The Cabin
Inspired by The Hexenhaus in Uberlingen Germany.
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When creating this cabin my main focus was to create a blend between stylized modeling and realistic textures and lighting,
it was created using SpeedTree assets and some MegaScans textures. Modeled in Maya, the grass was done using V-ray Fur, textured using Substance and Mari, rendered in V-Ray, and comped in Nuke.
Software Used:
The Cabin Day-Time Still
The Cabin Day-Time Breakdown
The Cabin Night-Time Still
The Cabin Night-Time Breakdown
Reference Location
When I was looking for concepts to choose for my texturing and shading class I stumbled upon this house in Uberlingen Germany, it caught my eye because of the whimsical style of the architecture and it made me curious to find out the purpose of it.
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I couldn't find anything, besides the fact that it was thought to be constructed in 1905 and it's been renovated twice since. It's located in a city park near a lake and it has inspired the creation of a train model kit, but it's a very local attraction that isn't very popular outside of the state.
The goal of the project was to combine stylized modeling with realistic textures and lighting.
Beginning stages
After matching the reference I wanted to push the stylized feeling further, so I started deforming the mesh and making the silhouette more interesting.
I decided that putting the house on a hill would help the whimsical feeling.
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I added the mailbox and concrete path, as well as the grass which was done with Vray fur, I also started the texturing for the cabin in Mari and Substance.
I kept the lighting fairly neutral to be able to visualize the texture colors and values more accurately.
Final stages
After doing a pass on the lighting, and through collaboration with friends and my teacher I realized that if I wanted to push the feeling of stumbling upon this cabin in the middle of the woods, I had to add more elements that told a story of who lives here.
I added planters, a ladder and a watering can. Also decided to change the concrete path to a more natural rock path. Adding foreground branches also helped as well as the ivy on top of the roof and the overgrown grass. After finalizing the Day time lighting and model I moved into lighting the night shot.
Night-time Alternative Lighting
In the early stages of lighting I knew I wanted the indoor light to be on, and for it to have a more spooky feeling overall.
I did a couple of tests of what feeling would be the most effective and ultimately chose a more stylized fairytale lighting.
I wanted to channel horror movies, with lots of fog while keeping the silhouette visible and preventing the image from looking muddy.
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