Thundeer's Notes

🦝 COMPLETE 3D CHARACTER WORKFLOW

Workflows for creating a 3D characters from start to finish.

THUNDEER'S 3D LEARNING RESOURCES

🦝 COMPLETE 3D CHARACTER WORKFLOW

Workflows for creating a 3D characters from start to finish.

Pick resources that fit your learning style, instead of brute forcing learning in a way you don't enjoy - that's why I tried including multiple options in each topic for you to pick from!

Resources

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RESOURCES

RESOURCES

💻 BLOG POSTS

Making The Thing: From Blockout to Render

Pablander Academy

Making The Thing: From Blockout to Render | Pablander Academy
Welcome to a breakdown of my sculpting process for The Thing! In this tutorial, I’ll walk you through my approach to building a fan-art version of Ben Grimm in ZBrush, from the first blockout to the final polish. In this tutorial, you can keep your workflow clear, structured, and fun, perfect for practice, portfolio pieces, or just sharpening your sculpting skills.
https://www.pablander.academy/tutorials/making-the-thing-from-blockout-to-render

How to sculpt and texture a demonic bust in Blender and Substance 3D Painter

Creative Bloq

How to sculpt and texture a demonic bust in Blender and Substance 3D Painter
Build a fearsome character with artist Elena Leonteva.
https://www.creativebloq.com/3d/how-to-sculpt-and-texture-a-demonic-bust-in-blender-and-substance-3d-painter

Grumpy Goblin - Breakdown

Felipe Chaves

ArtStation - Grumpy Goblin - Breakdown
https://www.artstation.com/blogs/felipechaves/nWa7/grumpy-goblin-breakdown

📺 YOUTUBE

The Secret to Hand-Painted | Pixel Peeps Weston Reid

J Hill

Step-by-Step ZBrush Tutorial | Turning 2D Concepts into 3D Characters

Kaktusbaer

Full 3D Character Workflow Explained - Sculpting, Retopo & Textures

FlippedNormals

How to Create a Full Character in 3D - Workflow Explained

FlippedNormals

How Overwatch 2 Heroes Are Created

Water Overwatch 2

Every 3D Character Modelling Step Explained In 20 Minutes

Kenny Praise

Creating SpongeBob with Blender, Zbrush and Substance Painter

Outgang

Creating An ARCANE Style Character

Stu Lloyd (CG Stu)

The Complete AAA VIDEO GAME Character Art Pipeline

Jared Chavez

How to Make Game Character | Full Workflow

Art of Haf

The Full 3D Character Workflow Explained [BEGINNERS GUIDE]

Stylized Station

The ULTIMATE Guide to Creating 3D Characters in 2025

Stylized Station

How to Have More Fun Creating 3D Characters in Blender

CG Boost

How a Master Zbrush Artist Sculpts and Poses a Character -- with Marco Plouffe

Outgang

👨‍🎓 STANDALONE COURSES

PAID ($99)

The Making of Hellboy : Modeling & Posing

Evolving Studio

The Making of Hellboy : Modeling & Posing
The Making of Hellboy : Modeling & PosingThere are 3 parts of this series tutorials, which are: 1. Modeling, 2. Posing(include modeling process of needed parts that supports the posing) 3. Texturing&Rendering. This one includes the introduction of 1st and 2nd parts. In the 1st part, I will show you the modeling process of every part that achieve this Hellboy character. • 40 Hours HD Resolution Video Tutorials (2560 * 1440) • English Commentary In the 2nd part, I will show you the process to achieve this dynamic posing of Hellboy and all the needed parts to compose this scene. • 10 Hours HD Resolution Video Tutorials (2560 * 1440) • English Commentary Software using in this tutorial: • Zbrush • Modo • Blender • Marvelous Designer • Rizom UV Subscribe to Keep up with the Newest: https://www.youtube.com/c/EvolvingCG
https://evolving_studio.artstation.com/store/9mVR/the-making-of-hellboy-modeling-posing

PAID ($110)

AAA Game Character Creation | Step by Step Guide | Full Course

Hafez Yadollahi

ArtStation - AAA Game Character Creation | Step by Step Guide | Full Course | Tutorials
Tutorials - AAA Game Character Creation | Step by Step Guide | Full Course, USD $110.00. Welcome to AAA Game Character Creation Full CourseWhy should you take this course?The gaming and animation industry is now much...
https://www.artstation.com/marketplace/p/nDNNV/aaa-game-character-creation-step-by-step-guide-full-course

FREE

2D and 3D Character Design in Photoshop and Blender - Concept to Final Render

The Gnomon Workshop, Francesco Guarini

2D and 3D Character Design in Photoshop and Blender - Concept to Final Render
Learn how to develop a character concept from a rough sketch to a final render, using Blender for the 3D modeling and rendering and Photoshop for the final post-production work. This 3.5-hour workshop by art director and visual development artist Francesco Guarini is ideal for intermediate artists, though beginners can easily follow along and enjoy some Blender basics.The workflow demonstrated in this character-focused workshop covers the basic principles of character design in Photoshop and how to translate a design in 3D using Blender. Francesco discusses the importance of considering functionality during the design process and always being mindful of how your design will affect the modeling, rigging, and animation departments.This comprehensive tutorial is recommended for artists looking to incorporate Blender modeling into their character design workflow, though the techniques taught can be applied to any design workflow. Project files supplied with this workshop include Francesco’s design, model, and render files for subscribers to learn from.This workshop is designed for intermediate artists in character design, visual development, or 3D modeling who want to expand their skill set by integrating Blender into their creative workflow. It's also highly valuable for art directors and concept artists eager to understand the technical aspects of translating 2D designs into 3D models.Beginners interested in character development can follow along and build a strong foundation in both Blender basics and industry-standard design principles. Francesco’s comprehensive approach makes the workshop accessible to anyone looking to see how thoughtful design decisions impact downstream production departments such as modeling, rigging, and animation.By the end of this workshop, artists will have developed a character design workflow that seamlessly integrates 2D concept art with 3D modeling and rendering techniques.Project Files: FGU02_ProjectFiles.zip (11.74 MB)When artists download the project files, they will get access to Francesco Guarini's breakdown of character design sketches and full 3D renders of the character for reference. Inside the download, they’ll find: 3D renders (.jpg) – Renders of the character design in color and in black and white Character sketches (.jpg) - Rough sketches of the character design used to create the 3D model
https://www.artstation.com/learning/courses/3wj/2d-and-3d-character-design-in-photoshop-and-blender-concept-to-final-render/chapters/NWj2/introduction

FREE

Character Production

Dekogon Studios, Daniel S. Rodrigues

Character Production
Follow along with Senior 3D Character Artist Daniel S. Rodrigues as he demonstrates a real-world character art production scenario for games. Throughout the five videos in this series, you'll learn key skills like blockouts, high poly workflows, game resolutions, baking and texturing techniques, and more. By the end of the series, you'll be ready to finish, pose, and render your game-ready character.This Dekology learning series was created and produced by Dekogon Studios exclusively for ArtStation Learning.
https://www.artstation.com/learning/series/gon/character-production

FREE

Character Accessories Production

Dekogon Studios, Daniel S. Rodrigues

Character Accessories Production
Follow along as instructor Patrick Yeung demonstrates how you can create unique characters with detailed accessories. Over six courses, you'll move all the way from the first references to the final Unreal look dev and render.
https://www.artstation.com/learning/series/XjJ/character-accessories-production

FREE

Building an Original Character

Envar Studio, Pedro Krüger, meesh chen, Ilse Harting

Building an Original Character
In this exclusive series, Envar artists Ilse Harting, Pedro Krüger, and Meesh Chen take you through all the different steps of real-world character creation for games. Each of its four courses will cover a unique step in the character creation process while also demonstrating how artists across different disciplines collaborate together to bring a unified vision to life. At the end of this series, you (or your team) will be prepared to take rough a character idea through the initial concept phase, to a 3D game-ready character, and finally to a promotional illustration.
https://www.artstation.com/learning/series/64E/building-an-original-character

PAID ($129)

Creating a Souls Boss in ZBrush

FlippedNormals

Creating a Souls Boss in ZBrush
Creating a Souls Boss in ZBrush If you've ever played a Souls game and been awestruck by the world-building and designs, you've come to the right place! In this 18-hour course, the aim is to create a thematically similar character to those of the beloved Souls universe. Let's take a ZBrush journey together and explore
https://flippednormals.com/collections/courses/products/creating-souls-boss-zbrush

PAID ($129)

Advanced Characters for Game Cinematics

FlippedNormals, Ben Erdt

Advanced Character Creation with Ben Erdt
Advanced Character Creation with Ben Erdt Join senior Blizzard character artist Ben Erdt and learn to build advanced characters for game cinematics! You'll learn to analyse a concept sketch, sculpt your character in ZBrush, create materials in Painter, light and present your work, and much more. After completing the co
https://flippednormals.com/collections/courses/products/advanced-character-creation-with-ben-erdt

PAID ($69)

Majora: Stylized Character Sculpting

FlippedNormals

Stylized Character Sculpting in ZBrush - Majora & Skull Kid
Stylized Character Sculpting in ZBrush - Majora & Skull Kid In this 10 hour course, we will go through, step by step, how to create Skull Kid with Majora's Mask from the franchise The Legend of Zelda. You will be able to follow along with every step as nothing is skipped or time-lapsed. There's full commentary for
https://flippednormals.com/collections/courses/products/stylized-character-sculpting-in-zbrush-majora-skull-kid

PAID ($175)

Creating Creatures for Games

FlippedNormals

Creating Creatures for Games - The Complete Masterclass
Course Overview Duration: 50 Hours 30 Minutes Software: Blender, ZBrush, Marmoset Toolbag, Substance 3D Painter, Unreal Engine 5 Videos: 112 fully subtitled lessons Topics Covered: Creature sculpting, retopology, low-poly creation, topology optimization, UV mapping, UDIM workflows, baking, texture painting, hard-surfac
https://flippednormals.com/collections/courses/products/creating-creatures-for-games-the-complete-masterclass

PAID

Realistic Character Creation | Full 3D Tutorial Series

Realistic Character Creation | Full 3D Tutorial Series
Learn to Create Studio Quality Characters & Build a Professional Portfolio!
https://www.udemy.com/course/realistic-3d-character-creation/?referralCode=ABD9204236298AF91493

Workflow Write-up

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WORKFLOW

WORKFLOW

A mix of tips gathered from the resources listed before, and my own personal notes

1 - References & Sketches

  • Gather a LOT of references (separated between groups for each element)

  • If you're not matching a single reference, ideally have concept arts / sketches - with defined color palette and aesthetics

  • Ideally have a main reference to work from, concept or photo

  • Write notes with planning on details, information about the character, mood, story etc.

  • Sketches for front, side and top view

2 - Blockout

In Zbrush:

  • Create base shapes using separated primitives

  • Focus on silhouette and proportions

  • Add color as soon as possible

  • Separate clothing elements - as well as eyes - in different subtools for more control

Save backups as Tools! You can also load them up to use as a before and after comparison

3 - Primary shapes

  • Merge base shapes of connected parts (ex.: limbs to body) using Remesh by Union

  • Sculpt the broad masses.

OPTIONAL: Clothes in Marvelous Designer

  • Create patterns and simulate cloth over Primary Shapes avatar

  • Export clothes as .OBJ. Thin, Unweld, Quads

  • Zremesher in Zbrush

  • Sculpt memory folds, wear, and tear if needed (don't do this if you're going to do a animation on Marvelous later)

  • Separate character pieces in a way where each piece don't touch each other, to avoid issues when baking

4 - Secondary shapes

5 - Retopology

  • Manual Retopology for low poly model

  • Export highest subdivision model to Blender and do manual retopology (ex.: Retopoflow)

  • In retopology, final check for ngons

6 - UV Unwrapping

  • Add seams and unwrap

  • Seams on areas you want to separate for Substance Painter

7 - Tertiary shapes

  • Import low poly with UV's back to Zbrush

8 - Baking & Texturing

  • Create a new blank texture in Blender for each texture set (for separation in Substance Painter)

  • Separate character pieces in a way where each piece don't touch each other, to avoid issues when baking

  • Do the texture baking on Substance Painter using a high and low poly version of your model

Substance bake settings:

  • Iterate over your textures, and do tests on the render engine you're using. Do a first rough pass on textures, export to the target render engine

9 - Rigging & Weight Painting

10 - Posing

This thread will be constantly updating.

(Last updated: 07/09/2026)

🧰 OTHER RESOURCES
😺 NPR / ANIME LOOK
3D

Thundeer's Notes