Using 3D modeling for cutscene backgrounds

Scientific equipment is hard to draw. It has weird shapes that need to be drawn in proper perspective to give the crisp, clean feeling of real-life technical instruments. When you need to draw the same complex equipment from multiple angles, it gets even more tricky…but also tedious.

I’m finally becoming more proficient in Blender, so I decided to leapfrog this step by modeling the equipment in Lev and Tau’s early lab first, and then drew over it in Procreate. In retrospect, I should have taken a couple of extra hours to learn how to model the cables and tubes. It took a disproportionately long time to draw those out.

I might continue to use this technique to model the other characters’ labs for any further cutscenes that take place in them. It also helps keep all the details in place, so I don’t forget anything!

No cables in the 3D model. I’m adding those in right now for any future edits.

The hand-drawn art has other changes in it as well.

Geometry nodes are your friend!

This technique saves an incredible amount of time for someone like me who isn’t the best at drafting!

Drawing over the 3D model in Procreate. Technically I could use cel shading, but I believe that there’s value to the organic quality of hand-drawn lines. I’ll see how things go!