Keyshot
Fusion
Maya
Adobe Photoshop

Hard Surface Design

Name: Hard Surface Design
Price: 95 USD
Availability: OnlineOnly
Author: Lars Sowig

Lars Sowig

Build hard-surface props of any size with Lars Sowig as he takes you through blocking, modeling, texturing, and rendering. Learn a full production workflow, right down to custom decals, and create props ready for films, games, and beyond.

Intermediate12h 15m100 Videos

$95

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Artwork by instructor Lars Sowig

Build with a modular workflow.

Build hard surface props of any size! Leading concept artist Lars Sowig will guide you through his entire professional workflow, from blocking and modeling to texturing and rendering, all the way down to designing your own stickers and decals. Every movie, TV show and video game needs a prop designer. Why shouldn't that be you?

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Artwork by instructor Lars Sowig

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After signing up for our courses, many of our students have broken into the industry, leveled up their skills, and got hired for their dream jobs. With over 15,000 students from around the world, you'll be in good company. Even the instructor of this course Lars Sowig used his Learn Squared homework to land his first job in the video game industry!

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Artwork by instructor Lars Sowig

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What you'll learn

A guided path through every stage of the course, broken down into focused lessons you can work through at your own pace.

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Lesson 1
Blocking
This first lesson will get you right into the action. After studying what makes a great prop, you will come up with a concept and gather reference for your own design. Lars will first show you the basics of blocking out a simple prop, before guiding you through three separate design blockouts. You'll combine the best elements of these into one hero concept, which you'll refine throughout the rest of the course.
- 1h 57m
- 22 Free Videos
- Project Files
Lesson 2
Modeling
Now that you've blocked out your design, you will begin modeling and refining. First, Lars will take you through his preferred software and give you various tips and tricks to keep in mind while modeling. Next, you'll import your blockout and begin tracing its shapes to create a more consistent look. After this, Lars will go through his three-stage modeling process, in which he continuously builds detail without overly focusing on any one part. At the end of this lesson, you will have a fully modeled design, ready for texturing.
- 3h 47m
- 29 Videos
- Project Files
Lesson 3
Texturing
This lesson will cover various aspects of rendering and texturing your model. First, Lars will take you through his preferred rendering software and build an example scene to show the basics. At this stage you'll learn how to apply textures and shaders to your prop to boost realism and readability. Lars will also take you through his process for designing and implementing labels to accompany his models. At the end of this lesson, you will have a fully textured hard surface design, ready for the paintover stage.
- 1h 58m
- 20 Videos
- Project Files
Lesson 4
Rendering
Now it's time to bring everything together. In this lesson, Lars will demonstrate how to make several different kinds of images, utilizing various visual techniques. Then you will learn to finalize your renders with attractive UI and graphical elements, which will look great in any professional setting. After finishing your art, Lars will also show you how to deal with various kinds of client changes, and help you graciously accept feedback about your designs- a critical skill for any working artist!
- 4h 30m
- 29 Videos
- Project Files

Meet your instructor

Lars Sowig

Lars Sowig is a concept artist and 3D workflow specialist whose work fuses industrial design precision with cinematic environment art. At studios such as DICE, Massive Entertainment, and Crytek, he pushed boundaries in titles like The Division 2 and Hunt: Showdown. Recognized for blending 2D painting, 3D modeling, and kit-based methods, his visual systems have had a massive impact on modern game-art production.

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$95
- Instant access to this Course
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- 12 Hours of lectures
  This includes all of the premium training which is included as a part of this course.
- 32 Hours of bonus content
  Bonus Content typically includes materials like unedited video recordings, past mentorships, and extra tips & tricks. To see a full list of content, check out the Lesson List below!
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Discounts for students and teachers

tons of workflow crap and programs i would have never thought of trying.... PEEP DATTT!!!1

beeple

Designer

My career as a concept artist started after taking these courses. Much of what I learned I applied to my portfolio and in a couple months ... I got my first job.

Elias Ravanetti

Concept Artist & Illustrator

Learn Squared gives me the freedom and flexibility to learn from the best in the industry at my own pace.

David Tilton

Freelance Concept Artist

Our students have awesome jobs.

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Course Lesson Plan

Here's a full list of all the videos in this course.

12 hours 15 minutes
Total Bundle Duration
100 Videos
Video Lectures in Bundle
1.75 GB of Files
Downloadable Project Files

Tools Used
?
The tools listed below are used throughout the lectures of this course. Using alternatives is definitely possible depending on your proficiency, but we can only recommend using these listed softwares.

Keyshot
Fusion
Maya
Adobe Photoshop

Free Preview
Watch Free Preview
Lesson 1
Blocking
This first lesson will get you right into the action. After studying what makes a great prop, you will come up with a concept and gather reference for your own design. Lars will first show you the basics of blocking out a simple prop, before guiding you through three separate design blockouts. You'll combine the best elements of these into one hero concept, which you'll refine throughout the rest of the course.
1h 57m
Total Lesson Duration
22 Videos
Video Lectures in this Lesson
Project Files
Downloadable Project Files
Introduction
Meet LarsPreview01:27
Course OverviewPreview02:35
Breaking Into the IndustryPreview09:35
Prop Design Basics
What is Prop Design?Preview03:50
Breaking Down a PropPreview06:50
Idea Generation
Brief Builder ToolPreview01:58
Finding ReferencePreview11:00
Idea Generation HomeworkPreview00:40
Blocking Basics
Shape PrinciplesPreview04:18
Order of ComplexityPreview00:56
Intro to MayaPreview15:56
Simple Prop BlockingPreview16:20
Simple Blocking HomeworkPreview00:33
Initial Blockout
First BlockoutPreview09:03
Second BlockoutPreview03:31
Third BlockoutPreview07:34
Combining DesignsPreview03:20
Concept Blocking HomeworkPreview00:32
Blocking Refinement
Small DetailsPreview07:45
Usability FeaturesPreview03:51
Conclusion
Blockout ReviewPreview05:25
Final Blockout HomeworkPreview00:38
Lesson 2
Modeling
Now that you've blocked out your design, you will begin modeling and refining. First, Lars will take you through his preferred software and give you various tips and tricks to keep in mind while modeling. Next, you'll import your blockout and begin tracing its shapes to create a more consistent look. After this, Lars will go through his three-stage modeling process, in which he continuously builds detail without overly focusing on any one part. At the end of this lesson, you will have a fully modeled design, ready for texturing.
3h 47m
Total Lesson Duration
29 Videos
Video Lectures in this Lesson
Project Files
Downloadable Project Files
Introduction
Lesson Overview01:22
Fusion 360 Demo
Fusion 360 Interface08:16
Reference Layout Trick00:42
Simple Fusion 360 Build14:21
Checking Your Work01:39
Scaling Trick02:12
Finishing the Build03:00
Rounded Edges04:55
Fusion 360 Demo Homework00:44
Initial Tracing
Import to Fusion 36004:36
Preparing Your Model02:20
Tracing the Model22:58
Industry Tips24:03
Initial Tracing Homework00:36
Links
How to Use Links04:31
Setting Up Links02:43
Links Homework01:04
Modeling in Stages
Why Model in Stages?10:58
Primary Read: Body07:22
Primary Read: Robot Head14:56
Primary Read: Handle04:00
Secondary Read: Body11:59
Secondary Read: Robot Head02:14
Secondary Read: Connections15:33
Tertiary Read22:52
Robot Hand Details
Hand Design16:18
Arm Connection11:03
Conclusion
Modeling Review09:48
Modeling Homework00:44
Lesson 3
Texturing
This lesson will cover various aspects of rendering and texturing your model. First, Lars will take you through his preferred rendering software and build an example scene to show the basics. At this stage you'll learn how to apply textures and shaders to your prop to boost realism and readability. Lars will also take you through his process for designing and implementing labels to accompany his models. At the end of this lesson, you will have a fully textured hard surface design, ready for the paintover stage.
1h 58m
Total Lesson Duration
20 Videos
Video Lectures in this Lesson
Project Files
Downloadable Project Files
Introduction
Lesson Overview00:55
KeyShot Setup
Export from Fusion 36001:18
KeyShot Interface05:03
Example Scene15:50
Rendering04:13
KeyShot Interface Homework00:56
Materials
Basic Materials14:56
Second Pass07:15
Small Details07:12
Wear and Tear07:05
Materials Review01:08
Materials Homework01:05
Planning Labels
Using Labels07:30
Designing Text09:34
Label Placement18:34
Label Placement Homework01:09
Adding Labels
Creating Labels06:07
Exporting Labels01:29
Applying Labels06:42
Final Labels Homework00:39
Lesson 4
Rendering
Now it's time to bring everything together. In this lesson, Lars will demonstrate how to make several different kinds of images, utilizing various visual techniques. Then you will learn to finalize your renders with attractive UI and graphical elements, which will look great in any professional setting. After finishing your art, Lars will also show you how to deal with various kinds of client changes, and help you graciously accept feedback about your designs- a critical skill for any working artist!
4h 30m
Total Lesson Duration
29 Videos
Video Lectures in this Lesson
Project Files
Downloadable Project Files
Introduction
Lesson Overview01:02
Preparing the Image
Posing the Model05:02
Framing Compositions08:48
Rendering in KeyShot01:33
Paintover
Photoshop Setup08:48
Adjusting Contrast11:52
Weathering Textures19:39
Correcting the Render02:30
Material Textures18:38
Small Details16:07
Paintover Homework00:50
Post-Processing
Environmental Effects10:59
Last Minute Additions17:18
Post-Processing Homework00:57
Alternate Angle
Second Image Setup18:55
Adding Details16:04
Creating Another Environment10:35
Alternate Angle Homework00:33
Blueprint Render
Establishing the Style03:42
Separating Elements20:12
Building More Emphasis15:49
Stylized Shadows08:42
Blueprint Render Homework01:38
Adding Graphics08:47
Standardizing the Layout19:22
Blueprint Layout Homework00:49
Conclusion
Taking Client Feedback08:06
Client Review Simulation06:47
Final Art Review06:51

Homework can be cool.

Check out some of the amazing work Hard Surface Design students have created by doing their homework.

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Hard Surface Design

Lars Sowig

Build with a modular workflow.

Our students are badasses.

Start learning for free.

What you'll learn

Blocking

Modeling

Texturing

Rendering

Meet your instructor

Lars Sowig

Sign up any time

Try it.

Buy it.

For teams.

beeple

Elias Ravanetti

David Tilton

Our students have awesome jobs.

Course Lesson Plan

Tools Used ?The tools listed below are used throughout the lectures of this course. Using alternatives is definitely possible depending on your proficiency, but we can only recommend using these listed softwares.

Lesson 1

Blocking

Introduction

Prop Design Basics

Idea Generation

Blocking Basics

Initial Blockout

Blocking Refinement

Conclusion

Lesson 2

Modeling

Introduction

Fusion 360 Demo

Initial Tracing

Links

Modeling in Stages

Robot Hand Details

Conclusion

Lesson 3

Texturing

Introduction

KeyShot Setup

Materials

Planning Labels

Adding Labels

Lesson 4

Rendering

Introduction

Preparing the Image

Paintover

Post-Processing

Alternate Angle

Blueprint Render

Conclusion

Homework can be cool.

There's no homework yet

Tools Used
?
The tools listed below are used throughout the lectures of this course. Using alternatives is definitely possible depending on your proficiency, but we can only recommend using these listed softwares.