MOODBOARD

Cartoons have always been one of my favourite things to watch; I adore 2D graphics with no physics in this scene, simple music, and a wonderful plot. Even though I was not a child of the 1990s, cartoons from that era were a part of my youth. Courage the Cowardly Dog is one of the best cartoons I have watched. That is the core of my idea; building a 3D scene from a 2D show would be a fantastic experience.

About the Cartoon and Central Idea

This programme was about a house in the middle of nowhere where terrifying things used to happen to the family that lived within the sandy field where the house used to be and the highway goes by in the early 1990s. Because the family used to live far from the city, their lifestyle was more relaxed; they preferred to stay at home and watch television or read the newspaper. The sofa in the animation has been used several times since the character, Eustace Bagge in the show adores it and must sit on it at all times. My plan for this project is to recreate the iconic sofa from the show.

Floor Planing

– Sofa Chair
– Rocking Chair
– T.V
– Side Lamp
– Windows
– Side Table

camera coverage area in the scene

The first stage is to design the floor plan, which is just a simple drawing of the narrative that covers all of the assets you will utilise and how your camera will cover them. In my floor plan, I attempted to show the main idea of the setting on a 2D plane using basic drawing abilities. On the second image, the red line shows how much the camera will cover and how I will highlight my model with the story.

Storyboard

Making a story board is a great method for an artist to recall how he/she wants to work once he/she has finished generating the assets and the set for the scene, but more importantly, It is the most effective technique to demonstrate your idea to others. Thus, I attempted to be as professional as possible by developing this messy story board to demonstrate my idea before beginning work on my models and the scene. As my main goal is to have a thrill and suspense in the shot, I decided to use a first person view that will take the viewer to the scene.

Refrence for 3D Model

Moving on to the 3D model, the attempt would be to recreate and introduce the cartoon to the 3D world from simple 2D animation, with the main goal of making it realistic and creating a feeling for the audience that takes them back to their youth but as if they are already in the scenario. No wonder every kid who grew up watching 2D cartoons has a dream of what if this was real, and since it is now possible, why not make some dreams come true. Bearing in mind the time and circumstances in which the family was living, the sofa should be in a state showing that it has been used frequently or extensively, with faded fabric on the handles as a consequence of repeated contact, giving it an old appearance.

Assest

Progress on Model

Making a 3D model with the help of poly modelling tools is the initial step in beginning a 3D modelling project. The modelling needs to be accurate and perfect so that it doesn’t cause trouble in the subsequent processes.

Applying UVs

To understand how fabric works, the patterns that are generated when you watch a couch being constructed, I used the internet to research how a sofa is first made, and fabric is placed onto which generates flawless lines running sideways. It was fascinating to learn how tight fabrix should be before putting it to use. I had to give the UVs according to the lines patterns I wanted for the model. So that when I take it to the substance painter, it doesn’t break or go in the opposite direction.

The second most critical item is applying textures after completing the modelling procedure. Giving a 3D model the ideal shape, size, and quality textures is just as vital for making it appear realistic. The viewer will be convinced by the textures to believe that the scene is real. Doing UVs of the 3D object can be pretty complicated when it has different properties or distinct impacts as they should be in their ideal place.For this particular model, it was crucial to have the stretch applied in the proper location so that the UVs are completed in order to maintain alignment.

Preset Textures

I struggled to locate a texture for the model since I needed a fabric that would actually seem like a fabric rather than just a picture on the model. As a test, I used the texture that I discovered on the website polyheaven. It was quite good.

Link: Denim Fabric 02 Texture • Poly Haven

It did seem decent after applying texture, but it was not what I had expected because it was looking like a cartoon with no characteristics. There wasn’t enough to make it seem more real and old.

Substance Painter

The texture I discovered on polyheaven was not stunning, and it was not what I was looking for. So I took my model to Substance Painter and made my own texture. I began by applying Lambert Shader on my model in maya, which I had already divided into parts so that I could have clear UVs and texture.

After importing the model into Substance, I began by applying a base texture and a base color; because the sofa in the cartoon was red, I attempted to match the color of the fabric. I increased the height and roughness of the base color to make it more realistic.

Once the primary color was applied, the second step was to make the sofa look rough and used. To achieve this, I added several layers to make it look old and used from various locations to match the vibe.

Test RENDERS

After applying the texture to the model and rendering it, the results were satisfying. Yet, in order to make it look natural, I required a nice HDRI, and I struggled to locate one that actually fit the project.

HDRI RENDERS

The results I received after placing HDRI in the background were rather uninspiring. The picture was overexposed, and the sofa appeared to be floating in mid-air.

Set Building

After observing the final results of the sofa with HDRI background, I decided to create my own set for the sofa, for which I created walls and stairs. It is a replica of the house I want for my future project. To keep things interesting, I had to repeat the process of creating textures. I imported my set into Substance Painter and created the set.

The 3D modeling of the set was not difficult, but giving them details was a challenging work, and to make it as authentic as the show, I had to print flower wallpaper on the walls. After a few of hours of searching online, I saw one photograph that was fairly good. I took the photo to Photoshop and made the necessary adjustments while attempting to mimic the shade of the flower that was actually in the show.

I added more 3D models from Sketchfab and Polyheaven to my project to make it more alive. I attempted to keep it closer to the show’s asset, but they fit wonderfully in my renders. The scene took on a realistic and spooky vibe with one rocking chair, side table, and grandfather clock.

Rocking chair: https://polyhaven.com/a/Rockingchair_01

Side table: https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/belgrave-side-table-oak-b08b81587f6f4e308a4755e0ff4457f7

Grandfather Clock:https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/grandfather-clock-cef39f1bd3df43578236f273f273a873

Bringing assets to the scene was not enough; when I imported them from outsource, they were extremely polished and had good texturing. whereas I required models that had been in use for a long time and should appear old. As a result, I created textures in substance painter for the rocking chair, side table, and grandfather clock.

LIGHTING TEST

FINAL RENDER

WEEK 9

Introduction To Unreal

This was the first week of our Unreal Engine lesson, which was a lot of fun. We simply played around with it to see how it works and what functions and tools it offers. It was a great session, and as a VFX artist, this may become a must-have tool for post-production. Apart from that, it was a fantastic approach to start and get familiar with the software.

WEEK 10

Materials & Blueprints

We started with basic Blueprints nodes that said “Hey, welcome to the EVENT” in this lesson. It was useful to learn how to create your own customize nodes and utilize them as strings.

Environment Making in Unreal Engine

This week we’re learning how to build environments using various tools in the software. To start, we built a landscape using the landscape mode, which required us to construct a material blueprint where the texture file could be modified to produce the desired effect. Simple grass and rocky sand textures from the Unreal Engine were used for this scenario.

After that, we built a house using geometry. It was quite easy because only basic shapes were needed. One great thing about geometry is that it makes it simple to create doors, windows, and other types of wholes. As one only needs to drag a major cube, let’s say a wall, in to make a door, turn the settings towards subtract, and then drag another cube in.

Foliage Mode then enters the picture, making it easier to create things like rocks, trees, and plants. By dragging and dropping the items we wish to include in the project into the appropriate section, a brush-like feature appears that allows you to do so as if you were painting.

Moving on, we attempted to make water. It was challenging, but we learned a lot. We started with the plane and changed the texture while utilizing the blueprints.

Final ASSIGNMENT 02

The next step in the module is to create an environment, like an interior and exterior scene that meets reality. The first half of the module focused on creating a single realistic model that would be used in the second half and imported into the Unreal Engine. As a result, I decided to make the environment for one of the best cartoons, Courage the Cowardly Dog, in 3D. The show was entirely 2D but had a great impact, so why not do the same?

It was difficult to make it epic and represent the reality of the exterior the surroundings. Finding a home that is barely similar to the cartoon house was challenging. In order to keep the scene realistic, the famous Windmill must remain unchanged. I then made the decision to model it in order to preserve the originality.

Exterior

I used the Quixel Bridge’s rocky and sandy surface textures, as well as a rock model, to create the landscape’s surface. I then spread the rock model around the area with the help of Foliage.

House Modelling

I began by building the house, for which I used the wooden planks that I obtained from Polyheaven. Basically, it was a wooden pier from which I made the house’s outer walls.(Wooden Pier link: Modular Wooden Pier Model • Poly Haven)

Windmill Modelling

The second item was a windmill, which worked as the show’s centerpiece. I looked up numerous windmills online for this purpose, but none of them were comparable to the one shown in the cartoon. To maintain the vibe of the show, I tried to model it like the windmill in the cartoon as closely as possible.

Interior Set Making

I already created a set for the first half of the module, which I used here after making some improvements. Along with that, I also brought some antiques, including a floor lamp, a grandfather clock, a side table, and an old television. I also added a fireplace and a photo frame to the scene to give it additional depth.