Ceiba Y Sus Raíces Taínas (Short Film)

Animation in Autodesk Maya: Ceiba Y Sus Raíces Taínas is an animated short film created in collaboration with Brithney Rivera and Jacqueline Ferreira. In the featured scenes, I concentrated on crafting dynamic camera movements to immerse the audience in the action, bringing them closer to the story. These camera techniques are designed to enhance viewer engagement while also drawing attention to the film’s symbolic elements, which reflect the cultural and historical themes woven throughout the narrative.

Christmas Tree

Procedural Creation in Blender: In this project, I utilized Blender’s Geometry Nodes to construct and animate a Christmas tree, along with its lights and ornaments. Every texture is procedurally generated using shader nodes, giving the tree a unique and organic look. I further enhanced the festive atmosphere with a particle system to simulate gently falling snow, adding a seasonal touch to the scene.

Breaking Hearts

Physics-Based Simulation in Blender: This project explores the use of Rigid Body physics to create a realistic shattering effect. I simulated heart-shaped objects falling to the ground and breaking with convincing force and fragmentation, emphasizing the emotional weight of the concept through tangible, physical impact.

Cloth Flower

Cloth Simulation in Blender, I subdivided it multiple times, applied a Cloth Modifier, and added all the vertices into a vertex group. Next I applied a Vertex Proximity Modifier to the plane and created an Empty to use as the Target Object. I used a Wood Texture as the Mask Texture to create the flower shape and I changed the Proximity Mode to Geometry and set key frames on the distance to create the blooming effect

Rubber Tubes

Cloth Simulation in Blender: In this experiment, I modeled two elongated, intertwined cylinders and applied a cloth simulation, resulting in a dynamic, rubbery interaction as they collapse and bounce. The project highlights the flexible, soft properties of cloth simulation while exploring material behaviors through Blender’s physics engine.

Ball Gown

Layered Cloth Simulation in Blender: For this project, I meticulously modeled each layer of a ball gown and applied a cloth simulation with a collision setup to fit around a human figure. This process achieved a realistic, draped effect that mimics the movement of a wearable garment, showcasing my skills in complex layering and cloth physics.

Bathroom

Environmental Modeling and Shading in Blender: Inspired by my own NYC bathroom, I took on this project as a personal challenge to refine my modeling and shading abilities. Throughout, I deepened my understanding of Blender’s modeling tools and explored the intricate shader nodes available, achieving a realistic yet stylized interior environment. (PBR materials downloaded from Polyhaven and AmbientCG, used for the tiles and surface imperfections)

Birdhouse and Ice Cabin

Environment Design in Blender: Both projects feature minimalist house models within expansive, atmospheric environments. For the Birdhouse scene, I crafted a serene forest by modeling trees and creating cherry blossom-like flowers using Geometry Nodes. In the Ice Cabin project, I designed a vast snowy landscape surrounding the cabin and incorporated a volumetric shader on a large cube to add depth through atmospheric fog, enhancing the immersive quality of the scene. (PBR materials downloaded from Polyhaven and AmbientCG, used for wood, stone, and leaf textures)