Viking Flower Arrangement Set Prop

This personal piece inspired by the Disney film Tangled was initially built over a weekend as a last-minute portfolio piece for a job interview! My portfolio then only had VFX pieces, and the position was for a Feature Animation film.

So, I whipped out the concept art books from all my favourite animation films and decided to create my own spin on an asset from the Snuggly Duckling set.

Animated scene from Disney Tangled - Inspiration for my Viking Flowerpot Set Prop
Concept Art from Disney's Tangled 'Art Of Tangled' Concept art book. - Props from Snuggly Duckling Set
Sketch of two fantasy creatures in a rustic setting, playing a game at a wooden table surrounded by various objects, with a weapon visible on the side. Concept art image from Disney's Art Of Tangled Concept Art Book.

The original plan was to assemble a set piece very similar to this sketch here. (as you can see from my doodle below) However, I MASSIVELY underestimated how long it would take to model the props without compromising quality.

Hand-drawn sketch of a Viking dining setup with a table, stools, and various items such as food and drink. Includes a list of needed elements like table, stools, mug, centerpiece, organic meat/food, totaling five assets minimum.

… I may have a too much gene…

So eventually, I settled on focusing on the Viking Flowerpot since, of all the planned assets, that one was the most diverse. It has a variety of materials along with a mixture of hard surface and organic forms to show off my skillset!

This piece was modelled with a Sub-D workflow in mind. While this is a set prop, the intention is for it to hold up on camera if it’s used in close-up shots for hero scenes. The UDIMs are divided by material type for maximum resolution.

Software used:

  • Autodesk Maya (Modelling & UVs)

  • Redshift Plugin (For Rendering Clay/Ambient Occlusion/Wireframe passes)

  • Affinity Designer (For compositing final stills)

helmetVase_001_BA.jpg
helmetVase_001_BAW.jpg
helmetVase_002_BA.jpg
helmetVase_002_BAW.jpg
helmetVase_003_BA.jpg
helmetVase_003_BAW.jpg
helmetVase_004_BA.jpg
helmetVase_004_BAW.jpg
helmetVase_005_BA.jpg
helmetVase_005_BAW.jpg

What’s a Set Prop?

A Set Prop is an asset with the primary use of being used to decorate a set (also known as set dressing)

Set props can vary in detail level, a few factors can affect this:

  • Is it a unique prop or something that’s reused multiple times?

  • How close/far away is it from the camera?

These two factors will generally dictate the detail level of a model. If it’s up close, more resolution/details will be required (these tend to have slightly high bidding times), or if it’s used to fill up a set, then it will be a simplified asset which may be reused for efficiency (low bid time, less than a day allocated to model & UV)

Would you like advice on how to model something that’s suited for a Animation show?

As someone with an active, private FB community group, 3DMC (Join here), I’m happy to answer questions for anyone looking to grow their skills as an artist.

You can message me HERE or on my socials at the top or bottom of the website.

Alternatively, if you want to take your skills to the next level… I also offer one-on-one sessions where we can dive deep into areas you’re currently struggling with and work together to improve your skillset!

Next >