the pipeline I've developed for my 3D characters going from initial research/moodboarding all the way to the final character posed in a Viewer.
Studying Pipelines from the GDC
Uncharted 2 Character Pipeline: An in-depth look at the creation of U2's characters [1]
http://www.gdcvault.com/play/1012552/Uncharted-2-Character-Pipeline-An (PowerPoint Slides)
Rich Diamant, Lead Character Artist, Naughty Dog
Judd Simantov, Lead Character TD, Naughty Dog
Notes: An Idea of how I could go about making my characters, it's always nice to look at other's pipelines to help solidify/modify your own.
Animation Bootcamp: Overwatch: How a Hero is Mei-d [2]
http://www.gdcvault.com/play/1023473/Animation-Bootcamp-Overwatch-How-A (Video)
David Gibson, Senior Animator, Blizzard Entertainment
Q&A with David
Where do you find your inspiration?
Always be observant of your surroundings, he gets inspired by what his colleagues are doing, playing new games, watching new movies, and generally keeping tabs (on what's going on). he inspired by probably the same things that we do but Google is one of the first when he's working.
What's your most favourite thing that you've animated (ever, in the history of his career)?
Daisy - the alien dog creature in Evolve; mostly because it was a spontaneous make similar to the snowball drone, it wasn't supposed to be there but then they decided "Let's make a dog". He rigged, animated and implemented it all the way through. He's really proud of the people he worked with when he made it and how it looks.
How long are your brainstorming sessions when you're starting to develop the character?
Sometimes they shoot for 30-40 minutes but those are when it pops up on the calendar saying they have a meeting and need to come and speak about the project. They usually brainstorm constantly sharing ideas and asking for advice around the office. You might overhear it or someone might come directly to you, these can even last up to 2 hours depending on how much they're into it, it's not a normal process but it's good to get the information out.
How long does it take to go from the initial rig to idle and running cycle and such?
Less than a week, probably 3 or 4 days. Though you have to consider that he's doing 8 hour days and that's all he's doing. As long as there's not any technical hiccups or rigging problems by the 2nd or 3rd day he's honing in on what it's going to be and by the 4th day it's probably getting locked down.
Notes: Although I'm not an animator, I really like how he goes about his idea generation and thinks about the character's personality throughout creation. This workflow will help me keep sight of what I want my character outcome to be.
Change Is Good: The Importance of Iteration Within a Character Art Pipeline (Bioshock Infinite) [3]
http://www.gdcvault.com/play/1020238/Change-Is-Good-The-Importance (PowerPoint Slides)
http://www.gdcvault.com/play/1020403/Change-Is-Good-The-Importance (Video)
Gavin Goulden, Lead Character Artist, Irrational Games
Notes: I'm interested in their iteration processes and how they knew when completely change a character if it just wasn't working for their brief. It seemed a bit messy at first, but from this experience they instilled new workflow to ensure a better pipeline for future works.
Order from Chaos: The Art Direction of Sunset Overdrive [4]
http://www.gdcvault.com/play/1022183/Order-from-Chaos-The-Art (PowerPoint Slides)
Jacinda Chew, Studio Art Director, Insomniac Games
Notes: This is one of my favourite pipes as I like how they've decided on their troubleshooting trio (Define, Evaluate, Fine-tune) and have used that throughout their work to analyse and push it. I'll definitely be taking a cue from their methods for my project.
Stylization with a Purpose: The Illustrative World of TEAM FORTRESS 2 [5]
http://www.gdcvault.com/play/279/Stylization-with-a-Purpose-The (PowerPoint Slides)
Jason Mitchell, Developer, Valve
Notes: I'm intrigued about how they've decided on a design and have analysed their work throughout the process (even at the 3D stages) to make sure they've hit their art style criteria.
Bibliography
[1] DIAMANT, R. and SIMANTOV, J. (2010) Uncharted 2 Character Pipeline: An In-depth Look at the Creation of U2's Characters. [Presentation Slides] GDC/Naughty Doc Inc. 13th March. Available from: http://www.gdcvault.com/play/1012552/Uncharted-2-Character-Pipeline-An [Accessed 31/10/16].
[2] GIBSON, D. (2016) Animation Bootcamp: Overwatch: How A Hero Is Mei-d. [Podcast] GDC/Blizzard. 14th-18th March. Available from: http://www.gdcvault.com/play/1023473/Animation-Bootcamp-Overwatch-How-A [Accessed 31/10/16].
[3] GOULDEN, G. (2014) Change Is Good: The Importance of Iteration Within a Character Art Pipeline. [Podcast] GDC/GAVIMAGE.COM. 17th-21st March. Available from: http://www.gdcvault.com/play/1020403/Change-Is-Good-The-Importance [Accessed 03/11/16].
[4] CHEW, J. (2015) Order from Chaos: The Art Direction of Sunset Overdrive. [Podcast] GDC/INSOMNIAC GAMES. 2nd-6th March. Available from: http://www.gdcvault.com/play/1022183/Order-from-Chaos-The-Art [Accessed 04/11/16].
[5] MITCHELL, J. (2008) Stylization with a Purpose: The Illustrative World of TEAM FORTRESS 2. [Presentation Slides] GDC/VALVE SOFTWARE. 18th-22nd March. Available from: http://www.gdcvault.com/play/279/Stylization-with-a-Purpose-The [Accessed 04/11/16].
