Process and reflection

For the modeling I used subdivision surface and edge creases for extra control over the shape. This was early in my 3D-education at Yrgo in Gothenburg and I learned a whole lot from all the challenges that came with modeling this car, such as ensuring correct face orientation and keeping quads.

Looking back, this was one of the most enjoyable projects I’ve worked on since starting 3D. The goal wasn’t realism - it was simply to get comfortable with modeling. I loved the creative freedom that came with making a cartoon car. It could take almost any shape, which made the process both fun and liberating.

That's one of the reasons why I wanted to go back, together with that I wanted to showcase the wireframe, which I'm still quite happy with. I used Blender's Freestyle feature to make a cool render with a simple clay material for the car together with the wireframe on top of it. Later in After Effects I synced transitions between the fully textured car and the clay + wireframe version to the beat of Eminem’s "Without Me".

The project became even more exciting when I decided to experiment with some compositing nodes. While there is no secret that I love the glare node, for this project, I discovered another fantastic tool: Lens distortion. I really enjoyed the effect, and I used it to take the already stylized car to the next level, adding an exaggerated lens distortion that enhanced the overall stylization.