A Journey of Design and Innovation
Crafting the Astronaut for
Space Next
Project Overview
Luke Ployhar, known for his work on Minority Report (2002), Armageddon (1998), and Planet of the Apes, approached me with a unique project, I was thrilled to take it on. The task was to design, build, and render an astronaut for his upcoming show, Space Next, a 38-minute spectacle produced by Afterglow Studios, Inc. for planetariums and digital dome theatres.
Client Details
Luke Ployhar is the head of Afterglow Studios, a multi-media content provider known for creating inspiring images. With over 20 years of experience in feature films, animation, and visual effects mediums, Afterglow Studios specializes in 3D animation, visual effects (VFX), motion graphics, full-length feature films, short form films, augmented reality, virtual reality, design graphics, and interactive experiences for clients.
My Role
My journey began with a 2D concept painting, a crucial development in my workflows. I built the fabric pieces in Marvelous Designer and the hard surface pieces by SubD poly modelling in 3DS Max. The texturing and rendering was done in Corona Renderer.
Results and Impact
Luke was delighted with the design and result. He was an easy client to work with and gave me a lot of design freedom. The astronaut is featured right at the start of the animation, a testament to the hard work and creativity that went into its creation. You can view the trailer created by Afterglow studios here.
Process and Challenges
At the time, Marvelous Designer was transitioning from a fashion industry tool and did not have the symmetry feature on pattern pieces. This meant a lot of manual work to develop the look. I had to present the design earlier to Luke to give him more time to drive the direction of the design. My first experience with Corona Renderer was also during this project. Being primarily a Vray user, I was not used to the renderer needing very little setup. Shaders and lights didn't need careful adjusting of samples, making it a fun tool for look development. This project marked the start of my adoption of Corona into my list of favourite tools.
Interested in seeing more of my work or collaborating on a project? Feel free to explore my other projects or reach out to me directly. Let's create something amazing.