MONSTERS AT WORK - SEASON 2
ENVIRONMENT DESIGN - fearco Receiving station & cavern
Concept process
I began this location with some basic shape language exploration for the large energy tank which will eventually hang from the ceiling of a huge cavernous space.
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Initially we were playing around with the idea of a vast network of suspended pipes around the energy tank, similar to tree branches or roots.
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At this point I needed to flesh out the cave in order to give context to how the tanks were hanging, as well as other structures which were integrated into the towering rock formations. There was considerable input from the directors, story team and previs department regarding scale, placement and design of various elements. This location had to look really cool, in addition to serving the story for the climax of the season. “No pressure” they told me.
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3D MODELING BEGINS
Next, it was time to start building out the location in Maya. I used the drawing above as a guide, interpreting a 2D design into 3D space. I love designing in 3D because it’s like sculpture or building a real model, as I can move all around it to see how the design looks from any point of view. I can also find interesting camera angles and see what the scale actually looks like from the character’s point of view.
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As the model progressed, I would go back and forth between 3D modeling and 2D drawing as I explored the model in more detail. Here, I was attempting to explain the lifecycle of a canister, after it gets filled with scream energy on the Scare Floor. The canister descends deep underground to this chamber, where the energy is deposited into this large tank, then is eventually returned to the Scare Floor. This process will never be explained to the audience, but we wanted to have some sort of logic behind the scenes if someone ever asked.
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FINAL VISUAL DEVELOPMENT RENDERS
The following images are renders in Maya of my completed 3D location. I lit the scene simply with about 16 lights and applied basic shaders to most objects. Even though my job as a environment designer on this project was not really about color or lighting, I wanted these renders to feel like concept paintings, enhanced by lighting and atmosphere to help sell the scale and mood of the environment.
