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Omar Hesham: 3D character artist interview

3D character artist Omar Hesham has a variety of workflows depending on his goal, and offers insights and inspirations...

Omar's Facebook

3dtotal

Tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you, what do you do, and where are you located?

Omar

My name is Omar Hesham and I'm a 3D character artist. I specialize in character and creature art. My main passion is modeling/sculpting, texturing, and look-dev. I am currently working at Pixomondo in Los Angeles.

I originally started learning CG back in 2009 and was experimenting with basic modeling and rendering. Later on a friend showed me ZBrush which got me really excited to learn digital sculpting. That led to an interest in trying to create CG characters and creatures. I was always fascinated by them in various media. At that point I decided to pursue learning CG and to make it my career.

Tracker. Based on a concept by Terryl Whitlatch

Tracker. Based on a concept by Terryl Whitlatch

3dtotal

Tell us about your art: your style, themes, genre, and some of the favorite projects you have worked on.

Omar

Whenever a great concept art catches my eye, I always save it and build up a collection of potential 3D projects. My choices lately were either creatures or stylized characters. I primarily work from designs by concept artists but I also find the time to do simple sketches of my own here and there when inspiration strikes. I tend to not include those in my portfolio though as they are intended just for practice. Keeping only finished pieces in my portfolio usually has the best impact and presentation.

Some of my favorite projects Ive worked on recently have to be the Tracker and Prince John. With those I got to hit many goals I set out to achieve and I am happy with how they turned out. The challenge with Tracker was to nail how grotesque the creature is with all its details and also translate it to 3D in a believable way.

Rendered in Arnold. Hair created with Xgen

Rendered in Arnold. Hair created with Xgen

For Prince John, it was to get his silhouette to read properly with all the accessories he has. The posing was an interesting challenge as well as getting his expression to read correctly which was a big part of his appeal. Other than personal work, many of my favorite projects are ones I have done at work and in freelance, and I can't wait to share them!

Prince John. Based on a concept by Hong SoonSang

Prince John. Based on a concept by Hong SoonSang

3dtotal

Can you describe your typical workflow, and the software/hardware you normally use when creating your artwork?

Omar

I primarily work with these tools: ZBrush and Maya for sculpting and modeling. I jump back and forth between them using a script called Styx by Daniel Molnar which I found to be superior to the more common GoZ ZBrush plugin. This fast menu-less export/import workflow allows me to quickly use the best of both softwares and greatly speeds up my workflow.

For Retopology and UVing I use Maya. In version 2017 and later ones, Maya has become really efficient and powerful in these two tasks and I find no need for an external app anymore.

I texture my models mainly in Substance Painter. I also use ZBrush polypaint when suitable since the ZBrush speed of interaction is the fastest, especially with big soft brushes. I used this combination of Substance Painter and ZBrush for texturing on the Tracker creature. A big chunk of the color maps were done in ZBrush polypaint, but then I combined that with a lot of the procedural texturing tools in Substance Painter that rely on baked mesh maps coming from the high res model. Mari is also a good choice for doing this style of work especially when it comes to photo based projection.

Game resolution model presented in Marmoset Toolbag 3

Game resolution model presented in Marmoset Toolbag 3

I use Marvelous Designer in production to get a good base for clothes. It is a really amazing software and I am continuing to learn how to get the clothes simulation closer to the final desired look before exporting in order to minimize the time needed for fold sculpting in ZBrush. Even though some editing is still necessary.

For real-time hair, I do hair card placement in ZBrush with an IMM Brush and manual editing in Maya. For pre rendered hair, I use Xgen for Maya. I am starting to consider using Xgen to generate hair cards for real-time too, and not just the rendered texture of the cards.

For rendering, if I am doing something pre rendered for film/animation, I use Arnold for my personal projects while I use V-Ray at work. Both achieve similar results, but having Arnold built into Maya now is a big case for preferring it at home recently.

I also work in real time art for games in my freelance work as well as having done so in previous jobs. I am currently working with Unreal Engine 4 and starting to prefer the feel of its lighting over Marmoset Toolbag which I have used in many of the pieces in my portfolio so far. I still use both however, but I found Unreal Engine to have nicer post processing and light quality. Results may vary depending on the model in question of course. There is a model I'm working on now that has a lot of fur cards, and I was very surprised how much better it looks in UE4. It's still always good to test both. You never want to miss out on a quality boost

3dtotal

What inspires you?

Omar

I am always inspired by the endless amazing work I see featured on 3dtotal and ArtStation. Id say the collective art community inspires me as a whole. Many of the recent advancements in the CG world has been really incredible. Seeing breakdown reels from many studios creating great work always inspires me.

Looking at concept art is also really inspiring. One of the highest points is deciding to start making a character based on a concept design I selected. Looking at similar characters that were successfully realized in 3D by many great artists is also a big part of what keeps me inspired.

3dtotal

How do you keep your portfolio up-to-date? Any tips?

Omar

Keeping a portfolio up to date is always a challenge especially next to a 45-hour work week. Trying to stay motivated to finish something can usually take longer than expected. Also, going through moments of lack of interest in a portfolio project and starting to work on a new one can be really wasteful in terms of time. That way nothing gets finished.

Staying focused is the thing. I try to do the most and at least get an hour of work on a portfolio project every day or two. There shouldnt be a week passing without working on the goal of finishing a piece for my portfolio. I try my best to stick to that. My biggest tip is to work on one personal project at a time and take it to completion. Also to start deleting old work from your portfolio and make space for the new.

This is the hardest thing to do but it has helped me a lot in the past especially when it comes to getting jobs. I am now thinking of which piece to delete when I upload my portfolio with the newest character. It is worth it for the overall presentation.

Warrior 13. Based on a concept by Chabe Escalante

Warrior 13. Based on a concept by Chabe Escalante

3dtotal

Who are your favorite artists, traditional or digital, and can you explain why?

Omar

  • My favorite artists can be anyone from the biggest names as well as less known artists. Here are some of the names that come to mind, even though the list is endless of course. Ill also explain why I picked them.
  • Samuel Poirier. (I love the naturalism in his work especiallyin anatomy. Really unique ideas too. He is also pushing VR sculpting as a legitimate medium. True innovative artist in many ways)
  • Pedro Conti. (Some of the best stylized art that is rendered realistically. I really love this combination style, especially his Pirate character)
  • Kris Costa. (He always pushes the boundary. His portraits are some of the best, especially in skin and shading. He also does a lot of testing to achieve the traditional clay look in 3D which I think he nails perfectly)
  • Yuuki Morita. (Out of this world creatures that are done at the highest quality. I can look at his work for hours)
  • Eugene Fokin. (He makes some of the most natural and believable female faces in the industry)
  • Mariano Steiner. (He redefines what it means to be a digital artist. He is folding the traditional fine art sculpture aesthetic back into digital art)
  • OccultArt. (A mysterious artist that creatures really polished beasts with a distinct style)
  • Brett Sinclair. (Some of the best busts and skin shading. His details are next level too)
  • James W Cain. (A living master sculptor. A really stand out presentation style especially with lighting)
  • Tim Moreels. (His work is some of the best in stylized. His Zameen model is one of my favorites in this Overwatch style. I think he is the first person not working for Blizzard at the time to match that style)
Game resolution model presented in Marmoset Toolbag 3

Game resolution model presented in Marmoset Toolbag 3

3dtotal

What can we expect to see from you next?

Omar

I will be finishing up a new character soon and continuing to update my portfolio with what Ive been working on recently at home and at work. Stay tuned! I am always aiming to have my portfolio demonstrate the ability to do both the stylized and realistic styles and in both industries, film and games. I seek to be able to work with any of these combinations. I have a passion for it all and I will continue to strive towards that goal.

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