Blender Concept Artist Ventures the Crossroads of VR Modeling and Character Creator

VR Modeling Concept Artist – Ace Carman

Ace Carman is a seasoned environment concept artist with over six years of professional VR modeling experience in the industry. After graduating from art school in California in 2018, he has worked on major projects like Call of Duty, all while carving out a unique artistic path. His entry into the art world came after transitioning from a military career in the Marines. 

Initially on track to become a history teacher, Ace was inspired by an influential illustration professor to pursue art, ultimately leading him to California and igniting his passion for digital painting and concept art. Currently, Ace is teaching an online course titled 3DD Exploration to Execution at Brainstorm, where he covers topics such as kit building, lighting, terrain creation, hard surface modeling, and VR modeling workflow incorporating Character Creator, Blender, ZBrush, Substaince Painter VR Modeler.

Ace first caught our attention on ArtStation due to his remarkable concept art piece, Acid Refineries. This work showcases his innovative use of Substance 3D Modeler and highlights his ability to seamlessly import assets into Blender. The coolest aspect of Ace’s process is his use of VR not only for environment modeling but also for creating characters, which he rigs in Character Creator (CC) to effortlessly pose them in Blender.

Ace’s Artstation

Embracing VR Modeling

From the start, Ace believed the shift from loose concepting to 3D creation presented major challenges, until he discovered the power of VR modeling. This approach allowed him to quickly block out entire scenes and refine models in a more intuitive way. It not only simplified working with organic shapes but also made it easy to integrate assets from sources like Megascans, enabling him to swiftly build landscapes and avoid the tedious task of editing mesh components.

Ace’s approach involves blocking landscapes on a simple cube in VR, exporting a Z-depth to terrain generation software, and achieving rapid results. He has also transitioned to using Adobe Substance VR Modeler, which has resolved many technical hurdles associated with virtual modeling.

Discovering Character Creator

Character Creator unexpectedly became a key part of his workflow. Frustrated by the tedious posing process in ZBrush, especially for armored characters, he sought an alternative. After exploring several options, he settled on Character Creator, being impressed by its accessory features. This tool enabled him to efficiently handle the hard surface physics, a crucial element in his character designs.

He called Character Creator a game-changer, saying, “It meant I didn’t have to navigate a complex character art pipeline in ZBrush. I could focus on the cool things I wanted, and Character Creator made it happen seamlessly“. This simplicity has made Character Creator an integral part of Ace’s workflow, easing many of the typical challenges in 3D modeling. Other plugin integrations include Headshot and SkinGen, helping to boost the realism and quality of his characters.

Integrating Character Creation with VR

Initially hesitant about modeling characters in VR, Ace took the plunge and created a character from scratch. He was pleasantly surprised by the efficiency and effectiveness of Character Creator during the rigging process; Noting that, despite being primarily an environment artist, the software made the process straightforward: “It worked easier than any other method I’ve tried”.

Ace appreciates CC accessory options, which allow him to incorporate armor, shoulder pads, and belts without mesh distortion. This feature has enhanced the quality of his character designs, providing him with a reliable platform for creating unique characters.

Ace Carman’s evolution as a 3D artist is marked by pivotal transitions, from traditional techniques to embracing cutting-edge tools like VR and Character Creator. His adaptability has boosted both efficiency and creative potential, showcasing how modern technology is reshaping the future of concept art.

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• Boosting Concept Art Workflow Efficiency for Blender