Bandle Painter

Bandle Painter

Time spent: 5 weeks

This foundational term final project aims to delve into the process of transforming a 2D concept art, by Dao Trong Le, into a compelling 3D piece. pushing myself to deliver nothing short of my absolute best for this ambitious project.

Concept Selection:

I chose the concept art created by Dao Trong Le. The composition, color palette, and overall theme are really appealing to me. This was a very ambitious project for me, considering that I’ve never done stylized texturing before and this will be the first time I complete a project following the full 3D workflow.

Camera Matching and Blocking Out:

In Maya, aligning the camera with the concept art is crucial for capturing the intended composition. By setting up the camera parameters to match the art, we ensure a faithful representation. Additionally, blocking out models in positions that correspond to the props and characters, such as the building, wooden cat, and the painter, depicted in the concept art helps establish the initial framework for modelling.

Modelling and Sculpting:

Assigned base colors on objects as a placeholder and refined the models. Bringing the character into ZBrush for sculpting. The process took more than a week because the fundamental of the character is crucial. I exported the character with the camera, so I can match the concept while sculpting. Using Dynamesh, Zremesher, for refining the high-poly details and exporting a low-poly version back to Maya. 

Texturing:

I prepared the model by ensuring proper UV unwrapping to facilitate texture mapping. For texturing, I used Substance Painter and stylised painting was interesting once I got the hang of it. Capturing the style of the brush strokes was quite challenging, especially when smart materials weren’t helping much. Many textures are required to be hand-painted.

Lighting and Look Development:

I used a lot of lights. Probably more than I needed, but many lights were linked to specific objects for their own shadows and light reflections. To match the shadow on the ground, I created objects in the shape of the shadows and positioned them on top building, then used light linking to link only the shadow objects and the ground fake the shadows.

Final touch:

We had an extra week to receive feedback from our school instructors and polish our artwork. I gave gradient to the paints and recreated the lighting for the glass. I created fog and God-ray in a separate render and finalised the artwork in Photoshop.

Conclusion:

I experienced different challenges in the creative process and witnessed my own ability to grow and learn in the 3D community. In this project, Through first-hand experience, I have witnessed the powerful synergy between 2D and 3D art, fueling my belief in the potential for further integrations between these distinct mediums in creative projects.