In the realm of 3D modeling, every project presents its unique set of challenges. The creation of a photorealistic 3D lion, proved to be no exception. We have done creatures in the past but this time we wanted to take it a step further with realistic skin deformation using Ziva Dynamics (RIP 2024). Among the myriad hurdles we faced, perhaps none were as daunting as the bloody muscle dynamics (well at that time, we didn’t have kids back then, lol). Layers of skin on top of fat on top of muscles - all had to be prepared with anatomically correct geometry!