<aside> 💡 Introduction This project is a story about a Chinese girl living in the 21st century but traveling back to old times. The main reason I chose this project is my passion for Hanfu, a type of traditional Chinese clothing. I've been interested in it since I was a child when I learned traditional Chinese calligraphy. I was always drawn to classmates who wore Hanfu and, over the years, I developed a deep love for this kind of costume.
Hanfu is an umbrella term for all kinds of costumes from ancient China to the Ming Dynasty, and it represents the character of the Han nationality. However, it's not widely known in mainland China or abroad, which is why I wanted to share the Hanfu culture with people around the world through my project.
I drew inspiration from films, TV series, and animations to learn about the different types of Hanfu from each period. For my project, I combined the appearance of Tang Dynasty costumes with the decoration of Song Dynasty costumes to create my character's design.
My character's name is Tang, and she lives in the modern age with a strong connection to traditional Chinese culture. For some unknown reason, she travels back in time to the Tang Dynasty and desperately wants to find a way back home.
To bring Tang to life, I started with a quick sketch based on animations and information I found on the internet. I used Photoshop to create the concept art before moving on to 3D modeling using 3Ds Max. I created a basic bone structure for my character, exported it as an OBJ file, and then used Zbrush to add details to the mesh, including the character's clothing and hair. Once the basic model was complete, I unwrapped the UV map using Maya and then used Substance Painter to draw the textures. I also found an oriental cherry texture that complemented my design well. Finally, I rendered my model using KeyShot9.
I'm really proud of the final result, even though I had to spend a lot of time self-studying to complete this project. It taught me a lot about the whole pipeline of 3D modeling and the background knowledge of Chinese history.
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Final display of my character design
Project Document