I created the armour for Cassian by extracting pieces of the body mesh and manipulating them into shape and polypainting over the top. This created a number of issues due to Dynamesh and Z-Remesher affecting the whole model at times when I needed more specific elements to be targeted.
I created Cassian’s sword in Maya using simple shapes and adding a number of vertex points to make the weapon. In a future version of this character, I intend on adding a lot more detail and accessories to him such as a Baldric of Knives around his thigh, a Scabbard for his sword and a greater range of detail on the chest plate of the armour.
Initially, I aimed to have a layered leather armour set but I couldn’t find a satisfying way to convey this look without the topology of the model collapsing under the constant pushing and pulling. I tried to avoid this issue by making the armour a relatively flat plane that is more akin to hard leather. This approach allowed for a greater range of flexibility and helped to simplify the design which was one of the main aims I set out from the beginning.
The red points on the armour are incredibly important within the narrative and I wanted them to be very clear to the audience. To help highlight the significance of these siphons I muted the rest of the colour pallet so they could stand out against the blacks and dark scarlet of the rest of the design. “More Siphons, I realized, glimmered in addition to the ones atop each of their hands. A Siphon in the center of their chest. One on either shoulder. One on either knee. For a moment, my knees quaked, and I understood what the camp-lords had feared in them. If one Siphon was what most Illyrians needed to handle their killing power … Cassian and Azriel had seven each. Seven.” (Maas, 2016)
For the wing components, I decided I needed to create a simple mesh from a sphere subtool and stretch it into roughly the right shape. I have purposefully left the wings mostly undetailed as I am uncertain as to how I would rig the model in the future and how the wings would operate on a human form. With further revisions to this piece I am going to experiment further with a greater variety of tools such as the snake hook tool, which I found to give mixed results.
Reference:
Maas, S J. (2016). 250. In: A Court of Mist and Fury. London: Bloomsbury
