[SPOILERS] Epic 3D Bar Scene Process (Patreon)

SPOILER WARNING: No big plot spoilers, but the following post reveals some behind-the-scenes clips from the new animation coming out in 2019.

I just finished compositing one of the most challenging scenes of animation I've ever done.

The four second segment features a 3D camera rotation, over a dozen characters (8 of which are animated), and several flying objects all sync'd to music! 

Step 1. Rough Animatic

This is the first time I've textured a 3D scene in Blender, which is a lot easier than I thought. It's a process called "UV Mapping" which entails painting a 2D "unboxed" version of a 3D model. 

The scene is fairly simplistic, consisting of only some walls, a bar, some bottles, tables and stools. I also modeled some placeholders for where characters would be animated in Flash. 

Step 2. 3D Animatic

Step 3. Rough Linework (Feeling the motions out)

Step 4. Layering 3D and 2D Elements (positioning complete)

Attempting to mix 2D and 3D in this manner turned out to be FAR more work than expected. Since the 3D scene was rendered in perfect 24fps, I had to animate a lot of the 2D at the same framerate (on 1s). This lead to a lot of line-work and coloring to achieve smooth animation. Thankfully, I recruited some help from artistic volunteers for some of the color filling.

Step 5. Animation + Linework Cleanup

Step 6. Inking (special thanks to Irascible, Darimations, & Soapy Bubbles)

Another big hurtle was the logistics of layering the 3D elements with my drawings. I had characters sitting in between chairs and tables, which really helped make things feel integrated. But when you have the camera spinning around, the order in which layers appear on top of each other can get really confusing.

 Final Step: Compositing + Color Correction & Lighting 

This whole process took ~3 weeks to complete. Now that I am more knowledgeable about mixing mediums, texturing, and modeling, I aim to better plan and design these scenes so I can produce them more efficiently.

I hope you enjoyed this look behind the process of Gildedguy Story #5. It's really shaping up!