[WIP] Prince in the jar - 3D prop

meowjesty · May 12 2025

Hello, it's my first post here, nice to meet you all
Fighting procrastination with a small project. Inspired by assets from Dishonored: Death of the Outsider by Yannick Gombart - Plagued Spirit

meowjesty · May 12 2025

Here is my rough concept, it will be a frog that maybe is a prince, but got caught by a witch and was put in the jar

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021068/uploads/editor/a3/zdtzuemgwkdz.png

meowjesty · May 13 2025

I adjusted a bit of the blockout of the frog (toad actually), and now I will start adding more detail.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021068/uploads/editor/mh/24nc1acez85s.png

Eric Chadwick · May 13 2025

It could be cool to add something that suggests he was a prince before becoming the toad. Like maybe there is a tiny crown at the bottom of the jar, or he has a jeweled ring on one of his fingers.

meowjesty · May 14 2025

Oh, you are reading my mind!

I redefined some details, and there is a quick blockout of the crown.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021068/uploads/editor/0r/44ghlalv58js.png

Eric Chadwick · May 14 2025

Not sure if I'm correct with the toad anatomy, but the toes are distracting. Looks like he has two left feet. Shouldn't the longest toe be on the outer side of the foot?

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021068/uploads/editor/x8/20e7bnncf7hz.jpg

https://www.alamy.com/cane-toad-bufo-marinus-upward-view-of-body-warty-skin-and-feet-image216232922.html

meowjesty · May 15 2025

Oh you right! Thank you! Yea I was rotating them a lot and missed it out

meowjesty · May 15 2025

Added more details and fixed his foot, now I will work on the crown and the jar

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021068/uploads/editor/hj/s2snbsfdqg0l.png

meowjesty · May 23 2025

I got sick, but I'm back. I did some jar and first bake tests. I wonder what the best approach would be for glass and liquid.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021068/uploads/editor/zx/vqd3idsqajj4.png

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021068/uploads/editor/72/le5vn90rtatq.png

Eric Chadwick · May 23 2025

How you do the liquid will depend a lot on which renderer you choose.

meowjesty · May 25 2025

I planned to render it in Unreal, and wanted to do it as a game-ready asset.
Yannick Gombart said "To obtain this orange liquid, the exterior glass is transparent and the interior glass is opaque, orange with emissive. Both are one-sided." tho I wanted my liquid not to fill the jar ,so I guess I will have just two separate meshes

meowjesty · Jun 29 2025

Had a bit of break, but here is updated from engine, I changed bottle a bit, now im playing with materials

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021068/uploads/editor/ek/t781worj4mxe.png

Eric Chadwick · Jun 29 2025

I wouldn’t make the interior glass opaque, that would prevent refractions of the room /wood behind the bottle. Instead, flip the normals of the interior, so it’s more like a bottle within a bottle, and color that.

The lighting you have now is very front-lit, with too-dark edges. It would be more dramatic and visually pleasing to have some backlighting, like sun coming in through a window. Then you could add some front fill to illuminate the subject inside.

Here are some visual ideas. You’ll need to be careful to avoid the obvious look of ai slop, ugh, but here’s the general idea:

You could also look to product photography for lighting inspiration.

meowjesty · Jun 30 2025

Thank you for your message!

with transparency I have this problem that frog start casting shadows on the liquid, the frog needed to be separed mesh then and cast no shadows

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021068/uploads/editor/s2/f2ezmwu31dd3.png

Eric Chadwick · Jun 30 2025

What are your primary references? It might help to seek out some video, since refraction tends to cause a lot of distortion, and the fogginess of the liquid will have an affect too.
https://www.shutterstock.com/video/clip-1081618478-berlin-germany---oct-25-2021-collections
https://www.alamy.com/calf-embryo-in-glass-jar-with-formalin-veterinary-preparation-image210709741.html

Noren · Jun 30 2025

Cool project!

It's not a bad idea to have the inside inverted (showing inwards) for the liquid. Could be a third mesh as well, and doesn't have to be fully opaque. If you have a stronger, more focussed key light, the inner mesh will then be lit opposite of that and with a higher roughness it will imitate a scattered light look.

Technically, the frog should cast a shadow on the liquid, but ideally, that should be a soft and volumetric one.

Eric Chadwick · Jul 1 2025

I saw this piece today and thought of you. It could be interesting to light it like a Dutch still life, it's such an unusual lighting setup in the 3D world, but very classy and classical!

https://64.media.tumblr.com/7c3d9682668111867a84423e95008731/1dad5cdc386d87f3-b9/s1280x1920/d25433dd05a4a47a2bac409cf291d7c9fda80ff0.jpg
Lemons by Heidi Von Faber

https://www.postposmo.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/NATURALEZA-MUERTA-9.jpg
Vanitas by Kevin Best

meowjesty · Jul 17 2025

my main reference was this project https://www.artstation.com/artwork/VR8eZ but wanted to do less stylizes, and rest I have similar refs for jar that you sent here, I will try add a bit of SSS. Regarding sill life those are great scenes, I might do something like that for next project! Looks like great exercise for materials and lighting. This one suppose to be quick one and I started it without much planning and already it took more than I wanted T.T I want to do few small projects to create materials for myself to do after some bigger one without warring about doing it from scratch

[WIP] Prince in the jar - 3D prop

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