Hard Surface Character Creation can be done using the 3D software. Here we are going to learn hard surface character creation using 3ds Max and Blender step by step.

Hard Surface Character Creation in 3ds Max

In this tutorial, you will learn how to create a hard surface character in 3ds Max.

1. To get started, create a new 3ds Max file and switch to the Front viewport.

2. Next, create a simple polygon cube and position it in the center of the viewport.

3. With the cube selected, go to the Modify panel and change the Height to 10, Width to 10 and Depth to 10.

4. Next, select the Polygonal Modeling tool from the toolbar and then click and drag on the cube to create a polygon sphere.

5. With the sphere selected, go to the Modify panel and change the Height to 10, Width to 10 and Depth to 10.

6. Next, select the Lathe modifier from the modifier list and click on the sphere to activate it.

7. In the Parameters rollout, set the Segments to 24 and the Twist to 360.

8. With the sphere still selected, go to the Modify panel and change the Name to head.

9. Next, create a simple polygon cube and position it in the center of the viewport.

10. To make the cube look like metal, we’ll need to add a material to it. Click the “Materials” tab in the Properties panel, then click the “Create New Material” button.

11. Name the material “Metal” and click the “OK” button.

12. In the “Shaders” rollout, click the “Diffuse” button.

13. In the “Diffuse” shader, click the “Browse” button and locate the “metal.jpg” image file.

14. Click the “OK” button to close the “Browse” dialog box.

15. Click the “OK” button to close the “Diffuse” shader.

16. Click the “Map” button and select the “Bump” map.

17. In the “Bump” map, click the “Browse” button and locate the “metal_bump.jpg” image file.

18. Click the “OK” button to close the “Browse” dialog box.

19. Click the “OK” button to close the “Map” rollout.

20. Click the “Render” button

The rendered image will now appear in the “Render” tab.

Hard Surface Character Creation in Blender

1. Start by creating a new file in Blender.

2. In the 3D Viewport, add a Plane by pressing Shift+A and selecting Plane.

3. In the Properties Editor, under Object Properties, change the Length to 100 and the Width to 100.

4. Press Tab to enter Edit Mode.

5. In the 3D Viewport, select the Vertex Tool (V).

6. Select the top two vertices on the Plane and press F.

7. In the Properties Editor, under Modifiers, add a Bevel modifier.

8. Change the Bevel Width to 2 and the Segments to 2.

9. Press Tab to exit Edit Mode.

10. In the 3D Viewport, select the Edge Tool (E).

11. Select the top two edges on the Plane and press F.

12. In the Properties Editor, under Modifiers, add a Bevel modifier.

13. Change the Bevel Width to 2 and the Segments to 2.

14. Press Tab to exit Edit Mode.

15. In the 3D Viewport, select

Mesh > Add > Plane

16. In the Properties Editor, under the Object tab, set the Length, Width, and Height to 2, 2, and 1, respectively.

17. Press Tab to enter Edit Mode.

18. In the 3D Viewport, select the four vertices at the corners of the plane.

19. Press the W key and select Subdivide.

20. Press the W key again and select Smooth.

21. Press the Tab key to exit Edit Mode.

22. In the Properties Editor, under the Object tab, set the Subdivision Level to 2.

23. Press Tab to enter Edit Mode.

24. In the 3D Viewport, select the four vertices at the corners of the plane.

25. Press the S key and select Scale.

26. Scale the plane so that it is slightly larger than the character’s foot.

27. Press Tab to exit Edit Mode.

28. In the Properties Editor, under the Object tab, set the Scale X, Scale Y, and Scale Z to 1.

29. Press Tab to enter Edit Mode.

30. In the 3D Viewport, select the four vertices at the top of the head.

31. Press the S key and scale the vertices down to about 0.05.

32. Press the A key and select the entire head.

33. In the Properties Editor, under the Modifiers tab, add a Subdivision Surface modifier.

34. Set the subdivision level to 3.

35. Press the Tab key to enter edit mode.

36. Select the top vertices of the head and press the F key to smooth them.

37. Select the entire head and press the G key to grab it.

38. Drag the head down so that it’s below the chest.

39. Press the A key and deselect the head.

40. Select the six vertices at the bottom of the chest and press the S key to scale them up to about 0.8.

41. Select the entire body and press the G key to grab it.

42. Drag the body up so that it’s above the head.

43. Press the A key and deselect the body.

44. Select the four vert

Now It’s Over to You

It’s your turn to create 3D character. Create and share your experience via comment section.