Fungal Fantasia

Fungal Fantasia is a 3D narrative animation that celebrates nature’s resilience and power of renewal, even after devastation caused by human greed. It reimagines fungi not merely as decomposers that feed on decay, but as vital agents of nature’s cyclical force that bridges death and rebirth in a continuous flow of life.

Collaborator
Heji Joo

Role
World building, 3D animation, character modeling, environment texture, post-production, sound editing

Key Objective

In this story, our goal was to create a fantastical yet grounded story that combines scientific research with a mystical narrative, supported by visuals that mirror the emotional tone of the piece.

Character Design

Designing the mushroom spirits was key, as they drive the narrative and bridge reality with fantasy. My teammate Heji and I began with real mushroom references, then moved toward a more stylized look to fit the fantastical story.

Modeling

For our 3D modeling, we first created low-poly models of the character and then imported the models to Nomad Sculpt to sculpt the fine details. Our focus was to give the mushrooms an organic, hand-crafted look to align their visuals with the fantastical mood. After we imported the sculpted models to Cinema 4D, we used the remesh feature to lower the polygon count and polish the topology.

Rigging

We rigged the characters using the Character tool in Cinema 4D and smoothed out the weight of the models in the weight manager. After we finished adjusting the splines and weight, we added the walk cycle to the characters.

Post-production

In our post-production process, we color-composited and refined the depth of field with Magic Bullet Looks. For the final scene, we also composited stock videos of volumetric lighting and light particles to finalize the visuals.

Full Process

Through this project, I learned how to develop a cohesive narrative based on research, maintain visual consistency across collaboration, and overcome technical challenges in crafting key assets aligned with the story’s mood.

Physical Models

To extend the project beyond the screen, I translated the mushroom spirits into 3D-printed models. Each piece was manually sanded and hand-painted to preserve the organic, hand-crafted quality established in the digital designs. This process allowed me to explore how the characters’ forms and visual language carry into a physical medium, reinforcing the connection between the project’s natural and tactile qualities.

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