Model stylised toon characters using a simplified workflow
CINEMA 4D
Vectron3D reveals his easy and efficient process for crafting fun cartoon creations with an out of this world Disconaut
Character modelling is one of the most popular roles in the VFX and video games industries, bringing some of the most iconic characters to the big screen. It’s also one of the most daunting mediums to get into as a beginner. With lots of tutorials and courses available it’s easy to become over whelmed.
In this tutorial we’ll break down the character creation process from the very first polygon right through to the last. During this process you’ll gather an overview of the approach I take to stylised character design and modelling inside of Cinema 4D, using a handful of tools and simple but effective techniques.
While we’ll be using Cinema 4D in the tutorial, the techniques used and the thought process behind them are universal, so there’s no need to worry if you use a different software package. Though the tools may be slightly different, the fundamentals will remain the same.
We’ll be delving into using subdivision surface modelling with a combination of both the poly-by-poly and box modelling techniques to create our stylised character. Each are more general techniques and principles that you can utilise when creating your own models.
As an artist that’s spent over a decade within the VFX industry creating fun, vibrant characters for animation, adver tising and toys, I’ve tried various different approaches to character design and modelling, and have settled on the techniques that will be discussed in this tutorial.
We’ll break our character down into parts; modelling them from the head down while focusing on developing base forms and clean topology, before adding more details and discussing why doing things this way can be beneficial when designing the structure of your characters.
I could write about this stuff all day, but I won’t because I want you to live your life too! We won’t spend too much time covering all of the specific tools or functions, but rather summarise the process that can then be used across platforms. Let’s get into it.
01 MODEL THE HELMET
When modelling I always go for the head first. To start, open Cinema 4D and grab a standard sphere. We’ll set the rotational segments count to 16 and then press ‘C’ on the keyboard to make it editable. Place it underneath a subdivision modifier, but keep that modifier off for now.
Press ‘R’ and rotate the sphere 90 degrees on
