Introduction to character modeling

After making some videos related to character design back in 2022, the creator has always wanted to become a better character designer. His game development passion has grown over recent years and he is always willing to provide more value with character design in Blender. This is the creator’s message when it comes to character modeling:

To begin character creation, I usually do some research. I have quickly realized that robots are my big interest and I enjoy making robotic characters. The early project that gave me idea to name my website / channel with the name “Kozmobot” was called Cosmic Robots. After doing a quick review of my early character drawings, I found something that is similar to this sketch. I did many drawings before getting the final look.

3D Character Modeling requires multiple stages, so this is just the first stage of a complex process.

Modeling vs Sculpting

Character creation is a long process since it requires good knowledge in color theory and anatomy. When you have a reference image, you can move to the next step: choosing technique for character design.

There are many ways to make characters. You can make a single model by extruding, but some people will prefer making a character from separate models. You can try both sculpting and modeling techniques, but if you feel sculpting is easier, you can keep it as your primary technique that will help you build a more organic and realistic look of your desired character.

Sculpting is more about details and number of vertices, but modeling is about retopology and making a much better topology that will be animation-friendly.

Cube modeling tips

If a cube is your primary model for 3D modeling, the thing you might notice is that Mirror tool is not very practical. You would need to scale and extrude, which can take much more time. For that reason, a Mirror modifier is a recommendation, because I personally use it and I save a lot of time in getting a more organic look of a game-ready character.

In order to make a good mirrored model, use box selection tool in Blender, but make sure to turn on wireframe selection mode. Now you can add Mirror modifier.

Problems with modeling

Mirror modifier sometimes does not work as expected; it is not always ideal. What I actually mean is that some creases appear in your model, simply because the mirrored vertices or edges are not positioned at 0 location. To fix that, open the right panel and find Location. If the number of the X value is slightly bigger, fix it by typing 0.