The Stranger
Just a Test
Once upon a time, there was a Blender update. It enabled users to keep editing the base model even after a Multires modifier was added to on it.
And so, some day in January 2010, I was happily testing away until I noticed a very peculiar creature on my screen. A creature that was completely unfamiliar to me - and utterly determined to stay.
Since he obviously enjoyed testing Blender functionality, he became my trusty companion for a wide range of experiments.
We tested materials and lighting. We tested the physics simulation. We tested the procedural generation of plant vines.
Seven years later, he was ready for the next step. I gave him his own set of textures and his own default material.
At the end of March 2018, DeviantArt asked for submissions to it's April Fool's joke, a fake streaming platform named DeviantArt Originals. So the Stranger and I decided to tell our story.
The Plushie
When the pandemic haunted the world, my usual vacation plans went out of the window. However, this also opened up a time window for a project that I had been planning for a while.
The Stranger was waiting to move on into the real world. Not just as a 3D print adorning my desk - no, he wanted to be a real companion by my side. And in summer 2021, that moment had arrived.
It was easy to create a sewing pattern from the Blender model, and about a week later, the work was done.
Heading out into the World
In 2024, more details about his species emerged. Tukis are curious and helpful creatures who step into a person's life to inspire and encourage them.
After the Stranger took his first step into our world, others began to follow. And there will certainly be more.
Gallery
Elemental Strangeness
