Wouldn't it be an idea to open a pinned thread in which users could suggest things/ topics they would like to learn more about? There propably would be a huge variety of ideas and a course takes some time but it might be helpful for instructors to see if a large amount of users want to learn more about a specific topic. I for example would love to learn more about creating game assets (similar to the weapon course) or how to build an atual scene full of assets. Also a course on how to create an interior visualization and use textures and lighting to make it look as photorealistic as possible (similar to the architectual visualization course) would be awesome.
Just an idea on how the website could be improved.
svetimas There's currently work on a rigging course going on at the moment, which I'm fairly certain is using Blender 2.8, but I won't say more than that.
I totally agree with all the people that requested a realistic skin tutorial!
But I would also like to see, if possible, another tutorial by Bartek Skorupa ! Not to say that the regular CGCookie teachers are not the best, just that he has such great knowledge about colour and what comes with that...
And for Kent, more Shader Forge please; could you do something like food, for instance procedural cake, or cornflakes? I've tried it, and I'm convinced it's possible, but I just can't get it to look believable;)
I suggest having an additional section without having to use Adobe Photoshop. Possibly use Gimp instead. Not everyone can afford Adobe Photoshop.
For example, I like the course about building modular game assets. But the part about texture creation (Chapter 2) requires me to buy adobe photo shop, it would be great to have an alternative section where I could just use GIMP instead.
I am just curious, but are the shader forge courses being expanded on still? I think it would be great to have a branch of shader forge dedicated to rock creations. Slate, Shale, Limestone, Coquina, and Sandstone all standout as uniquely different looking rock forms that would be pretty awesome for the course.
Is this even something worth doing anymore or is it just better to use material houses like Poliigon and hope for the best that they come up with something we would like to use?
If there's courses that require Adobe Photo Shop, probably have a G.I.M.P. alternative section for those who can't use Adobe Photoshop, because gimp doesn't cost anything.
~INSIGHTS REQUESTED!~ (I might switch to a new thread if things go out of hand with tons of answer 😁 )
I've seen several requests in this thread and in the community forum about learning more about python, and I'm curious to know the motivations behind this, because most of the time the request seems -to me at least- a bit vague.
For those of you who raised interest in learning python, is there something specif you have in mind ? Is it the basis of programming you would like to learn ? Generating simple macros and script to avoid repetitive tasks ? Create your own add on from scratch?
To me, the current content available on CGC (see this course, this one and this one) combined with external -free- resources (and when it comes to programming there's plenty!) are quite solid. In addition, the recent tutorial from Jonathan Lampel is a very good introduction to getting the right mindset and methodology for such tasks.
I'm interested in your opinion ! What do you feel like is missing or needed ? Don't hesitate to be specific!
tbrbn I want to know about the bpy modules and what each of them are for, as well as other Blender operations translated into Python.
I'm wondering why all the game based tutorials offered here are mostly recommending the Unity engine but not the Unreal Engine. I would like to see there some more options within the tutorials so that I'm not determined to one game engine.
E.g. what do I have to note if I want to create assets which can be used in both engines?
What I already know is that both engines do use a different API (Unity/Blender = OpenGL, UE4 = DirectX).
I also would like to get teached in how to optimally organize and name asset folders/assets/textures/materials etc. if I want to use different LODs (e.g. 4 LODs) or if I want to have multiple texture sets for one asset.
Should I use namings/suffixes/prefixes etc. like sm_asset_1_new_lod0, t_asset_1_used_a_lod0_base, m_asset_1_used_a_color_1 or is there a more efficient way and how should I achieve this when I use high- and low poly meshes for texturing/baking them within Substance Painter?
jgonzalez I would like an in-depth course on Scriptable Render Pipeline (SRP), and with that I mean about the two ready to go versions being Light Weight Render Pipeline (LWRP) and High Definition Render Pipeline (HDRP).
How to set it up? And how does post processing work for these? (I do know it's different than before...).
And what special stuff can you do with it, what are the possibilities? I've seen a tutorial with LWRP where you can make it so you see a shadow when a character walks behind an object (if you have say a topside view game camera) so you never loose sight of it, but I'm sure that's just the tip of the iceberg!
I am also interested in how to create something that looks like The Heretic, which was super beautiful and used HDRP.
I also would like a course on Rigging Robot Characters for Games (Unity).
I know there's a Rigging Bootcamp in the works, but I don't know if Rigging for Games will be covered... A character like the FPS Robot by @theluthier is a special blend between Robot (mechanical) and Human (biped). Mechanical parts are usually easy to rig, but the Human aspect of it makes this Character more challenging.., Also game engines usually require a certain structure & naming convention, at least for biped.
So I would like to learn how to best rig such a Robot Humanlike Character, so it may work with existing animation packs you can buy from the Unity Asset Store.
I want to learn everything about Rigging for Games 😊
ssmurfmier1985 The render pipelines don't really do anything specific, they're essentially just special setups for graphics. LWRP is meant for VR and Mobile platforms. HDRP is meant for higher end graphics, so a lot of stuff in the background is optimized for either better performance or better visuals. That said, a lot of new tools Unity has are available only if you use these pipelines.
For example the Shader Graph system is available in HDRP and LWRP. The VFX Graph I believe is only available in HDRP. Post processing is technically available in either pipeline and in traditional 3d projects, but you'll need to install a package for it in either case.
I believe the effect you were describing about the shadows is a silhouette shader and something that can be created without either pipeline. I haven't tried it with the Shader Graph, but it's something that can be taught. In which case if we did create it with Shader Graph then we would need the LWRP or HDRP.
I am interested in creating high end realtime scenes and for that I'd use HDRP along with some really high quality assets and textures. Lighting in HDRP is something I still have to figure out as it tends to be a bit confusing compared to the traditional setup.
ssmurfmier1985 Jonathan Lampel will be publishing a course soon on rigged a weapon which I believe will be quite valuable for rigging mechanical parts. The robot is something I'd like to see made into a course. We already have a fully rigged robot, but maybe going through a course on rigging it from scratch with the aim of making it game friendly would be nice to see. Maybe Lampel can work on that if he's up to it. The character itself isn't really all that complex, so I don't foresee him having any unique mechanical parts.
I would be interested in adding some unique effects to him like custom "screen" shaders for his head or damage effects . Something to look into further. Definitely would like to work more with the robot, seems like he got forgotten.
jgonzalez I'm interested in creating high end real time scenes too! Would be great to do something with Lampels modular sci-fi scene assets those are high quality., use those to build a nice scene with make everything look nice with HDRP. Would be an awesome project to learn lighting and post processing with, and maybe VFX graph too?
Would also be a good start for finally getting a scene level for that unfinished FPS game you've guys started 😉 Especially when combined with a course on creating a Character Controller and such with the robot character 😊
ssmurfmier1985 Actually that would be a great starting scene to work with, so I'll look into it. It also has a rig as well, so it would be a fun project that introduces most of what was already taught, just transferring it over to Unity. Anytime we can "bridge the gap" between Blender content and Unity content we'll do that first, especially if they "feed off" each other.
jgonzalez I found the tutorial I saw about the silhouette again. It’s a custom rendering feature, so you use LWRP but you add your own rendering effect. You do use shader graph to create the look of it, but you add it as a rendering feature of LWRP to make it work.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=szsWx9IQVDI
I also found a video explaining a little bit how post processing with HDRP works. It no longer supports the post processing pack you normally would use for traditional projects... it uses build in functions that are only available for HDRP, in the video they refer to it as the “post processing stack”.
I would love to see a course on common game environment art techniques that aren’t really covered yet on CG Cookie, stuff like:
ssmurfmier1985 Definitely something I'm more interested in the more I work on game asset creation. Texturing and being efficient with those textures is an area I'd really love to dive into more. There's a ton of stuff we can dive into with game art, not just creating something that looks great but that is also performant enough to run in real time and look great.
jgonzalez I think you might enjoy this 6 part YouTube series about the workflow for designing and creating a game environment, from grey boxing to AAA end result (I sure did, very insightful!).
He also has a video about trimsheets, which is a great introduction to it. Super common technique to get great looking assets while retaining great performance!
Hope you enjoy 😊
I know arch viz is not a area of focus for CG Cookie, but I think a small course going over a simple arch viz scene, how to build off of schematics, building design, etc in blender 2.8 with Eevee would be pretty awesome!
falker They already have one. https://cgcookie.com/course/interior-architectural-vizualization