Louse (Toolbag 4 render test)

Firstly, I'm not an animator! I put this together to test some new features in a beta of Toolbag 4, specifically new raytraced DOF, motion blur, new film grain and light gels. I had a basic bug model that I'd used previously for an animated pulsing filpbook texture in UE4 to use with a Niagara particle system. I added some extra detail and animated a really simple slither movement on a proxy low poly model, then layered up flex and cloth modifiers in 3DSMax to drive a more detailed model with skin wrap. Exported via Alembic at first, then FBX with bones as the file size exploded (I used the proxy animation mesh here with subdivision and displacement, also baked in Toolbag). Renders are straight out of Toolbag 4 latest beta.

Short movement test cycle

Rendered image in Toolbag 4, the material makes heavy use of volumetric scattering

Exterior sun lighting

I need to work on the slime trail some more

Look development

A couple of dead bugs behind and visible motion blur

Upside down and a bit squished

Untextured model

Mid animation. The SSS kicks in as the model becomes thicker and thinner due to compression

Screengrab from Toolbag 4

Simple 5 bone hierarchy in Max, with flex and cloth modifiers applied over skin. This is used to drive motion on the higher poly bug model and provides the "jiggle"

Early look dev, painting weights for the jiggle, and this one has hairs. Head too static here.