Royalty

ROYALTY

Hi all, my name is Mattia De Cinti and today I am thrilled to submit my first entry for the 2024 Rookie Awards for the "Digital Fashion" category.

I designed this dress during my master's program in CG at Skyup Academy, for this project I took inspiration from the classic and royal style. 

The entire work was created using Marvelous Designer, textured in Adobe Substance Painter and rendered with Autodesk Maya and V-ray.

This project represented my very first approach to  3D Cloth and I must say that I am very satisfied with my result!

First of all, let's study!

To create this dress, I followed a predefined reference and explored additional references from the same shooting, I then delved deeper into studying materials, garment components, and tailoring patterns specific to this type of attire. 

Modeling

I initiated the process by defining the foundational contours.

Upon confirming the functionality of each element, I advanced to enhance them by integrating diverse intricacies, including elastic for the upper portion, refining the corset's framework, attaching buttons, and embellishing cuffs. 

Don't forget the details.

For the accessories such as the hat and necklace for the outfit, I opted to model them in 3D using Autodesk Maya.

This allowed me to achieve precise detailing and tailor them perfectly to complement the overall aesthetic of the ensemble. 

To create the pearl necklace, I used the MASH module built into Maya.

I started with a simple grid for the beads and rings, then distributed them along a curve using MASH's distribution function.

This allowed me to repeat the arrangement along a circular path, controlling and shaping the curve itself via the control vertices. 

Pose and dynamic simulation

For the posing, I was inspired by a variety of clothing styles and photo sessions. I looked for an elegant pose, static but capable of conveying a sense of movement and dynamism while remaining in place. 

To achieve this effect, I looked for a pose that could exploit the length of the skirt on the bottom of the dress, with one leg raised to highlight the dynamism of the garment, while maintaining a formal and evocative air of elegance.

Pose inspiration:

For the pose I created a smooth animation in Maya, transitioning an avatar from an A Pose to a desired stance using timeline interpolation

Subsequently, I exported this animation in .abc (Alembic Cache) format, facilitating its import into Marvelous, there, I reproduced the same animation while incorporating a dynamic cloth simulation.

After finishing the dynamic simulation in Marvelous, I re-exported the file to .fbx format for Maya integration, then, I transferred the final file to Substance Painter for texture and finish application. 

Retopolgy

After posing the model in Marvelous Designer and obtaining a triangularized model I had to convert it to a full quads topology.

With Maya , I performed automatic retopology efficiently and accurately, resulting in a full quad topology. 

Texturing

In the texturing process with Substance Painter, I took care of the fabric texturing of all the components of my outfit, from the satin of the skirt to the lace of the corset, up to the straw hat and the pearl necklace. 

I took care of every detail to obtain authentic and detailed textures. 

And now let's give it some color

The concluding segment of my project commences here, with the beginning of the lighting and rendering phase.

Following the conclusion of the texturing phase, I returned to Maya to assemble all the materials, next, I transitioned to lighting.

I started by trying to follow a reference for the color palette and the general mood for the lighting .

My intent was to find a color palette that could evoke warmth and elegance, I opted for an orange based palette.

My objective was to devise uncomplicated lighting that wouldn't overshadow the fabrics, as the focal point remained the dress, I fine-tuned the mannequin's lighting to consistently accentuate the dress. 

During this phase, I spent my time setting up the scene, working on the lights and materials to prepare the composition for rendering, working in this environment with a base and a cloth that evoked a photographic or fashion context.

I decided to use this setting also to set the model's turntable.

I just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone for the support and the opportunity to share my Digital Fashion project at The Rookies Awards 2024, hope you like it.

It was amazing to be part of this incredible community, good luck to all the other participants!