The ULTIMATE Guide to Creating 3D Characters in 2025

[@learningthief]

"...but if a thing is humanly possible, consider it to be within your reach." Marcus Aurelius

[@jjcymbolic]

"Start with Stylized characters." Perfect! Because that's exactly what I want to work on.

[@LamiaLover]

That's what I'm going for too!

[@BlueKnight931]

While character modelling isn't impossible it is hard to learn.

[@mosesmathias7708]

It's actually not hard, what's hard is the software

[@luluskuy]

@@mosesmathias7708 bro, I can use the software and still cant make Anime model, software mastery and modelling mastery is different skills.

[@mosesmathias7708]

@@luluskuy yeah it's different, I've been using blender for 3yrs, and I am still learning new things about the app, especially blender nodes. I guess what I'm trying to say is modelling just needs basic knowledge of the 3d software. Once you can do basic intrution and extrusion, you can make most characters

[@doubleoart07]

@@mosesmathias7708to be fair, some people learn faster/slower/differently than others. I couldn’t learn this because how my brain works…

[@EyeofKoruption]

We need to dumb it down…

[@TheHustler245]

Im 33 years old and wanted to get into game development as a kid and got put off by familiy members. I started casually doing 3d modelling around 24 in thes skyrim era, I created one mod, a weapon and armour and honestly it was awful but it was my first thing so was to be expected, but it felt awesome to make something and release it. I then didnt carry on with it regularly like I should have, I did a couple of other things here and there but nothing that grew my skills by any amount. I am now sat here with Blender open on my main monitor with this on my other and its inspiring to see, I'm currently working on an outfit for Fallout 4 (Main reason for making mods is to have an end goal to "get the thing somewhere it can be used") and I'm probably not doing well, its taking me a long time, Im making it manually (as in not sculpting) but using modifiers to help me along the way (Shrinkwrap my beloved) and I honestly just want to make something good but I'm the type of person who frustratingly can never be happy with what I've made, its one of if not my worst chrachter traits and that gets me so disheartened with learning. But I want to try and keep pursuing it, I'd be lying if I said I wasnt overwhelmed with the amount of options and multitude of ways things can go wrong. But I'll keep trying.

[@Ivan-gs2vw]

Reading this makes me want to try making models now

[@Kanbarusu]

Keep going wishing you success

[@MaMastoast]

Never being satisfied is a common trait in skilled craftsmen/artists, dont worry. Instead of feeling discouraged by never being satisfied, try to use it as a driving force to propel you forward. Dont try to be entirely satisfied, but always try to be better. Its a great idea to work towards a goal. Do you ever share your progress with people around you with similar skills? Feedback can be essential in noticing some of your own blindspots.

[@TheHustler245]

@MaMastoast it may be a common trait with skilled artists but I don't know if I'm skilled 😂 I have 512 hours in blender according to steam and I still feel like the most novice of a 3d modeler that I could be. A large problem there is that I'm mostly self taught, that very first thing I made I just went in and kept beating my head against the wall until I got what I wanted. I do however now try to educate myself better from people who do know. I never did the doughnut until I was 350 hours or so deep haha. Worst part about never being happy with my work is if I'm not careful I can fall in the trap of never finishing something, I've luckily avoided that so far. I have a friend who knows more and is better at modeling than me, who I share stuff with. I've tried sharing my work other places to get more varied feedback however it's normally met with little to no response. I know some areas I'm weak in are maintaining good edgeflows and especially UV unwrapping.

[@MaMastoast]

@@TheHustler245 My point was more that you shouldn't think that having that attitude towards your own work has to be a bad thing, it can be turned to be a good thing instead. Yea, just throwing things out on the web probably wont get you much feedback, it's better to ask people directly so they understand that you are looking for feedback.

[@redtwintails]

15:12 man you had the best setup for a pun: "its easier than it seams"

[@MaMastoast]

I would recommend people try to create fairly realistic proportions for their first many characters. It may be discouraging, but having the excuse of being "stylised" is a dangerous hole to get trapped in and may result in you not actually learning some of the things you should be learning. The people who make popular stylised characters usually have a decent understanding of anatomy, that is how they know which parts to exaggerate and how to do it. If you go in blind you risk the character simply looking odd instead of stylised. I'm not saying you should aim for the most ultra realistic character, because that will not happen for a long time, but try to actually understand why things look how they look and try to capture the essence of that puzzle. Took me years to actually sit down and understand the size of eyeballs because I could get away with winging it.

[@XioriannaEBDjinn]

This. Unskilled/weak design is going to show through, will show through even more obviously if you use "stabilization" as an excuse. Stylizing a design requires just as much understanding of fundamentals and your tools as realism.

[@thevirtualcraftsman2326]

I agree. You have to first learn the rules before you break them.

[@hexbunn]

I'd argue that you should have this down even before opening a 3d modeling software. Teaching yourself these basic rules in 2d before hoping into 3d translates pretty well

[@philledzone]

I'm not even motivated enough to draw characters on paper 💀

[@jlitodelcid326]

You are literally me

[@redtwintails]

Likely its not motivation, its that you fear its not going to be good enough so your brain tells you to not do it.

[@warlocko5168]

The big problem for me was starting to sculpt without knowing anything about anatomy, I had to start with basic blocking of spheres.

[@Phoenix-sq9ce]

i havent seen your videos in a while, they have improved!

[@user-fv2os6jz5z]

I see Brig it’s a 10/10 video !💪🏼

[@EtaCarinaPhenixsChannel]

By far the best guide I’ve found so far on this process

[@itmeCLaD]

My guy is 2 steps ahead (2 months) before 2025

[@Cadmean_7]

For that intro alone you got me subscribed

[@Griot-Guild]

this is good stuff dude, on the level of the legendary donut video almost

[@LuluDZulu]

its not impossible but its extremely disproportionate, time consuming, and demands an intimidating level of personal risk and exposure.

[@StylizedStation]

As does any pursuit of self discovery 💅

[@doubleoart07]

@@StylizedStationyeah but at least with drawing, all you really need is pencil and paper

[@blackyonbi]

​@@doubleoart07 And you think you'll get far with just pencil and paper , brother ? Any artistic pursuit is hard AF independent of what you want to achieve. Also , when it comes to 3d modeling , in professional environments , you won't be doing " Everything" and you'll mostly be doing only one thing before passing it to someone else to continue. I laugh at thou comment Look " hah !"

[@doubleoart07]

@@blackyonbi ok? Idgaf bruh. Why you being an asshole to a random comment 😒

[@j1nxxj9]

@@doubleoart07 with modelling, all you need is a free program lol

[@nero3773]

Keeping the poly-count low is my biggest issue.... Wonderful video to get into the topic.

[@sodathejunker]

As a millennial animator who got to see the full evolution and hellscape character modeling and rigging has endured over the years, I have to say we live in a phenomenal time currently. Right now it is the perfect blend of commercially available, easy to learn, and visually appealing to both game developers and traditional animators. All the people with the highest competency and skillset to utilize it are finally at a point where they can actually desire to sculpt and model 3D at a high enough level graphically to bring their visions to life, and shaders have evolved in a way to finally let those artists put their initial visions to the screen unhindered by limitations of polycounts and depth of field.

[@D0d_]

I feel like character modeling requires a PHD in anatomy. Seems so daunting to me.

[@sinistarman]

I do alot of free form sculpting, but I really wanna get better at concepting. thank you for making this video.

[@Ghost_ou]

Retopology has been my Achilles heel, i really have to start focusing on it.

[@smeltgamer]

Could you change the video title as the video honestly contains alot of great info that i havent seen anywhere else explained in such a compact and suberp manner!

[@smeltgamer]

Thanks for changing it! So more people will click it as its genuinely helpful

[@sweetchocolate7113]

It's because of your suggestion I clicked on the title lmao thank you this was helpful.

[@darinker]

what is music 5:00?

[@wazabey1730]

Character Modelling can be crazy fun! And then you struggle with the textures, because you either have no experience in coloring or just not enough :P

[@samwinchester3201]

the problem is, when you cant even draw something what could look like a character or something else you already need a lot of time to get into this - for me its for example easier to start directly in the software

[@Chu_the_Master]

I see that we can buy motions online! (I'm not in the industry; I'm just interested in watching these techs occasionally) Really good for those who are good at modelling but do not have many ideas of character movements/motions

[@Take22952]

>Anby in thumbnail Yes

[@thanosthegod4406]

everything looks simple in tutorial but deep down its hard to do that especially topology.

[@Specter_1125]

It’s hard until it isn’t, which I know isn’t helpful, but it’s the same as any other art. You just gotta practice it well until you have it down without needing to think too much about it.

[@leucome]

More like... It take too long. My 2 cents, spend your time on learning anatomy. A good looking character with bad topology still look better than a ugly mutant with good topology.

[@MrKarthik911]

​@@leucomewhen it's time to animate that's when bad topology will bite you in the ass

[@TechCarnivore1]

Your "Become a 3D Artist" link isn't working. 404

[@StylizedStation]

Fixed, thank you!

[@Lotussss]

Good video!

[@paulblart5358]

Keep in mind the Japanese saying 'rules and guides are for begginers. Experts build above the rules.'

[@Arthur-xr1vk]

Well, I do manage to model a basic human body mesh, tho. I learned how to use Face Sets, they're extremely useful.

[@jaye6612]

Thomas did a face reaveal!!!? thi really is a timeskip!

[@zehijean8817]

just bought the course...i am a dev but i do art too ...i guess it is never too late to start

[@Kyur.]

I'm sure it wouldn't be hard as soon as you get started learning and having fun in the process.

[@grey9704]

What was shown at 17:34? The wiggly leg rig?

[@srjavih5929]

Could I learn to model/design 3D characters without touching the sculpture? being more than anything a total control over the polygons since the blocking began? My PC is bad and can only hold on low poly/mid poly models

[@StylizedStation]

Yeah of course, you can make low poly models.

[@MaMastoast]

If you are looking to primarily do box modelling, which is what you are describing, that is entirely possible, and you dont have to only make cartoonish stuff either. The main thing here, is that character models, in most art styles, typically involve some kind of sculpting, so unless you are okay with learning the art of painting your own toonish/stylised texture, I would advice against it. If you are cool with a more hand painted look, you can absolutely get away with low poly characters. Instead, I would recommend hard surface objects. Swords, phonebooths, guns, small sci fi gadgets are often all done without sculpting, even on a production level. The more "modern" an object is, the less you will lose by not sculpting anything. A sword will often benefit from sculpting where as a gun probably wont.

[@Bexit3D]

7:34 damn that major landmark

[@Farcaller]

How do you set up the material to make it look like the world normal (at 7:38)? It looks way more like how Substance draws the world normals and not how blender does it.

[@Hutorch]

That's one of Blenders matcaps! Just click on the arrow in the upper right with the standard non rendered view, choose matcap and then it's in the list

[@jbomber4416]

is the course a one time purchase or a subscription

[@StylizedStation]

One purchase, own it for life!

[@jbomber4416]

@@StylizedStation sick

[@thirafihirzi4221]

ooohh, 3d artist version of marc brunettte

[@BreezyDefrag]

Awesome video, I have always wanted to get into character modeling back when V-Tuber's became a big deal, but it was always sooo daunting. I want to ask a question when it comes to the Concepting phase. as it is supposed to be the exploration phase of design... how do you keep yourself from working on a concept and then turning it into a 'final piece' I have tried a number of times to do basic concept pieces but I always end up getting locked into an early design and I lose out on a lot of that exploration factor... usually leading to a more underwhelming end result... if it even makes it that far... I also stuggle with not sticking to something for very long... Maybe it's ADHD or something... never been officially diagnosed, which in it's own right REALLY kills my development... I start on something and then leave it for a bit taking a break as suggested by some other creators I have watched. But usually during that break I often start something else and don't come back... then when I finally happen upon it somewhere on my computer... I feel a bit bummed out because I can't muster the energy I had when I first started it to continue the project and then ultimately delete it all together... I think it is similar to the idea of 'Out of Sight, Out of Mind', which this bums be out because it is yet another project that I didn't complete.

[@GrumpyGillsFishing]

I’d much rather sculpt…. My computer says nope. I gotta keep it low poly lol

[@GrumpyGillsFishing]

Ohhhh. Retopology huh? I suppose I should look into that lol

[@hotel_arcadia]

0:57 🗿

[@TheBeanMan263]

man is a time traveler

[@jchave7]

I spy my model in this video! 🕵🏽‍♂️😂

[@SkipaJenkins]

Ayyy Jared is here :>

[@carlomdlf]

im watching after the title change haha, it was more interesting to me somehow

[@angeloco6443]

One thing i am still confused by is the mesh process. What is the process of going from the blocking to the final mesh. Is the final mesh just one mesh or are the different body parts still separate meshes. Retopologizing the blocked pieces leaves a ton of topology unused and not visible within the character. In the retopology stage does that include combining the meshes into a single mesh for the character? Are the clothes then part of the single mesh?

[@paluxyl.8682]

There is one thing that I don't understand, why does not all 3d programs like Blender or ZBrush come already with premade realistic and stylized human models (templates) that everybody can use for all purposes, that are royality free and can be adjusted ? The same could be with animal shapes, it could save a lot time. I mean, no one make spheres or cubes every time from scratch in a 3d program ... the same could be with bodies too.

[@Levi_Zacharias]

Buy a base mesh. Support the artists that learned what you want to skip

[@redtwintails]

Zbrush does and you can get blender kit which has some. Other than that create it and re-use it, or look around and you'll find it.

[@paluxyl.8682]

@@redtwintails Thanks. :)

[@neetkun5331]

It's posible to learn but very hard to master 😢

[@CunnyVirus]

I did design my torso and face back in 2017 but all of the plane face is inverted and Idk how to invert them to normal. also I dont touch any of the menu I just did model lmao (the menu is spacex air conditioner control interface.)

[@RoboThePanda]

I LOVE YOU MR.STATION (within reason of course)

[@RoboThePanda]

watching this as a 7 year 3d artist who knows all this stuff but all station videos must be watched

[@ThisIsntme-v7u]

Great video! I'm curious what is the fight scene at 17:35 from?

[@DevJeremi]

I hate sculpting only good old Modeling with tricks and modifiers.

[@telvin1k773]

This is an amazing video only 2 mins in

[@WeaselpopTTV]

What should I use to make animations and stuff like he does in his video's.

[@cosmog618]

This isn't the character that I want to make.

[@DragonRTS]

So we need to watch this video on 2025

[@kyle-carpio]

Does The Character Artist's Handbook course includes an actual PDF/E-Book handbook when you purchase the course beside the online videos?

[@StylizedStation]

No, each lesson comes with a set of detailed instructions though. Not a bad idea!

[@kyle-carpio]

@ Doesn’t it seem like a mis-leading title to call it a ‘Handbook’? Not trying to be rude or anything but a reason I asked if it included is because I like to access a handbook for reference when there is an area I can find in the chapters I bookmark. Sure, I could do the same on the videos but I prefer a quicker access to them.

[@edgyboy6962]

Feels like it’s the same as last year 😭

[@DevJeremi]

about concepting so for example I can do 3D easy, but draw 2D is very hard for me.

[@MeltyVampire]

Disappointed it's a course but I get it. I'm just sour because last time I paid for a course i found the same course uploaded on KZbin for free and was told "Well no refunds but you'll get help if you email me." Course it's worrying also whether this course will just be a "copy what I do" instead of actual teaching. So much of blender tutorials are that and when asking another youtuber about this he said "Well I can't just show you all my secrets." But still painted his work as teaching. So I'm just worried.

[@NaderVaderYT]

ikr its very infruetating trying to learn all this stuff tbh I just have been asking chatgpt stuff and its been a bit more helpful, but I def would prefer a better course yk?

[@MeltyVampire]

@@NaderVaderYT Yeah definitely.

[@shadowthesagegod]

Can you do the same in dreams ps4/ps5 reminder you can play it on pc

[@shadowgodssj3686]

Christmas everything bundle deal?

[@FrozenInIce]

why did you put anime when you model generic fortnite character? cause both of them have completely different modelling styles cause you edit normals for the anime models to look like 2d from every angle that is anime viable.

[@oregano2771]

I miss the old logo

[@Detective_Jones]

concord should take notes

[@Chaoscurse]

FACTS 🔥

[@LamiaLover]

Yup. Concord felt like amateur hour ngl.

[@certilremy]

At 2:32 you simply mention the app, and only display the logo, pretending everyone should know about it. For me it’s the first time I heard about it, I don’t know the correct orthograph to look for it on google, I even check your description to see if you will probably add the link or the name of the apps you mentioned in the video, sadly it’s only about promotion. Next time please add the name of the app with the logo, you can ignore the logo but please again not the name of the app.

[@qingofwands8452]

pureref, chill out

[@owlrecord7533]

Calm down wtf lmao

[@nvdrori]

guys, i dont think its 2025... 😅

[@MegablasterMan1]

Yes it is... 😊

[@patscz18]

now it is

[@MinecraftsDarkest1]

I’m so early 🙌 thanks for high quality

[@readytopay6969]

Good thing I got this awesome tool called a phone, with high resolution camera and myself! Pfft it’s not like I will be the only character that resembles a human in my video game 🥴

[@ShadowBrave21]

I CANT BELIEVE I WASN'T SUBSCRIBED

[@cool_blox3877]

bro is in da future

[@NaderVaderYT]

I often Wonder, why not make the topology good to begin with, couldn't you of just modelled the basic forms in such a way, that they look how you want without needing to go back over it again with retopo? now with highly realistic stuff its more obvious but anything more stylized not so much.

[@DevJeremi]

Ha! With just modeling and subdivision modifier and you don't need retopo, old modeling is better than sculpting. Also I hate realistic charater they are just boring.

[@riiveyt]

Title says 2025, bros from future.

[@KhyrisEidan]

Who was the first to say "Class is in session" you or Marc Brunet? I guess you're the 3d Marc Brunet xD

[@dilayyilmaz4254]

Greetings Your pricing policy is very cruel because 49 dollars is not 49 dollars everywhere in the world. In some countries where inflation and purchasing power is horrible, it is not affordable.

[@takotenjin]

Aaaand my brain is fried. Maybe I'm too dumb for this one.

[@MadnessRealm]

Just a heads up, your link for "Become a 3D Artist" goes to a 404 error page.

[@ArcVoid]

shout out to my vrchat homies watching this

[@Juliano-v]

Please Udemy courses!

[@HOOVY_tf2]

No cooking onley bakeing

[@WagudCode]

Alright, I never animated in my life. I can't draw besides 8 bit pixel images (sorta). I just code. I just want to make spongebob and post a video saying, "I make the Krabby Patty" like its a smash victory screen.

[@Tadano404]

Aight let's go and make 3D po-

[@thelegendarypoglin]

my girl anby in the thumbnail

[@Inksans_ts]

it's not impossible if someone has done it

[@Shining4Dawn]

Everything was too broad and a lot of things seem to be poorly researched and surface level. For one, when texturing, Blender's node based system can be used to establish layers and there are free plugins for Blender, like ucupaint, that provide an alternative to the node based system and let the artist use layers for texturing, just like in Substance Painter. Of course, Substance Painter has a lot of other features not even discussed in this video. Also, the pipeline process in this video is presented like it's the only way to create 3D characters but the order of things can drastically change. Some people don't want to invest in a graphic tablet or simply don't want to practice 3D sculpting. It's definitely possible to create a character using poly-modeling from start to finish. It just requires being mindful of topology from the beginning. Other artists will never draw the character in two dimensions and will instead start at the blocking phase.

[@techies_gaming8091]

IT IS POSSIBLE BUT NEED A LOT OF TIME TO PRACTICE. CASE CLOSED!

[@Veritanky]

Which is pretty much any skill in the world 😂

[@Bonobonolo]

It's hard to listen to the video, sometimes the voice sounds very harsh. Man, try using a compressor for the voice or don't push too hard.

[@paperclip6377]

From what ive seen, yes.

[@mehiloll]

“In 2025” Damn I gotta wait 51 more days 😔

[@Lost枯れた花]

00:03, thanks for the answer. I'm done with the video! (jk)

[@Pherretfish]

No if anything its nore abudant then ever. Imo it seems like 2d is appearing less and less especially frame by frame animation for 2d.

[@Giantpenguin]

I know the basics of 3d, I can model objects, I can rig and animate, but character modeling is just a bridge too far for me so far.

[@StylizedStation]

That's exactly why we made our course - I wanted to give people a bridge so they could go from just knowing the basics to being able to create something tangible

[@UnityGamer2077]

There is something in the world called "Character Creator", you can use it to customize a character that fits 80% of your idea. then you can "Modeling" by "Retopologizing" and slightly modify it to fit the remaining 20% idea. when the main model is done, you just model the rest of the accessories.

[@StylizedStation]

Yes, that is a great shortcut for a base model, but knowing how to create your own is crucial for your artistic growth. 😇

[@5Dionata5]

It exists, but it doesn't even remotely solve the problem. If it did, professionals would no longer be needed to create characters.

[@neozyykun]

If you don't dont learn anatomy your sculpts will look bad. Period. A base mesh won't help with anything other than speeding up the process for people who already know what they're doing

[@roachey]

I personally get a greater sense of accomplishment If I do it from scratch.

[@vadimmartianov9816]

And also you do not own characters created this way in full sense, so be carefull.

[@Kurell171]

Now that your saying it, i think character modelling is impossible. Think about it. When was the last you saw a real character in a videogame? Probably never

[@robo1540]

anbyyyyy :p yaaay oh also the video is good too

[@VillainViran]

Just please guys don't overdesign lmao

[@riesterial]

Anby :>

[@Saddler-vq3yx]

Rigging is a must too, even if you re not an animator.