Agustín Luis Páez - Rookie of the year - 3D Animation entry 2024

Here you will see my last five projects done in the last year. All made in my free time as an excuse to practice and have fun designing and developing some characters and animations.

For all of them, I followed the same pipeline: sketches and illustrations in Krita, modeling, rigging, and animation in 3D Studio Max, UVs in RizomUV, textures in Substance Painter, and shaders, hair, lighting, rendering, and composition in Blender.

The angry viking

This project was my first character rendered in Blender, so it was a good excuse to learn how to use shaders, lighting, Cycles, tools for simulating hair, and finally, the final render composition.

The first step was to design a simple and fun character, with which I had the possibility to develop different materials and implement a lot of hair. I was also interested in exploring a semi-2D morphology, with all its parts viewed in profile towards the camera, a detail I really like when I see it in other projects. I believe it gives a very fun style. A great inspiration for this was the beautiful work of Bram Varo, Léo Brunel, and Magnus Møller.

Here are some screenshots of the model. I kept the topology as simple and clean as possible to ensure efficiency and ease of manipulation, since I added all details and surface variations through crafted textures.

At this stage, I modeled a base for the eyebrows, mustache, and beard, which I will later use to simulate the hair.

[Substance Painter Screenshot] Before exporting the FBX file from 3Ds Max, I make sure that the meshes of the same group have some distance between them to avoid ugly shadows during the baking process.

Adding layers of detail in Substance Painter:

For hair simulation, I subdivide the base mesh and extract the splines. I adjust them to fit the body correctly and then apply the "Set Hair Curve Profile" modifier to transform the splines into hair. Additionally, I use the "Duplicate Hair" modifier to create volume. "Frizz Hair" and "Roll Hair" modifiers are then utilized to add waves and irregularities to the hair.

Shader used for the hair and beard:

For the lighting, I used a simple setup: a key light on the right, a fill light on the left, and a backlight to highlight the silhouette. Honestly, this is the stage that I find most challenging. I usually do a lot of tests and adjustments to the lights until I achieve the desired effect I'm looking for.

Some final renders and turntables:

The warrior shrew

This is the latest personal project I've completed. Once again, I started with a design featuring simple and semi-2D shapes. The goal was to improve the hair work and add small details to give it a miniature-like look. Although the shapes are exaggerated and cartoonish, the render aims to be realistic, with small details in the skin and the leather and metal materials.

The concept originated from a Character Design Challenge that I participated in around 2019, if I remember correctly. The topic was "Warrior Mice." The original illustration is the one on the left, but for the 3D version, I changed some details and added others to make it more interesting. Originally, it was a rat, but due to its snout, it looked more like an opossum to me.

I did the modeling process in 3D Studio Max. Since it's a character that will only be viewed from a front-facing camera angle, all the parts are seen from the side, so I didn't have to worry about modeling the back accurately.

Topology overview:

For the skin textures, I created a base skin layer and another one with the color of the fur. Over this, I projected various skin details corresponding to each part of the body.

To better control the growth and density of the hair, I created a black and white mask, masking those parts of the body where there shouldn't be hair or where it should be shorter or longer. I used this map in Blender's hair density modifier.

Hair on Blender viewport.

Model topology with shaders on Blender.

Lowpoly, smooth mesh, displacement map, hair and color passes.

Full render and details:

Witch and his cat

I completed this project for Halloween in 2023. It was done during my free time over the course of three weeks. I decided to make it an animated piece, but since I don't consider myself an "animator" and only have some knowledge of rigging and even less of animation, it needed to be something simple. A witch flying on a broomstick seemed perfect.

The original concept is the work of the Argentine illustrator Fernando Carmona. I modified some parts to better adapt to 3D shapes.

Modeling shapes.

To model the main character as faithfully as possible to the concept, I had to deform some parts. While they look correct when viewed head-on, the deformations become apparent when the model is viewed from other angles.

Lowpoly rotation:

For the textures, I was interested in exploring small details such as fabric patterns, leather textures, stitches, etc., on a small scale to emphasize the character's large stature. This contrasted with their large shapes such as shoulders and arms.

For the background, I created a large cylinder with a seamless texture so that when animated by rotating, it simulates the witch's flight and creates a looping effect. In the third image, at the bottom of the frame, you can see the different instances of the heads. I used these when animating, swapping them frame by frame to achieve facial expressions, as if it were for a stop-motion animation.

Rigging and animation wireframe view.

Still frame and details:

Rotation render:

Tangled friends

I finished this project before July 20, 2023. It was my entry for the @thepositivebuildins challenge hosted by @buda.tv. The theme for the challenge was "friendship," so the task was to create two or more characters interacting in some way on a balcony.

I found the idea of designing two characters who, although very different from each other, still intertwined and greeted each other amusing, as if they were two rubber dolls.

Modeling process:

Making of video:

For the textures, I opted to create realistic materials such as fabrics, leathers, and metals. For the skins, I preferred to use plastic materials. Meanwhile, for the hair of one of the characters, I used sponge and rubber for the beard of the other.

Rigging and animation wireframe view.

Still render and details:

Christmas Pole

This is another entry for the @thepositivebuilding challenge hosted by @buda.tv. In this case, the prompt was to depict Santa and a reindeer interacting on a balcony. I wanted to try animating a slightly more complex piece than the previous one, incorporating music and lighting effects as well.

Character design, setting, and a basic storyboard.

References for poses to use in the reindeer dance. I selected those poses that looked the best and could be connected in a sequence.

Modeling of the stage:

Modeling of the reindeer:

Modeling of Santa. I created the base in ZBrush to model the fingers in detail and to create the central cut through which the reindeer emerges. Then, I optimized the mesh and used the high-resolution version for baking in Substance Painter.

Texture layers for Santa:

Wireframe animation preview. Some objects may appear floating, such as the head, because it is an extra (mirrored) head that I swap with the original when the character turns, holding onto the pole with its legs, ensuring that the face is always facing the camera.

Scene assembly and lighting setup.

For the lighting effect on the background screen, I created a texture of dots, which I then used as a mask to generate an emissive shader.

On a previous animation, I drew a guide for the sequence of lights on the screen, determining locations and durations.

Using the dot texture and the guide, I painted the key frames in Photoshop to generate the complete sequence of lights. Then, I exported the animation as an image sequence.

In Blender, I created a shader for the background screen, and in the emission channel, I imported the textures as an image sequence.

To give a more immersive and allegorical atmosphere to a musical show, I created a sphere and applied a volumetric shader with low density.

Some still frames and details:

Turntable with global illumination.

Santa render:

Well, that's all. Thanks very much for taking the time to look at my entry, I hope you enjoyed it.

Have a great day, goodbye!"