Mar202 Hard Surface and Creature Texturing by Nastasia Bois

This course walks you through texturing two completely different asset types in Mari: a hard-surface sci-fi robot and an organic creature. You’ll learn the full production pipeline, from setting up a clean node graph and generating utility maps in Substance Painter, to creating realistic skin, metal, and organic materials. It’s a practical, no-fluff look at how a senior texture artist approaches both mechanical and creature work in a real studio environment.

🎯 What you’ll learn

• Set up a modular, node-based texturing workflow in Mari
• Generate and manage utility maps (AO, curvature, masks, cavity)
• Texture skin, metal, and organic materials with realistic detail
• Use subsurface scattering, bump, and normal maps for creatures
• Break the “CGI” look with realism passes and wear-and-tear
• Export clean texture maps for lookdev handoff
• Validate your work with basic Maya/Arnold render checks

✅ Requirements

• Skills: Basic understanding of Mari’s interface and 3D texturing concepts
• Tools: 3-button mouse, drawing tablet
• Hardware: Minimum 16GB RAM, dedicated GPU

📝 Description

This course is built around two distinct projects that cover the full range of texturing challenges you’ll face in production. First up is a sci-fi robot, where you’ll learn how to generate utility maps in Substance Painter and then build a clean, modular node graph in Mari. You’ll work through base texture creation, add realism passes like wear and dirt, and finish with a quick render in Maya and Arnold to check your work.

The second half shifts to an organic creature, where the focus is on advanced skin texturing, subsurface scattering, and multi-region material setups. You’ll learn how to use cavity maps to add fine detail, and how to handle different materials like claws, eyes, and scales within a single asset. The goal is to create believable, flexible textures that hold up under close scrutiny.

Throughout the course, Nastasia shares her real-world approach to breaking the “CGI” look, managing complex node graphs, and exporting clean maps for lookdev handoff. It’s a practical, hands-on course for anyone who wants to level up their Mari skills and produce film-quality textures.

🧑‍🎓 Who this course is for

• Texture artists looking to expand their skills into both hard surface and creature work
• Lookdev artists who want to understand the full texturing pipeline in Mari
• 3D artists aiming to produce film-quality assets for VFX or animation

🧑‍🏫 About the Author

Nastasia Bois is a senior texture artist based in London with over 12 years of experience in high-end VFX, animation, and advertising. She has worked at studios like Milk VFX and ILM, contributing to episodic, film, and creature-heavy projects. Her deep knowledge of Mari and her passion for creature work bring technical rigour and creative insight to every lesson.

🏁 Final Result

• A fully textured sci-fi robot asset with realistic wear, dirt, and material variation
• A fully textured organic creature with detailed skin, subsurface scattering, and multi-region materials
• A clean, modular Mari project setup that can be reused for future assets