01 02
01 Set up your project Choose the template that best fits your work process – in this tutorial we will use ‘PBR – Specular Glossiness (allegorithmic)’ – then import the mesh provided. Choose DirectX for Normal map format and check ‘Compute tangent space per fragment’. It is important to note that these options refer to the final output destination of the system you’re going to be working with. In Document resolution we are just going to default it to 2,048 for a better view of the
details, but it can be changed at any time you want in your project.
02 Create the body height map In this step, you will create the body volumes that will be baked in the normal map and re-imported to the creation of all bake textures. On a standard layer, leave only the Height channel active, with the value at 1.0 to make positive volumes and -1.0 to make negative volumes. It is important to lower the Brush Flow and
Spacing options when you are making subtle volumes, such as the wrinkling of the character’s clothes. The Lazy Mouse
button in the main toolbar can help with accurate movement when it is needed.
03 Use Hard Surface procedural To create the normal map of the head, use a procedural Hard Surface map, which is available on the Shelf. In a Fill layer, mask a region of the frame’s edge that you would like to apply a hard surface pattern
to. You can use the Polygon Fill property in the main toolbar to help with your selection. In the normal channel choose the
procedural edge_10 to make sure that the relief pattern of the frame follows the reference image. Adjust the UV Scale
and UV Offset controls to achieve an optimal fit.
04 Export the normal map Now we’re going to create an export preset, which will help us with exporting the normal map
used to bake the mesh textures. Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+E and go to the Configuration tab. Click the + button to create a new preset for the normal channel. Next select the RGB button and write ‘$mesh_$textureSet_normal’ in the RGB box. Drag and drop the normal input map to the RGB button, and choose RGB channels in the dialog box. Now head into to Export tab, then the Config tab and choose the export preset that we created earlier. Change the document size to 4,096 x 4,096 for better quality and finally press the Export option.
05 Import and bake After we have finished exporting the normal map, we need to re-import it to the Shelf. You’ll be able to find it in your destination file. Once you have dragged it to the Shelf, a new dialog will appear with the map name. To the right of this, change the ‘undefined’ button to ‘texture’ and put ‘current session’ in ‘Import your resources to’, then click Import. Drag the imported map to Select normal map in the TextureSet Settings tab and click Bake textures. Uncheck the Normal on the left, change the Output size to 4,096 and press Bake textures. Follow these step for all the layers you have
created normal maps for. Don’t forget to delete the height maps you created earlier, as we will no longer be needing them.
06 Separate materials with a mask Let’s start the next stage by creating a mask of the head frame. With the layer 01_Head on, create a folder in the Add folder. Right-click on it and then select Add black mask. Go to the Polygon Fill button in the
main toolbar and select Mesh fill mode. Make sure that the colour is 1.0 and then click on the frame region to create a selection by element. You can always see the mask you are working with by pressing the Alt key on it. After we have made the separation, we will start creating the layers that will make the frame.
07 Build the first layers Start your frame with a wood base material. You will be able to find one in your Shelf under the Materials tab – it will be the wood underneath the old golden paint. You can adjust some of its properties like colour,
roughness and fibres under the Parameters tab. To make the first layer of the paint, you need to begin by creating a Fill layer on top of the wood. Choose a light brown for the Diffuse colour and select a light yellow for the Specular colour.
Finally, click on Glossiness and then select a Grunge map to make some variations.
08 Create aged wear Now we’ll create a mask to simulate the paint wear on the frame. Add a black mask on the layer that we have created, and using the right button, choose Add generator. Select the MG Dirt option and in the Parameters tab, click Invert on. Adjust the Dirt Level, Dirt Contrast, Grunge Amount and Grunge Scale options to give a good impression
of time wear. You can create multiple layers of dirt by using new Fill layers and masking with presets available in the
Smart Masks section on the Shelf.
09 Paint the character’s face It is recommended that you make some previous concept tests to guide you in this process. Create a red Fill layer in the base, and a temporary layer with the direction of the concept. Add a normal layer, select a Default Hard brush and choose the alpha Drips 02. Decrease Spacing to 5 and activate Follow Path. Put 0.06 in Hardness, 08 in Glossiness, 0.07 in Height and choose a colour in Diffuse. Make brush strokes following the direction of your reference layer, varying colour when needed.
10 Make the shirt and pants Now we will follow the same process to paint the shirt and the pants. Mask the area that we will work on in a folder. Use the Dobby Aged Fabric Smart Material for the base texture. Choose a dark brown colour in the Base colour to help with the contrast and 25 on the UV scale. Remember that as we want to give a miniature feel to the
character, we need to pay attention to the scales. Use the same brush setting and brush strokes technique for the face to paint the shirt, always flowing in one direction. To help with the hidden areas use the 2D-only mode (F3).
11 Add shirt details For the suspender, start by creating the folder’s mask that will separate it from the shirt. Turn on Symmetry in your main toolbar. To start, use the fabric bamboo material with a bluish dark grey and 12 in the UV Scale.
To make the seams, create a Fill layer with a yellow colour and a Height of 1.0. Create a black mask, choose Brush Stitches 1 and paint the seam path. You can create several finishing layers for detailing our character with the Shelf
Materials, such as leather and metal parts.
12 Paint the arms Start with a normal layer by painting strokes that follow the flow of the shape. You can also turn on Symmetry, found in your main toolbar, to extend one side’s painting techniques to each side of your model. It is important to create a colour variation between brush strokes, with a higher percentage of brighter strokes in areas of more light, and a higher percentage of dark strokes in shadow areas. After that stage, use Smudge to blend it all and achieve a subtler
aspect. Give it a final touch by creating a layer with some coloured brush strokes at random over the character, following
van Gogh’s style.
13 Create the shoes For the shoes, start with the Fine Leather Aged Smart Material. In this case, I recommend working with Symmetry on as well. There are several different parameters and layers inside this Smart Material that you can configure
to create the look and feel of an old and worn leather. You can also create new layers of wear using Smart Masks from the Shelf. For the sole of the shoes use the Leather Rough Smart Material. Paint the finishing stitching in the same way
as in the previous step. Do not forget to add some random coloured brush strokes over the shoes to give your character a
funny look.
14 The base Let’s start the base by choosing a wood material from the Shelf. In the Smart Material tab, you can choose Wood Chest Stylized, for example. You can also set the layers and parameters as you wish to achieve an effective aged
look. To help with the worn look, add a Fill layer with a negative Height and then create a black mask. Next right-click on the mask to add two Fill layers. On the Greyscale tab, place a procedural map with Dirt 2 and then Scratches 1 on the other. Configure the individual parameters of each map and then choose the Screen blend mode to now merge the texture maps.
15 Make an aged plaque Now we’ll finalise our character by applying the plaque material that we made earlier. Let’s start by creating a folder and masking the metal region. Add a Fill layer with a black colour in the Diffuse and yellow for the Specular. Upload a procedural Grunge map into the Glossiness channel. Next add Rust Fine material from the Shelf in
order to create wear. Insert a black mask and load the Smart Mask Edges Scratched. Configure the parameters you
need to achieve an aged result. Create as many layers as you need in order to enrich the details and assign some extra
realism to your work.
16 Time to render When you’re satisfied with your character it’s now time to start rendering. Enter Rendering (Iray) mode by pressing F10. Increase the values of Max Samples, Max Time and Width/Height for better render quality results. Adjust the direction of the light by rotating the Environment Map (right-click and drag with Shift pressed). Now on the Dome tab activate Clear Color and choose a colour for our infinite background. You can also add some depth of field by increasing
Aperture and adjusting the Field of view and Focus distance options. Turn on the Activate Post Effects tab and activate Glare and Vignette to get some realistic camera post effects.
details, but it can be changed at any time you want in your project.
02 Create the body height map In this step, you will create the body volumes that will be baked in the normal map and re-imported to the creation of all bake textures. On a standard layer, leave only the Height channel active, with the value at 1.0 to make positive volumes and -1.0 to make negative volumes. It is important to lower the Brush Flow and
Spacing options when you are making subtle volumes, such as the wrinkling of the character’s clothes. The Lazy Mouse
button in the main toolbar can help with accurate movement when it is needed.
03 Use Hard Surface procedural To create the normal map of the head, use a procedural Hard Surface map, which is available on the Shelf. In a Fill layer, mask a region of the frame’s edge that you would like to apply a hard surface pattern
to. You can use the Polygon Fill property in the main toolbar to help with your selection. In the normal channel choose the
procedural edge_10 to make sure that the relief pattern of the frame follows the reference image. Adjust the UV Scale
and UV Offset controls to achieve an optimal fit.
04 Export the normal map Now we’re going to create an export preset, which will help us with exporting the normal map
used to bake the mesh textures. Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+E and go to the Configuration tab. Click the + button to create a new preset for the normal channel. Next select the RGB button and write ‘$mesh_$textureSet_normal’ in the RGB box. Drag and drop the normal input map to the RGB button, and choose RGB channels in the dialog box. Now head into to Export tab, then the Config tab and choose the export preset that we created earlier. Change the document size to 4,096 x 4,096 for better quality and finally press the Export option.
05 Import and bake After we have finished exporting the normal map, we need to re-import it to the Shelf. You’ll be able to find it in your destination file. Once you have dragged it to the Shelf, a new dialog will appear with the map name. To the right of this, change the ‘undefined’ button to ‘texture’ and put ‘current session’ in ‘Import your resources to’, then click Import. Drag the imported map to Select normal map in the TextureSet Settings tab and click Bake textures. Uncheck the Normal on the left, change the Output size to 4,096 and press Bake textures. Follow these step for all the layers you have
created normal maps for. Don’t forget to delete the height maps you created earlier, as we will no longer be needing them.
06 Separate materials with a mask Let’s start the next stage by creating a mask of the head frame. With the layer 01_Head on, create a folder in the Add folder. Right-click on it and then select Add black mask. Go to the Polygon Fill button in the
main toolbar and select Mesh fill mode. Make sure that the colour is 1.0 and then click on the frame region to create a selection by element. You can always see the mask you are working with by pressing the Alt key on it. After we have made the separation, we will start creating the layers that will make the frame.
07 Build the first layers Start your frame with a wood base material. You will be able to find one in your Shelf under the Materials tab – it will be the wood underneath the old golden paint. You can adjust some of its properties like colour,
roughness and fibres under the Parameters tab. To make the first layer of the paint, you need to begin by creating a Fill layer on top of the wood. Choose a light brown for the Diffuse colour and select a light yellow for the Specular colour.
Finally, click on Glossiness and then select a Grunge map to make some variations.
08 Create aged wear Now we’ll create a mask to simulate the paint wear on the frame. Add a black mask on the layer that we have created, and using the right button, choose Add generator. Select the MG Dirt option and in the Parameters tab, click Invert on. Adjust the Dirt Level, Dirt Contrast, Grunge Amount and Grunge Scale options to give a good impression
of time wear. You can create multiple layers of dirt by using new Fill layers and masking with presets available in the
Smart Masks section on the Shelf.
09 Paint the character’s face It is recommended that you make some previous concept tests to guide you in this process. Create a red Fill layer in the base, and a temporary layer with the direction of the concept. Add a normal layer, select a Default Hard brush and choose the alpha Drips 02. Decrease Spacing to 5 and activate Follow Path. Put 0.06 in Hardness, 08 in Glossiness, 0.07 in Height and choose a colour in Diffuse. Make brush strokes following the direction of your reference layer, varying colour when needed.
10 Make the shirt and pants Now we will follow the same process to paint the shirt and the pants. Mask the area that we will work on in a folder. Use the Dobby Aged Fabric Smart Material for the base texture. Choose a dark brown colour in the Base colour to help with the contrast and 25 on the UV scale. Remember that as we want to give a miniature feel to the
character, we need to pay attention to the scales. Use the same brush setting and brush strokes technique for the face to paint the shirt, always flowing in one direction. To help with the hidden areas use the 2D-only mode (F3).
11 Add shirt details For the suspender, start by creating the folder’s mask that will separate it from the shirt. Turn on Symmetry in your main toolbar. To start, use the fabric bamboo material with a bluish dark grey and 12 in the UV Scale.
To make the seams, create a Fill layer with a yellow colour and a Height of 1.0. Create a black mask, choose Brush Stitches 1 and paint the seam path. You can create several finishing layers for detailing our character with the Shelf
Materials, such as leather and metal parts.
12 Paint the arms Start with a normal layer by painting strokes that follow the flow of the shape. You can also turn on Symmetry, found in your main toolbar, to extend one side’s painting techniques to each side of your model. It is important to create a colour variation between brush strokes, with a higher percentage of brighter strokes in areas of more light, and a higher percentage of dark strokes in shadow areas. After that stage, use Smudge to blend it all and achieve a subtler
aspect. Give it a final touch by creating a layer with some coloured brush strokes at random over the character, following
van Gogh’s style.
13 Create the shoes For the shoes, start with the Fine Leather Aged Smart Material. In this case, I recommend working with Symmetry on as well. There are several different parameters and layers inside this Smart Material that you can configure
to create the look and feel of an old and worn leather. You can also create new layers of wear using Smart Masks from the Shelf. For the sole of the shoes use the Leather Rough Smart Material. Paint the finishing stitching in the same way
as in the previous step. Do not forget to add some random coloured brush strokes over the shoes to give your character a
funny look.
14 The base Let’s start the base by choosing a wood material from the Shelf. In the Smart Material tab, you can choose Wood Chest Stylized, for example. You can also set the layers and parameters as you wish to achieve an effective aged
look. To help with the worn look, add a Fill layer with a negative Height and then create a black mask. Next right-click on the mask to add two Fill layers. On the Greyscale tab, place a procedural map with Dirt 2 and then Scratches 1 on the other. Configure the individual parameters of each map and then choose the Screen blend mode to now merge the texture maps.
15 Make an aged plaque Now we’ll finalise our character by applying the plaque material that we made earlier. Let’s start by creating a folder and masking the metal region. Add a Fill layer with a black colour in the Diffuse and yellow for the Specular. Upload a procedural Grunge map into the Glossiness channel. Next add Rust Fine material from the Shelf in
order to create wear. Insert a black mask and load the Smart Mask Edges Scratched. Configure the parameters you
need to achieve an aged result. Create as many layers as you need in order to enrich the details and assign some extra
realism to your work.
16 Time to render When you’re satisfied with your character it’s now time to start rendering. Enter Rendering (Iray) mode by pressing F10. Increase the values of Max Samples, Max Time and Width/Height for better render quality results. Adjust the direction of the light by rotating the Environment Map (right-click and drag with Shift pressed). Now on the Dome tab activate Clear Color and choose a colour for our infinite background. You can also add some depth of field by increasing
Aperture and adjusting the Field of view and Focus distance options. Turn on the Activate Post Effects tab and activate Glare and Vignette to get some realistic camera post effects.
