V-Rex – Dinosaur

V-Rex – Dinosaur

To get more experience in modeling and texturing, I decided to create a dinosaur. Also because I like the “Jurassic Park/World” movies and the “Monster Hunter” games. :)

As in the video already credited, this dinosaur project was made with two other people = Tim Höfer (responsible for Rigging and in the Environment shot also for Animation), Hanna Vatterott (responsible in the Environment shot for Lighting & Compositing). The Environment models are from Quixel.
In the other shots (all the ones besides the Environment shot) I was responsible for all aspects, except rigging.

At first I started gathering references and then draw a rough concept in Affinity Photo for the dinosaur body and skin colors.
Because I don’t really like the arms of a T-Rex (sorry), I decided for a mix between a Velociraptor and a T-Rex. That’s also how the name “V-Rex” was born.
The references really helped me to get a feeling of the body shape, because clearly there aren’t living examples.

I blocked out the overall scale of the dinosaur in Maya. Then I imported it into ZBrush and started blocking out the body shape with ZSpheres. After this I began to sculpt on a dynamesh version.

During the modeling process I took a moment several times to analyze the model shape and anatomy. For example through testing to close the jaw (with help of masking and rotating the lower jaw in ZBrush) I noticed that the jaws “surangular/articular” part (connection between the lower and upper jaw) was illogical and changed it afterwards.
I also got feedback from a few other people and took it into consideration.

My modeling workflow steps were like:

1. sculpt in ZBrush on a dynamesh model

2. when the most shapes are okay, make a quick Low Poly version with ZBrush’s “ZRemesher” tool, so rigging can also begin roughly alongside (exchange this Low Poly model later with the final Low Poly model)

3. when sculpt on dynamesh model in ZBrush is finished, make a quick remesh version of the model with ZBrush’s “Decimation Master” tool (to lower polycount so it’s not too heavy for exporting)

4. export decimated model to Maya, make it “Live” and then do a clean retopology (= Low Poly version) with the “Quad Draw” tool

5. unvrap the Low Poly model UVs in Maya and test texture resolution with a UV checker map and a few other textures

6. export this Maya Low Poly model to ZBrush

7. smooth Low Poly model up to High Poly. Then project the details from the dynamesh version on the High Poly

8. from this High Poly model go now to the lowest polycount and export this as the final Low Poly model for Maya (to ensure that the following displacement maps will fit)

9. export ZBrush High Poly model for texturing in Mari

I started creating the “secondary displacement” map in Mari with different animal texture scans. I used some of an alligator, iguana, frog and ostrich. This took much time, because I made sure that from all the little texture pieces the whole scaleflow will look good. It’s also important to be carefully there, because the color texture later depends on a good looking displacement.
For a better 3Dimensional look, I exported this map into ZBrush and applied it onto the High Poly through a layer. I oversculpted some places on an another layer. Then with the “Multi Map Exporter” tool I exported from the oversculpt version the displacement as a map (with Mari’s displacement map turned off) out of ZBrush, which will be the “primary displacement” map.

In Maya I combined the primary and secondary displacement maps with “Hypershade” onto the Low Poly model and made some test renders again.

I’m really glad that I read through some workflows from my teachers and other artists at the beginning, so I didn’t mess up my first time making a displacement and first time texturing with Mari in the end.

After all this export/import party, I could finally start with the color texture map and after this the subsurface scattering (SSS) map.
The eyeball is the only thing that is fully textured and shaded in Maya with a noise image that’s layered with some marble and ramp nodes and so on.

In Maya I brought all textures onto the Low Poly model and adjusted the shading while making test renders.

At first I would have posed the V-Rex without animation for the close ups. But then I thought that it would be nicer to see the dinosaur slight moving, so
A) to easily show that I thought of the typical “nictitating membrane” from many reptiles and birds, that's used for blinking
B) to show off better, how the textures will be with some movement and the not noticeable UV seams
C) as a viewer you will more think of him as a living creature and not just a dead statue, especially with the smoke and sparks that move around him.
D) could add some quietly breath sound effects in the video for more realism

In the end I rendered it with V-Ray and made some color correcting in Nuke, a bit denoise, defocus in a few places, some sparks (that I made with Nuke’s “ParticleEmitter”) and added smoke to match the mood.