Character Model Sheet

The final design I made my character was a robotic Red Panda (I think they're so cute hsauhegliuah).

It took me a bit to whittle it down to what animal, and then again it took me time to decide on the final components of the design. Using my visual research as influence and inspiration I made some decisions I felt were economic in what would later be me constructing the character in Maya.

The process involved some aspects such as, what components would a robot realistically have? And how can I implement that into my design?

I tried to keep the shapes simple; anything too audacious may be aesthetically pleasing, but to troublesome to try and make, which would be a poor economic decision for the time-frame and my skill set. So I kept the complicated details as smaller features; the fur on its face (just triangular shapes), and the joints and smaller parts such as the hands. Perhaps the most complicated part will eyes. They are like camera lenses, and building them with the shutters to act as eyelids do will be challenging. As well as the eyes, building the microphone component to the ear.

I forgot to add the stripes on the tail, but trust me they are there.

Paying attention to the physiology of the Red Panda, I tried to build a model that could function in walking on all fours, and on two feet. This became an issue at first, as I wanted my robot to function logically. I had the epiphany later that was also my own design, I could make choices that would make sense it the world I was building. It made future decisions easier, consistently reminding myself that it was a world of my creation.

Therefore, as I progressed with the design, I made the features suit how I wanted, one of the main ideas keeping the robot character cute. The reason behind this is to create an image that appeals to the audience in a way that draws upon ones empathy towards "cute" things. Arguably a genetic development that instigates the want to care for youth and offspring - but that's biology not animation.