Tron Ares: Lighting Design

These were done very early in production exploring the idea of Ares having an internal lighting system when he appears in the Real World. Although it wasn’t eventually used in the final film, it was a very fun design challenge.
The 3D concept initially developed to design and showcase Ares’ internal lighting. Instead of having the lines mapped directly onto the surface, the light strands were built as actual geometry embedded within the body. This allowed us to achieve a realistic parallax effect as the camera moves around the character, giving a true sense of depth. By burying the emission beneath the surface, the glow interacts naturally with the skin’s subsurface scattering, creating a ‘bio-digital’ nervous system rather than just a painted-on circuit board. The primary energy node on the upper spine, serves as the anatomical anchor point for the Identity Disc.