LogInKai Derzbach showcased a polished version of his 2023 Jaw Breaker project.
Kai Derzbach, a talented Hard-Surface Character/Creature Artist, has recently revisited the Jaw Breaker project, first unveiled back in 2023, showcasing a refined and polished version of the animation in a recent LinkedIn post.
Inspired by Guerrilla's Horizon games, the project portrays a menacing-looking mechanical shark animation, modeled, rigged, and animated entirely by hand using Blender. Alongside improving the model and enhancing the fluidity of movements, the artist has also incorporated several new elements that would be essential for gameplay had the model been integrated into a video game.
"I thought about a way to fight underwater without arrows or projectiles because that would not make much sense," commented the creator. "I imagined it might be a better experience if the player needed to grab one of the smaller tailfins and climb toward the head. The path to the head dynamic where panels can block you, handles are missing or you need to wait until the machine raises its head so you can reach the final handle on the head to take control."
And here's the shark's earlier design:
Notably, this is not the first mechanical shark produced by Kai. In 2021, the artist also presented a Blender-made robotic hammerhead, inspired by the only Horizon game released at the time – Horizon Zero Dawn:
We highly encourage you to follow Kai on LinkedIn and ArtStation to see more of the artist's incredible creations. And if you'd like to learn more about animating fish in Blender, here are some great tutorials that will help you get started:
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