This is a Maya character modeling tutorial, but the techniques are applicable to any 3d software package. I create a character base mesh from start to finish in Maya – the tutorial focuses on constructing a simple model with proper topology that is suitable for sculpting. Continue reading Maya Character Modeling Tutorial
All posts by James Taylor
Mudbox Sculpting Tutorial – ‘Butler’
Another quick Mudbox sculpting tutorial video.
Continue reading Mudbox Sculpting Tutorial – ‘Butler’
Why you need a touch graphics tablet
If you don’t already have one, now is the time to get a touch graphics tablet for sculpting and painting. Continue reading Why you need a touch graphics tablet
How to Create Tiling Textures
Knowing how to create tiling textures is a must-have skill for video game environment artists. I’ve created a video that reveals texture techniques I learned when working in the game industry. Continue reading How to Create Tiling Textures
Borderlands style texture creation
Ever wondered how to reverse-engineer the art that goes into AAA games? Follow along as I describe my process
UPDATE 7/22/2014:
I’ve created a video version of the tutorial! Check it out!! Continue reading Borderlands style texture creation
Maya UV Unwrapping tutorial
Creating texture coordinates is one of the more difficult aspects of the 3D pipeline to wrap our heads around. Here I lay out my process for properly UVing a character model.
Continue reading Maya UV Unwrapping tutorial
The artist, not the tool.
Many 3D artists – and many of my students – are making a critical assumption about the nature of their art. Unfortunately, this assumption is absolutely fatal to an artist’s career in the long run! Continue reading The artist, not the tool.
Welcome to MethodJ.com
I’m James Taylor!
I’m currently teaching 3D art at the university level. Before that, I worked in the video game industry for nearly 10 years, where I worked on at least 23 different games. I’ve done web design and traditional animation, too! I keyframed stuff that ended up on MTV’s Liquid Television.
All told, I’ve got almost 20 years of professional experience doing this kind of thing. Put in another way, I first used Maya when it was still called Power Animator, and if you can believe it, it was even less user-friendly than it is now.
In my position I see a lot of students, a lot of art, and a lot of portfolios. Through the years I’ve seen the same mistakes cropping up again and again. Continue reading Welcome to MethodJ.com