Pablander
.webp)
This is a reptile creature I put together while developing a new pack of custom brushes focused on scales and reptile skin. The idea was to create something that could hold a mix of different surface types so I could properly test the brushes in a real context. So this ended up being a blend of crocodile, snapping turtle, and iguana… pulling features from each to explore variation in scales, plates, and transitions.
Everything started in ZBrush, where I sculpted and detailed the creature using different brushes from the new pack (you can find it here).
Once the sculpt was in a good place, I took a lower resolution version, created UVs, and moved into Substance 3D Painter for texturing. Nothing too fancy here… just focusing on getting believable variation across the different surface types and making sure the details actually read well once textured.
Here’s a bit of the process I recorded:
And here are some closeups to the creature:
It’s a fairly simple scene. I used some logs from Megascans that I had from a previous project, just to give the creature a place to rest and help frame the composition.
The general ambient light comes from an HDRI.I also used some gobos to break up the light and simulate shadows from leaves.
In terms of lighting, I started with the ambient diffuse light from the HDRI, then added:
.webp)
.gif)
