Welcome

The assignment outlined in this production journal was to develop a fully modelled 3D character based on an original concept and a 2D turnaround reference. The character was created for use in a game and to demonstrate clean topology and edge flow suitable for animation. The model was created with a combination of sculpting and box-modelled, then retopologised, UV unwrapped, and exported as a clean and organised Maya scene. The character had to meet all the assignment technical requirements, including; a bipedal structure, separate meshes for the eyes and mouth, and a jaw that can open and close. The production journal documents each stage of the process, from the initial concept to the final model, with critical reflection and supporting visual evidence.

Given the task of creating an animatable character, I decided to create one for a game I'm currently working on as part of my Games and Interactive Environments (GaIE) degree, in order to utilise my time as efficiently as possible. I chose to attempt an asset for our current capstone project, Friends & Fangs, a stylised co-op game that pits cute anthropomorphic characters against a mutant in their mission to escape an animal testing facility.

While the creation of Darrel has been a highly dynamic and iterative process, mostly driven by setbacks and the limitations of my own artistic skill, his production has provided a great learning opportunity. Although I will likely need to iterate on Darrel further to better match the artistic direction of our capstone game, I'm happy with the progress I made on him.

While my initial aim was to create a cute, chibi-style anthropomorphic ibis, the character creation process forced me to push past the rather bland initial concept I had and attempt to add some real personality to my creation — which has been a surprisingly enjoyable experience!

• Main Body - 18k Verts & Faces

• Hat & Chain - 14K Verts & Faces

• Fluff & Feathers - 6k Verts 5.5K Faces

• Total: 38K Verts, 37K Faces