This week was again getting the tree and ant models completed, with the addition of the ant model being rigged! I started the week off working on the tree.
Using this image as reference for the tree
I started with a blockout and adding details via sub-divisions, loops and circulations
The tree itself is thicker than the original references as this tree will need to ‘absorb’ the leather armchair that I have made and I’d use the modelling tools in maya to imitate that ‘absorption’ trees do as they grow around an object.
This was a new experience to me a I very rarely use maya’s more complicated sculpting tools to grab and shift topology like I was modelling an actual piece of clay. For the foliage I decided to use maya’s brush generators to create the leaves.
This was a lot simpler than I had originally thought it would be and came out with a decent looking effect. It might be that I end up replacing these with foliage in unreal.
To help alleviate the more depressing aspects of my piece and further the idea of it being meant to be taken more melancholically I decided to make the ant model based on a cuter more stylized reference. This meant more simpler design and rounder shapes. The texture however is more realistic to not make it stand out too much in reference to the other realistic models.
I also rigged this ant and it is one of the best rigs I’ve managed thus far. One of its major improvements is my implementation of IK handles as previously, due to my inexperience, I hadn’t included them and when animating this would result in weaker results with longer times to animate.