Anime Character Course - And how will this help make unique characters?

[izzy]

I literally just started with the first bit of content, “Modeling The Face Outline” and wow am I disappointed right from the get go. We’re modeling based off a Blender screenshot that already has its topology clearly defined? Seriously? How am I supposed to create my own unique characters after this course is done?

For reference, I took the Low Poly Characters Bite Sized Course and LOVED it–I learned how to model a character based on a sketch and took that further to create my own low poly knight character. I was excited to move on to this one so I could create characters with a bit more detail but not quite sculpted level. I normally love Grant’s tutorials, but I am so disheartened that this appears to be essentially a “how to model this one specific character and no others ever” course.

Is there something obvious I’m missing? I just don’t see how I’m supposed to do this without having a character’s topology reference already, and how am I supposed to get that without having modeled the character already or had someone else model it for me? At which point, what is the point of it?

[NP5]

I would say it is all about a better modelling route so you learn topology, which has greater uses, not least to many for hand ‘retopology’ used for full characters that were only sculpted.
For me this is the proper way to model anything rather than sculpting.

Yes it is one model, but the principles of how to shape good topology are covered in a way that these days are rarely covered. You need to see a finished one to help understand what is going on, the aims.

The method otherwise uses real models or photos with pen lines draw on their faces!

Just google something like ‘face topology reference’. It is fundamental and basic to moving up from low poly to something proper, better.

[HobbyPirates]

If you’ve never made a character like this before, it absolutely would help you make your own unique characters. All of the topology you’ll learn almost needs to be reapplied to other custom characters. Structure and learning how even small movements change a surface drastically is extremely important, and as much as it feels like it’d be obvious, I truly didn’t pick these things up myself until taking this and another very similar course where we created a premade character from screenshots. There are certain ‘loops’ you need to have on almost any character if you want to animate it, Grant covers these and how the best way to build them is for a human character. I’ve used the same lessons to make dogs, frogs, and even a couple of deer-horse characters.

I happened to be looking at an old example image I have posted before just earlier that I think shows off the difference I was able to take away at least:

(no sub div applied)

(sub div applied)

The topology on the left was before I started the course, and the one to the right is after I finished modelling the top half of Grant’s anime character.

Once you get a couple of characters down with the ‘handholding’ this feels like, you’ll be surprised yourself how much you know how to do without it. Give it your best shot, and good luck!

[BH67]

@izzy

Is there something obvious I’m missing?

@HobbyPirates

Once you get a couple of characters down with the ‘handholding’ this feels like, you’ll be surprised yourself how much you know how to do without it.

I mean… I wouldn’t say it’s obvious, but… this.

To be clear, I’m not even at this level yet, and I’ve already experienced what HobbyPirates is referring to. I entered the Blender Collab for the first time a few weeks ago with what limited skills I have, and I levelled up just about all of them in the process of asking myself “I wonder if that could be done.” I literally startled myself at least 7 or 8 times, but when I look back, everything except the GIMP texture editing was covered by Grant’s Blender Complete course. It just took a completely different form, and I didn’t put 2 and 2 together until after the whole scene was done. That was a proper “wax-on, wax-off” realization!

Definitely give Grant a solid chance here; I’m sure your ambitions will thank you for it =)

[RayMobula]

This was my 2nd course after the Blender for nobs course, and I loved it. When completing the Orc in the other course, a lot of the material covered in the anime course was immediately applicable, and I did some things slightly differently. I.e., the anime course paid off giving me more tools to build my own model with better hands.

Have you checked out Grant’s short video on YT where he models the space girl? A lot of this is covered in the anime course too.

This is one of the situations where I’d say trust the process. In the end focusing and refining the process has more value than focusing on the outcome. If the outcome is poor, where can you improve the process? And that is where the course helps, to refine the process, and give you more tools.