This is a multi-part tutorial on creating a Demon-like ‘Lok Warrior’
with realistic muscle anatomy. On the first day of this tutorial we
created a base mesh for our character using poly modeling. On the
second day, we took the mesh into ZBrush and sculpted the intricate
muscle anatomy. Now today we will texture the creature and add the
finishing touches to the artwork.
Let’s begin day 3 of this tutorial.

Final Effect Preview



Step 1


First of all, open your base mesh in 3ds Max and go to the “Unwrap
UVW” -> “Edit” window, and open the “Tools” menu. Click “Render UVW
Template”, and set both the width and height to 2048. Click “Render UV
Template”, and save the image as a .png file.

Step 2


You need rough base for your texturing, and the method I recommend
is a very easy one . Just put some lights in your scene with or without
GI, and give a simple skin color to the character. Render it using
“Render to Texture “, by clicking the “Rendering” tab.

Step 3


Bake the texture and save it as a base for the texturing process.
Select the character mesh, and click “Add” in “Output” drop down menu.
Select “Complete Map”, and “Diffuse Color” for the “Target Map Slot”.
Use the same width and height as you did before, in this case it’s
2048. Click “Render”…and wait for a while:)

Step 4


Save the baked textures out. Open Photoshop, and load both the UV template and baked textures.

Step 5


Drag and drop the UV template into the baked render window, and
place it in the right position. Make sure it is the top layer by
pressing “F7″ to open up the “Layers” window.

Step 6


Find a good skin texture for your character, create a new layer, and drag the skin texture onto it.

Step 7


Tile the skin texture using “alt” + drag. Select all of the tiles in
the “Layers” window, and merge them by using “ctrl” + “e”. Set the
layer to “Linear Light” at 60%.

Step 8


Turn the skin layer off for now. Create a new layer, and start
adding some details. You can use real photos for a more realistic look
and feel. Don’t forget to erase any dark areas of your baked texture to
make it like the image below.

Step 9


Add details to the face, using the “Burn” and “Dodge” tools.

Step 10


Add some stomach muscles using the “Burn” tool. Refine the face by
painting in the small details. Use the “Burn” tool on the knees as well.

Step 11


Create a new layer. Use the “Polygonal Lasso” tool, and select the
area all around the feet and fingernails. Fill them with a dark yellow
color. Add details to them by using the “Burn” and “Dodge” tools.

Step 12


Try to add the finer detail around the eyes and neck by using the “Burn” tool.

Step 14


Please note that it’s very important to use the same color and
texture along the UV seams. For example, you need to use or create the
same color as seam A on seam B. This will result in the texture of the
character appearing seamless.

Step 15


Click “Filters” -> “Sharpen” -> “Unsharp Mask”. With this
filter we can sharpen our texture layers, and have sharp edges on the
details and skin.

Step 16


Turn on your skin layers now, and apply “Unsharp Mask” again. You
can play with the opacity of its layer, as well as “Brightness and
Contrast” in the “Image” -> “Adjustments” menu.

Step 17


If you modeled the eyes for your character, and they are already in
your UV template, it’s time to paint the eye texture. For this
particular character, I have created some strange alien eyes.

Step 18


Click on “Image” -> “Adjustments” -> “Hue/Saturation. Change
the settings as shown below. You can use this feature to change the
skin color. Before you do this, make sure you have selected the main
baked texture layer.

Step 18


Turn your UV template layer on, select the horn polygon areas,
create a new layer, and paint in the specific yellow color displayed
below. When you’re finished, drag and drop your horn color layer
underneath the skin layer.

Step 19


Burn around the seam areas of the neck and head.

Step 20


Merge all layers by pressing “ctrl” + “alt” + “e”. Use the “Burn”
tool with a different brush size to add the final details, and darker
areas. Save your texture, and apply it to your character in 3ds Max.
Make sure you have an un-collapsed version saved for future changes.

Finished Product

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