Realistic Characters in 3D Art: 5 Standout Examples
As technology progresses, artists have more capable and powerful tools to express themselves. While a few decades ago, even the most talented digital artists with high levels of financial resources could not achieve photorealistic characters, things have changed a lot. Thanks to new software, the spread of information, and other factors, 3D artists have a much easier time creating realistic characters. Our article collected 5 examples of shocking lifelike 3D character designs!
What makes 3D character design realistic?
Before we look at specific examples, let’s first define what we mean by realistic 3D character design. Can we classify creatures like aliens, trolls, elves, androids, or zombies as realistic? What about 3D objects that are not completely lifelike? Let’s clarify this definition.
In 3D modeling, a realistic character refers to a character that is designed to look like a real person or animal, as opposed to a stylized or cartoonish figure. While the character may be fictional, it should still adhere to the principles of anatomy and physiology in order to achieve a sense of realism.
Mind-blowing examples of realistic characters in 3D art
Are you looking for some inspiration? Would you like to see realistic characters from some of the best 3D artists? Here is a list of 5 mind-blowing examples of lifelike 3D characters.
Wizix
Wizix is an independent French computer graphics artist with more than 15 years of experience in the field. Wizix defines his artistic activities as follows:
"I always try to push my skill forward to best transcribe the concepts I like."
His portfolio is filled with realistic, life-like designs that are sometimes hard to distinguish from photographs. His YouTube channel is also a gold mine for upcoming 3D artists who want to learn from a seasoned professional.
Kubisi Younis (Kubisi art)
Kubisi Younis, the founder of Kubisi Art, is an extremely talented 3D artist. Kubisi currently works as Lead Creature and Facial Modeler at DNEG Film. The London-based artist has more than 14 years of experience under his belt, which is evident if you take a deep dive into his portfolio.
Hadi Karimi
Hadi Karimi is a 3D sculptor and computer graphics artist with a unique artistic perspective and recognizable style. His artworks are hardly distinguishable from real-life characters.
Olya Anufrieva
Olya Anufrieva is a Russian character modeler and sculptor with incredible talent and a uniquely surprising perspective. Her amazing work has earned her three Artstation awards, and after looking through her portfolio, it is no surprise why. To showcase Olya’s realistic character design, we selected one of her portraits.
Sanhanat Suwanwised
Photorealism is a term often thrown around in the 3D character design sphere, but it is hardly more justified than in the case of Sanhanat Suwanwised’s designs. The Thailand-based 3D artist creates stunningly realistic characters. We have chosen one of her knight designs.
Raf Grassetti
Raf Grassetti is one of the most recognized contemporary 3D artists who is currently an art director at Netflix and has worked on countless AAA games. As you can read on his website, he has played a crucial role in some of the most successful game art projects.
"Raf Grassetti is both a digital and traditional artist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over twenty years. He is one of the best-known digital sculptors in the industry, winning many awards over the years including DICE best Art Direction, MAXON best Digital Sculptor, and VGA Game of the Year awards. Grassetti launched his career as a character artist for the video-game industry and contributed to some of the most successful franchises in the world, including the award-winning God of War Franchise where he worked as the Principal Artist and Art Director for the titles."
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