Anatomy for Production [CGMA, Michael Falzon]
- Publisher
- CGMA
- Product Type
- Video Course
- Author
- Michael Falzon
- Language
- English
- Duration
- 00:00
- Release date
- Feb 1, 2023
- Skill level
- Project Files
- Yes
- Product Price
- $650
Course Description
Anatomy for Production is a 10-week intermediate course focused on understanding the human body through form, structure, movement, and function.This course teaches students how bones, muscles, tendons, fat, and other anatomical structures work together to create believable human forms. Instead of simply memorising anatomy, students will learn how to simplify complex anatomical information into clear, readable shapes that can be recreated in sculpting and production workflows.
Each week focuses on a different part of the human body, including skeletal masses, proportions, torso, neck, shoulders, arms, hands, legs, feet, and the full figure. Through a series of sculpting exercises, students will study how anatomical structures affect movement, rhythm, silhouette, and form.
By the end of the course, students will have a stronger understanding of anatomy for character creation, helping them build more believable and functional human figures for film, games, animation, and digital sculpture.
What You’ll Learn
How to understand anatomy through shape, form, and function
- How bones and muscles affect the visible surface of the body
- How to simplify complex anatomy into sculptable forms
- How to study proportions and skeletal masses
- How to sculpt the torso, neck, shoulders, arms, hands, legs, and feet
- How to recognise rhythm, angles, and plane changes in the human body
- How to connect the upper body with the lower body into a believable full figure
- How movement affects anatomy through compression, extension, and muscle tension
- How to block in and refine a full human figure
- How to apply anatomical knowledge to production-ready character work
Course Curriculum
Week 1 - Introduction and Establishing Course Themes
Students are introduced to the main principles that will guide the entire course. Instead of focusing only on memorising anatomical details, the class focuses on learning broader ideas that help artists understand and recreate the human body more clearly.Week 2 - Skeletal Masses and Proportions
This week covers the rough shape of the human figure and how it is dictated by the skeleton. Students study bones, proportions, bony landmarks, the relationship of hands and feet to the head, and basic head proportions.Week 3 - The Torso
Students study the torso from front and profile views, focusing on the rib cage, hips, major movements, big shapes, and anatomical rhythms. The goal is to understand the main forms before moving into smaller details.Week 4 - The Torso Continued: Neck and Shoulder Girdle
This week continues the torso study with a focus on the neck, clavicle, scapula, and shoulder girdle. Students learn how these structures help place muscles and influence the upper body’s form.Week 5 - The Arms
Students sculpt the arm while studying rhythm and opposing angles. The week focuses on the biceps, triceps, deltoid, ridge muscles, flexors, and how their forms create natural flow through the arm.Week 6 - Sculpting the Hand
This week focuses on one of the most challenging parts of the body: the hand. Students study articulation, simplification, structure, and how to sculpt hands without losing their complexity and natural form.Week 7 - Sculpting the Leg
Students study the major muscle groups of the leg, focusing on plane changes, rhythm, angles, and organic form. Like the arm, the leg becomes a strong exercise in structure and flow.Week 8 - The Foot
This week explores the structure of the foot, including toes, fat pads, arcs, and the relationship between bones and surface forms. Students learn how to avoid stiff or copy-pasted-looking toes and create a more natural foot sculpt.Week 9 - Tying in the Full Figure
Students begin blocking in the full figure and combining everything learned throughout the course. This week also introduces concepts such as fat, muscle tension, extension, and compression.Week 10 - Finalising the Full Figure
The final week continues the full-figure sculpt, focusing on the main shapes and forms studied during the course. Students also look at finishing techniques to bring the sculpt closer to a polished final result.Requirements
This is an intermediate-level course, so students should already have some knowledge of ZBrush and digital sculpting.Recommended prerequisite:
- Intro to Production Modeling
- ZBrush recommended
- Mudbox or equivalent sculpting software may also be used
Who This Course Is For
This course is ideal for intermediate character artists, sculptors, creature artists, 3D modellers, and digital artists who want to improve their understanding of human anatomy for production.It is especially useful for artists working toward character creation for games, film, animation, concept sculpting, collectibles, or portfolio development.
About the Instructor
The course is led by Michael Falzon, a modeller and shot sculptor with experience across games, television, film, and medical education.Michael has worked as a lead modeller in medical education, where he handled deep anatomical studies and created accurate human assets used in surgical training for medical professionals. He currently works at Framestore and has contributed to projects including The Midnight Sky and Tom & Jerry.
His background combines artistic sculpting with precise anatomical study, making this course especially valuable for artists who want to understand not just how the body looks, but why it looks and moves the way it does.
Final Result
By the end of the course, students will have completed a series of anatomical studies and a full-figure sculpt that demonstrates a stronger understanding of human form, proportion, rhythm, and function.The final work will help students build a solid anatomy foundation for creating believable characters in film, games, animation, and production sculpting.
