LogInHristian Ivanov shared the work behind his terrifying Dread creature, explained how the complicated shapes of the shell and weapon were created, and showed how experimental texturing made the character so horrifying.
Introduction
Hello! My name is Hristian Ivanov, and I’m currently open to new opportunities as a character artist. I’ve worked with People Can Fly, Goodbye Kansas, and Amazon Games. I have been doing art my whole life, starting with illustration and graffiti. I started doing 3D graffiti, which sparked my interest in 3D graphics and pushed my skills in this direction. I started exploring different software, but when I saw a video of Tom Paul doing the Boston Dynamics mechanical leg in ZBrush, I was hooked.
Dread
Dread was initially a test project when I wanted to create a creature just to test some custom brushes I had created. I didn’t even have a concept – all I did was write a short brief with different points; some I removed, some I forgot to include. My main inspiration was the crocodile snapping turtle. I think it’s a truly remarkable creature, and I chose to do my version of it.
There was a lot of back and forth with this project, but it was a lot of fun working like that. I like spending a couple of days collecting references – my main source is Pinterest. I decided to collect as many turtle and lizard references as possible, as well as characters I thought I could take something from. At some point, I wanted to add wings!
Another thing I found helpful was to create a quick ZBrush screenshot and overpaint it with some crazy strokes, just to catch some shapes and forms you can then explore in 3D. What I really wanted to try was to push myself harder – work without a concept and just polish it on the move. The fact that I decided to bring it into Unreal Engine put even more pressure on me, but it was quite a unique experience. I use UE5 at work, and I used the same pipeline as everybody else, but doing it on my own truly helped me understand a lot of things, which I’m really grateful for!
Modeling
For modeling, I used mainly ZBrush. I started using some base meshes, which I positioned the way I wanted, and started playing with DynaMesh. Duplicating arms, fingers, and parts of the body with DynaMesh, I had the real freedom to make it the way I wanted. The shell is inspired by an actual turtle shell. I blocked it out and made it similar to the shape of a turtle shell, but from metal. The middle ones are forged together with nails and melted parts. I wanted to make metal plates that look like fingers between fingers. I had this idea for a long time, and I got the chance to execute it.
The weapon, again, is my design, and I wanted to make it as primitive as possible – hopefully, I was able to achieve it. When I look at other people’s art, I’m able to picture some parts I want to create a certain way, and this really helps. Then I just relax and let my mind do its thing.
When I work on personal stuff, I do things a certain way to achieve the best possible result, and that sometimes means longer hours. I don’t cut corners or save time – not that I don’t want to, but… come on.
The workflow behind the shell is quite interesting because the actual turtle shell is a whole piece, while here, I wanted to create a couple of different metal pieces overlaying each other. That way, the creature can move more freely and won’t carry a massive metal block on its back. Also, I decided not to make the pieces symmetrical. At first they were – but the details at the end are unique for every one of them. When I decided to add the back horns, I knew I had to make the shapes around them more natural and interesting, which would’ve helped sell the whole idea.
Topology
I used ZRemesher for my low poly – I know, I know – but at the beginning, I didn’t plan to push it that far. I created the UVs in RizomUV and Maya. I have a lot of UDIM tiles, which I did in Maya. I went with a lot of UDIMs because texel density is king! So, don’t be like me, kids – always retopo your models!
Texturing
Texturing – just like the sculpting process – was purely experimental. The file turned out really big, so I split the body, armor, and eyes into three different SPP files. The skin was based on real-life turtle/lizard colors. Once I chose the color scheme, I started. I had a couple of different versions before I decided on what I wanted to go with. Eventually, I made the choice, so I started polishing.
Initially, I had a problem with roughness and scattering, but after great feedback from my lead (thank you, Dmytro!), I changed a couple of layers – and it turned out great. For the shell and metal overall, I wanted to make them as simple as possible, indicating that this creature doesn’t have access to polished metals and had to settle for hammered, worn-down armor – same with the metal.
Here, the bigger challenge was adding the right amount of dirt and damage. As all of you know, it’s easy to add way more than needed. Adding war paint at the end really made the shell extra interesting – something like this can really add richness to your design.
Also, I like how the leather belts turned out. This was the first time I didn’t add any leather details inside ZBrush, so it was difficult to imagine how it would turn out. I like to have control over the details, but again, I trusted the process and got a good result.
I didn’t put much thought into the teeth until I figured out how to properly set up the Scattering Profile in UE5. Then I had to read online about the scattering behind nails and teeth. When I put some SSS on the tips (even though it’s not that visible), it really made it extra good.
Lighting & Rendering
I chose to render it in Unreal Engine 5. This is amazing software, which I’m eager to explore more. Even though I used UE5 at work, using it on my own – creating my own shaders, lighting conditions, etc. – was a great challenge on its own. I’m deeply grateful for the things I’ve learned, and I really enjoyed the whole process (even though it was frustrating at times).
The initial scene for the rendering was to place it in a dark environment with a couple of lights, lots of fog, and smoke. I kind of liked it in the beginning, but at some point, I noticed that the character didn’t pop that much from the background, and it made my whole work not that noticeable. So, I decided to change it and place it in a brighter and simpler environment.
For the light source, I went with direct light plus a couple of rectangle lights for rim and fill lighting – but with Unreal Engine, there’s no wrong answer. It all comes down to what you want to achieve: night or day scenario, even a studio background. I highly recommend using UE as your rendering tool.
I used post-production inside Unreal Engine, and not many tweaks, to be fair. The software provides really powerful post-process options, and I’m still learning them.
Conclusion
I believe it took about 5–6 months, but again, everything was experimental. Other than that, I had to learn new stuff, new techniques, settings, etc., on the run. For sure, the main challenge was tweaking the shaders and creating the presentation the way I wanted. Texturing was a challenging but really satisfying experience. Every day is a great day when you learn something new – that’s my perspective.
I learned how to create my own shaders, the whole pipeline of creating a character without art direction (well, I had to play that role as well). I also learned that if you give yourself time and peace of mind, you can do whatever you want to achieve.
My number one advice forever will be: don’t give up! No matter how hard it’s going to be – or how hard it is right now – just don’t quit. I guess it comes down to that in the end. Practice daily, be curious, study other artists and their work. Experiment. Sometimes, when you let go and just go with the flow, you can discover something that resonates with you.
That’s it!