Creating Animated Tokyo Diorama in 3D with 2D Elements Using Blender
Andrey Kabrioletovich, Allen Alekhina, and Polina Kon shared with us the workflow behind the Tokyo Diorama, discussing how they divided tasks, completed texturing with hand-painted overlays, and brought the scene to life with rigging and Grease Pencil animation.
Introduction
Hi everyone! We’re a team of three artists exploring the world of 3D art. Each of us came from a different background: Andrey started in motion design, Polina worked in 2D illustration, and Allen was exploring the fundamentals of game art.
Our paths eventually crossed during the 2.5D Blender course by Alexander Iwaac. Even though we all took the course at different times, we ended up in one community. The support, shared humor, and common values brought us together as a team. These are the results we achieved after completing the course.
Tokyo Diorama
Since each of us had a different background, we often helped one another with our personal projects. Whenever someone lacked a particular skill, someone else would step in and help. Communication flowed naturally, and over time, we realized that we wanted to create something together.
For our first collaborative project, we understood that we needed some limitations, as we had too many ideas and our attention kept drifting. The stars aligned, and we decided to take part in a plein-air challenge by Eugeniya Chernova. The idea behind the challenge is simple: you’re given a location on Google Maps, pick a building you like, and recreate it in any technique you prefer. We decided to create an entire block and do everything in 3D.
One of the main references for the diorama was a project by Glen Fox, who recreated a miniature version of Tokyo. We explored Google Maps together, selected interesting buildings, architectural details, and props, and then compiled a shared mood board.
Blocking & Task Management
We carefully studied the diorama reference on Sketchfab to understand the exact architectural layout, and then began blocking out the scene using primitives based on the buildings we had selected from Google Maps. Initially, we placed more buildings, but after assessing the deadline and the workload, we decided to reduce the number to five and shift our focus toward bringing the location to life through props and animation.
This led us to divide the tasks as follows:
- Allen's responsibility was to create the restaurant, café, and motorcycle;
- Polina was in charge of the flower shop, the distinctive two-story building, and the garbage truck;
- Andrey worked on a mixed-use building combining a tofu shop, a bakery, and a hotel, along with the road.
Workflow Simplifications
Since all three of us use the same software, Blender 3D, from blocking to rendering, it simplifies both real-time collaboration (making it easier to troubleshoot bugs or offer advice) and the final assembly of the buildings and props into a single project. Most of the geometry in the scene is low-poly, which meant we weren't constrained by a game-dev pipeline requiring retopology and baking.
Special attention was given to achieving a stylized curvature in the geometry, which set the overall direction for our shared aesthetic.
We kept the UV unwrapping process straightforward: for some objects, we used the 'Unwrap Minimum Stretch' method, and for more significant ones, we used 'Unwrap Angle Based' with carefully planned seams. We also didn't restrict ourselves regarding triangle count, texel density, or using only a single texture for all objects in the scene.
We managed to reduce texturing time by overlaying hand-painted textures onto pre-made stylized tiling maps. To add a painterly effect to the textures, procedural noise textures were used to create a normal map.
For some parts of the buildings, we were able to both optimize and add recognizable details to the location by using the 'Project from View' UV unwrapping method. We then baked this projection onto a new texture for painting over, as demonstrated with the signage and shop windows.
We also saved time by incorporating prop models from previous projects and from assets we created at the very beginning of our 3D journey – for example, some of the flowers, the cat, and the sparrows. Additionally, similar props within the scene share a common base, which we modified during the process to add uniqueness.
The outline around the geometry was achieved by inverting the normals using the Solidify modifier. Furthermore, to add liveliness to small details and create a sense of imperfection, we actively used Grease Pencil with texture brushes and modifiers for animation. This allowed us to add, besides the standard outline, a texture of vegetation on the buildings.
What Makes It Special
Various architectural props, such as the main road, paving stones, curved pipes, small fences, and posts with wires, formed the foundation of the diorama's integrity as a distinct micro-world. A special touch of detail comes from the 2D drawings, like Polina's stylized posters, which were referenced from real posters in the area found on Google Maps, as well as the addition of 2D characters inside the windows, placed there for the most attentive viewers.
Animation
The animation process can be broken down into several approaches:
- The animation of foliage on plants and the fluttering of laundry was achieved using the Wiggly add-on, which deforms the geometry with noise through a Lattice modifier.
- The creation and animation of the tree were done using the ShapeScape add-on. Its advantage lies in its highly flexible tree customization settings, as well as the ability to add swaying and leaf dispersal animations.
- The vehicle animation was realized using the RBC simulation add-on, which allows for physically accurate car movement.
- The animation of the cat and birds was done through rigging and animated based on reference videos from YouTube.
The Final Build
During the final assembly of all the geometry into one project, our main task was to correctly set up the hierarchy within the project collections. Thanks to everyone modeling their buildings within the agreed-upon blocked-out space, the assembly was extremely simple, using only the 'Append' command.
Scene Lighting
The next step was setting up the lighting. We implemented a mix of two HDRI maps: one served as the primary light source, and the other acted as the background for the diorama. We used a Sun lamp as our main light, which allowed us to create daylight illumination on one side of the diorama while achieving a "golden hour" effect on the other. This also allowed us to place additional light sources, such as light from shop windows, streetlamps, and balconies, to add accent lighting.
Render & Composite
We used universal render settings, and the main challenge we encountered was occasional geometry lights flickering. However, this issue was resolved by finding the optimal clamping value in EEVEE render settings.
The compositing setup consists of a simple, basic node tree that we use in most of our projects: adjusting contrast and color grading, over which we apply chromatic aberration and lens distortion.
Conclusion
Since the challenge had a tight deadline, we had to complete the main part of the project within a week. Thanks to proper workload distribution and good time management, we managed to finish everything on schedule. For us as a team, this project was an important step in understanding the finer aspects of working together and organizing a collaborative pipeline.
Our advice is to start with small projects and set limitations. Not everything will work perfectly on the first attempt, and that’s normal. The key is to keep moving forward, keep experimenting, and enjoy the process.
We’d like to thank the team at 80 Level and Gloria Levine for the opportunity to share our experience.
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