Make it Spooky with Maxon How Bernat Casasnovas Torres used Maxon One to create a Halloween-themed animation.
Bernat Casasnovas Torres is a 3D generalist and art director from Menorca, Spain, with a passion for character creation. This year’s Halloween season inspired him to create a 3D animation featuring a cemetery brought to life with spooky zombie hands, possessed pumpkins, and more.
Here is what he had to say about his creative process for the project and how Maxon’s tools helped him realize his vision.
What was the initial concept or vision for this animation, and how did Maxon tools help bring it to life?
Bernat: The animation idea came up when I got a 3D printer. With Halloween around the corner, I thought, why not create something cool for the season. Inspired by my previous character work, I decided to print zombie hands and feet. As I started modeling them in Cinema 4D and ZBrush, the project quickly evolved into an idea for a short animation to post on social media. Maxon’s tools were essential in bringing this Halloween vision to life. With Cinema 4D, I could model and texture the characters with a lot of detail and realism. ZBrush helped me add those precise details to the rocks and tombstones in the cemetery scene. This combination of tools was ideal for capturing the aesthetic I had in mind. In the end, I created an animation that captured Halloween vibes in my own unique "Bernatinmotion" style.
Can you walk us through your creative process?
Bernat: The creative process for this project was pretty spontaneous and evolved naturally from one idea to the next. Initially, I only planned to create a simple Halloween post — a single image. But as I started building the rigging for the zombie hands and the morph for the skull to make the image as realistic as possible, it occurred to me that it would be a waste to use all that work for just a static image. So, I decided to take it further and turn it into a full animation.
How did you approach designing and animating the characters and environments in this piece?
Bernat: For the character and environment design in this piece, I kept the approach straightforward yet effective. The hand animations use basic rigs, which allowed for quick, flexible movements that maintain an eerie zombie feel. I created the atmosphere using volumetric light in Redshift, which really helped set the Halloween mood and gave the scene that foggy, mysterious vibe. As for the skull, I designed multiple shapes using morph targets, letting it shift and transform subtly, adding an extra layer of creepiness to the animation.
What specific Maxon tools did you use, and why were they essential for this project?
Bernat: The hand animation relied on a simple but effective rigging setup, allowing for natural movement without overcomplicating the process. For the skull, I used morph targets to create several shapes, enabling smooth transitions that added an eerie, lifelike quality to its movements. To animate the stones, I used Dynamics, which gave them a realistic sense of weight and interaction with the environment.
Did you encounter any challenges and how did you overcome them?
Bernat: Yes, I faced several challenges, especially with the rock dynamics. Each zombie hand interacts with rocks around it, which move using Rigid Body Dynamics. To solve this, I baked each animation generated by the Dynamics, making the movements stable and manageable. Additionally, I had to reduce the polygon count on the rocks to lighten the load, and luckily, the Remesher tool made this process much easier. This approach allowed the scene to stay dynamic without overwhelming the project’s render.
Are there any tips you’d share with other artists on using Maxon tools to improve their workflow?
Bernat: From my experience using Cinema 4D since 2011, I'd say newcomers are fortunate with how much the software has evolved. Over the years, Cinema 4D has become incredibly user-friendly, with faster renders and an impressive MoGraph and Fields system that’s on a completely different level. The workflow improvements have made it possible to create complex animations and designs without the heavy technical load we once dealt with. If I had to give one tip, it would be to explore these newer features — they’re real game-changers!