Lighting and character busts - Exploring 3D lighting environments

Presentation of the project

How can light transform the perception of a character?

As part of their specialisation, 4th yearstudents in 3D Animated Cinema carried out a complete project to create the bust of a fictional character, with a particular focus on lighting. Using an original concept (either their own or from an artist), they brought a character to life by exploring all the stages of 3D production.

While the modelling could be stylised, the final rendering had to achieve a high level of realism, particularly through the use of textures, materials and, above all, light. Here, lighting becomes a real narrative tool, capable of revealing volumes, accentuating emotions and creating a variety of moods around a single character.

Subject of the exercise

The exercise consisted in making a complete 3D character bust, mastering the entire production chain, while developing a specific approach according to the sensitivity of each student.

As part of the lighting theme, the students explored the creation of several lighting atmospheres around the same model: variations in lighting, contrasts, colours, dramatic or realistic atmospheres.

The project lasted 16 weeks, during which the students produced all the stages:

sculpting
retopology
modelling,
UVs,
texturing and shading,
lighting,
grooming (hair,…),
rendering.

Teaching objectives

The aim of this project is to put students through their paces at a professional level, by getting them to master a complete 3D production pipeline.

In particular, they worked on :

understanding the interactions between light, matter and volume,
creating coherent and expressive visual atmospheres,
mastering complex shaders (skin, eyes, materials),
developing specific expertise (lighting, grooming, surfacing or modelling),
managing a long, structured project.

The main challenge is to push students to go beyond what they have already learned, by tackling advanced technical issues specific to CGI creation.

Techniques used

The students used the full range of 3D production tools and techniques:

sculpting and advanced modelling
texturing and realistic shading
lighting and rendering,
grooming (hair),
complete rendering pipeline.

Through this project, the students demonstrated their ability to create credible and expressive characters, in which light plays a central role. Their creations demonstrate a high level of technical mastery and a strong artistic sensibility, making lighting a real lever for visual storytelling.

julie bust intention 3 — Julie Mazet intention 3

juliette argenville bust intention — Juliette Argenville

louis bastide bust intention — Louis Bastide

thomas yung hing intention 2 — Thomas Yung-Hing intention 2