Buffet Classroom
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Buffet is a 3D animation from Ori Animation studio in Suzhou China. Concepting on this show was quite different than working on 2D animation. Each object needed to exist as an actual physical object, as I did not know how close the cameras would get to them in the scenes. I tried my best to inform the modelers and texture artist on how to render the scenes, but some of the scenes did not turn out as I would have liked them to.
The above animation shows many of the concepts in action, and below is the concept work completed for this show.
Above Concepts
I am so glad to see the gator food cart made it into the episode. This was really interesting trying to remember without the internet what all the snacks on these types of carts in China look like.
The dirty shack and backyard was a re-design after the original concept. I wasn’t informed this needed to done for the bad guy of the episode.
The restaurant scene is one of my favorites. The concept for the soup fish bowl table with lighting coming from below would have made for a great scene, however the water, fish, and lighting were all scrapped.
Camping Gear
In a way working on this series was like studying China and it’s growing economy. Each episode featured many items, and this interest in camping as a luxury pursuit is a newly emerging hobby for their culture.
Designing the backpack was one of the first experiences of really trying to create from my own memory ( as I didn’t have internet ) how the object should look down to the tiniest of details. If I didn’t design it, the modelers would come up with the quickest solution they could in order to move on to their next task.
This same idea of total design I kept when designing the tents. The Kangaroo’s tent is filled with little items and objects, all placed in the scene to add meaning to the background and story.
The Lamps are an extension of the tents design. I wanted each one to have a different feeling and though these do not exist in real life, they all have the potential to be great working products.
Environments
I didn’t really notice it at the time, but I was given a huge duty in shaping the world for the television show. I crafted quite a few environments. Though watching the clip at the top…this studio still had some major problems creating captivating spaces. Below are some whimsical and others more realistic. Creating a hospital from my mind was one of the best challenges throughout this series. Remembering what the beds look like, and designing the objects in the room down to the hooks was a real joy.
Naughty Mice
There was one story line where one of the characters gets some mice as a pet. In China they do not sell the gerbil homes or the famous red lid containers found in the U.S. This design was quite surprising to them, and the modelers had a fun time making this.
The back pack was super fun for me to be able to make. I got an opportunity to add a little depth to the world giving the pig his very own super hero that he wears around on his back.
The magazine covers were also a nice break from all the environments and objects I had been rendering.
Electronics
Time and time again while concepting for this show electronic devices kept coming up. I think this again has to do with the booming economy in China. There are two phone designs. The one with the bunny ears was done by a co-worker and I completed the turn around for it. He has a different rougher rendering style than mine, but the creativity on display is amazing. My phone looks very tame compared to his.
The remote controlled airplane was one of the most extensive designs I had to to. At first I completed the plane, then they told me the box, and then I had to the shipping wrapper for the box. It went on and on! The design is one of the most through.
A Day in the Park & Other Designs
The park worked the same way as the island I designed for the 2D animated series. I was not sure where the characters would be at in this environment, so I wanted to make sure that in whatever direction they stood there would be a beautiful background with good lines filling the space.
The Turtle character was suppose to turn into a Super-man rip off, designing the sheets for him and trying to inform the modelers to give him blend shapes within his body so he could grow stronger and fill out the suit was one of the more interesting translations I preformed while working there.
