Want to learn what everyone else is doing right now? Here are the top 5 training titles in The Gnomon Workshop library this month, as decided by our subscribers.

 

We’ve run the numbers and counted up the views to discover what everyone is watching on The Gnomon Workshop right now. Among the top 5 list are two introductory titles — a great place to start if you’re new to the library. Find out what’s number one below as we count down the most-watched training titles this month — and remember, you can get started with a free trial if you’re not already subscribed.

 

 

5. Facial Animation for Feature Animated Films — Animating Stylized Facial Expressions with Victor Navone

 

Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Cars, Toy Story 3, Brave, The Good Dinosaur, Coco, and Onward (plus even more, honestly), there is no doubt why Victor Navone’s award-winning talents have landed him in our top 5 most-watched list this month. His workshop is a must for anyone looking to learn how to animate a character shot from start to finish.

 

Packed with tips, insights, guidelines — and featuring Victor’s essential tools for creating appealing, feature-quality facial performances for CG-animated characters — this 3-hour workshop for Maya offers a unique opportunity to learn direct from an award-winning animator (did we mention he won a VES Award for his work on WALL-E?). Simply watch, enjoy, and apply all your new-found knowledge to your own animations. And if you’re not quite ready to animate your own facial performance yet, you’ll equally enjoy watching Victor’s process from warm-ups to finishing touches — while fantasizing about what it’s like working at Pixar.

 

Watch the trailer:

 

 

 

4. Creating a Fantasy Creature — 3D Character Creation in ZBrush and Maya with Babak Bina

 

One of our most recent releases, this 4-plus hour character creation title by Babak Bina breaks down his complete 3D character creation process, from sketch to final render. With over a decade of experience creating characters for blockbusters, he reveals his methods for creating portfolio-worthy 3D characters using ZBrush, Maya, and V-Ray to render, walking viewers through the modeling, texturing, shading, and rendering across 9 detailed chapters.

 

Babak is a Senior 3D Generalist, Character Artist, and Filmmaker living and working in Vancouver, Canada, with VFX credits including Game of Thrones, Star Trek Beyond, Avengers: Infinity War, Black Panther, Wonder Woman, and Alice Through the Looking Glass. Add to that his award-winning short film, “The Seahorse Trainer,” that he co-directed and co-wrote last year, and it’s clear Babak is an artist with many talents. His popular tutorial is aimed at artists with knowledge of ZBrush and Maya, but is also an excellent choice for those that just want to see what a character workflow is like, from concept to final presentation.

 

Here’s the trailer:

 

 

 

3. Creating Procedural Environments in Houdini — with Wojtek Piwowarczyk

 

If you thought the scene below was a photograph, we wouldn’t blame you. Wojtek Piwowarczyk’s workshop is an incredible insight into how artists can create 3D environments entirely using Houdini, the industry-standard animation tool created by SideFX. This powerful production tool makes light work of procedural environment creation — when you know how. Luckily, Wojtek reveals the entire process, explaining all the advantages of using a non-destructive workflow in Houdini along the way.

 

This is 8 hours of video training that might just revolutionize the way you create 3D environments. You’ll learn how to expertly structure a project from the initial block-out and lighting setup, through professional terrain-generation techniques and how to scatter vegetation, to the procedural modeling of architecture and setting up complex shaders. What’s more, Wojtek’s thought processes — from solving technical problems to high-level art direction — give additional skillful insights into how a professional artist tackles a project in the fast-paced film, TV, and game cinematic industry. Ready to learn something new today?

 

Check out the trailer:

 

 

 

2. Introduction to Maya 2019 — Interface and Workflow with Eric Keller

 

While The Gnomon Workshop is famed for creating high-end training and showcasing techniques for professional artists, some of our most-watched videos are in fact our introductory titles. Introduction to Maya 2019 by Eric Keller is a whopping 11 hours of instruction dedicated to those getting started in this industry-prefered 3D package.

 

Not only is this one of the most-viewed tutorials this month, but Eric is also one of our most popular instructors at The Gnomon Workshop, making this workshop an all-round winner if you’re new to the library and looking for a place to jump on in. So, whether you’re new to 3D software, migrating from another 3D application, or just want to see the best tools and features in Maya 2019, Eric has got you covered.

 

Enjoy the trailer:

 

 

 

1. Introduction to ZBrush 2020 — with Madeleine Spencer

 

Leading the charge this month is Maddie Spencer’s Introduction to ZBrush 2020 — which, at 21 hours of the most comprehensive video training for ZBrush you can find, is more than enough reason for it’s Number One position in our what-everyone’s-watching list. We’re talking 54 chapters of everything you need to know. The workshop even features a quickstart tutorial for those completely new to the digital-sculpting tool, so if you’re a beginner that’s looking to get started in ZBrush and wanting to break through the grey-sphere fear, this workshop will do exactly that.

 

There is so much to know about ZBrush, including customization, hotkeys, sculpting tools and techniques, 3D alphas, custom brushes, insert multi mesh, array mesh, nanomesh, Vector Displacement brushes, 3D painting, rendering, how to use LightCaps — and Maddie covers it all, plus even more. Not only is this great for beginners, it’s also a perfect refresher for those that want to get up to speed or just learn a specific feature. The chapters are helpfully broken down so you can find exactly what you’re looking for, quick-smart.

 

If you ever needed an excuse to join The Gnomon Workshop, this, right here, could be it:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking for more recommendations?

 

The following workshops make up the rest of our top 10 most-watched list in The Gnomon Workshop library this month, covering everything from stylized character creation to Houdini effects and hard-surface vehicle modeling. Plus, you can browse the full catalog of content here.

 

• • Creating a Stylized Female Character — The Making of Lyn-Z with Crystal Bretz
• • Introduction to Houdini 17 — with Robby Branham
• • Natural Environment Creation Techniques — Clarisse, Houdini, and Terragen Training with Alessandro Cangelosi 
• • Unreal Engine Complete Material System Overview — Fundamental and Advanced Techniques with Charleston Silverman 
• • Vehicle Modeling for Production — with James Schauf

 

 

 

Stay tuned! Eric Keller and Maddie Spencer are working on new workshop titles coming really, really soon! Be sure to sign up to our newsletter and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for all the latest release notifications.

 

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