Hot Lava* Mascot
Collaborated with Hot Lava Marketing Agency to develop a mascot character that would grow their brand identity. Concept development originated with senior management and final character concept was brought together through an iterative process.
Concept Development
Client was looking for a cartoon character that was comprised of either flames or molten lava. Also, wanted to incorporate a bit of cooled lava rock.
3D Model
Preliminary 3D model based on finalized sketch. Sculpted inside of Autodesk Maya. Incorporates both flame and liquid properties, as well as cooled lava rock base for character to rest on.
Rigging
The model was meant to move organically, so I used volume preservation when creating the rig. This allowed for natural bounce in the animation. I also added blendShapes to control the motion of the flame.
The goal was to have an idle emote and a excited entry/exit emote. The finalized animations have two variants of each of these emotes. The additional choices allowed for the creative team to use an animation that fit the situation best