Crafting a Detailed Ancient Book with Maya & Substance 3D

Introduction

Hello, everyone. My name is Oleg. At school, I got a disk with 3ds Max, and I realized that this is exactly what I wanted to do, and I started to delve into 3D in 2018 with my first job.

I was born in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Now, I am a refugee because of the war, and I was forced to leave my hometown. I am a Software Engineer by education. This helped me gain insights into various aspects of the process, not only from the 3D side.

Since school, I have positioned myself as a person with a mathematical mindset, but my creative side screamed and said that this was not my thing. As a hobby, I was interested in sports and music. I was surrounded by creative people who introduced me to art.

At the university, I took 3D courses, where I began to study the 3D processes, from visualization to games. With the development of technology, six months after completing the courses, I had to learn everything again and adjust to the modern realities of the industry.

At my first job, I made various orders for 3D printing, props, environments, characters, and animation. Over time, I realized that I was most attracted to environment art and props for game pipeline development and started looking for a job in this direction. 

My first serious project and responsibility came when I volunteered to be the leader of the team without any skills or experience because someone had to do it. Having gained experience in management, I realized that first of all I needed to develop as a 3D Artist. That's what my next job gave me, because I had already done the entire pipeline from the idea to the customization of all materials in Unreal Engine.

In this project, I aimed to grow as an artist by enhancing my strengths and working on my weaknesses. On ArtStation, there are a few works with books. Also, I would like to thank Serhii Leichenko for the inspiration. That's why my eye fell on a book. This object contains a lot of different materials and they all had to be combined so that they didn't stand out.

Modeling

For modeling and searching for shapes, I used Maya. First of all, I wanted to find shapes that would interest me, so I added different combinations with and without the pendant and some other things for the concept. In blocking, the concept took up most of the time. I would return to it or change it as I went along.

I wanted to show that the skin has layers and thickness, so on the high poly, I exaggerated the lower layer of the skin that could be damaged or visually displayed.

At the sculpting stage, I also changed or added something because I lacked realism or the book looked boring. I didn't see this project as a game-ready asset, so I decided to use UDIMs and work with large texel, where I could manipulate small details on the texture. I had a lot of polygons in general. To create UVs, I used Rizom. Each of the maps of each object was 4K in size.

Texturing

When texturing, I was also looking for some new ideas that I would like to realize. I thought that if it were an open book, it would be great to create some kind of mystery and peculiarity. Thus, I created the concept of the pages. I used a language that I created myself. Unfortunately, you can see only a part of this work on the pages. Maybe in some of my next works, I will use my alphabet.

The art of texturing represents the pinnacle of my creative process. During this stage, I can fully dedicate myself to perfecting each subtle nuance. I've developed a methodical approach: beginning with foundational surface treatments, then layering in medium-scale elements, before finally adding delicate details. This creates a natural progression that keeps both the process and the final result engaging.

I started setting up my Substance 3D Painter project and used a UDIM workflow. I like to use Studio Tomoco HDRIs for work because they help me visualize the roughness values better.

I started with the cover, which I divided into two main materials: corduroy and leather. This helped me work with each material separately. Then, I added different shades, cracks, dirt, etc. 

I also paid attention to the general appearance of the textures and could drag the sliders for a long time. And if you saw two pictures, you would not see the difference. I wanted to achieve a perfect picture so much.

Attention to detail is an important stage of texturing everywhere. Let me show you an example of metal. At first, I made a base where I already had information about what kind of metal it was and the beginning of corrosion.

The next stage was to age the metal, where each layer in the texture added more and more years to the material.

In the end, I got an antique metal that gives the impression that this corrosion was formed for decades.

Rendering

I did the rendering in Marmoset Toolbag. The main light was from a studio HDRI card. Additional light sources were directed to create additional shadows or highlights. Already at the rendering stage, I added spider webs to enhance the project's visual interest and give it a more antique feel.

Summary

In my experience, I recommend seeking topics that ignite your personal passion, curiosity and drive to explore, analyze, and innovate. Consider focusing on unique subjects or unexplored areas that can intrigue your audience. When you're genuinely passionate about your work, your enthusiasm naturally resonates with others.

The biggest obstacle I faced was the texturing process, as well as creating a coherent project where every detail would be integral to the overall picture. Setting achievable milestones proved instrumental in maintaining steady progress.

While this project taught me countless lessons, the most valuable realization was embracing the challenges ahead, understanding that setbacks aren't truly failures – they're stepping stones that ultimately lead you toward achieving your aspirations in the long run.

My best suggestion would be to proceed at your own pace and avoid rushing. True learning requires time and patience – it can't be hurried. Throughout this project, I encountered various challenges, but giving myself space to reflect and start fresh allowed me to learn from each mistake.

I encourage you to become part of supportive artistic communities and seek guidance from experienced mentors. Share your ongoing work openly, and welcome their insights and constructive criticism while maintaining your own high standards. Being able to process and apply feedback effectively is essential in this field. I regularly sought input from both peers and friends, carefully considering their suggestions to improve my work.

Thank you for reading it.

Oleg Yurchenko, 3D Artist