3D Work — Gabija Malina

01 / Environment

Soviet Kitchen

A nostalgic, tightly packed kitchen built from memories of Soviet-style homes and objects from my grandmother’s kitchen.

Focus: Environment modeling, texturing, lighting
Tools: Maya, Substance Painter, Unreal Engine

Warm daylight render of a small modeled kitchen — Daylight studyUnreal Engine · Lumen

From memory to environment

The composition reflects the cramped but functional planning of a Soviet kitchen. A small table, cabinets and gas stove define the room, while previously modeled family objects create a personal, lived-in atmosphere.

Surface and light

Consistent texel density was organized across the room, furniture and small props. In Substance Painter, peeling paint, worn metal and a floral plastic tablecloth were built from real references. Separate Unreal Engine lighting setups create warm daytime and darker night moods.

Night lighting variation of the kitchen — Night lightingUnreal Engine · Lumen

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02 / Prop

Sewing Machine

A detailed Jones sewing machine created as a tribute to my mother and grandmother, both skilled at sewing.

Focus: Hard-surface modeling, detailed texturing
Tools: Maya, Substance Painter, Photoshop

Finished render of an antique Jones sewing machine — Jones sewing machineFinal Maya render

Mechanical detail

The wheel, needle, levers and small mechanisms were modeled for accuracy. Curves and deformers helped shape elements such as the spring and hook while keeping the silhouette clean.

Ornament and wear

Custom alpha maps made in Photoshop were stamped into the material to recreate the gold ornament. Scratches, imperfections and signs of use give the object a convincing vintage character without overwhelming its craftsmanship.

Surface detailSubstance Painter · Photoshop

Close-up of floral decoration on the sewing machine — Painted bed detailSubstance Painter

Wireframe view of the sewing machine model — Model topologyMaya

03 / Character

Grandma

A warm, stylized character inspired by my own grandmother and the traditional clothing, colors and familiar gestures I grew up around.

Focus: Character design, sculpting, retopology, look development
Tools: ZBrush, Substance Painter, Advanced Skeleton, Unreal Engine

Portrait render of a smiling stylized grandmother character — GrandmaZBrush · Unreal Engine

Shape and personality

Round, soft forms make the character welcoming, while exaggerated cheeks, glasses and nose strengthen her expression. The headscarf, apron and warm, earthy palette draw on Lithuanian visual references and family memory.

Animation-ready finish

The ZBrush sculpt was retopologized with clean edge flow around the face and joints. After rigging with Advanced Skeleton, skin subsurface scattering and worn fabric materials were refined in Unreal Engine for the final posed renders.

Three posed views of the finished Grandma character — Posed character viewsAdvanced Skeleton · Unreal Engine

Full-body render of the Grandma character with a cane — Full characterUnreal Engine

04 / Procedural

Flowers

Procedurally modeled and animated flowers exploring organic motion, controlled variation and a soft blooming cycle.

Focus: Procedural modeling, rigging, Vellum simulation
Tools: Houdini, Karma

Rendered arrangement of procedurally created orange and pink flowers — Procedural flowersHoudini

A reusable petal system

A resampled line and custom swept profile form each petal. Bend controls, remeshing and UV transfer keep the geometry clean, while a joint-based rig drives opening and bending across petals arranged with phyllotaxis math.

Motion and rendering

Vellum adds a subtle wind response while pinned petal bases retain the flower structure. Custom noise, gradients and displacement introduce surface variation, and the final scene is lit with an HDRI and rendered in Karma.

Partially opened procedural flower — Bloom cycle 01Houdini

Open procedural flower render — Bloom cycle 02Houdini · Karma

Fully opened layered procedural flower — Bloom cycle 03Houdini · Karma

05 / Compositing

CG Interior Design

A compositing study integrating selected 3D props into live-action footage of an empty living room.

Focus: Camera tracking, lighting, rendering, compositing
Tools: Nuke X, Maya · source assets from Poly Haven

Living room footage with composited CG objects and artwork — Final compositeMaya render · Nuke X composite

Match the room

The footage was camera-tracked in Nuke X, then a simplified room was built in Maya as shadow-catching geometry. An HDRI and directional light were matched to the window light so the inserted objects sit naturally in the scene.

Controlled composite

Multi-channel EXRs separated diffuse, specular, transmission and Cryptomatte passes for precise adjustments. Reflections, color corrections and subtle tracked steam and flame elements were combined to finish the integration.

Original empty living room footage — Original plateNuke X · Source plate

Simplified gray room geometry used for shadows — Room proxyMaya

Nuke node graph for the living room composite — Composite graphNuke X

Characters, objects and worlds with a lived-in story.