Personal Character

We created our own 3D characters using Maya, Substance Painter, and ZBrush. It was a long process since each program functioned differently, and switching between them was a challenge. I liked Maya the most because it was the simplest and the one we spent the most time working with. ZBrush, on the other hand, was frustrating—it felt like sculpting with clay, but controlling the divisions of the character was incredibly difficult. However, I was pleasantly surprised by how my final character turned out. Considering how messy my Maya file looked at first, I wasn’t expecting much, but in the end, it came out better than I anticipated.

Artist Statement

Through this project, I furthered my skills in Autodesk Maya, Substance Painter, and ZBrush, learning more about the process of creating original 3D models. Rigging the character was challenging, especially with weight painting, and balancing the level of detail in ZBrush while managing the number of faces was tricky. If I could change something, it would be the jacket design. It feels a bit too basic and plain, and I’d like to create something more interesting in the future. Overall, I’m proud of this project because it was the longest and most complex piece I’ve worked on so far. While it may not be my best work, it’s an important step in developing my skills in creating 3D character models.

Walk, Run, & Jump Cycles

We learned how to animate a walk, run, and jump, which was quite challenging. Making the movements look natural without unwanted jumps or clunky transitions was difficult. While I’m not entirely satisfied with how it turned out, considering it was our first time working with rigging, I’m impressed that it even resembles proper animation.

Motion Capture

I found using motion capture with our character surprisingly easy. I believe my dance background really helped me exaggerate my movements effectively, resulting in better mocap performance than I had anticipated. While the motion capture in this video is from the past years, we used motion capture in our Narrative 2 project below.

Lip Sync

I chose a Nara Smith audio because I thought it would be funny. It doesn’t really match my character, but I didn’t have any other ideas for the voiceover. Since Nara Smith was trending on my TikTok, I figured, why not?

3D Narrative Animation

In our animation class, we created a short animation narrative. Working as a team was challenging, especially since I took on the role of leader and had to assign tasks to everyone. Getting started was tough because we struggled with applying textures both inside and outside the tavern. And if you ever look into our Maya files to check the lighting—just don’t. For some reason, the interface makes everything look blindingly bright, like you’re in heaven, but when rendered, it turns out way too dark. We have no idea why.

Reflection

I really valued working with my friend Ynez throughout the entire process. There were many times when one of us didn’t know something, but the other figured it out along the way, allowing us to share our knowledge. We had a lot of fun accidentally discovering new features in the programs and laughing at our silly mistakes. What could have felt like a never-ending, strenuous task ended up being enjoyable and manageable with a friend by my side.