Overview
A 3D recreation of the Pink Palace from Coraline, designed in a whimsical, illustrative style inspired by alpine environments in films like Howl’s Moving Castle.
Inspiration & Story
Personal tribute to both the film and my own journey through college, defined by embracing the unknown and finding community, much like Coraline’s character arc. Intended to create a world that all versions of myself could appreciate: my younger self, obsessed with princesses and pink castles, and my present self, who thrives on exploring nature.
Process
- Modeled nearly all elements from scratch in Blender, excluding tree trunks and mountainous bases, which were generated via Blender add-ons (e.g., Sapling Tree Gen and A.N.T Landscape), then customized for scale, form, and texture.
- Researched and adapted techniques from Ghibli/anime-style Blender workflows (particularly for procedural rock, cloud, and foliage shaders) to inform my stylized aesthetic.
- Created all shaders using a hybrid of procedural nodes and hand‑painted details to achieve a non-photoreal, illustrative finish
- Designed scene lighting and animation to evoke a serene feeling and create a calming atmosphere
- Incorporated atmospheric effects, choreographed foliage movement, and sound design to enhance the overall mood and narrative
- Optimized asset geometry and material complexity to maintain performance and visual fidelity in EEVEE, including efficient shading and light setups.
Challenges & Solutions
Challenge: Achieving my desired hand-painted look in Blender while keeping the scene performant for EEVEE rendering.
Solution: Iterated on shader setups, lighting, and post-processing until finding a combination that balanced painterly texture with real-time responsiveness. Used procedural textures strategically to reduce UV complexity and optimized geometry without sacrificing detail.
Recognition
Received an "Outstanding Works" distinction in CAP3220 for demonstrating technical skill and creativity
Some textures used in this project are sourced from SketchUp Club and modified with shader nodes by me, under their royalty-free terms. These textures remain the property of their respective creators and are used in compliance with the website's conditions.
Modeled using visual references from Coraline (2009), directed by Henry Selick
HDRI lighting based on a CC0 HDRI from Poly Haven; further modified with custom shader nodes
Environment art made with help from Sapling Tree Gen and A.N.T Landscape Add-ons
