A custom 3D animation project for the Growthcast brand — a cheerful, highly-crafted rubber duck character modelled, textured, lit, and rendered entirely from scratch in Blender. The animation was produced for use in the Growthcast podcast and social content, adding a distinctive visual identity marker to the brand.
Concept and reference
The brief called for something playful but polished — a rubber duck that felt real in material and light while remaining characterful and brand-appropriate. Reference gathering focused on physical toy photography and studio lighting setups.
Modelling from scratch
The duck was modelled from scratch in Blender — starting with basic forms and refining through subdivision, sculpt detail passes, and careful edge flow to ensure clean topology for both still renders and animation.
Materials and lighting
A physically-based rubber material was developed with subsurface scattering, gloss variation, and realistic specular response. Multiple HDRI lighting setups were tested to find the look that best complemented the Growthcast brand palette.
Animation and render
A short looping animation was produced — subtle motion keeping the character alive without distracting from content. Final renders were output at production resolution for broadcast and social use.
Outcome
A fully rendered, production-ready 3D rubber duck animation used across Growthcast podcast branding and social media.