In this DVD, Richard Smith guides you through modeling a Next-Gengame character. Richard starts with a rough concept design and then creates a low-res base mesh. From there he sculpts each part in ZBrush with special attention paid to creating realistic clothing folds. Once each part is completely sculpted Richard retopologizes it inside of Maya using a plug-in called Nex. Finally, using XNormal he creates the normal map and then sets everything up in Maya. This DVD is intended for artists with a basic understanding of polygon modeling in Maya, but the techniques he demonstrates could_be_applied using other 3D_modeling software.

The process of telling stories through pictures is similar for both concept design and book illustration. In this video, film design veteran Christian Alzmann will take you through a step-by-step process for making a digital illustration. He will demonstrate his techniques for creating strong compositions, blocking in shapes with light and shadow, handling background elements and applying color. Throughout the lecture, Christian shares his thought processes as he reworks compositional elements, renders reflected light and strengthens the main character’s pose, showing you the benefits of painting digitally in Adobe Photoshop® and Corel Painter.