The Gift (3D Animation)


Flatlay photo to 3D animation

This year’s Christmas graphic package was a collaboration between photography, arts-and-crafts, and 3D modeling and animation.

Some of the items in preperation for the flatlay

From Christmas Graphic to Christmas Animation

Once we had a flatlay that was acceptable for print, we needed to use the same objects or similar objects that reflected the same style to bring an animation to life. So the next step was taking some of the real-life assets and modeling them from scratch.

Modeling leaves based on a real-life plastic plant

Once the basic model for the plant was created, it was time to model and texture the gift box, as well as the ribbon. In fact, one of the ribbons in this project is available for download over on Sketchfab.

Unshaded view of the plant decoration, mid-model

Once all the assets were created, the only thing left to do was add a little animation to help bring everything else to life. I ended up adding a subtle ‘breathing’ animation to the Christmas tree, as well as some camera moves pushing through the scene.

Render Test that was trashed.

Originally, I had envisioned a present box that sort of ‘exploded’ with ribbon flying everywhere. The ribbons covered the camera lens for just long enough to enter a small ribbon sequence. Finally, they will fall to reveal the logo inside the box with ribbon lying everywhere on the floor. Time constrains ended up preventing this original vision from ever seeing the light of day. Maybe next year!