Stylized - Semi realistic Characters

Hello there! I'm Thanh Van ( Vian ), a dedicated character artist. I am currently in the final year of the BA 3D for Games and Film program. During my studies, I have experimented with various character styles . I pursued my studies while bringing a fresh perspective to the world of digital art. With a solid foundation in character design and a keen eye for detail, I'm enthusiastic about creating captivating visuals that tell unique stories.

I realized that I really enjoy fantasy characters and the hand-painted style, so I decided to try my hand at creating this character. It based on concept of Yuan Liu artist https://www.behance.net/gallery/70163415/-

Render with lighting version

Unlit version

I used Substance Painter for baking and making base color maps. Detailed it in 3DCoat and Phototshop

A semi realistic Zombie I did for animation movie at school. 

I brainstormed ideas for my character, envisioning the Zombie as having an angry expression, a dirty appearance, and numerous wounds on his body. I then researched references to gather inspiration from various sources. Following that, I created rough sketches to explore different visual elements, such as various poses, facial expressions, and clothing styles. I aimed to identify unique features that define my character, like military attire.

The refraction algorithm uses a camera-based vector to affect only the iris texture, removing the need for separate eye meshes. The iris is distinct from the sclera, allowing interchangeable maps and adjustable iris size. A mask for the pupil enables size adjustments, while a fade component blends the iris with the sclera. The eye mesh is reused, and the textures were procedurally created in Substance Designer. Generators produced both placeholder and final maps during the blockout stage. The shader uses four maps: two base colors (iris and sclera), a normal map for the sclera (including veins), and a normal map for light interaction with the iris.

A semi realistic character I did for Grads In Game competition. The character was built with the image of a samurai combining a half-demon, half-human body, he wields a katana sword and always wears a cursed mask.

I depict a character with a heroic appearance afflicted by the curse of the mask. He wears armor, and the skull  on his left shoulder is his trophy. I want to show anatomy, so I left his torso bare.

I decided to create my own haircards using Xgen in Maya as it allows for better control of the output texture maps. 

I turned to Pinterest for both primary and secondary references, gathering a range of visuals to inspire my creative process. These references serve as invaluable sources of inspiration, driving innovation and creativity in my work. Using ZBrush, I sculpted the hair form, focusing on expressing volumes, direction, and flow of the hairline. I transitioned to Photoshop to further refine the hair flow. Using a combination of blocking techniques, I delineated distinct sections, including two thick strands, two medium strands, two thin strands, two flyaways, and a transition zone.

Following the hair flow blocking in Photoshop, I proceeded to utilize Xgen to generate the hair strands, refining their placement and density to achieve the desired look. Subsequently, I transferred the hair geometry to Maya for baking. The generated maps include Diffuse for color, Alpha for transparency, Root for root placement, Depth for depth information, and ID for identification purposes.

Hair block out step, for the first layer I placed hair cards fully cover the scalp. Second layer, I replicated directions and formed of the hair style. Third Layer I made flyaways.