Taranitor Attack 2022

Taranitor Attack is a high-energy creature-combat illustration depicting a herd of Grootslag—my personal interpretation of the legendary South African cryptid—under siege by a pack of Taranitors, an original hybrid predator I designed by blending anatomy and behavioral cues from lions, rhinos, gorillas, and crocodiles. This piece explores large-scale creature staging, anatomy fusion, worldbuilding, and cinematic moment-building within a prehistoric-fantasy setting.

My Role

Sole Creator: Responsible for the full visual and technical execution—character modeling, creature design, environment creation, lighting, rendering, and final compositing.

Responsibilities:

Creature Concept & Design

• Developed the Taranitor from scratch, combining anatomical traits—gorilla forelimbs, lion predatory posture, rhino bulk and armor, and crocodilian jaws—into a cohesive, believable fantasy predator.

• Designed the Grootslag herd as my stylized reinterpretation of the mythic creature, emphasizing elephantine mass, reptilian accents, and herd-protective behavior.

• Created visual contrast between the two species: heavy slow-moving herbivores vs. fast, muscular, and brutal ambush predators.

Sculpting & Modeling

• Sculpted high-resolution models for both species, incorporating layered musculature, thick skin folds, tusks, horns, claws, and plate-like armor.

• Produced optimized low-poly meshes for animation and posing.

Rigging & Posing

• Rigged every creature, tailoring custom controls for quadruped motion, expressive aggression, and dynamic herd panic.

• Built poses that emphasize motion, weight, and chaos as the Taranitors crash into the Grootslag formation.

Texturing & Lookdev

• Painted all textures for the predators and herbivores, focusing on believable creature materials such as cracked hide, dusty skin, scars, and tonal variation across large surfaces.

• Developed shaders for earthy environments, dust layers, and worn surfaces to ground the beasts in their habitat.

Environment Creation

• Built a naturalistic plains environment with layered grass, dust, vegetation, and atmospheric depth.

• Used environmental FX to enhance the sense of scale, action, and movement—kicked-up dirt, motion-streaked dust clouds, and directional lighting.

Lighting & Rendering

• Constructed a warm, natural sunlight setup to highlight silhouettes and emphasize the size difference between predators and prey.

• Added volumetric shadows and light scatter to heighten drama and spatial separation.

Cinematic Composition

• Framed the attack to guide the viewer’s eye through multiple focal points—charging predators, panicked Grootslag calves, and the defensive instincts of the adults.

• Balanced overlapping creatures to convey depth, chaos, and believable wildlife behavior.

Compositing & Final Polish

• Combined render passes with color grading, haze, fog layers, and surface enhancement for a polished final look.

• Added subtle sharpness, dust interplay, and atmospheric bloom to tie the entire scene together.

Software Used

3DS Max, Maya (Rigging and Posing), Corona Renderer, Substance Painter, TopoGun 2, After Effects, Photoshop