Tina Turner

1. Finding Tina's Likeness: Sculpting and LookDev

The foundation of any digital human starts with likeness, and for Tina Turner, capturing her vibrant energy and unique features was essential.

Sculpting in ZBrush: I began by meticulously sculpting Tina's likeness in ZBrush, referencing photos, videos, and iconic performances from the '80s. Attention to detail was critical, ensuring her facial proportions, bone structure, and expressions stayed true to her.
Look Development: Once the sculpt was finalized, I transitioned to Maya/Arnold for look development.
- Textures were created using Mari for skin details and Photoshop for additional polish.
- Subsurface scattering, specular maps, and shading were dialed in to achieve realistic skin tones and surface detail, which is essential for photorealism under any lighting condition.

The goal was to make Tina instantly recognizable—from her powerful cheekbones to that infectious, million-dollar smile.

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2. Hair Grooming: Capturing the Iconic Look

Tina Turner’s hair is as legendary as her voice. Recreating her signature voluminous hairstyle from the 1980s required a detailed grooming process.

Using XGen in Maya, I carefully groomed individual strands to recreate the natural flow, density, and silhouette of Tina’s hair.
Special attention was given to layering, movement, and shine to ensure the hair not only looked iconic but also felt alive.

The result? Hair that moves naturally and embodies the wild, free spirit Tina is known for.

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About the project

3. Rigging: Metahuman Workflow Integration

To allow for flexibility and future-proofing, I utilized the Metahuman workflow for rigging. This ensured Tina's digital twin could seamlessly transition into real-time environments like Unreal Engine 5.

Body Rigging: A full-body rig was built, enabling smooth and realistic movement.
Facial Rigging: The rig incorporated an extensive facial setup to allow for expressions, speech, and subtle micro-movements—key for capturing the dynamic emotions Tina portrayed on stage.

The Metahuman integration was a game-changer, allowing Tina's digital twin to shine both in offline and real-time projects.

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4. Blendshapes: The Iconic Smile

One of Tina Turner’s most memorable traits is her radiant, infectious smile. To bring that to life:

I sculpted a series of blendshapes in ZBrush, capturing the transition from neutral to a full, natural smile.
The blendshapes were integrated into the facial rig, ensuring that her expressions felt authentic and true to her personality.

The iconic smile brought the final touch of life, making Tina’s digital twin feel unmistakably her.

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Final Rendering

The final output was rendered using Maya/Arnold, ensuring photorealistic quality. Every detail—from the skin texture to the hair dynamics—was polished to perfection, honoring Tina Turner's legacy in digital form.

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Results

Conclusion

Creating the digital twin of Tina Turner was both a technical challenge and an artistic privilege. From sculpting her likeness to perfecting her iconic hair and smile, every step of the process was dedicated to capturing Tina’s unparalleled energy and spirit.

The result is a timeless digital version of Tina Turner that can live on in both offline renderings and real-time applications, celebrating her iconic era in a brand-new medium.

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