Design and Modeling of a 3D Sci-Fi Ship

Beyond the ships that Tesla or NASA may be developing today, in the world of science fiction there are thousands of vehicles both in video games and in movies, which stand out for their level of detail and design realism. Juan Noveletto—3D artist and concept artist—specializes in the creation of science fiction characters and vehicles. Recognized for his work on the video games Master of Orion, Element Space, and Injustice 2, as well as the movie The Vast of Night, in this online course he teaches you his professional process so that you can make your 3D sci-fi ship a reality.

Learn the workflow and professional tools that Juan Camilo uses to develop a futuristic 3D vehicle, with a realism and a cinematographic look that will surprise any viewer.

Start by getting to know Juan Novelletto, his work as a 3D artist and concept artist, the most representative projects in the creation of futuristic vehicles, and his main sources of inspiration including artists, movies, books, and music.

Create the 2D sketch of different ideas in Photoshop, in a simple and fast way, using nature, pieces by other artists, and vehicles from the real world as inspiration. In addition, Juan Camilo shows you the best way to organize your references so that you can easily decide what to choose from each of them.

Next, go from 2D to 3D by creating the main volumes of your sci-fi ship in ZBrush, using primarily the ZModeler tool. Then work with other more plastic tools to achieve much more interesting and original shapes. During the process, switch from ZBrush to Maya several times to correct and refine errors that may arise during this modeling phase.

Next, add the secondary and tertiary volumes to give the final shape to your ship. Juan Camilo teaches you the Kitbashing technique to give your work a more realistic level of detail. Finish off this phase by adding the Alphas in ZBrush.

Once in Maya, learn how to use all of the subdivision levels created in ZBrush to create a low topology, and a quick method for generating UV coordinates. Next, transfer your model to Substance Painter to apply the final textures to your futuristic ship.

Wrap things up by doing several renders of the ship with Marmoset Toolbag. Use background images to give it a context and make some small adjustments in Photoshop, and your images are finally ready for your portfolio!

Design, model, and render a sci-fi vehicle to obtain several images for your portfolio.

Designers, illustrators, and anyone interested in creating futuristic vehicles for different projects such as video games, movies, or commercials, among other things.

To take this course, you need basic knowledge of Photoshop, ZBrush, and Maya.

For materials, you need a computer installed with Photoshop, ZBrush, Maya, Substance Painter, and Marmoset Toolbag, as well as a graphics tablet.