Blender Character Creation: Modelling

Download reference images:

Download blender file:

FAQ:
Q: My background images won't show up after dragging them in.
A: Ensure that your view is properly aligned (press 1 on numpad to set view from front). You also need to be in orthographic (as opposed to perspective) view. You can toggle between ortho and perspective with 5 on the numpad. If, for whatever reason, simply dragging the images in does not work for you, you can also add them manually by pressing 'n' to open the properties panel, navigating to the 'Background Images' section near the bottom, and pressing "Add Image".

Q: Pressing the numbers only changes frame/layer.
A: You need to press the numbers on the numpad (as opposed to the top row of numbers). If your keyboard does not have a numpad, go into preferences and in the input tab check 'emulate numpad'.

[SebastianLague]

If you're struggling to add the reference images or change views, please read the FAQ in the description.

[TheFelipeST]

20 min and better than 2 semester in college... :/ Thank you!

[mathieuwilson]

Hey! To anyone having trouble here you should really listen to this video 10 seconds at a time and follow EACH step carefully...hit the pause button often! He goes fast but covers A LOT of useful things within minutes...you'll be mad at the beginning when failing easy tasks such as selecting things... but don't give up... try things yourself, experiement, then come back to the video. This is a VERY good tutorial... the guy really knows how to teach... thanks a lot !
Math

[teecontravo]

I've had exactly 3 hours of blender experience before looking at this tutorial. It's great, definitely fast paced but that's what the pause button is for. However, even with my extremely limited experience I've been able to follow along slowly but surely. Thanks for the video!

[Simon_Laserna]

Hard to compare this to the other tutorials I have seen on Blender. You show quick workflows with key commands shown on screen and you call them out. It is so far beyond most tutorials. You keep me engaged! Fantastic!

[droptheat]

I tried this a couple of times already . Third time trying and the model is looking better each time . Thanks

[jeffreystephens]

Guys, this is not a beginner tutorial. It's an intermediate tutorial, which means it assumes that you're familiar with how to use Blender. If you're having trouble following this, you might want to try some of the simpler tutorials.

[misosoupever]

For those using Blender 2.8, the properties menu section where you set the background images doesn't pop out when pressing N. The options he was using is now in Object Data Properties. In default layout, that section is in the lower right hand side and has a tab with a triangle and a tiny circle inside a square. The options are laid out differently too, but with a little experimenting you can arrange the pictures like he did.

Next, there's a checkbox that tells blender to emulate a number pad if you're using a laptop in EDIT > PREFERENCES and going into the INPUT tab. If you check that box, you can follow how he changes orthographic perspectives using the number keys above QWERTY.

The "Remove Doubles" command is now Merge Vertices > By Distance.

 Note: I'm using Mac, so there might be a variation between the OS's.

[NotAnIlluminatiSpy]

Every 6 months or so, I get it into my head that I'm gonna make some shit in blender. I download it, install it take one look at the UI and think "I'ma need to get me some tutorials". So I watch some guy talk for 6 years about this Button, or press up down left right A start together for something and get super bored and decide to "learn by doing" this step in my blender phase lasts for about 30 mins when I try to make something from scratch, using only a picture in my mind. It always looks like shit, I mean...of course it looks like shit only a lunatic would expect AAA quality modelling right off the mark. Unfortunately, I am a lunatic and I expect this.

Anyhoo, fast forward...um...4 years or so and 5 minutes into this video and I've made an actual person, mostly...no head yet but...It's recognizable as a person. You could look at it and think "huh, that's a humanoid body without a head" which is the farthest I have ever gotten in the world of 3d modelling.

So...Thanks, I guess I should watch the remaining 18 minutes of video...

[saje]

Thank you a bunch for this tutorial and the tutorials that will follow! As a beginner, it is a bit difficult and it's easy to miss something, but after fixing my mistakes and retrying, I think I've got it down! I want to work with 3D Modeling when I grow up and this is great for that!

[echoispro]

had used blender for very basic stuff before, not real experience. followed the video from start to finish very slowly, the whole processed taking about 2-3 hours however i feel much much more confident with blender and this taught be the basics of using the software, the fast pace being perfect for me to allow me to pause and work at my own pace.


thank you (:

[HiredGunGames]

This is a pretty good tutorial. I have a few critiques I hope you don't mind. Not trolling or anything I just want to make sure your viewers know some extra advice. For characters it's advised to keep all polygons the same amount of space apart and try to keep the polygons equal on all sides, this prevents texture distortion. Also if you used mirrored uv space make sure you bake your models from a high resolution to a low resolution as this gets rid of pesky seams from normal maps. Also any object that isn't being manipulated by bones for animation such as accessories like weapons or articles of clothing like a hat or sword should use object space normal maps, and not the usual tangent spaced, as this will increase performance in your game and cut back on real time normal lighting manipulation. I see you are creating a toon style character though. For these types of characters it's best to get the most from your uv maps. So you want to make uv islands bigger depending on what part of the character that's mostly seen. Like the face, and head area as well as the shirt and pants. I would make those islands the biggest. Awesome tutorial. Thumbs up. C:

[paalgumpen]

Love the people who criticise the creator for taking the time to share knowledge. For my beginner-intermediate level this was a perfect tutorial, very concise and easy to follow as long as i paused the vid between steps. If it weren't I'd just find another one. Thank you Sebastian!

[googissoftware]

Remove doubles (vertices) in 6:38 for blender 2.8 has changed: instead of clicking W for the specials menu, select all vertices (A) and then M (merge by ...) then select 'by distance'

[TechieChuks]

This is the best detailed video on blender characters modelling and rigging with referenced image that I have watched so so detailed and every step taken were alot for this...


Now I am happy I started learning blender

[PIVOTMASTER]

This video should be flagged for "too amazing tutorial" XD

[nicstulting]

I wanted to say thank you. A few years ago, I studied your video to learn basic modeling. I really appreciated your tutorial. Thank you for creating it.

[arthank]

And lil Sebastian grew up to be a god, writing compute shaders and literally making the earth spin 'round. Also, ants.
I had such a hard time with modeling my dwarf in blender before this. Now it's trivial. I can never thank you enought!
That patreon sub is comming soon, buddy, I just need to pass the last interview for a job :))

[collophonium]

high density of shortcuts and hotkeys ....well done, one of the best tutorials out there....!

[filmoklm]

It's the first Blender Tut that i really watch, but damn, how much i learned !
thank's you man !