Creating a Photorealistic 3D Prop for Production
Modeling & Shading Workflow for Maya, Mari & V-Ray With Babak Bina
Description
Learn how to make photorealistic, production-ready props with this complete modeling and shading guide by Babak Bina, Senior 3D Generalist at Scanline VFX and filmmaker. This 3-hour workshop covers a wide range of tools and techniques for making 3D props, focusing on industry-preferred workflows, and is suitable for artists of any skill level.
Beginning with photograph references of a vintage paraffin torch, Babak dissects the anatomy of the object, explaining how to approach the modeling of a photorealistic digital replica and examines a few different hard-surface modeling methods in Maya. He discusses the logic behind his decision-making and how planning ahead can help save headaches further down the line.
With the modeling complete, Babak discusses the best practices for creating an efficient UV layout in Maya that can be used in a procedural texturing workflow. He then takes the model into Mari, to reveal the power of RGB masking and shared layers for a non-destructive workflow, resulting in a procedurally textured and shaded scene. Before leaving Mari, the V-Ray shader is used for a portion of the look-dev work before exporting the maps and making final adjustments and refinements back in Maya, where the production asset is completed using V-Ray.
The project files supplied with this workshop include Babak’s high-resolution photographs of the vintage paraffin torch, a labeled diagram of the torch’s cross-sectional view, and where to download the textures demonstrated in the workshop.
Duration: 3h 06m
Format: HD 1920x1080
Babak Bina
Character & Creature Design Lead at Zoic Studios
Babak Bina is a Senior Character Artist and 3D Generalist with over a decade of experience in visual effects, animation, and digital art. Skilled across graphic design, sculpture, and character creation, he has contributed to major film and TV productions while also mentoring emerging artists.
Babak has worked with studios including Double Negative, Method Studios, Scanline VFX, Zoic Studios, and Pixomondo, contributing to films such as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, X-Men: Dark Phoenix, Game of Thrones, Star Trek Beyond, Thor: Love and Thunder, Avengers: Infinity War, Black Panther, Wonder Woman, and Alice Through the Looking Glass. He co-wrote and co-directed the award-winning short film The Seahorse Trainer, which qualified for the 2020 Academy Awards, and currently works at Electronic Arts as a Senior Character Artist.
