juvawild’s submission — HIMALAYAN TREASURES: 3D PROP CHALLENGE

FINAL SUBMISSION

First of all, thanks to Sierra Division for organizing this challenge. I’ve been doing this for a relatively short period of time, and any incentive to push myself out of my comfort zone and learn new skills is more than welcome! I’m also very impressed by the other participants, and I hope I’ll reach your level someday, guys!
I chose the prayer wheel since I find it an interesting object both aesthetically and culturally, and I made a slightly unusual design to try to stand out a bit. I learned a lot about Tibetan culture, its mantras, and its symbols while doing this challenge. One of the things I like most about 3D modeling is the research on the object you want to create, and learning things you wouldn't have been interested in otherwise.
I am satisfied with the result, but I also feel that I should overcome my fear of organic modeling and step away from hard surface modeling, which is what I've been focusing on until now. Another point I’d like to mention is that I think there might be too many triangles in my asset, since I wanted to prioritize shape over optimization.

Thanks to everyone for reading, I hope you like it!

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Rendering

Finally rendering! My method basically involves finding the most interesting viewpoints possible. I usually try several HDRIs until I find one that fits with the visual composition I want to represent, and I play with the lighting. Sometimes I add more than one spotlight. I also adjust the camera settings, such as depth of field and grain.

Texturing

Hello everyone! We are already in the last week of the challenge, and I'm excited to see the final result and to see yours as well!

I have been working on the textures of the prayer wheel in Substance Painter, and although it's not ready yet, I am getting close to the desired result. My workflow consists of starting with simple materials and then adding layers of color variations to build more complex and realistic materials, paying close attention to references and trying to get as close as possible, but also considering my taste and artistic direction. Another thing I do is open a project in Marmoset with a neutral HDRI like Studio Tomoco (the same one I use in Painter) to see how the materials look in the engine where I will do the final renders.

I prepared several alphas in Photoshop of silhouettes of Dakinis and Ashta Mangalas. I took some references of these elements and converted them into alphas by using the black and white filter, curves to increase the contrast, and touching up certain areas with the brush to make them look good. I also downloaded a Tibetan alphabet font and wrote the most famous mantras to inscribe them along the object in the form of a normal map, adding visual and cultural richness.

Holder

I also made a sort of holder for the prayer wheel in the shape of a fish, which was present in the references I found. I mainly modeled it with subdivisions and booleans. Initially, I considered doing a manual retopology, but since I didn't have much time and the object is intended to be static, I opted for a decimated geometry using ZBrush's Decimation Master. I created the high poly using remesher + smooth in Blender. I also did the UVs in Blender, and I have to say that creating the seams on the decimated geometry was very challenging since it was my first time doing it, and I had many issues during the bake. Ironically, it might have been more practical to do the retopology directly.

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To finish, I'll leave you with a screenshot of the holder's texturing, which is almost finished. I followed the same workflow mentioned earlier, with the particularity that I find wood very complex to texture. However, in my previous project, I had to texture a wooden grip, so I studied quite a bit on how to texture this type of material.

Highpoly

Hi! It's been a while since my last post because I've been busy, but I have continued working on the project. To start, I generated a high poly model, primarily using a workflow of subdivisions and also remesh + smooth. I also sculpted some stones in ZBrush, using some brushes and alphas that were ideal for the occasion. My main idea was to also create other details in ZBrush, like the dakinis on the plates, but after doing some tests, I realized it was better to do it in Substance Painter, as they wouldn't be large details and I could achieve good quality.
I also changed the sphere that was attached to the chains to a talisman, by the way.

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Lowpoly

After that, I generated the low poly, which will initially have around 46,000 tris. I know I might have been a bit too generous, but for this model, I wanted to prioritize the shapes over optimization. Then I made the UVs, for which I prepared 2 sets that will be in 4K, one for the general body of the model and another for the details. I overlapped the UVs of some pieces to save space and increase the texture resolution.

Bake

And now, I am doing the bake in Marmoset, and although I haven't finished it yet, I think I'm close. I try to work on the bake at low resolutions to speed up the process and detect problems more easily. There are still some things I'm not entirely convinced about with the model, such as some of the ornaments I made manually in Blender. If I don't achieve the desired quality in the texturing phase, I will have to go back and improve the model!
Thanks for reading, and good luck!

Base Mesh

Hello again! I have continued working on the project, and I think I more or less have the base mesh that I will use.
I created three types of ornaments from scratch using subdivisions, giving freedom to my style while somewhat respecting the Tibetan references I found. My idea is to use one type on each level of the prayer wheel. These ornaments will be introduced through the normal map.
I have also added the pearls, gemstones, and plates that will serve as canvases for sculpting the dakinis and the Ashta Mangala.
My next step is to add details to the different elements in ZBrush and generate the high poly model.

Hi everyone! I've been working on the model, adding a bit more detail and organizing my ideas. On the other hand, I've been researching information about the symbols of the ornaments and Tibetan mantras. It seems that the mantra 'om mani padme hum' is present on prayer wheels, which could be translated as 'Oh, the jewel in the lotus!' This mantra is culturally very important and is traditionally tied to prayer wheels. I've also been looking into symbols like the 'dakinis,' female deities that can be represented in Tibetan objects, and the Ashta Mangala, which are endemic symbols that can also be present. My main concern right now is how to incorporate these details. I think some will be present in the low poly model, while others I will create in the high poly in ZBrush or add in Substance using alpha maps. We'll see.

Blocking

Starting with the blocking in Blender!

Reference

Hi everyone! After a few days of searching for references, I've found a series of objects that I find quite appealing. My main idea is to combine a couple of them to create a unique treasure. I've decided to start with the prayer wheel, and if I have enough time, I'll make another as a complement, aiming to create a meaningful story.
I will start by modeling the base shape, and then I'll research information about what kind of symbols I can use as ornaments and incorporate cultural details.

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Name: Guillem Pérez
Country: Spain
I have read the terms and conditions and and am eligible for prizes