This Steampunk-Mat was a project in university to learn the basics of texturing and animation. Each student had to develop a concept for the MeetMat figure, then texture and animate it. The full animation can be seen on the main page or alternatively on my YouTube-Channel, which is linked on my “About Me” page.

The base 3D model for the MeetMat was provided by my tutor. I designed three concepts for the character, starting with a Lovecraftian C’thulhu-inspired design. Then I also experimented with a character that could’ve jumped right out of Orrn’s forge from League of Legends. The last design, the one I ultimately settled with, was a Steampunk-inspired character. The ornaments and golden decorations made me think of a toy that could sit on a wealthy kid’s desk at home. Ultimately, I took the “backstory” in a different direction, yet that was my starting point.

After deciding on a concept, I modelled all the other necessary assets, such as the wind-up toy in the back, the diamonds and the pointers on the watch face. With all assets in place, I began texturing the figure after exporting the necessary maps into Photoshop. Once I liked the design, I rigged and weight-painted the character. Lastly, with the character fully rigged, I animated it. Using Voronoi Fracture in Cinema4D, I enhanced the scene with some disintegrating pillars. Overall, this project took around 10 days, as I had to learn most of these steps from the ground up.

Cinema4D

Adobe Photoshop

Adobe After Effects