Since the origin of 3D graphics, designers attempts to create photo-realistic imagery. Although achieving genuine-looking graphics is a difficult challenge, some artists manage to achieve extraordinary results. Photorealism opens up new ways for creativity and innovation.

In this collection we bring you some of the inspiring semi-photorealistic 3D cartoon characters from various artists across the globe. You’ll find famous cartoon characters, movie stars, celebrities and original characters alike, so dig in and make sure to check out the artists’ portfolios for more goodies!

Beautiful Semi-Photorealistic 3D Cartoon Characters

Vladimir by Fred Bastide

Mz. Crabapple by Tony Mesiatowsky

Untitled by Richard Rosenman

Jennifer by Jonathan Simard

#empty by Anthony Guebels

Couchepin by Fred Bastide

Mr T by Lee Davies

Stan Winston Tribute by Krishnamurti Costa

Animator Guy by Krishnamurti Costa

Thomas, the Plumber by Krishnamurti Costa

Thom Yorke caricature by Andrew Hickinbottom

Will smith by Mrpeculiar

Gordon ramsay by Mrpeculiar

Patrick Star by Brushcommander

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There are many ways to create a marker in Adobe Illustrator, but this might be one of the quickest. It only takes three paths, some text for the imprint and a 3D effect to create a semi-realistic and freely rotatable marker. So let’s get started!

Final Image Preview

Want access to the full Vector Source files and downloadable copies of every tutorial, including this one? Join Vector Plus for just 9$ a month.

Tutorial Details

• Program: Adobe Illustrator CS3
• Difficulty: Beginner
• Estimated Completion Time: 30 minutes

Below is the final image we will be working towards.

Step 1

Use the Pen Tool (P) to draw the following path. You will need it for the marker itself as well as for its cap. Set the Width to approximately 5 mm and the Height to approximately 12 mm.

Step 2

Use the Convert Anchor Point Tool (Shift + C) to round the two corners as seen below.

Step 3

Duplicate your path (drag it to the side while pressing the Alt key). Then use the Direct Selection Tool (A), select the two lower Anchor Points of the duplicated path and stretch the shape to a Length of approximately 70 mm.

Step 4

Use the Pen Tool (P) to draw the tip of the marker. The Height is approximately 20 mm. Select both elements of the marker and group them (Command + G).

Step 5

Select the cap (the first path), place it next to the tip of the marker and flip it horizontally (Object > Transform > Mirror).

Step 6

Select the Add Anchor Points Tool (+) and add two new Anchor Points to the path: one at the left side and one at the top. Then use the Direct Selection Tool (A) to move the upper-left Anchor Point as seen below.

Step 7

Remove all outlines and fill the shaft of your marker with a light gray (K=10) and the tip and cap with red.

Step 8

Use a black and bold Sans-serif font for the text of the imprint. You could even add additional elements like a barcode if you want. Placing it vertically and adjusting its size at this stage is useful.

Step 9

Group (Command + G) all elements of the imprint and drag and drop it into the Symbols Palette to create a new symbol.

Continue Learning…

In this tutorial we’ll use illustrators 3D tool to create text with depth. We’ll give the letters personality by placing them at angles and choosing a fun font. We’ll add a crazy rabbit character and unify all the colors as we add simple shading. Lastly, we’ll give this fun logo a sticker effect. We cover quite a bit of ground in this tutorial, so fire up Illustrator and let’s begin!

Final Image Preview

Below is the final image we will be working towards. Want access to the full Vector Source files and downloadable copies of every tutorial, including this one? Join Vector Plus for just 9$ a month.

Tutorial Details

• Program: Adobe illustrator CS4
• Difficulty: Intermediate
• Estimated Completion Time: 1.5 hours

Step 1

Let’s open a new document in Illustrator (File > New) and select the size "Letter" (but you can choose any size you want). I used the RGB color mode for this one but if you want to use it for printing you should choose CMYK.

Step 2

We will start with the 3D looking font. First, find a nice font (In this tutorial I use Lamebrain BRK, then be sure to have enough space between each letter (I used 100 here), and go to Type > Create Outlines.

Step 3

Take the dot on the "i" away by using the Direct Selection Tool and add a stroke to the text. Be sure to select Round Cap and Round Join in the stroke box to get a smoother effect.

Step 4

Select the text and go to Path > Outline Stroke.

Step 5

Then go to Object > Ungroup. Select one of the letters and click Unite in the Pathfinder box. Do the same for each letter.

Step 6

To get a nice cartoon effect, you can select each letter and move, rotate, and scale a bit.

Step 7

It’s time now to make the 3D effect. I changed the color of the text to red so it’s will be easier to see the 3D effect on them. Select a letter and go to Effect > 3D > Extrude & Bevel.

Step 8

In the 3D Extrude & Bevel panel, check the Preview option and choose an Extrude Depth (I used the default). Then you can move the box to get the angle you want. You can also change the perspective. do the same for each letter and change the angle a bit for each one.

Step 9

For each letter done, select it and go to Object > Expand Appearance.

Step 10

You will see some white space between the shapes, but don’t worry, we are going to take it away. Select a letter and hit Shift + Command + G (Object > Ungroup) twice. Then select only the front shape of the letter (ex. the light red "C") and make a copy (Command + C).

Select the whole letter, including the front shape, and add a small stroke (0,5) with the Round Cap and Round Join selected. Go to Object > Path > Outline Stroke, open the Pathfinder box, and click on Unite. When those steps are done, paste the front shape’s copy back on top (Command + F). You need to do the same for each letter again.

Step 11

You now have your 3D effect! I changed the color of the shapes before the red made me crazy.

Step 12

Remember that we deleted the dot on the "i" previously? Let’s create a nice red star using the Star Tool!

Step 13

Repeat Steps 7 to 10 to get it in 3D and then change the colors.

Step 14

Now add a black stroke to the text. Select everything, copy (Command + C) and paste it to the back (Command + B). Click on Unite in the Pathfinder box.

Step 15

Add a black 10 pt stroke!

Step 16

Go to Object > Path > Outline Stroke and click on Unite in the Pathfinder box.

Step 17

Double-click on the black shape to get into it and create a shape to cover every part left in white.

Step 18

Select the black shape and the new one and click on "Unite" in the Pathfinder box. Double-click outside of the shape, to get back to the text.

Step 19

To add some effect to the text, create some round shapes.

Step 20

Select the front letters in the text and click on Unite in the Pathfinder box. Make a copy of the shape in front (Command + C and Command + F). Select that shape and the round one (in green) and click on Intersect in the Pathfinder box, while holding Alt. Then click on Expand. Do the same with the star.

Continue Learning…

In this tutorial I’ll show you how to create a shiny planet icon using the 3D features of Photoshop CS3 Extended or CS4 Extended. This will cover basic information about 3D layers and texture maps. Let’s get started!

Final Image Preview

Take a look at the image we’ll be creating. Want access to the full PSD files and downloadable copies of every tutorial, including this one? Join Psd Plus for just $9/month. You can view the final image preview below.

Step 1

Create a new document which is 1000 pixels wide and 500 pixels high at a resolution of 300 pixels/inch, with a name of "Home."

Step 2

We’ll be using some texture for our planet. You can get the diffuse texture from planetpixelemporium.com. Download the "color map" image from the site and place it as a new layer into your document. Rename this layer as "Earth."

Step 3

Now go to 3D > New Shape From Layer > Sphere. This will wrap the layer around a sphere and this is going to be the base layer of our planet illustration.

Step 4

The "Earth" layer is now a 3D layer and a cube icon is displayed in the Layers Palette. You can interact with a 3D model in a 3D layer in Photoshop. You can rotate and move the model or change the position of the camera in 3D space using the 3D tools in the Toolbox.

Step 5

Grab the 3D Rotation Tool, click on the canvas, hold and drag to rotate the sphere and adjust it as you wish. Holding down the Alt or Shift keys will restrict the rotation axis.

Step 6

The edges of the sphere look aliased at the moment. First we’re going to fix it. Go to the Layers palette and double-click the little cube icon in the "Earth" layer to bring up the 3D Palette. Here you can make several adjustments to the 3D layer. Make sure the "Scene" is selected in the upper list and set Anti-Alias to Best. This will fix the edges.

Step 7

Now click on the Global Ambient Color box and set the color to R:100, G:100, B:100 and hit OK. This will change the ambient color to a brighter one.

Step 8

We’ll now add a bump map to our planet. First download the "bump map" from planetpixelemporium.com and save the image to your desktop. Now go to the 3D Palette. Go to Sphere_Material and click the Edit the Bump Texture button and chose Load Texture. Select the file you have just downloaded. The "earthbump1k.jpg" file is a grayscale file and the lighter areas in this image will be bumped in our 3D sphere. We also want our planet to be glossy, so set the Glossiness to 100%.

Step 9

In the 3D Palette you’ll see that there are three lights. These are the default Photoshop scene lights. Now we’ll change their types, colors and positions. First select the "Infinite Light 1" and change it’s Color to R:150, G:150, and B:150. Now select the "Infinite Light 2" and set it’s type to Point so that we can change it’s position. Change it’s Color to r:180, G:180, and B:180.

You can change the position of the light in the 3D scene using the Slide the Light and Drag the Light Tools in the 3D Palette. Position the gloss effect on the sphere using these tools. Now select "Infinite Light 3," set it’s type to Point as well and set it’s Color to R:130, G:130, and B:130.

Step 10

"Infinite Light 3" is placed somewhere under the sphere. Since we’re going to put the sphere on a surface and add some drop shadow later on, we just don’t want any lights below it. So place the light above the sphere using the Slide and Drag Tools.

Step 11

Now we’ll make the clouds around the planet. Go to the Layers Palette, duplicate the "Earth" layer and name it "Clouds." Open the 3D properties panel for the "Clouds" layer. Select Sphere_Material in the upper list. Click the Edit the Diffuse Texture button and select Remove Texture. This will unload the existing texture map, and the Diffuse Color will determine how it is going to look. Set the Diffuse Color to white.

Click the Edit the Bump Texture button and choose Remove Texture to unload the bump map. Now we have a white sphere. We’ll use another texture map for the clouds. Actually we’ll use the white color of the Diffuse for the clouds and this texture map for the opacity. You can download the "clouds transparency" image from planetpixelemporium.com. Click the Edit the Opacity Texture button and choose Load Texture. Locate the "earthcloudmaptrans.jpg" file you have just downloaded.

The opacity texture made some parts of the sphere invisible, but obviously the wrong parts. Click the Edit the Opacity Texture button again and this time choose Open Texture. This will open the texture in a new document window. Go to Image > Adjustments > Invert. Save and close the document. Go back to the "Home.PSD" document, you’ll see the opacity map is updated.

The weather seems to be too cloudy, because we can see the clouds that are on the other side through the transparent areas. Making the material one sided will fix that problem. Uncheck Two Sided. To make the clouds a little bit whiter, set Ambient and Specular colors to white. You can get the 3D Rotate Tool from the Toolbox and adjust the orientation of the clouds if you want.

Step 12

To make the clouds pop out a little more set the Color of the three light to white.

Step 13

Apply a Drop Shadow Layer Style to the "Clouds" layer and use these settings: Blend Mode set to Multiply, Color set to black, Opacity set at 75%, Distance set to 1px and Size set to 3px.

Continue Learning…

A great looking design can be easily created by combining various textures and brushes. In this tutorial we’ll look at creating a cool grungy design based around some abstract 3D type, then apply a few finishing touches to really bring the design to life.

To start, we’ll create the type by hand using Illustrator. Create a new document, then turn on the Grid, and adjust the snap settings to snap to the grid.

Draw a square onto the artboard. Notice how the points will automatically snap to each grid intersection. This will come in handy when creating our abstract geometric type style.

For this tutorial, we’ll base the design around the word ‘Create’, so manipulate this first shape into a letter C by chopping out a section using the Pathfinder tool. Use a temporary shape to overlap the appropriate area, then select both shapes and click the Subtract from Shape Area icon.

Continue onto the next letter, in this case an R. Use the Pen tool to create triangular shapes to sculpt the box into a vague R shape.

Once all the letters have been created, space them equally alongside each other. Basing each letter on the same rectangle gives a boxy, geometric and generally cool style.

Head over to SXC and download a background texture. This particular one is a paper texture from IB6364. Paste the texture into Photoshop.

Copy and paste the wording from Illustrator into Photoshop. Fill the letters with a colour sample of a nice grey-blue.

Duplicate the text layer, then press CMD+T to Transform. Hold Shift and Alt to scale down the letters proportionally. Dropping the opacity on the top layer can help visualise the transformation.

Fill the smaller text with a darker shade. This is the base of the three dimensional effect.

Continue Learning…

Hi everyone! This time I’ve got for you a fun tutorial, we’ll create a cereal box design from scratch, using only Photoshop. We will render several fruit flavored cereal loops using the Photoshop’s CS4 Extended 3D tools, apply textures to the loops, bump the surfaces and mock-up them into a real 2D image. Are you ready?

Final Image Preview

Take a look at the image we’ll be creating. Want access to the full PSD files and downloadable copies of every tutorial, including this one? Join Psd Plus for just $9/month. You can view the final image preview below.

Before Getting Started

A couple of things before getting started.

For this tutorial you must have the last version of Photoshop, CS4 Extended. Besides you need to have a good Graphic Card since we’re going to work with several 3D layers at the same time, if you don’t have one you may experience some kind of lag on your computer. This isn’t a basic tutorial, so I’ll skip some basic explanations like how to create a Layer Mask, or how to create a Gradient Fill Layer.

You’ll need to download this picture of a splashing milk bowl. And this awesome twitter icon set from my friend Gopal Raju.

Step 1 – Setting up the Document

First of all create a new Photoshop Document 800 pixels by 1120 pixels, 72dpi, and set to RGB. Then create a new Gradient Fill Layer named "Gradient." I’m using these colors: #F20000 – #8E0000 anyway feel free to change them.

Add the Milk Bowl

Step 2 – Extract the Image from its Background

Paste the splashing milk bowl into a new layer named "Splash." Next we need to get rid of the black background, for this go to Select > Color Range, sample the black background and set the Fuzziness value to around 85, then click OK to commit the selection. Now Expand the resultant selection 1px and create a Quick Mask or a Layer Mask hiding the Black background. Finally flip the image horizontally and place it at the bottom right of the document.

Step 3 – Whitening the Milk

In the picture the milk looks a little bit pink, to make it white just add a Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer, select Reds on the colors selector and set the Lightness value to +100, ensure the clipping mask option is enabled on the Adjustments Panel in order to apply the adjustment only to one layer. In this case the "Splash" layer. We will leave the bowl as is for awhile, it’s time to create the cereal loops. Finally add both layers, "Splash" and the Adjustment into a folder named "Bowl."

Render the Cereal Loops

Step 4 – Create a 3D Shape from a Layer

Here comes the fun, we’ll start creating the cereal loops using some 3D layers. First, create a new layer named "Loop" and fill it with some color. I’m using the Rectangular Marquee tool and the Paint Bucket to fill it with this color: #FF363E.

Go to Window > 3D to show the 3D Panel. Now go to 3D > New Shape From Layer > Donut to automatically create a 3D Layer named "Loop." Leave it as is and go to the next step.

Step 5 – 3D Panel Overview

Before we move forward you’ll need to feel comfortable with the 3D panel. All the 3D objects are inside a container named Scene, each Scene may have several 3D objects that can be Meshes with its respective Textures or Lights. You can put as many objects as you want into a Scene.

You can Filter the objects by clicking on any of the four buttons on top of the panel. Below there are the Scene options, there you will be able to change the Render Preset, Anti-Aliasing, Global Ambient Color (this one is very important in this tutorial) and select the texture where you will be painting on (we will see that shortly). Finally at the bottom of the panel you can toggle the Plane and Lights view on/off or add a new light, and of course the Delete button. Feel free to play with this panel before going to the next step.

Step 6 – Change Ambient Color and Show the Ground Plane

Our loop looks a little bit dark even though we create it from a pink layer, that’s because the Global Ambient Color is Black by default; click on the color box to change it into a dark red color (#7E0001). Now the loop looks pretty good, but there is so much left to do.

Click on the Toggle Plane button to show the plane as a reference, you’ll notice the plane perspective is almost the same as the bowl perspective, which is very convenient for the composition and lighting so we will leave everything as is.

Step 7 – Transform the Mesh View

Following, click on the Mesh button to work only with the "Donut" object (See image 1 below). In the options panel there are several transform options related to this mesh. First we’ll need to rotate the loop by selecting the Rotate button on the Mesh Tools Panel; just drag the cursor over the 3D object to rotate it, as shown in image 2 below.

Following, Roll the mesh a little bit if you need to. Then drag the mesh a little bit up, using the Drag button in the Mesh Panel (image 4), and finally slide the mesh a little bit inside the space by dragging the Slide cursor as shown in image 5 below, and then hide the Plane View.

At this point you should have something like the last image below. This step is important because we’ll repeat the 3D transform several times shortly. Feel free to practice with the Mesh options before moving forward. Remember, Photoshop isn’t 3D modeling software, so if you want to edit the mesh itself you will need other software.

Step 8 – Paint Over the Texture Layers

Now it is time to edit the textures a little bit. Select Paint On: Diffuse in the 3D options, then Select the Brush Tool and using this color #FFC6CA or something similar, chose a 100px soft brush (Opacity and Flow 50%) and paint directly over the 3D mesh. Rotate the mesh as much as you need in order to cover the entire surface of the object.

Notice that there’s a Layer named "Loop" under Textures – Diffuse in the Layers Panel, Double-Click on it to open a .psb file containing a plain view of the texture. We’ll work on that layer in the next step.

Step 9 – Working on the Diffuse Texture

On the .psb file, select the "Loop" Layer (this layer name may vary depending on your previous editing), and apply a Patter Overlay Effect to it, I chose a Rock Pattern named "Granite" built in Photoshop, but feel free to try with different textures. To keep the layer color, set the Effect’s Blending Mode to Soft Light. Finally save the .psb file, close it, go back to the main document and see how the texture looks now.

Step 10 – Bumping

Now we’ll make the surface a little bit irregular. In the 3D options panel set Paint On: Bump, select an irregular black Brush, and start paining.

Since the Bump texture is not created yet, you will see an alert about it, just hit OK on it. Then just start painting over the 3D object, using black as foreground will emboss the object, otherwise using white as the foreground will bevel the object, play with both colors until you feel happy with the texture. It’s very important to have the entire surface texturized and not only the front view (we will see why shortly).

If is easier for you, Double-click on the "Bump" texture layer in the Layer Panel and paint the bump texture over the .psb file as shows the bottom of the image below, you can use the Clone Tool for that purpose. Once you feel happy with the result, close the .psb file and go back to the main document.

Step 11 – Glossiness

To finish the texturing process we’ll add a Glossiness texture layer. Select Paint On: Glossiness in the 3D panel and using any Brush paint a little invisible white spot somewhere over the 3D layer. The important thing in this step is to switch to the Materials View, and change the Shininess Value from 40% to 80% in order to make the gloss less intense.

You can paint over the texture layer as well just like in the previous steps, but this time use a light color, white will be OK.

The loop is not finished yet, we’ll need further edits on it to make it look more real.

More Flavors

Step 12 – Duplicate the Loop

Now we’ll duplicate the loop in order to create several flavors. Select the Move Tool (V), then while holding the Alt Key select the 3D layer and drag it to duplicate it. Hide the original "Loop" 3D layer and select the copy, by the way I name it "Loop 2." Show the 3D panel, switch to Mesh view and use the Rotate Tool to rotate the new mesh in order to make it look different.

Step 13 – Change the Loop’s Colors

Double-click over the Diffuse Texture of the "Loop 2" layer in the Layers Panel, you will see the texture that we’ve created in Step 9. In order to easily change the color we will use a Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer as shown below. Save the changes, close the .psb file and see how it looks.

Step 14 – Change the Glossiness Color

Following, double-click over the "Loop 2" layer’s Glossiness texture. You’ll see the color of the texture just as we left it in Step 11. We’ll change its color by adding a new Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer. The final color is up to you, but try to obtain almost the same color tone as the previous step. Save the texture file and see how it looks in the main document.

Step 15 – Change Ambient Light

Finally, to complete the new flavor, change the Global Ambient light of the new 3D Scene to a more appropriate tone, in this case the following color: #01261E.

Step 16 – Do it All Again

Repeat the Steps from 12 to 15 to create different flavors of cereal loops, the colors are entirely up to you. Remember keep your layers organized, I created a Folder named "3D Loops" and four sub folders each one containing its respective loop.

Step 17 – More and More Loops

Since each loop is inside a folder named with its respective color, we will duplicate and rotate each loop several times in order to create many of them. This time I’m creating four copies for each color.

Rasterize and Liquify

Step 18 – Rasterize the Loops

Create a copy of the entire "3D Loops" folder and hide the original, just in case you need to use any 3D layers later in the process. Now rasterize every single 3D layer in the "3D Loops" copy folder. Do this by Right-clicking a 3D Layer and selecting the Rasterize 3D option.

Continue Learning…

Often after approving the final label’s design, clients will want to see the design mocked-up as a package. Starting with a final label design, we’ll use Illustrators mesh tools to simulate a 3D package design. Let’s go ahead and do that!

Final Image Preview

Below is the final image we will be working towards. Want access to the full Vector Source files and downloadable copies of every tutorial, including this one? Join Vector Plus for just 9$ a month.

Tutorial Details

• Program: Adobe Illustrator CS3
• Difficulty: Easy
• Estimated Completion Time: 30 minutes

Step 1

Open your approved label design in Illustrator, in this tut I use snack label as an example, which is shown below.

Step 2

Group the objects (Command + G), select it, then apply Envelope Distort > Make with Mesh. When the dialog box appears set 4 in the rows and columns fields. No need to use too many rows and columns because we’re going to add them later.

Step 3

Before we add more rows and columns we have to decide the final shape for the pack first. Use a little bit of your imagination to do it, photo references would be much better. Select the anchor point with the Gradient Mesh Tool (U) or Direct Selection Tool (A) to re-shape the mesh, as you picture it in your mind or as the reference dictates. Add rows or columns as needed.

Step 4

After you’re happy with the result, copy the object and release the Gradient Mesh within the copied one. We are going to use this Mesh to shade the distorted label.

Delete the copied label and fill the mesh with 10% black. Later we will apply black and white colors to it.

Step 5

Now put the Mesh right above the label, then adjust its size and shape. Make sure you fit it into the label. Set the Mesh to Multiply.

Click for full Tutorial…

When it comes to high-end 3d computer graphics and 3d modeling software package, Autodesk Maya is always one of application to be considered. Maya plays an important role in the 3d visualization and animation industry and they are top choices for many designers on large or small-scale production.

If you are looking to picking up Maya to design your 3d models, this article is for you. We’ve collected more than 100 useful Maya 3D tutorials, ranging from beginner level to intermediate and advanced users. Full list after jump.

For Beginners

Flying Butterfly Animation – Tutorial for Beginners
This tutorial will teach you to make a simple butterfly and animate it.

Animate a Logo Forming from Particles in Maya
In this tutorial Abed Ibrahim will walk you through the process of creating an animated logo using particles in Maya, and then reverse the rendered animation in any video editing software of your choice.

Create a coin 3D model
This tutorial will show you how to create very realistic coin using only maya 3d.

Flying Arrows
This tutorial will teach you how to create flying arrows.

Creating Text In Maya
This tutorial covers how to create text in Maya.

Make A Screw-Driver
This is a basic modelling tutorial that will teach you how to make a screw-driver and render it.

Basics Of Maya Key Frame Animation
This tutorial will teach you the fundamentals of the way Maya animates.

3D Street Lamp Modeling
This tutorial will teach you how to modeling 3d street lamp.

Melting Text
This tutorial will teach you explore some of the tools and options of fluid to create melting text effect like smoke.

Spiral Modeling
Learn how to model a spiral.

5 Tricks On Using Cameras In Maya
This tutorial covers 5 cool tricks you can do using cameras in Maya.

Create 3D Heart Model
Learn how to create a heart from poly cube.

Create Awesome Cloth Simulations using nDynamics in Maya
In this tutorial you will learn how to use nDynamics’ passive colliders and ncloth objects, in conjunction with fields like air and gravity, to easily simulate realistic dynamic objects such as a windy flag or a water container.

Boolean Modeling in Maya
This tutorial covers in depth, basic boolean operations, anatomy of a boolean, where to use booleans, and common boolean errors.

Basic Technique of Creating An Animation
In this tutorial you’ll learn the very basic technique of creating an animation in Maya.

Animated Arrows
This tutorial will teach you how to create animated arrows.

How Shaders Work In Maya
This tutorial teaches you how materials work, and how to create materials in Maya.

Grab and Move an Object
In this tutorial I will explain how to grab and move an object.

Finding Distances In Maya
This tutorial teaches you how to find distances in Maya.

Duplicate Special
Duplicate Special lets you duplicate objects, change the transformation attributes of the duplicated object(s), and duplicate mulitple objects at a time.

Creating Natural Light
This tutorial will teach you how to make a light rig that will generate a nice, clean, soft overall light that’s tinted green.

Creating Lightning In Maya
This tutorial covers how to create lightning effects in Maya.

Create Simple Wave
Create simple wave using Sine Deformer for flag wave if you not using soft body or for fish tail.

How to Rendering Shadow Only
This tutorial will teach you how to rendering shadow only. This is simple and fast.

Importing Audio Into Maya
This tutorial covers how to import audio into Maya.

Making Blendshapes
This is the first part of a multi-part tutorial on blend shapes.

Modelling Hammer
In this tutorial we will be modeling a hammer with help of poly and subdiv.

Model and Texture a Photo-realistic USB Cable with Maya and Mental Ray
In this tutorial you will go through the process of modeling and rendering a Photo-realistic USB cable in Autodesk Maya.

Modeling a Face
This tutorial will teach you how to model a basic face that can be used for cartoon or realistic.

Modeling A Knife
This tutorial will teach you how to model a knife quickly, using Maya.

Modeling Saw
n this Maya tutorial we will learn how to modeling saw.

Parent/Child in Maya
Learn how parent and child function works in Maya.

Pivot Points
This tutorial covers how to edit pivot points in Maya.

Creating Gears
This tutorial will teach you how to create gears.

Getting started with Mental Ray’s Final Gather
This tutorial was designed to teach anyone who is interested in rendering with Mental Ray’s Final Gather.

Two Tips For Move And Rotate Tools
This covers some tool settings that I found useful to help the modeling process.

Understanding Lights in Maya
This tutorial will explore Maya’s default light options for every and each light in the list

Using Revolve
This tutorial will teach you how to use revolve tool in Maya.

Using The Extrude Tool
This tutorial will cover in depth the extrude tool and all of its functions.

Modelling LCD Monitor
This tutorial will use allot extrude, scale, move, and split polygon object to create a LCD Monitor.

Building a Polygon Arch
This tutorial will show the method I used for making my arches in a building.

Wireframe Rendering
In this Maya tutorial we will learn how to create wire-frame rendering.

How to Create a Wine Glass
Create a wineglass using the curve tool.

For Intermediate Users

Modeling a Coca-Cola Bottle
This tutorial is intended to show you how to make a Coca-Cola bottle using Maya.

How do Create A Flash Photography Effect
This tutorial will teach you how to create a flash photography effect in Maya.

Modeling A Head Using Nurbs
Modeling a head using Nurbs-Polygon technique by Sasan Rafiee.

3D Modeling Keroro Gunso
In this Maya tutorial we will learn how to modeling Keroro Gunso.

Realistic Ear Modeling
This tutorial is mainly aimed at those users with experience in polygon modeling.

Realistic Eye Modeling for 3D Characters
A tutorial on how to model and apply shaders to get realistic eyes, the “windows of your character’s soul”.

Build a Reusable Light Rig in Maya
In this tutorial you will learn how to setup a basic lighting rig in Maya.

Caustics
Tthis tutorial will teach you how to make a picture of a glass using caustics.

Modelling in Alias – Ceiling light
Learn how to create ceiling light in Maya.

Modeling Kempston Pro Joystick
In this tutorial you will learn how to model kempston pro joystick using polygons and NURBS.

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The Fisheye Camera

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See more Tutorials here…

In this beginners level tutorial, you will learn how to create a vibrant 3D leaf compilation from a single 2D photograph. You will be able to manipulate the object however you prefer. Let’s have fun with this display of greenery.!

Final Image Preview

Take a look at the image we’ll be creating. Want access to the full PSD files and downloadable copies of every tutorial, including this one? Join Psd Plus for just $9/month. You can view the final image preview below. You can view the large version here.

Video Tutorial

Our video editor Gavin Steele has created this video tutorial to compliment this text + image tutorial.

Step 1

To begin, you’ll need to find a photograph texture of a leaf. I have chosen this one from lostandtaken.com by a a photographer named Caleb Kimbrough.

Step 2

Load your new found texture into a new project. With the Rectangular Marquee Tool (M) selected, Right-click on your layer in the artboard and select Free Transform. Once you have done that right-click on the texture again and select Warp. I have labeled each corner respectively as we will be moving them around quite a bit.

Step 3

Now that you have your layer in Warp mode, click and drag the corner (a) down 1/3 of your grid.

Step 4

Now click and drag the corner (point c) up 1/3 of your grid. Already our leaf is beginning to take on it’s natural form.

Step 5

Each corner has 2 arms that you can move in order to manipulate your layer even further. Pull the corner’s (point a) left arm down as shown below.

Step 6

You should give a sharper edge to your leaf. Something like this. Press Enter to finalize the Warp.

Step 7

You should have a sharp point on your leaf after the last several steps. However, your point may be a bit bent due to the Warp Tool curling. Fix this by using the Polygonal Laso Tool (L), selecting the excess curl and pressing the Delete key.

Step 8

Now lets focus on the other end of the leaf. Use the Warp Tool again (see Step 2) and drag point d as shown in the picture below. You’ll want to get both of the arms of point d to be parallel.

Step 9

Now do the same with the top-right corner (point b). Also, if you want you can tweak the leaf into whatever position you require by holding your mouse down and dragging the inner grid, as well as the other points.

Step 10

To add a bit of additional perspective Right-click on your leaf and select Free Transform. Now hold Alt + Shift and drag the top-right corner, then move it left a bit. This will give the leaf a bit of distance perspective.

Step 11

If you want to make the leaf drop at its point, use the Rectangular Marquee Tool (M) and select only the left half of the leaf. Then proceed to Free Transform > Warp. This will allow you to move that half of the leaf without warping the right half. Make sure not to move the points that are in contact with the leaf that is not selected as this will cause a tear between the two pieces.

Step 12

Next, duplicate the layer with your leaf on it, drag that layer below your original leaf layer. Warp it a little to show some discrepancy. Repeat this process as many times as your desire. Play with it and have fun.

Other Uses

This technique can be used in so many different projects. I have used it specifically in the Audio Jungle wallpaper contest several times and it increased the traffic to my Flickr site significantly.

See the remaining tutorial here…