How to check breasts
This 3D explainer animation was created to educate viewers about how to perform regular breast or chest self-examinations for early detection of breast cancer.
I used Daz Studio to pose and render the character in various examination positions such as standing in front of a mirror, raising arms, touching around the chest and underarms to visually demonstrate each step in a calm and accessible way.
To make the animation more cohesive and engaging, I designed it to flow continuously from one pose to the next, rather than cutting between disconnected scenes. After rendering the sequences in Daz, I imported them into Adobe After Effects, where I added explanatory labels, transitions, camera pans, and subtle motion graphics to enhance clarity and retain visual interest.
This resulted in a medically informative, culturally respectful, and visually cohesive educational piece.
Credits
Direction, Animation & Design: Sasan Shekarestan
Voiceover: Zohreh Tabakh
Client: Digipezeshk
Tools Used: Daz Studio, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, After Effects
Challenges & Creative Decisions
Creating Seamless Scene Transitions in Daz Studio
Daz Studio isn’t inherently designed for smooth scene-to-scene transitions like traditional animation software. One of the biggest technical challenges was creating a continuous animation where the character moves naturally from one pose into another. I overcame this by carefully managing pose interpolation, using intermediate frames, and doing additional smoothing in post-production.
Depicting Female Breasts Respectfully in a Conservative Cultural Context
Visualising a breast self-exam presents inherent challenges especially for audiences from cultures where displaying or discussing female anatomy is sensitive or even taboo. I addressed this by using neutral lighting, careful framing, and non-sexualised anatomy, emphasizing clinical accuracy and educational clarity over realism or visual detail.
The visuals focus on motion and structure rather than nudity, helping the animation feel safe, respectful, and informative for a broader audience including women, men, and healthcare educators.
