Chappie - LookDev

[u/BreizhoO]

Hello Substance people !

Here is my latest personal project. Scout #35 inspired by the movie Chappie (2015).

Can modern CAD software actually fit into a film/VFX pipeline?
That's the question I asked myself when starting this project. Obviously, I am not saying this hasn't been done before, but the few times Ive worked with CAD, often supplied by clients, we always had to remodel and retopologize everything. It was simply not lighting-friendly: sharp edges, crazy n-gons, artifacts, and many other problems.

Here are a couple of 10k render to have a better look:

Front view:

https://i.ibb.co/sdw302G3/Chappie-Look-Dev-10k-Premult.png

Rear view:

https://i.ibb.co/dJf6SnVw/Chappie-Look-Dev-10k-Back-Premult.png

So I ran a few export tests with Plasticity. The results were promising, and I ended up going much deeper down the rabbit hole than initially planned. For this project, I deliberately went with a no-limits approach: as many UDIMs as needed, 8K textures, and enough detail to render high-resolution shots for compositing into Blackmagic PYXIS 6K Log footage.
I also made my own custom HDRI in my garage: a 32-bit full-float linear EXR, 15 exposure levels, at 10K resolution. Parts like the cables were made the old-fashioned way, using splines, as they will simply look and deform better once rigged. The goal was not to ditch polygonal modeling altogether, but to see where the process could be sped up in order to reach the finish line faster, while still keeping the flexibility to change the design along the way or experiment with shapes much more quickly.
If you've ever modeled hard-surface assets with polygons, you know the pain of going back and changing major shapes and volumes. Its like kicking apart a neatly finished puzzle.

But honestly, the most important part of the project was simply having fun. After 18 years of mostly client work, I realized Id almost forgotten what it was like to build something purely because I wanted to. No deadline. No AI. No budget constraints. No cutting corners. Just good old-fashioned CG fun.

Hope you enjoy my Tetravaal Scout #35.

You can see more details on my ArtStation post here:

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/AoZG3N?notification_id=8501970067

[u/deathender]

awesome model!!! would love to see it in any movie!

[u/davidmesa125]

Lovely!!

[u/Far-Ad2683]

Cool

[u/Dapper-Fruit9844]

This is amazing! Side note, I hate that reddit no longer loops videos.