Corpse Bride — Final Scene Study

3ds Max Project, 2025
Corpse Bride render 1 Corpse Bride render 2
For my Computer Aided Design class's final project, I attempted to recreate the final scene from the iconic film Corpse Bride, where Emily transforms into butterflies and vanishes into the moonlight. My goal was to capture the mystical and magical atmosphere that Tim Burton crafted so effectively.

Final Rendered Scene

Software: Autodesk 3ds Max (Arnold) Techniques: Sky dome, UVW maps, bitmap textures
Focus: Atmosphere & lighting Scene: Moon, stars, subtle emission
Building the scene’s geometry was both fun and full of problem-solving. I spent a long time figuring out how to make the sky look believable—eventually using a stretched sphere with carefully chosen moon bitmaps. Getting the skydome to emit light while preserving the starry night feel took a lot of testing, but I finally found a subtle glow that complemented the scene. Lighting was another challenge; experimenting with Arnold lights taught me how soft, ethereal shadows could shape the bride’s silhouette in a way that felt alive.

Animation Study

Lights: Arnold key Goal: full presence to disappearing
Challenge: Silhouette shaping Outcome: Elongated moonlit shadows
One subtle detail in the final animation is how the moonlight interacts with the bride’s silhouette. It highlights her transition from a tangible presence to an ethereal figure. I took special care in positioning the light to cast soft, elongated shadows that enhance the sense of weightlessness.

Character Build

Emily face texture Emily character model Emily top view
Modeling: Body & head from scratch Textures: Procreate (dress & face variants)
Imports: Pre-modeled hair & hands Note: Hair & Fur omitted for performance
Building Emily was the hardest part. I learned character modeling basics on the fly, paying careful attention to polygon flow to avoid seams. I created multiple dress and face textures in Procreate to align with UVW maps—iterating eight face versions to match socket, nose, mouth, and the cheek opening. I swapped simulated hair for a pre-modeled mesh to keep the scene performant and stable.

Takeaways

This project reframed how I think about communication in animation. I started by chasing technical precision, but found that stylized choices—like simplified hair geometry—often convey emotion more directly. The aim wasn’t perfect realism; it was to make the scene feel honest to the story and atmosphere.