3D Artist No. 113

When we first saw Agent 327: Operation Barbershop back in May 2017, we were absolutely floored by the quality of the animated short. The models, animation, rigging, environment, lighting, scene composition and just about everything else involved was undeniably already Hollywood quality. What was more impressive was that anybody at home could technically achieve the same calibre – there were no secret tools involved. No, it was all Blender, which is of course free for anyone to download and start learning. We’re so excited for you to read about how this fantastic short was achieved, and hope you will get inspired to create your own high-end CG piece with the exact same tools over on page 24. Elsewhere, we’re discovering the secrets behind incredible game cinematic prowess with Digic Pictures on…

When we first saw Agent 327: Operation Barbershop back in May 2017, we were absolutely floored by the quality of the animated short. The models, animation, rigging, environment, lighting, scene composition and just about everything else involved was undeniably already Hollywood quality. What was more impressive was that anybody at home could technically achieve the same calibre – there were no secret tools involved. No, it was all Blender, which is of course free for anyone to download and start learning. We’re so excited for you to read about how this fantastic short was achieved, and hope you will get inspired to create your own high-end CG piece with the exact same tools over on page 24. Elsewhere, we’re discovering the secrets behind incredible game cinematic prowess with Digic Pictures…

IAN FAILES vfxblog.com Ian returns this issue with a fantastic behind-the-scenes feature on Agent 327, the exciting animated short and proof of concept from Blender Animation Studio. Read it on page 24. 3DArtist username N/A SAFWEN LAABIDI artstation.com/safwen Character creation tutor Safwen has given us this incredible guide to making a real-time cyborg for any game engine. Make sure you check it out on page 46. 3DArtist username safweno DORU BUTZ artstation.com/dorubutz We welcome Doru to the magazine this issue, with his amazing tutorial on creating a steampunk-style diorama with Modo. Learn his workflow and try it yourself! It’s on page 54. 3DArtist username DoruB JONATHAN BENAïNOUS jonathan-benainous.blogspot.com Jonathan is a senior texture artist working at Ubisoft Quebec. His industry-standard techniques for texturing ornate details with Substance Designer is over on page 60. 3DArtist username Jonathan Benaïnous DIEGO TRAZZI cmiVFX.com Bifröst expert Diego has kindly taken us through…

“I’m a fan of games and it’s incredible how League of Legends has turned into this huge eSport nowadays. I never liked TV sports much but growing up and being able to watch video games on TV is amazing. I also visited Riot’s building in LA. Amazing place for sure, filled with hundreds of talented artists. So that’s my inspiration and tribute.”Andy Brüning, Katarina – League of Legends, 2017 Andy Brüning artstation.com/bruning Andy is 3D character artist who is as passionate about games as he is about art Software ZBrush, 3ds Max, V-Ray, Ornatrix & Photoshop Work in progress… “Frankie was sculpted in ZBrush and will be produced as a 3D printed and pre-painted collectable figure with Level52 Studios. Original concept by Jordi Navarrete”Kieran McKay, Frankie Pin-up, 2016 Kieran McKay kieranmckay.co.uk Kieran is a professional 3D character artist/digital sculptor…

IAN FAILES vfxblog.com  Ian returns this issue with a fantastic behind-the-scenes feature on Agent 327, the exciting animated short and proof of concept from Blender Animation Studio. Read it on page 24. 3DArtist username N/A SAFWEN LAABIDI artstation.com/safwen  Character creation tutor Safwen has given us this incredible guide to making a real-time cyborg for any game engine. Make sure you check it out on page 46. 3DArtist username safweno DORU BUTZ artstation.com/dorubutz  We welcome Doru to the magazine this issue, with his amazing tutorial on creating a steampunk-style diorama with Modo. Learn his workflow and try it yourself! It’s on page 54. 3DArtist username DoruB JONATHAN BENAïNOUS jonathan-benainous.blogspot.com  Jonathan is a senior texture artist working at Ubisoft Quebec. His industry-standard techniques for texturing ornate details with Substance Designer is over…

Those already in the open-source Blender community will be well aware of the tool’s powerful capabilities. But the software has not traditionally been associated with quality at a commercial level. Until now. In the works for months, Agent 327: Operation Barbershop, a trailer released by the Blender Institute and a follow-up to its successful Cosmos Laundromat short, is aimed at showcasing what Blender can do, both in terms of quality and also as an animation studio. The project is intended to become a feature film. WHAT IS AGENT 327: OPERATION BARBERSHOP? The trailer is based on Martin Lodewijk’s Dutch comic series, Agent 327, hugely popular in the Netherlands for several decades. Blender’s primary author and the chairman of the Blender Foundation and director of the Blender Institute, Ton Roosendaal, grew up with the…