Meraki – Animated Short Film
Role: Head of Visual Dev. & Environment Designer
Skills: Environment Design • Concept Art • Prop Design • 2D, 3D hybrid Animation • 3D Blocking • 3D Modeling • Texture Painting • Lighting • Compositing • Rendering • Team Management
Software: Blender • Procreate • Photoshop
Meraki is an animated short film currently in production, written and directed by Sahar Nourbagheri and produced by Amir Sedghi. As the environment designer, I have led the visual development process and managed a team to create and model the film's environments. We started by designing concept art inspired by the script, which was then developed into detailed 3D models. I chose this art style to complement the character design, ensuring a unified and visually engaging final product.
Challenges
One challenge during the production of Meraki was learning Procreate from scratch to achieve a blend of 2D and 3D visuals, which improved both efficiency and quality. Another was creating 2D-like shadows that responded naturally to light and camera changes without frame-by-frame edits, which we solved by painting the normal maps.
Additionally, file compatibility between Blender and Maya posed issues due to differences in texture handling. To resolve this, I learned to bake materials and use the FBX format, enhancing cross-platform workflows. Working with two assistants was both educational and enjoyable.
