Another 3D Anime Background

Now that I finished recreating the FLCL background using LightWave 3D, I have started working on a second background. This time, I’m using a shot from Cowboy Bebop, my favorite anime. If you haven’t seen the show, get yourself a copy (or wait until it starts airing on Adult Swim again — they have been showing Cowboy Bebop since Adult Swim first started in 2001, because the series is that good).

A screenshot from the anime series Cowboy Bebop.
A screenshot from the anime series Cowboy Bebop.

With my FLCL render, most of the surfaces had soft, smooth gradients and were brightly lit. In this scene, I have to recreate the deep shadows contrasting with the relatively bright light sources, combined with long shadows and dirty surfaces. I expect that I will need to heavily use UV maps and hand-painted textures to successfully texture a lot of the surfaces.

So far, I have finished the modeling, the general layout of the scene, the camera angle, and basic lighting.

The model and layout setup for the Cowboy Bebop warehouse shot, lit only using background radiosity (click for full size image).
The model and layout setup for the Cowboy Bebop warehouse shot, lit only using background radiosity (click for full size image).
The same scene with radiosity turned off and a single key light added off frame.
The same scene with radiosity turned off and a single key light added off frame (click for full size image).
A fill light was added to slightly lighten the shadows of the alley and the wall on the lower right corner of the frame.
One more light added to slightly lighten the shadows in the alley and the wall on the lower right corner of the frame (click for full size image).

If you know the series, do you recognize the episode from the screen shot?