Biological Sculpt
A freeform 3D sculpt of the biological subject of a lined seahorse.
3D
Animation
Project Overview
Client: Nicholas Woolridge, University of Toronto
Industry: academia, science education
Audience: general audience
Type: 3D sculpt
Tools: ZBrush, Cinema4D, Autodesk Maya, Adobe Photoshop
Date: December 2021
A 3D model of a lined seahorse, with the goal to create an original realistic sculpt of a biological subject.
Design Solution
Sketches
I chose to sculpt a male Hippocampus erectus, commonly known as a lined seahorse. Lined seahorses are characterized by a specific number of bony rings and structural plates. Male lined seahorses also have a brood pouch for reproduction.
3D Sculpt
My 3D modelling process started with a sphere. Sculpting was completed with ZBrush Dynamesh before retopologizing and subdividing my mesh. The main brushes I used were the Move, Clay, and Dam Standard brushes to sculpt the seahorse. An alpha was also used to create additional texture on the skin.
UV Maps
In ZBrush, I painted directly onto my model using polypaint and layers. I created two maps, one for colour and one for transparency. These maps were then further modified and edited in Adobe Photoshop to fine tune colour levels and details.
Lighting
In Autodesk Maya, the UV maps were linked to the base colour and opacity of the aiStandardSurface material. The scene was then rendered using a 3-point lighting method. This includes a key light, fill light, and back light focused on the model.
Turntable Animation
Find the final infographic illustration below! Care was made in the accuracy in the render of the plant and flight pose of the fly.