
Nightime Bus Stop
Project Concept
Nightime Bus Stop is a 3D diorama of a bus stop scene inspired by the Studio Ghibli film My Neighbor Totoro. For this project, I wanted to create a low poly diorama that displayed a nighttime bus stop scene, combining real life reference and the reference from the Ghibli film. I wanted to incorporate rain into my final scene and match the dark forest vibe of the original film scene.
Techniques
This project started by creating an asset list detailing the props I planned to have in the scene. I digitally sketched out a simple 2D concept for the layout of the scene and then I began gathering my reference images of each prop on my asset list. Additionally, I created a "white-box" environment to block out the layout for this project. After gathering the reference images and creating a white-box environment, it was time to model each asset. For the modeling portion of this project, I used Autodesk Maya and modeled each asset aiming to keep a low poly style and achieve the look that I wanted. When I finished modeling each asset to my desired low poly look, I exported the assets to FBX and imported them into Adobe Substance Painter.
In Adobe Substance Painter, my goal was to texture each asset with a somewhat realistic look but also keep the textures simple and in a slightly non-realistic animated style. I attempted to keep the depth of the textures mostly flat with some variation. I chose simple colors for each prop and exported the textures. I then began working in the game engine Unity 3D. I created a new project and imported the 3D models into the scene. The textures were then also imported and applied to the models. My goal was to create a dark nighttime scene similar to the film, so I altered the lighting setup to set the scene and create the look I wanted. Lastly, I added headlights to the bus and used a particle script to create the raindrops.
Conclusion
During this project, I aimed to create a diorama that took inspiration from the Studio Ghibli film, My Neighbor Totoro. I wanted to create a dark scene with trees, a road, bollards, and a small bus shelter. I believe that I was able to capture the low poly style that I wanted and I'm happy with the final product.