Creepy 3D Creature Model in ZBrush, Mari & Substance 3D Painter

For those who might not be aware, Syed Hassam Hussain Jafri, a Character/Creature Artist and Senior Texture Artist at Digital Domain, has dedicated the past months to the creation of Whitespike Queen, a striking and eerie-looking 3D character inspired by the White Spikes from The Tomorrow War. This project initially piqued our interest back in May when the artist shared multiple work-in-progress demos, providing a comprehensive look into the entire production process behind the creature.

After numerous iterations and nearly a year of dedicated work, Syed has now unveiled the final version of the Whitespike Queen, showcasing the creature through an impressive collection of static 3D renders along with a seamless animation sequence attached above.

According to Syed, he was responsible for modeling, texturing, lookdev, lighting, and rendering the creature, while Creature Animator Mrinal Soni handled rigging and animation. To create the model, the author utilized Maya, ZBrush, Mari, Substance 3D Painter, and DaVinci Resolve, with Syed noting that this is his first ever personal project fully painted in Mari.

Additionally, the author shared a collection of behind-the-scenes shots of Whitespike Queen, you can see more renders and WIP materials by visiting the creator's ArtStation page:

Moreover, Whitespike Queen's rig was made commercially available and can be purchased via Syed's Gumroad page. The rig features:

• Low-res/mid-res model with high-res details baked into it.
• 40 UDIMS of full textures.
• 32-bit ZBrush and Mari displacements.
• Compatible with Maya 2022 or higher.

Previously, Syed also joined 80 Level for an exclusive interview about the Bodies in Motion series, discussing the Ellie project, explaining the workflow in Maya and ZBrush, and talking about the importance of human anatomy in sculpting.

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