Photorealistic 3D Character Artist Needed to Create a Realistic Digital Cat

# Photorealistic 3D Cat — Digital Twin of a Real Cat (Recurring Presenter Character) ## Project Overview I'm looking for an experienced photorealistic 3D character artist to create a digital twin of my real cat. This is **not** a cartoon or stylized character. The goal is to faithfully recreate my cat so he can become the recurring presenter of a show I want to run. I have 150+ high-quality reference photos covering multiple angles (front, profile, back, top-down), lighting conditions, and expressions, plus dedicated close-ups of eyes, ears, nose, mouth, paws, and fur. In parallel I'm also creating a dedicated AI LoRA of my cat to help maintain a consistent visual identity across future images and production assets. **The LoRA does not replace your work** — your work stays grounded in the real cat. The photo library is the primary source of truth; the LoRA and curated reference renders define the final presentation. **Important — this asset will be driven programmatically.** The end product is an automated pipeline that animates the cat from audio/scripts via code (not hand-keyframed by an animator). So the model must be built to a clean, standards-based, riggable, export-friendly spec from day one. Details below. ## Phase 1 Deliverable (200$) A highly realistic **head + upper-body (bust)** of my cat that captures his likeness as accurately as possible. The bar is simple: **if someone who knows my cat sees the model, they should immediately recognize him.** No animation or full production rig in this phase — but the model **must be built rig-ready and pipeline-ready**: - **Clean, animation-ready quad topology** with proper edge loops around eyes, mouth, and muzzle for clean blendshape deformation. - **Single neutral expression**, mouth lightly closed, real-world scale, defined up-axis/orientation. - **Separated, logically named sub-meshes:** body/head, eyes (sclera/iris/cornea), upper & lower teeth, tongue, inner mouth, whiskers, (claws optional). - **Non-overlapping UVs** and **PBR textures (Substance, 4K)**: base color, roughness, normal, etc. - **Fur approach** suited to a **batch/automated render pipeline** — please advise (groomed hair vs fur cards/shells) and the trade-offs. - **Delivery formats:** native source (.blend / .ztl / .ma) **plus** FBX **plus** USD or glTF, with textures, and a **turntable render** + side-by-side comparisons against my reference photos. ## How it will be used (please design for this) The model will be controlled by code in an automated render pipeline (my side; planned: Blender + Python / headless rendering, portable to a real-time engine later). To make that possible, the eventual rig must use: - **ARKit-compatible blendshape naming** (the standard 52) plus cat-specific shapes (ear positions, whisker movement, nose), so audio-driven tools and standard pipelines work out of the box. - **A standard viseme set** for speech (compatible with a phoneme→viseme workflow). - **Blendshapes/morphs that survive FBX/USD/glTF export intact and named.** Phase 1 topology and sub-mesh separation must support all of the above so we don't have to rebuild later. ## Future Milestones If we're a good fit, continued work: - Facial rigging + **blendshapes for speech** (viseme set) - Eye look-at, ear, and whisker controls - Simple presenter paw gestures - Interchangeable costumes (news anchor, tuxedo, etc.) - Production-ready asset for AI-assisted / code-driven animation ## Required Skills - Photorealistic character modeling & animal anatomy - Blender and/or Maya, ZBrush, Substance 3D Painter - Experience with realistic animals/creatures - **Clean topology suitable for blendshape rigging and engine export** ## Please include in your application - Examples of realistic animal/creature work (cats, dogs, wolves, horses, etc.) - A brief description of your workflow and the software you use - **How you'd make this asset drivable in an automated, code-based animation pipeline** (blendshape naming, export format, fur approach for batch rendering) - A time estimate for the Phase 1 bust ## Terms - **Work-for-hire: I own all deliverables, source files, and IP outright.** - Budget: [your range] — Phase 1 is fixed-price, paid on milestones. - (Optional) NDA available on request. ## How I like to work I value clear communication and frequent work-in-progress reviews over discovering issues at the end. The objective isn't simply a realistic cat — it's **my** cat, built so it can become a reusable, code-driven digital presenter.