The Creation of a 3D Super Mario Fan Art
Initial 2D Concept
The project began with a 2D concept by Pedram Jamadi, a visual development artist who has worked on character design for video games, films, and animation. His concept featured a stylized Mario with a unique twist, including babies and a color key for the characters and photobashed background.
Modelling the Character in 3D
Ehsan Nouri, a 3D character artist, created the 3D model of Mario. He used ZBrush and Maya to build the characters, starting with a blockout in ZBrush and gradually adding details, followed by working on the topology in Maya. The model was then returned to ZBrush for further development of the character’s form to restore details lost during topologizing, such as the inside of the mouth and eyelids.
Creating the 3D Environment
Shayan Takapoomanesh, a senior modelling artist, built the 3D environment. He created the ground plane using the sculpting tool in ZBrush, keeping it irregular to feel more natural, with details built up steadily. The main elements, such as grass, flowers, and mushrooms, were modelled and scattered using the MASH plugin in Maya to control the look.
Character Grooming
Siavash Arji, an experienced grooming and character modelling artist, worked on the character’s hair. He used XGen and noise dot maps to create clumps, placing five Clump modifiers and up to four Noise modifiers, including one for flyaways. Given the stylized nature of the piece, natural texture was a key consideration for the clothes, with a Sampler used to create patterns.
Substance Textures
I handled the texturing, starting with carefully creating UVs of the characters and objects in the scene. I used Substance 3D Painter and Sampler to create the skin, adding layers for sun damage and the like. The clothes were textured with a Sampler, and the environment was individually textured for each object.
Lookdev Process
I also took care of the look development using Arnold, creating texture maps for the characters and environments. The skin required subsurface scattering, and procedural maps were used to achieve a better look. For the hair, I used AiStandardHair to achieve the desired brown and black colors.
Lighting the Scene
The goal of the lighting was to convey a dreamy mood, directing the viewer’s attention to the characters. I tested various lighting angles, referencing The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Tangled. The setup used sunlight as a rim on the characters, with a strong fill to bring warm color. An area light added fake bounce light, as if from the sun, to lighten the underside of the mushroom.
Final Compositing
To finish the project, I did the compositing tweaks using Nuke, matching the AOVs rendered in Maya. A depth fog was added to the shot, with each layer graded and LPEs used for the lights. A ZDefocus node created fake depth of field to bring the viewer’s eye to the middle ground.
Conclusion
This project was a collaborative effort, with a team of artists working together to bring a stylized Super Mario fan art to life. From concept to final compositing, each artist contributed their expertise to create a unique and captivating piece.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What software was used for the project?
A: ZBrush, Maya, XGen, Substance 3D Painter, and Nuke were used for the project.
Q: Who was involved in the project?
A: Pedram Jamadi, Ehsan Nouri, Shayan Takapoomanesh, Siavash Arji, and Pejman Rajabi were involved in the project.
Q: What was the goal of the project?
A: The goal was to create a stylized Super Mario fan art, showcasing the team’s skills and creativity.
Q: What was the most challenging part of the project?
A: The most challenging part was balancing the stylized look with realism, while maintaining the characters’ recognizable features.
