I would like to create a 3D model of one of my characters. My problem is that outside of pencil and paper, I've not idea how to do such a thing. I currently possess a copy of DAZ, Blender and Anim8tor. I've played around with DAZ's tutorial, but still haven't achieved my goal of designing a character and creating that character from barebones to near-realistic (and plausible) flesh on my computer. DAZ shows me how to import a pre-made figure, which is good, but I want to create my own character. I'm also looking to do a bit of animation of these characters. Nothing fancy, just experimenting. I like Anim8tor for this. Can any one walk me through the process of creating a character from scratch. Or can anyone direct me to an ultra-basic tutorial. Most of the ones I've come across are good, but they assume you assume you have a pre-made figure. I want to have complete and absolute control over my character's attributes, like size, shape, skin tone, etc. I love to draw, but I'd love even more to transpose those drawings into a 3D image. Cheers!!

You might want to check out the MakeHuman Project. It has come a long way and helps to do a lot of the things that you are refering to.

That being said, there is no all encompassing tutorial for everything that you're trying to do. You can check the tutorials thread for bits and pieces of it though.

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Original post by zer0wolf You might want to check out the MakeHuman Project. It has come a long way and helps to do a lot of the things that you are refering to. That being said, there is no all encompassing tutorial for everything that you're trying to do. You can check the tutorials thread for bits and pieces of it though.

That is so awesome. The makehair project looks wicked too. Nice find.

What if posted "I really want to be able to paint like David. Can you show me a tutorial? I have a paintbrush, oil paint, and canvas already."
To which you'd probably reply "You aren't able to paint like David overnight by looking at a tutorial. It takes years and years of study and hard work to approach that level."
See what I'm getting at?

Having a background in 2D art will undoubtedly make you a better 3D artist. However, the techniques, process, and skills for creating realistic characters is the pinnacle of 3D artists, and not something even David could simply learn from a tutorial.

That said, a good place for tutorials is www.3dtotal.com and www.3dpalace.com. I don't think either have Blender-specific tutorials, but most quality character artists aren't using Blender. However, since character modelling is mostly 'extrude, shape, split, shape,' you should be able to apply the techniques to any program.

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Original post by Professor420 What if posted "I really want to be able to paint like David. Can you show me a tutorial? I have a paintbrush, oil paint, and canvas already." To which you'd probably reply "You aren't able to paint like David overnight by looking at a tutorial. It takes years and years of study and hard work to approach that level." See what I'm getting at? Having a background in 2D art will undoubtedly make you a better 3D artist. However, the techniques, process, and skills for creating realistic characters is the pinnacle of 3D artists, and not something even David could simply learn from a tutorial. That said, a good place for tutorials is www.3dtotal.com and www.3dpalace.com. I don't think either have Blender-specific tutorials, but most quality character artists aren't using Blender. However, since character modelling is mostly 'extrude, shape, split, shape,' you should be able to apply the techniques to any program.

yeah... everything you just said is th first thoughts that entered my mind when reading his post...
to the op, pracice modeling in blender and perhpas a year or so from now you'll be very good at creating humans.... but its not going to happen overnight. if it were that easy i would be a "master" 3d artist by now ;)