Underwater Retro Diner Environment
This was a 3D model of a spooky, retro, underwater diner environment. If you look behind the counter, you'll be able to see the semi-hidden octopus!
Maya
Process
For this project, I really wanted to create an underwater retro diner, and I decided on including the octopus to both give it a horror feel and to push the idea of being underwater. I also wanted it to look like the diner had been abandoned (possibly because it had been overtaken by the octopus?). To do this, I arranged the tables and chairs in disarray, modeled sea grass growing out from the crevices of the room, laid a cloth draped over the main counter, and placed piles of dirty dishes on the tables.
The napkins throughout the scene and the large table cloth draped over the counter were done using cloth simulations. This was a new technique for me, and I found it very fun to play around with, especially experimenting with different attributes like cloth stickiness and friction values.
To strengthen the horror/abandoned diner feel, I decided on limiting the number of light sources in the restaurant. I imagined the middle light source over the back counter as a flickering light, giving the restaurant dim lighting and a spooky ambiance.
I used noise functions (mostly fractal brownian noise) to simulate water patterns on the walls and modeled tiny distorted spheres for bubbles. If you look outside the window on the right of the first rendered image, you can see a tentacle passing by, and the silhouette of some mysterious ocean object (a submarine, maybe?). I added these elements to enhance the underwater feel, which the seaweed and greenish color of the scene definitely help with too.
This was my first 3D modeling environment project and I'm really happy with the overall look of the diner! I think the checkerboard pattern throughout really helps to create a retro look, as well as the red fabric of the seats. The red cups also work to tie the colors together and I think makes the scene feel more cohesive.
Below are two early screenshots of my process, with some of the basic models placed in, and some simple materials applied.
