Julian Frank

# Insights of The Survivor

[The Survivor - Click here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCHvnXMRrng)

For the first Project (The Survivor), I worked on a character model created by Paul Zielske. The goal was to develop a realistic character within six weeks. First, I decided on the direction for the project and chose a sci-fi theme. Paul gathered references for the modeling and created the character, and from there, I focused on texturing, lookdev, and layouting the scene.

I chose to create only the upper body in order to focus on delivering high-quality work. To connect better with the model, I came up with a backstory for the character. She is a crashed pilot who has suffered injuries but survived. She stands in front of her burning, crashed jet, looking at the sunset. A symbol of hope.

For me, references are an absolute must for any 3D project. They form the foundation for the accuracy, authenticity, and detail of the work. Using reference material ensures that models, textures, and the Lookdev appear realistic and convincing. I focused on creating textures for damaged glossy carbon, flaking painted metal, decals, realistic skin with imperfections, second-degree burned skin, and thick cotton clothing material.

This allows me to showcase my diversity in creating a wide range of materials. To start, I gathered a large number of references to better understand the materials and get a strong sense of their characteristics. In my opinion, you learn a lot by examining your own references closely. You develop a better sense of color, contrast, light, composition, and textures. This process gradually shaped the look and feel for this project.

The model was finished and I fired up Mari and started building my setup. A key focus was separating the materials, such as different layers of metal and carbon, flaking and dirt materials to keep everything organized. This worked to my advantage, as it allowed me to create precise RGB masks for lookdev, giving me more flexibility in shading.

[The Survivor -Turntable](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCHvnXMRrng)

#### Skin Deep – Perfecting Imperfections

The challenge I set for myself was creating the skin texture with imperfections and second-degree burns. While I had previously worked on various skin textures and CG doubles as practice, I had never created a face with wounds, imperfections, and grooming. It was both exciting and tricky to balance the facial details and the grooming.

Since the burn on the left side was quite large, I had to add details to the right side to balance the texture. I included stress marks and elements like dirt to achieve this. Additionally, I removed some hairs on the left that were burned away.

I also worked on secondary maps, layered displacement maps, and RGB area masks to give me more control in the shader, ensuring the textures would integrate smoothly and work as intended.

_During the texturing process, I frequently switched between Maya and Mari, building my shader and rendering turntables to finetune the values of the maps for optimal results._

[The Survivor - Face Turntable ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCHvnXMRrng)

For this Project I have used: Maya, Arnold, Mari, Nuke, Substance Painter, PP, Photoshop

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# Insights of The Renderstop - Texturing / Lookdev / Lighting

[The Renderstop - onetake](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCHvnXMRrng)

For this project, I set myself a bold challenge. My main goal was to create a one-take shot that smoothly transitions between an indoor and outdoor environment. This meant designing two different lighting setups and capturing two distinct moods, all while keeping the environments compact in scale. I chose a kiosk as the perfect indoor setting. With this in mind, the core idea was to craft a camera move that starts in the kiosk and moves into the urban environment—or vice versa—without cutting, creating a seamless flow between the two worlds.

_This project is more hectic and action-packed, making it perfect for giving my demo reel some tempo._

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#### The importance of References

To begin, I searched for a wide range of references, both digital and real-life. Since there are many kiosks near me, I took the time to study them closely—examining the infrastructure, products, lighting, and other details.

What truly pushed my story idea forward, however, was a shot from the Watch Dogs: Legion - Tipping Point Cinematic Trailer. After some research, I confirmed that the trailer was directed by Alberto Mielgo, whose work I greatly admire.

This particular scene became a key inspiration for my project. I analysed each frame, studying the stylistic choices and techniques used. At the same time, I went outside to take photos of various objects and graffiti for the overall lookdev of my environment. By combining the work with real-life references and the images I collected, a clearer vision for the project began to form. The more I delved into the details, the more the plan took shape, blending both inspiration and practical research.

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#### Texturing

I divided the scene into three different texture detail grades:

\- High-Quality textures

\- Mid-Quality textures

\- Low-Quality textures

For the high-quality textures, I worked primarily in Mari. Key assets, like the TV, the ATM, and the counter of the kiosk, as well as outdoor assets such as the ground, columns, and buildings, all received detailed textures.

The mid-quality textures were used for the items inside the kiosk. These assets were shaded in Maya and received custom secondary maps for added detail and breakup. For larger surfaces, such as the floor, walls, and ceiling inside the kiosk, I relied on procedural shading in Maya to quickly generate realistic results.

Finally, the low-quality textures were applied to background elements that wouldn‘t be as noticeable, especially due to the depth of field. These elements were created using planes with triplanar projection to apply textures efficiently.

_Real-life references played a crucial role in the texturing process. The photos I took of graffiti and kiosk items were incredibly helpful in making the scene feel more tangible and authentic. By incorporating these real-world details, I was able to ground the environment in realism, making it not only more believable but also more immersive for the viewer._

[Turntable - Assets](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCHvnXMRrng)

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#### Balancing Indoor and Outdoor Lighting

In a project like this, managing lighting can be a significant challenge, especially when trying to balance two very different environments—indoor and outdoor. Here are some of the key challenges I faced when working on the lighting for this scene:

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#### Contrasting Light Moods

My goal was to create a warm, inviting atmosphere for the indoor scene, while the outdoor environment needed to feel colder and more atmospheric. Achieving this contrast required careful control over both light intensity and color temperature. Too much warmth or cold could ruin the intended mood of either space.

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#### Maintaining Realism with Practical Light Sources:

Indoor lighting had to feel practical, as if coming from real sources like lamps or neon signs in the kiosk. Meanwhile, outdoor lighting had to emulate natural light sources, like sunlight or streetlights, without clashing with the warmer tones inside.

_To stay flexible during the process, I rendered out the AOVs for each light. This way, I was able to build my own personal ‘neverending’ back-to-beauty pass, giving me complete control over every light in the scene. I could easily adjust the lighting after the initial render, making it much easier to fine-tune the mood and balance between indoor and outdoor environments. It also gave me the freedom to experiment with different lighting setups and make adjustments without needing to re-render everything from scratch._

[The Renderstop - Lighting Breakdown](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCHvnXMRrng)

For this Project I have used: Maya, Redshift, Mari, Nuke, Substance Painter, PP, Photoshop, accurig, actorcore

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# A Study in Vintage Leather - Texturing / Lookdev / Lighting

[A Study to Vintage Leather - Render](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCHvnXMRrng)

For the third project in my demo reel, I wanted to focus on a single asset—specifically, leather. Why leather? Because it’s widely considered one of the most challenging materials to texture. Leather behaves unpredictably, with cracks, folds, and varying layers and roughness values.

I set myself the challenge of learning more about it and diving deeper into its details. By working on this project, I aimed to demonstrate my ability to tackle complex materials. Since leather hadn‘t been featured in my reel before, I felt that now was the perfect time to showcase my skills in this area and push myself further.

_At the end I made a CG integration with the asset_

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#### References: My Best Friend in the Creative Process

When working with leather, especially vintage or used leather, reference material is crucial. Leather is a material that shows a lot of character over time—it gets worn, cracked, and shaped by its environment. To accurately replicate this, having a solid set of references helps capture the nuances of real leather, such as subtle wrinkles, scuffs, creases, and the variation in roughness and shine.

For vintage leather, it’s even more important to understand how the material ages. Over time, leather develops a unique patina, with natural color changes, wear marks, and deeper cracks that give it its authentic, used look. Without proper references, it can be difficult to achieve the level of detail and realism needed for this aged texture. By gathering detailed images of real leather, especially older or well-used pieces, you can ensure that your texture not only looks realistic but also tells a story. This attention to reference material helps create depth, personality, and an overall more believable result.

_Once I had my rough concept, I started by tracking the footage and blocking out the scene. The CG leather bag was integrated into the footage, placed on a table where the lighting came from the right. This light beautifully illuminated the leather. I replicated this with a simple light setup in CG, which helped establish the basic mood and feel for the scene._

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### Mari Setup & Material Separation

I then moved into Mari, where I set up my materials and began separating the textures. This was crucial because it allowed me to create individual masks for things like flaking and the layers of leather. The leather layers were especially important, as underneath the top layer, there was a rougher, more worn layer of leather that needed to be represented. This separation helped me control the different surface qualities and achieve a more realistic result.

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### Base Color & Secondary Maps

The next step was developing the base color and secondary maps. I carefully placed damage and a used look throughout the leather, making sure it felt like a well-worn vintage piece. I also added old travel stickers to give the object a sense of story and history. Additionally, I worked on a wide range of black and white values for the roughness map, reflecting the differences in the roughness of the leather layers. This helped in achieving a more realistic depth and variation in how light interacted with the material.

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#### Displacement Complexity

One of the more complex parts of this project was working on the displacement. I layered several maps for different surface features: folds, large cracks, small cracks, stitches, and stickers.

_Leather is an inherently random material, so I experimented with various wrinkle and crack patterns, layering and adjusting them in the shader to get the right look._

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#### Iteration Between Mari and Maya

Throughout the process, I frequently switched between Mari and Maya, rendering out turntables to assess the textures and lighting. This back-and-forth allowed me to fine-tune the reflections and check that the object looked as realistic as possible in the final shot. The goal was to get everything from the lighting to the smallest details perfectly balanced and believable.

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#### Nuke Integration & Final Touches

In this final step, I brought everything into Nuke for integration and added the finishing touches to achieve a photorealistic result. I refined the lighting with the AOVs per light, adjusted color grading, and ensured that the textures blended seamlessly with the environment. I also added some subtle details, like slight reflections and surface imperfections, to make the leather bag feel even more authentic. The goal was to perfect every element, from the lighting to the smallest texture detail, ensuring the final render had depth and realism.

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#### This Was Tricky:

Balancing Imperfections
One of the main challenges was balancing the imperfections on the leather to make it look worn but not overly damaged. I had to carefully control the amount of wear and tear to maintain a realistic look. Too many imperfections would make the leather appear unrealistic, while too few would make it feel too clean and artificial.

Connecting with the Leather
As I worked on the project, I made a conscious effort to connect with the material itself and understand its behavior more deeply. Leather is a unique material, and it was important for me to really get a feel for how it ages, how light interacts with it, and how it reacts to different stresses. This helped me achieve a more authentic texture that felt true to the material.

Achieving Realistic Leather Layers
Leather has multiple layers that each behave differently. I had to find a way to represent the subtle differences between the top layer, which is more polished, and the rougher inner layers. This added complexity to the texturing process, requiring me to carefully adjust the roughness, displacement, and damage on each layer. Simulating Natural Wear and Patina As the bag was meant to appear vintage, I had to simulate the natural patina that leather develops over time. Recreating the color variations, subtle cracks, and other signs of aging without making it look too artificial or overdone was a significant challenge.

Lighting and Reflection Management
Leather has a reflective surface that varies depending on the roughness of the material. Achieving the right balance between the reflections and the texture detail was difficult, especially under the specific lighting conditions I wanted to replicate in the final scene

For this Project I have used: Maya, Mari, Substance3D, Nuke, Photoshop, Arnold, PP

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###### Big thanks for checking out my Breakdown. Really appreciate you sticking with me to the end. It means a lot!

###### If you’ve got any questions or just wanna say hi, feel free to reach out on [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/julian-frank-1563782a0/).