3D animated short film HUGS

“HUGS” is a 3D animated collaborative project. We aimed to recreate the tactile charm of stop-motion animation using 3D techniques, giving the characters clay-like surface details and adding subtle fingerprint marks on the animal characters to evoke a handcrafted feel. The backgrounds feature low-poly models of plants and trees, enhancing the whimsical and visually distinctive style.

The story follows a hedgehog who longs for affection and organizes a “Free Hugs” event, only to be repeatedly rejected. Through a lighthearted and humorous tone, the film explores the delicate emotions of yearning for connection while fearing rejection.

In this project, I worked as the director and was responsible for character design, rigging, character texturing, and compositing.

For the character design, I aimed to create a stylized and slightly asymmetrical look. The differences in eye size and uneven ears were intentional, giving the character a more playful and handmade feeling.

For the materials, I created a custom smart material in Substance 3D Painter to simulate a clay surface. This material was applied across the characters and environment to keep a consistent clay-like visual style throughout the entire scene.

For rigging, I used Advanced Skeleton to build the sheep character rig, including facial controls for expressions.