DVD Description:

3D Creature Development is a creative process that evolves a design by taking advantage of modern 3D tools and techniques. This Master Class introduces the student to the entire pipeline, while exploring form, looks and behavior. Along the way we focus on the experience of working on a project where our work must regularly be presented to an art director or client, while also keeping in mind that the workflow should allow for an iterative approach. This requires an emphasis on speed and efficiency. Projects are never done, they are due. You can tweak things forever, but in the end your work just needs to satisfy the demands of the project, client or specific shot that the work is being made for. With this in mind, all of my techniques are based on a workflow that allows me to spend as little, or as much time, as I have been given. For this creature project, the deadline was one day for each of the seven stages of development: Design, Modeling and UV Layout, Digital Sculpting, Look-Development, Texturing and Shaders, Rigging and Posing, Animation and Live-Action Integration.

Regarding the level of technical details we go into for each stage of development, this Master Class thoroughly discusses and demonstrates every single step with over twenty-five hours of lecture. However, there are certain assumptions that have to be made in regards to the student’s technical knowledge of the tools being used. This is an intermediate level course.

Topics Covered:

Alex Alvarez is the founder and president of the Gnomon School of Visual Effects in Hollywood, The Gnomon Workshop, Gnomon Gallery, SketchTheatre, Gnomon Studios and the president/CEO of CGchannel. Having dedicated over a decade to educating students and professional artists around the world, Alex has helped change the face of computer graphics and design education. He has been published in industry magazines, websites and books – plus he has taught courses at several major trade conferences. He continues to work on personal and professional projects, recently as a creature development artist on the James Cameron film Avatar and JJ Abram’s Star Trek. Prior to Gnomon, Alex worked for Alias|Wavefront as a consultant and trainer for studios in the Los Angeles area. Alex is an alumnus of the Art Center College of Design and the University of Pennsylvania, but would have gone to Gnomon if it was around at the time.

"Alex is a phenomenal teacher; although he’s very intimidating at first, his no-nonsense critiques are honest and encouraging. Taking his creature class at Gnomon was the perfect spring board into my career. By keeping the class and schedule demanding, we were forced to learn and create more than we ever imagined! The skills he taught and work ethic we practiced have served me well in my current job and I owe Alex so much for this."

Jessica Dru Johnson
Associate Cinematic Artist, Blizzard Entertainment

"Gone are the days of all-nighters and hooking myself up to an intravenous drip full of cheap coffee but boy, do I miss them. Alex’s Character Creation class was one of the most exhausting, exciting and rewarding experiences of my life. The demand for quality work in a limited time forced me to become a more efficient artist. It also forced me to progress a lot in a short period of time and gave me the chance to apply all of the tools and skills I’d spent the previous year and a half learning. One of the best things about the class is that it’s just like real production. It left me feeling well prepared when I entered the industry as a working professional. This class was simply invaluable."

Ryan Calloway
Model/Texture Artist, Industrial Light and Magic

"Alex’s creature class was a brutally intense exercise in creating the highest caliber work in the most ridiculously short deadlines. It was hellish… but I loved every minute. In the end, I had numerous demo reel pieces, a better artistic eye, and was tremendously faster. I highly recommend the class for anyone wanting to create their own fully realized 3D characters."

Nathan Boyd
Texture Painter, Rhythm and Hues Studios