3D CHARACTERS

In this section, I share how my 3D characters come to life, from the initial concept all the way to modeling, texturing, and rigging. It’s a look into each step of the process, showing how an idea gradually turns into a fully functional and animatable character.

My avatar was the very first character I ever created, so it naturally went through a lot of different versions and styles. Each stage became a way for me to experiment and learn, whether it was shaping and modeling, texturing, playing with color, exploring different aesthetics, or improving my rigging skills.

FIRST CONCEPTS

Initially, I was aiming for an anime and cartoon-inspired character with huge eyes and a head bigger than the rest of the body, but as my skills developed, my approach shifted. I started leaning toward a more anatomically realistic base while still keeping a stylized, cartoon feel through the use of cel shading.

RIGGING & TOPOLOGY

RIGGING & TOPOLOGY

Working on the topology and rigging was definitely the hardest part of designing this character. At first, I went for a low-poly approach, which kept the geometry minimal and easier to handle. But as the model became more detailed over time, I had to redo the topology, adding more subdivisions and refining the rig so it would better support the body and its movements.

I use a cel-shading setup for my textures to keep that stylized, cartoon-like look in my models. I usually start with a simple node setup and build on it when needed, adding things like roughness or multiply nodes to introduce more texture and let the lighting interact more naturally with the colors.

SHADING

TV BOY is a character I created to explore the space between technology and life, blending human traits with a TV-like form. His design and personality are built around this dual identity, balancing something organic with something mechanical. He comes across as calm and reserved, yet he still finds ways to express his creativity especially through the way he dresses, using style as a subtle extension of who he is.

FIRST CONCEPTS

At first, I struggled to settle on the right color palette for him. I experimented with bold, vibrant colors like yellow, red, and white, but eventually felt the need to tone things down. I ended up leaning toward more neutral shades, using subtle pops of color in his outfits to keep his look expressive without overwhelming the design.

The Flippies are playful little creatures I created to bring more life and fun into the NesWorld realm. They’re basically alien cats, coming straight out of space. Flip Flop is the main Flippie of the group, super silly but also very sensitive. Bob is just as goofy and never misses a chance to join in on Flip Flop’s chaos, while Chef is the calm one of the trio, usually found cooking and keeping things a bit more grounded but doesn’t mind his friends mischievous dynamics.

CONCEPT

CONCEPT

SKETCHES

The Flippies were meant to be regular cats, and the trio was even called the “3 Meows.” As the project evolved, I reworked their designs into alien cats and renamed their species the Flippies, a change that better captured their playful, silly energy.

TOPOLOGY &

STRUCTURE

The Flippies are built with very simple topology. Their faces are made using PNGs, which I can keyframe to quickly switch between different expressions. The rig is also kept pretty minimal and straightforward, since their movements are simple and don’t require anything too complex.

3D Animations

3D Environments