As part of the modelling coursework on the visual effects graduate program at George Brown College, we were assigned the task to create a soft-surface model of a creature of our choosing (real or imaginary). I chose to model the most-trafficked animal in the world, the pangolin, which is a creature that I find fascinating. After initial research and reference image searches, I decided to make my own 'breed' as a kind of mash-up of the eight species rather than focussing on one specific species, as it allowed me more flexibility and creativity.
I sculpted the base model in ZBrush, retopologized it in Maya, created procedural textures in Substance Painter and then rendered out the lit shots using Arnold in Maya. Final composites were made using Nuke and Photoshop. This was a fascinating challenge and taught me a lot about soft-surface modelling.
Base ZBrush sculpt
Start of scale positioning
Retopologized body mesh
Final ZBrush model
