I. Scene Foundation and Asset Orchestration

• Asset Implementation: The central rover asset was provided by KitBash3D as part of the competition requirements.

• Geometric Blockout: My role began with a structural geometric blockout in Blender 3D to establish the scene’s scale, camera framing, and the fundamental kinetic movement of the rover.

II. PBR Lighting, Volumetrics, and Render Passes

• PBR Asset Articulation: I implemented a Physically Based Rendering (PBR) workflow, ensuring that the KitBash3D rover and the surrounding lunar environment reacted authentically to light.

• Vacuum Lighting Design: I designed a high-contrast lighting pass to replicate the harsh, undiffused light of a lunar environment, while integrating interactive LEDs on the rover to provide dynamic illumination on the terrain.

• Fragmented Rendering Pipeline: The scene was rendered in discrete object and light passes. This allowed for isolated adjustments in post-production, enabling the refinement of specific reflections and shadows without re-rendering the entire sequence.

III. Compositing and Cinematic Reconstruction

• Technical Compositing in Fusion: The final assembly was conducted in Blackmagic Fusion. This involved integrating atmospheric effects—such as dust displacement—and procedural lens artifacts as independent layers to ensure maximum visual coherence.

• Final Grading in Resolve: The reconstruction moved to DaVinci Resolve for a final cinematic color grade. I balanced the cool, desaturated lunar tones against the vibrant engine flares and added film grain to unify the separate CGI layers into a singular, believable product.