Premise: Small Character Test

 To develop the environment of my Premise project, I decided to model and test a small character with unique material characteristics, a glowing spirit. I wanted to focus on preserving the original sketch, trying to translate the shape into a 3D glowing object. I also wanted to experiment with glowing materials and if this would be effective in a busy Maya scene. 

I started with my original sketch (left) and created an orthograph spread. 

The basic shape was relatively easy to model, so I had ample time to ensure the geometry was tidy. I used the brush tool to polish the model in tricky areas like leg and arm creases. 

The orthographs enabled me to create a model that looked effective from all angles. Its simplicity makes the model easy to read from a distance. This is important, because the character is small. 

I extruded inwards to create eyes, ensuring I wasn't creating unwanted triangles in the geometry. 

I adjusted the model slightly from my orthographs by creating wrist impressions to suggest small hands. Overall however, the model is simple and identifiable from a distance. 

 

Once happy with the model, I began experimenting with texturing. In this first test render, I used an aistandardsurface and increased the emission weight. A slight glow can be seen on the ground plane. I like this effect and the slight reflectivity on the character, but I worry the material glow is too weak, and might get lost in a busy scene. 

In the second render, I duplicated the geometry and created an Arnold mesh light. I then created an aiatmospherevolume, outputting the effect of fog which helped strengthen the glow. I like the ‘flat’ illusion in this render; I want the character to look ethereal. By turning off any specular I was able to create a ghostly glow. 

Happy with the second test render, I added a matt material to the eyes. I was satisfied with the translation of the character from sketch to 3D model.

The character is accurate to its orthographs from both angles. I like the shadow-less effect of the material; Its arms are only visible from certain angles. However, this will have to be considered when animating. 

From a distance, the glow is still visible. I'll have to consider the repercussions of using a fog effect on scenes that use this character, as It might affect render times. Overall however, this test was successful.