Astronaut

3D-Modelling
OVERVIEW
Inspired by a picture of Alexander Gerst, a German astronaut, which impressed me very much, I decided to model a fantasy themed space scene as part of the project for the class 3D modeling. Hereby, different techniques were utilized.
TOOLS
  • Cinema4D

 

CONTEXT
  • University projects

Planning

First I thought up several ideas and sketched them roughly on paper. During the exercises, I then thought about which of the ideas would be best to implement. In order to depict the astronaut as detailed and realistic as possible, his suit should be decorated with nozzles, buttons and screws. The suit should be connected to a backpack via oxygen tubes.
The scene should take place in space with the shining earth in the background. As an environment for the astronaut, I was inspired by several pictures and decided on a metallic, futuristic tube. As a further detail, there should be two spaceships in the background.

Modelling

The astronaut is the most complex model of my work. I based the proportions of the individual limbs roughly on a picture. First I modelled the torso, an arm and a leg using several cylinders, which I mirrored with a symmetry object. I modelled the glove and the boot using one cube each. I modelled the astronaut’s helmet using a converted sphere. I then connected all these individual elements using the bridge tool. Here I also used a subdivision surface.

To make the astronaut more detailed, I modeled two types of nozzles with the Loft tool in an external project. One to which a hose can be connected and another one that should stand on its own. I also modeled small screws to decorate the helmet and to serve as buttons on my suit. Afterwards the nozzles and screws were placed on the spacesuit. Furthermore, I modeled the astronaut’s backpack from a cube and added it to the model of the astronaut. Lastly, I connected the backpack and the astronaut with hoses, which I created with a sweep tool.

When the model of the astronaut was ready, I concentrated on how to get him into the right position for my final scene. Additionally, I tried to find good, free to use textures, which turned out to be quite the challenge. Furthermore, I created some seams by using loop cuts to create narrow sections which I then extruded slightly. I also created small logos on the and a layer to create small logos on the suit.

For the background, I modelled a spaceship out of a cube according to my imagination. Two versions of the spaceship were created, both of which I included in my scene. In my final scene I had some problems with my silver texture, which can be seen in the image below, so I had to change the texture. The environment of my scene is mainly dominated by the big tube in which the astronaut is standing. the astronaut is standing. I created this by using the basic object „tube“, which I created after converting it into a polygon model by extruding and beveling it into the desired shape. In addition, I used a sweep to attach hoses to the walls of the tube and modelled two barrels. two barrels, which I also placed in the background.

Effects & Lighting

In my scene I used particle effects for the haze above my floor to add some tension to the scene. Since this is a fantasy scene, realism was left out. I placed an emitter over the floor which emitted haze particles when the animation started. The particles should only be slightly visible above the floor, as the haze should not cover too much. I lightly illuminated the spaceships with target light sources and spot light sources. They should not be too bright as they are flying in the background in space and should not distract the eye from the main scene. distract the eye from the main scene. My astronaut is lit by an area light source and normal lights. The rest of the tunnel is more in the dark, so the white haze gives the image a more exciting atmosphere. This is further enhanced by the parts of my tube that I gave a glowing material. Finally, I gave the spaceships visible spotlights as spotlights.