Modeling and Rendering a Realistic Jumping Spider

Description

In this video series, Eric Keller demonstrates his process for designing, modeling and texturing an accurate and realistic jumping spider. Starting from a simple block out in Pixologic's ZBrush, Eric shows you his pipeline for sculpting accurate details, painting textures and materials in Substance Painter, creating a working topology and UVs in Maya, generating realistic fur using Peregrine Lab's Yeti, and setting up lighting and rendering properties using Redshift for Maya.

Along the way Eric discusses important aspects of spider anatomy and biology that should inspire and inform creature designers and modelers. He demonstrates lighting and compositional techniques based on his study of insect and spider macro photography. The video series is designed for intermediate to advanced CG artists looking to expand their skill set and their knowledge of spiders as well as incorporating Peregrine Labs Yeti fur software into their own models. Example files are provided.

Duration: 9h 01m

Format: HD 1920x1080

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Eric Keller

CG artist

Eric Keller is a veteran CG artist with over 20 years of experience creating models for feature films, episodic TV, scientific visualization, planetarium shows, VR, AR, 3D printing, and jewelry design. He creates training titles for The Gnomon Workshop and has also taught ZBrush and Maya classes at Gnomon School in Hollywood.

Eric has been working as a professional CG artist since 1998 creating animations and images for both the entertainment industry and scientific visualization. He has written several top-rated books on both ZBrush and Maya, as well as numerous tutorials and articles for leading industry magazines such as 3D World.

He has now authored multiple video series for The Gnomon Workshop on ZBrush and Maya and was honored to be a guest lecturer at Harvard Medical School. He has worked as a visual effects artist on commercials, television, games, and feature films for decades, with credits including 10 Cloverfield Lane, Star Trek: Beyond, Aquaman, Power Rangers, Swamp Thing, and John Wick 3: Parabellum.

"Eric Keller is an Invertebrate lover, an animator, an author, ,artist, and the list goes on! His knowledge of all aspects of 3D and his love of the natural world has in my mind made him one of the go to guys in the industry. His passion is what makes him one of the best authors and teachers out there! Eric approaches his work seriously but with a sense of humor and a zest for knowledge. I am constantly surprised and inspired by Eric's ability to make any topic interesting and fun. His new tutorial will definitely be one I will watch over and over! "
- Mark Dedecker
Asset lead at Deluxe Entertainment
"Eric Keller is a Renaissance man. By combining his artists eye, his passion for natural science, and his skill as a teacher he has brought this fantastic tutorial to life! Eric easily shifts from exceptional sculpting, to finessing the intricacies of Vray and Maya, to explaining the nuances of the Arthropoda Insecta Hymenoptera. Its that kind of attention to detail that makes great artists freakin amazing. I am constantly in awe of Eric's breadth of knowledge and skill. We are all fortunate he has chosen to share some of that in this tutorial! "
- Scott Spencer
Weta Workshop NZ
"Eric Keller is a master ZBrush artist. Anyone who wants to know ZBrush in depth should buy this tutorial! For an in depth understanding ZBrush, look no further than Eric Keller's amazing works. I wish I could Crtl+C, Crtl+V what Eric Keller knows directly into my brain!"
- Jared Krichevsky
Creature Designer at The Aaron Sims Company