The Legendaries: Transforming the comic book into a 3D animated film

Inside Dreamwall : can we transform a comic book icon into a 3D cinematic world?

Adapting a literary or graphic work for the screen presents a significant challenge: respecting the readers' imagination while exploiting the technological capabilities of the feature film format. This is the first installment in our series « Inside Dreamwall », we're taking you behind the scenes of the film The Legendaries. We met Cédric Stourme, lead of the Modeling / Surfacing team, to understand how his team gave volume and texture to the cult universe of Patrick Sobral under the guidance of director Guillaume Ivernel.

Sobral's "visual grammar": the balance between fidelity and enrichment

The transition from 2D to 3D is never simply a matter of adding volume to the original drawings. It's a work of interpretation that demands rigorous analysis. At Dreamwall, comics are not just a reference point; they are a true "grammar."

For Patrick Sobral, every line has a function. In 3D animation, this line must become a surface, a shadow, a depth.

To inject new details while remaining true to the spirit of the work, the team developed detailed mood boards. This research focused on architecture, botany, and mechanics. This documentation phase adds a layer of technical realism that supports the narrative. It's a methodology we also apply to projects with very different graphic styles, such as My Dog, God, and the Pokétrucs where each asset must carry a clear narrative intention.

The technical challenge: the city of Orchidia in Unreal Engine

The highlight of the modeling work on this film is undoubtedly the city of Orchidia. This monumental setting offers a bold mix of Arab-Islamic architecture and Art Deco, all structured around a gigantic central tree.

The challenge lay not only in the aesthetic creation, but also in the pure technical performance: fitting such large-scale sets into the software. Unreal Engine, while maintaining perfect fluidity for the animation, required extensive optimizations.

Using Unreal Engine for a feature film of this scale is a game changer. Unlike traditional pipelines, real-time rendering requires very strict polygon management right from the modeling stage.

• Managing gigantism: Each branch of the central tree has been sculpted to ensure a unique silhouette from all camera angles, thus avoiding the repetitive look of procedurally generated assets.
• Software optimization: "It was impressive to see the software reach its limits but hold up thanks to our optimization solutions," explains Cédric.

Surface finishing: bringing the material to life through micro-detail

If the modeling defines the framework and volumes, it is the surfacing which provides the final credibility. This step involves working on the surface's reaction to light and defining the nature of the materials. For The Legendaries, the team worked on scales microscopic to ensure that the world appears tangible on screen.
Surface finishing is not simply about applying a color. It's about simulating the history of the object or place:

1. The light's catch: the addition of precise bevels on the corners of the buildings to simulate natural wear and tear.

2. The wear and tear of time: the integration of cracks in the rock and imperfections in the noble materials of the city.

3. The grain of the materials: the specific look of aged leather or metal polished by wind and sand.

It is these details that allow the viewer to physically experience the immensity of the buildings on screen. This expertise in texturing and rendering materials is a skill we have honed on large-scale projects such asPloey II or even the rich universe ofMarsupilami.

The strength of the "environments" team in service of the vision

Transforming a comic book icon into a cinematic world is a monumental task that relies on the synergy between the studio's various departments. Ongoing dialogue with director Guillaume Ivernel allowed them to fine-tune the project, ensuring that the emotion and his vision for the film were never lost sight of.

At Dreamwall, the role of the modeler-surfacer lies at the crossroads of engineering and craftsmanship. The work of the "Environments" team onThe Legendaries illustrates our commitment to providing high-level visual quality, regardless of the original medium.

By exploring these behind-the-scenes professions, we hope to highlight the technical precision and artistic passion that drive our studios. This first installment of « Inside Dreamwall ». This is just the beginning of a series dedicated to discovering the talents shaping animation today. We firmly believe that understanding these processes allows us to appreciate the final work all the more once it's projected in the darkness of cinemas.