Alien Head - Sculpt and Animation
This is a project created during my time studying animation at the Atlantic Technological University. We were assigned the creation of an alien head of our making that we would take from concept sketches all the way to a rigged and animated model.
I wanted to design a very organic creature that looked offputting and strange, something clearly out of this world. I then decided to first sculpt and then retopologize the model rather than start from polymodeling. I aimed for details and textures that are grounded/realistic, with a lot of skin folds and wrinkles. My aim was always to create something that would look alive, not native to Earth, but one that you could see existing in the wild with no mechanical parts.
Final mockup animation showcasing the rig and model.
Initial sketches of alien head concepts. I tried playing with various different types of creatures, structures, and features, from insectoid to humanoid.
This is a further exploration of my favorite three ideas, trying to imagine what a front view and a full body would look like to get more context for future texturing or direction/iteration.
The final concept I settled on was a bovine/rodent mix with flaps of flesh covered in ears. I polished the turnaround for reference for the sculpt.
Showcase of the final sculpt of the alien head.
Showcase of the retopology, totaling 2660 quads.
The UV map of the alien head.
Showcase of the final textured model of the alien head, after baking the high poly sculpt onto the retopology.
Showcase of a deformation corrective bone used under the jaw to create a more natural/realistic opening of the jaw.