Deli Squad Designs: Pedro’s Wetsuit

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Operation: Deli Platter is a military espionage story about international conspiracies, political intrigue and military espionage. We get to know The Deli Squad: the team of specialists sent out to find out more about the mysterious Deli Platter. 

The opening-scene of Operation: Deli Platter takes audiences to the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

‍The Deli Squad is on their way to the supposed location of the Deli Platter terminal, a heavily secured underwater bunker.  

I was tasked to design the tactical amphibian suits worn by the Deli Squad. In this blog I’ll showcase the development and design of one layer of gear: the Greyhound Industries wetsuit. 

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Pedro Gomez

The character in the suit is just as important as the suit itself. The first description written about Pedro goes as follows:

Born in Catalonia in 1984, Pedro had a troubled upbringing. His parents were poor but hardworking. Pedro lived on a farm surrounded by vineyards. The endless landscape has fueled Pedro’s adventurous nature. Christianity was an important part of Pedro’s formative years.His mother even looked like the virgin Maria. Pedro has always loved his parents and wanted the best for them.

Entering the military was a smart move for Pedro as it guaranteed his parent’s financial stability.

However, it also opened Pandora’s box.

Previously part of the GEO (Grupo Especial de Operaciones) in Spain. Pedro was a respected officer, quickly working his way up the ranks due to his ability to follow orders and only shoot when necessary. After leading multiple squads to safety with little to no casualties, Pedro caught the attention of the Free Nations.

He was enlisted by The General into a special Task-force loyal only to The Leader. Pedro has been an essential cog in the modern society machine and he fights to protect the Moral Code.

Recently Pedro has been placed in a new squad, the Deli Squad. Their data has been erased from public consciousness. He has been placed under the command of the acclaimed Captain Jon Wright and has been assigned to Operation: Deli Platter.

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Character Design

Artist Marco Moura was commissioned to paint a watercolor portrait of Pedro. Furthermore, it was determined that Pedro is 39 years old, and 175 cm tall. Pedro was sculpted in Zbrush, using the JHill base mesh as a base to quicken up the workflow. His skin details are sculpted by hand. The eyebrows and eyelashes are created using Fibermesh.

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Tactical Wetsuit Design

Extensive research was done on tactical wetsuits and the equipment worn with the suit. We opted for a wetsuit instead of a drysuit, and researched what a perfectly fitted wetsuit looks like. The final look of the entire getup had to exude a sense of lightweight mobility, as if Pedro is only equipped with the bare essentials. He is not reliant on gear.

In-universe, the military wetsuits are designed by Greyhound Industries. This manufacturer is known for sleek and tactile designs, making sure all operatives look properly representative of the Free Nations and its technical abilities. The final design features curved seams that accentuates and refers to the ideal male physique. I wanted the design to feel modern and suitable for high-performance, but not futuristic. Operation: Deli Platter is set in a not-so-distant-future, the world needs to feel grounded at all times. 

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Cloth Modeling 

The wetsuit was created in Style3D. Great features of Style3D include the option to easily export turntables. This was extremely helpful when I wanted to send the team updates. I noticed that the simulation software on which Style3D is built is extremely sophisticated. I barely had any issues with glitching meshes. Stacking layers, such as the hood being tucked under the suit, and the gloves stacked over the sleeves, simulated without any issues. 

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Texturing

Both Pedro and the wetsuit assets were textured in Substance Painter. We created a custom camo to be added. Inspired by the pattern on the Tiger Shark, we played around with shapes and colors inside of Photoshop, until we came up with a satisfactory camouflage pattern. ‍

We called the custom camouflage pattern Night Shark. 

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The material on the wetsuit is scuba material. This is a multi-layer polyester manufactured in various thicknesses. We made sure to give the scuba fabric that specific sheen, while maintaining a feeling of depth in between the fibers. The material is created completely inside of Substance 3D Painter. 

Finally, we made sure to add the Greyhound Industries branding to various spots on the wetsuit. 

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Look Dev and Rendering

The character and costume only really come to life once the look Dev and rendering process starts. Here we import all assets into Cinema 4D, and tweak the textures until they achieve the right look and feel for the render engine we use. We pay extra attention to the look of the normal and roughness maps, and add the right IOR value so that the materials have a realistic sheen.  As usual, we use Chaos Corona as the render engine.

Have a look at the final rendered images.

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Next Up in the Process…

Of course, Pedro would not be able to effectively execute Operation: Deli Platter wearing only a wetsuit. We dissected the mission as if we had to plan it, and made a list of gear and equipment needed to clear it. Pedro will be equipped with a tactical BCD diving vest, a rebreather system, diving boosters, diving goggles, night-vision goggles and flippers. Furthermore, he’ll be carrying a tanto knife, a Ruger Mark IV pistol, an MP5, flash grenades, and a zippo lighter. To top it off he’ll wear four patches. The Spanish flag, the Free Nations flag, the GEO unit patch and the Operation: Deli Platter patch.

We’ve got our work cut out for ourselves… 

Most of these assets are being created as I’m writing this blog. The only thing left to do is assemble them all together, pose Pedro, and create some epic renders! 

These are a few of items that will be a part of Pedro’s final design: 

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