You are here

Lesson 6

6. Using 3D Software

  • instructor

- Ash Thorp

  • apprentice

- Jama Jurabaev

  • apprentice
  • learn squared

- Florian Aupetit

  • apprentice
  • learn squared

- Tim Zarki

Sometimes you don’t always have the time or resources for a large photoshoot. In these situations, realistic 3D can be a wonderful substitution to use in title design. In this lesson, Ash will explore how he uses Cinema 4D, Octane, and Marvelous Designer - and more importantly why he uses them in these situations. 


3D Assignment

For a new title sequence of your choosing, create six (6) 3D renders to improve upon during the next lesson.

2D Assignment

Revisit Lesson 4 to design a new twelve (12) frame title sequence based off of your favorite film, television, or video game.

Student Gallery

The Pokéball

Paying homage to Pokémon Go.

+ Sketch ideas
+ Build model in Fusion 360
+ Materials and lighting were done in Blender Eevee
+ Postproduction in Photoshop

For this two final lessons, I chose Gattaca.
This film already has a title sequence, and it suits perfectly to the film. It introduces you to the protagonist, and his routine, in order to keep him hide to reach his purpose.

In my creative process I decided to make a sequence that represents how the protagonist scape from his "fate", representing that 0,001% of success porcentaje that he gets. From there begins a journey from the genomes to the stars.

I think it's an achievement to get that mood, but without really introspecting "futuristic" or high-tech elements, the story, composition, color and the narrative are the ones that put you in this non distance future.This makes the viewer does not feel that this context is even more artificial, but accept it as something possible. On the other hand this leaves behind a universe of possibilities (that surely was taken into account)

The film is developed in a context in which humans design the future possibilities of their children, through genetic engineering. Well, it is this concern of alteration and genetic design where I started to build my ideas.

My goal is to try to integrate an explanatory element that narrates visually, how that genetic information is indicted, detecting and following a "path to the stars" in some how.

As I advanced in the lesson, the images were defining themselves clearly, but I fall into what Ash noticed, I get lost in the process. Forms, materials, composition....
This is one of my first experiences with 3D techniques, and one of the winner ideas died in the process. I have learned a lot!

Here are some render explorations (most trash them), but something to work with, process and some references.

Here are some images straight from c4d & physical render for my next title sequence.

The "Lost Battalion" serves as the opening titles for a concept mini series carrying the same name. The premise of the show focuses on the infamous 77th Division of American Doughboys who found themselves trapped behind enemy lines and detached from the allied advance during the Meuse-Argonne offensive. Stranded from aid or support for the better part of a week, the 77th Division quickly found themselves surrounded by German forces in the Argonne forest during the frigid autumn of 1918.

The design of the sequence was built to convey the state of mind amoungst the soldiers. They are stuck in the purgatory of war, constantly fighting through a dense fog that never seems to let up. They find themselves wandering through the woods, trench to trench, hoping for an escape out of their hell.

I still have a lot more work to do on this concept so there will definitely be more to come on this one...stay tuned.


Learn Squared is an invaluable resource to artists of all skill levels.

- Volen CK

So! This lesson was a pain in the **s, but also very important for my journey. I've rediscovered my buried skillset with MAYA, which i chose instead of C4D because i already had the program and a decent (yet not that astonishing) skillset.

This time i went for something very far from my comfort zone and i've decided to pick EMIGRE (from the learnsquared titles list).

EMIGRE (drama): A young immigrant’s vision of 1930's America deteriorates as he is repeatedly swindled by his manipulative contemporaries.

i did a quick precomposition in photoshop to do some tests with title positioning and understand the overall felling of the sequence.

The brief I chose was The Hallow.

America, the early 1700s. A land surveyor loses his bearings during a blizzard. Utilizing his unique skills, he must fight back against nature to return home.

I was exploring the themes in this movie when i realised that perhaps the surveyor had religious ties, what with the title of the movie. I figured the themes of nature challenging the mans believes and abilities would be a strong motif for change and a sense of feeling trapped. The surveyors basic tools and knowledge would be tested, and as the ice would slowly engulf them, i'd use abstract angles to show the changing of the mans understanding of nature and his belief as the land would change too. As the tools became trapped in ice, we would slowly see more refractions of what was once so simple and second nature to him; eventually showing just abstract shapes and ice, finally showing how nature eventually would change him as a person as he did everything he could to survive. I was using volumetric lighting too which gave a sense of holy and ambiguity to the mood. A bit like a blizzard whiteout, which i would liken to the glow of a religious experience. I chose some simple and recognizable shapes for the tools. I think i would need to have another think about the specific tools and icons which would be seen. I'm going to work on desaturating the frames and overlaying ice/snow textures to wash out a lot of the detail.

Lolita renders for homework lesson 6

Lessons in this Course

Software Used: 
Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Bridge
Optional Software: 
Font Explorer, Mind Node, Adobe InDesign, Cinema 4D Studio R16, Octane Render, Marvelous Designer