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The Giant
Maya | Adobe After Effects | 2013
Introducing "The Giant"! As the final project of my BFA in Digital Art and Design at Towson University, this project allowed me to showcase my skills in 3D modeling and animation using Maya. Being completely comprehensive, I was responsible for all the giants concept art, modeling, texturing, rigging, and animation, and so I began the creation of a captivating character from scratch.
Originally conceived as a formidable antagonist for a group movie/animation project, the Giant underwent a transformative journey. At first he started out as a more muscular human type character that would be battling a Don Quixote hero type character. In the original outlines for the project, he would be so massive compared to the hero that you would never even see the giant fully in frame. After the group project portion was canceled and I had already started modeling the giant I realized that by himself he was not unique enough of a character to showcase on his own. So, seeking to make him more iconic, I drew inspiration from various fantasy art references, and refined his appearance by elongating his limbs while magnifying the size of his stomach. I wanted to give him less human-like proportions and make his outline more visually striking. To further enhance his presence, I bestowed upon him a signature weapon—a formidable flail crafted from a colossal rock encased in iron plating.
After he was modeled, I textured the Giant, breathing life into his formidable form. Rigging was another crucial step, involving the creation of a skeletal system and binding the model to the rig, allowing for fluid movement and animation. Crafting an engaging showcase video, I animated a walk cycle and a roaring sequence, complete with a dynamic swing of his weapon for dramatic action. To provide a fitting stage for this larger-than-life character, I designed a pedestal inspired by tabletop games, elevating his presence within a simple environment.
While I am proud of the Giant's overall creation, I do wish the class had an opportunity to have had an extended project timeline, encompassing two semesters—one for planning and character development and another dedicated to the creation of a movie or video, allowing us to showcase our skills in lighting, animation and lip syncing, which we honed throughout our prior classes.
Undoubtedly, the creation of The Giant demanded commitment and perseverance, navigating the complexities of time constraints while juggling work and other courses. Yet, the end result stands as a testament to my passion for 3D animation and the boundless possibilities that unfold when bringing characters to life.
Concept art that I drew in order to model the Giant. Upon further consideration I found the normal body shape of the design to be lacking uniqueness. To address this I used the reference painting as inspiration and modified the Giant's body to be more "skinny/fat" with slender extremities and a larger belly. I feel this gave him more visual appeal and looked less human like.
Quick renders used as frames in creating the above video. The project was rendered twice once with the color and shading and another with the topology shown. They were then merged together in After Effects for the creation of the video.
Giant front view walk cycle.
Giant side view walk cycle.
