Overview
The Insectoid Crab Monster — “Lurker of the Shores.”
A hybrid crustacean-insect creature designed for games that need something equal parts adorable and unsettling.
This animated model walks, fights, sleeps, and eats — bringing believable motion to aquatic or alien environments.
“I wanted to put this creature somewhere between cute and scary.”
Originally built for a survival-type project, the Lurker behaves like a creature that might lurk in tidepools or alien swamps — intelligent enough to stalk prey, simple enough to be tragic.
Design Concept
The design sits in the “uncanny crustacean” category:
- Six articulated legs and a segmented body convey mobility and realism.
- A heavy horned carapace gives it weight and character.
- Subsurface scattering–style maps create an almost translucent organic look.
It’s stylized yet grounded in real animal physics — meaning it looks credible crawling, sneaking, or attacking.
Textures were overhauled in January 2021 for sharper realism while retaining a painterly edge.
Polygon count and UV layout remain light enough for real-time gameplay.
Technical Details
| Feature | Specification |
|---|---|
| Polygon Count | 5,562 |
| Texture Resolution | 4096 × 4096 (normal + color maps) |
| Animations | 20 total (see list below) |
| Rigging | Custom bone rig |
| LODs | None |
| Render Compatibility | Unity Built-in (works in URP/HDRP with material conversion) |
| File Size | 48.5 MB |
| Files | 22 |
Animation Set (20)
- Walk ×2
- Sneak
- Attack ×5
- Take ×3
- Sleep
- Eat
- Intimidate ×3
- Rest / Idle ×2
- Fight Idle
- Die
Usage Notes
The crab’s animation set covers nearly every gameplay behavior a creature AI would need — idle states, patrols, combat, feeding, and death.
This makes it especially easy to integrate into survival, RPG, or horror systems.
To use:
- Import the prefab and assign your Animator Controller.
- Trigger any of the included clips for custom AI behavior.
- Adjust material gloss for wet or dry appearances.
Keep the scale close to its original; enlarging it tends to shift its tone from creepy to oddly heroic.
Demo Preview
View all animations live in the browser demo at LB3D Demos. (Older Textures)
Community Feedback
This creature has earned consistent praise for its animation quality and character design.
Here are a few excerpts from verified Unity users:
“Really nice! Terrifying — I couldn’t even play my own game at first.”
— tottero123
Crab Destruction on Itch.io
“Fantastic asset. Model is awesome, animations are perfect, and it’s easy to implement. Love it!”
— ksm5184
“Much love inside. Animations are well made with huge care. The texture is brilliant. The model is superb — and it’s free!”
— MightyAnubis
“Looks great, can be scary or cute with a great set of teeth.”
— Leebrahop
Developer Notes
This model was originally built to populate a coastal survival world —
but it’s equally at home in alien colonies, horror swamps, or stylized underwater settings.
The balance of realism and personality was key: enough anatomical truth to feel organic,
enough exaggeration to fit stylized or fantasy environments.
“Cute and scary — it’s what I see in the mirror.”
Unity Asset Store
View or download the full package:
Unity Asset Store — Insectoid Crab Monster: Lurker of the Shores
Video Previews
Final Thoughts
The Lurker of the Shores captures the essence of LB3D’s creature philosophy —
handcrafted design, believable animation, and just enough horror to keep players uneasy.
Small enough to fear, detailed enough to admire, and made with unmistakable care.
Whether it’s guarding alien relics or haunting a fishing village, this crab’s got personality.