Winner Choose: Creating Standout 3D Character with Methodical Artistry

Kurt Boutilier takes second place within the “Greatest Design Styled” class of the Reallusion 2024 3D Character Contest. He shares insights and strategies on how he introduced his award-winning piece, “Avice,” to life by synergizing the strengths of Character Creator, ZBrush, and Substance Painter.
Kurt Boutilier
With over 20 years of expertise as a contract 3D artist, Kurt has labored on a variety of initiatives, from video video games and toys to 3D-printed miniatures. For the previous eight years, his focus has shifted primarily to 3D printing, a medium he considers his “past love”. Along with his skilled work, Kurt repeatedly participates in artwork contests, viewing them as worthwhile alternatives for development and collaboration throughout the inventive neighborhood.

Idea
Avice was impressed by Kurt’s admiration for the robust feminine characters in The Dragon Prince. Desperate to push his boundaries, he embraced the stylized aesthetic, stepping exterior his regular method. “The competition gave me a chance to work in a method I don’t usually do”, he explains. Her design got here collectively swiftly after the preliminary thumbnail sketches, with Avice’s daring but female look reflecting Kurt’s dedication to infuse a mix of power and beauty into her character.

Creation Course of
Kurt started through the use of Character Creator 4 (CC4) to dam out Avice’s base mesh, drastically lowering the time wanted in comparison with sculpting solely from scratch in ZBrush. He then exported the bottom mesh to ZBrush, the place he targeted on refining Avice’s look and sculpting her intricate outfit.


With the modeling full, Kurt used Autodesk Maya to put out UVs for Avice’s outfit and different components. He textured the character in Adobe Substance Painter, mixing stylized and semi-realistic textures to complement her design. Lastly, Avice was posed and rendered in Maya utilizing Arnold.

Why Character Creator 4
For Kurt, CC4 was invaluable within the early levels of making Avice. “CC4 permits me to dam out the bottom mesh of a personality rapidly with out having to spend hours increase kinds and a silhouette from scratch in ZBrush”, he explains. Past preliminary creation, CC4 additionally enabled him to pose Avice effectively, sustaining her robust but female essence.
The combination between CC4 and ZBrush was one other spotlight for Kurt. “The best way I can go from CC4 to ZBrush effortlessly from a base mesh to a completed sculpt is a big time saver”, he says. Moreover, AccuRIG proved instrumental in refining poses, offering a fast and intuitive resolution in comparison with the time-intensive changes in ZBrush.


Overcoming Challenges
Essentially the most difficult facet of the competition for Kurt was posing Avice in a means that balanced her power and femininity. Nevertheless, he discovered that the competition pushed him to develop as an artist, each by way of attempting new kinds and enhancing his abilities. “Contests like this assist artists of all ranges enhance and problem themselves”, he displays.
Trying Ahead
Kurt’s ardour for 3D printing continues to gasoline his inventive ambitions. His subsequent goal is to create a group of printable miniatures, a long-held thought he’s wanting to convey to life. He additionally plans to discover idea work additional, specializing in character design and illustration.
For Kurt, contests just like the 2024 Reallusion 3D Character Contest are greater than competitions—they’re platforms to attach with fellow artists, experiment with new kinds, and push inventive boundaries.
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