Blue Moon Cristal

I created this crystal while working for Studio XP, a school focused on video game development for students aged 8 to 20. My role involved creating several chapters to update the online class content for the school, and this crystal was one of the courses I developed. Studio XP uses free and open-source software such as Blender, Krita, and Unity. After completing my assignment for Studio XP, I decided to refine the crystal further and develop an entirely new course using Unreal Engine 5 instead of Unity, aiming to incorporate some impressive UE techniques to teach the students.

As presented here, I created the crystal and its base following these steps: sculpting in ZBrush, retopology in ZBrush, UV mapping in ZBrush, and baking and texturing in Substance 3D. For the terrain, I used SideFX Houdini; however, I could not use HDA export because I am using the Apprentice version, which unfortunately does not support the Houdini Unreal Engine plugin. This limitation didn’t bother me or stop my progress, as I was able to perform the retopology using ZBrush.

ZBrush is amazing for the numerous possibilities it offers. I appreciate using it for retopology; it’s incredibly practical, powerful, and a significant time-saver.

After creating the UVs, I painted the textures in Substance 3D and then exported them to Unreal Engine.

It took me many hours to create the entire node chain for the crystal material, as I wanted it to resemble an ice cube or something similar. I eventually found some documentation online that was extremely helpful (https://vegabeyond.com/2020/03/28/UEMaterial-IceAndCrystal/). I made only minor adjustments, and I really enjoy the final result.

I love Unreal Engine 5 and all the improvements it has made since version 4! I find myself using it more and more for all the real-time projects I need to complete. Finally, I created a little FX to delve deeper into Niagara and placed it around the crystal base. I rigged and animated the crystal in Blender. I concluded this course by adding a post-process blur, combined with the default motion blur in UE. I also utilized the UE sequencer, which is fantastic, along with Adobe Premiere, incorporating a copyright-free soundtrack I found online.

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Here is a low-poly car I sculpted based on my own concept art, which you can see at the bottom of this page. I created a model sheet inspired by my concept art directly in Adobe Photoshop, and then I used it as a base for sculpting in ZBrush. After that, I checked the retopology and UV mapping, and I prepared all the materials in Autodesk Maya before exporting the mesh to Substance 3D. I then baked the input maps and textured it. The goal of the tutorial I created for my school was to teach the Bitmap mask techniques and demonstrate how to work with Adobe Photoshop in combination with Substance 3D, along with effective ZBrush techniques and workflow organization.

I created this gramophone using Houdini SideFX, as I wanted to explore Houdini's techniques for low poly modeling with nodes, in contrast to the 3D polygon modeling in Blender or Maya that I typically use. This was during my time learning procedural techniques in Houdini. I then proceeded with unwrapping the UVs, also in Houdini, and used Substance 3D for baking the input maps, such as normal maps, curvature, ambient occlusion, etc., and for texturing. Finally, I utilized Marmoset Toolbag for real-time rendering and MViewer, which I should embed here, as well as Adobe Premiere Pro for the Ken Burns presentation and turntable. I chose the delightful "Petite Fleur" music by the soloist and composer Sidney Bechet.

Mitch Pigs Demo

Here is a short demo I created from scratch to explore the new update of Unreal Engine 5. My goal was to push the boundaries of my technical knowledge by utilizing Lumen for lighting, along with many other software tools I generally use for video games and real-time rendering. I sculpted the pigs based on a concept art piece I discovered while watching the Instagram artist Mitch Leeuwe. I really enjoy his overall cartoon style, which reminds me of the Preston Blair animation books that I’m particularly fond of. This inspiration led me to create a 3D version of this cute little pig.

Here is the Lapin Crétin I created based on the famous Ubisoft game character, which I like very much! I wanted to reproduce Ubisoft's techniques and art style to create another course for the Art and 3D class I teach. This presentation showcases the full process: I used ZBrush for sculpting, retopology, and UV mapping; texturing in Substance 3D; rigging and skinning in Blender; and finally, I created a short animated sequence in Unreal Engine 5, incorporating some post-processing effects to enhance the clip's appeal. I also handled the video editing in Adobe Premiere Pro, adding the original soundtrack from the Raving Rabbids that I downloaded

I created the miniatures for this released game based on the specifications I was provided.

I created this short demo from scratch, using the software I generally use for video games and real-time rendering. I set up a composition with lighting and cameras, and then used the sequencer in Unreal Engine 5 to create a cinematic rendering with path tracing.

I created some of the merchandise pieces for this game using 3D sculpting and printing technologies, along with my traditional art and molding skills. I'm excited to share pictures of this released game so that we can fully appreciate its high-end and polished quality in every aspect through these visuals. I was also fortunate to collaborate with two amazing and talented illustrators, FORTIFEM. In the last picture, you can see them on the wooden floor surrounded by their craft. As I admire their graphic art and believe in the value of working with great artists, I’ve posted the illustrations they created for the cards and packaging, as it provides a better sense of the overall game quality. They produced both colored and black-and-white versions, and I really love the result of this project, which was created by Maxime Le Dain and published by Bragelonne Games.

I sculpted this version of Link from Link's Awakening in ZBrush, using a collectible as my reference. As an art and 3D teacher, I create numerous tutorials and courses, and this is one example. I always choose subjects or characters that I think will engage my students, as I believe it's important for them to enjoy the learning process in my classes. I chose Link because he has a simple overall shape while also allowing for a mix of organic sculpting and hard surface modeling, making it an excellent way to introduce ZModeler techniques. During classes, I clearly explain and demonstrate the following key steps in the 3D character creation process using a video projector: model sheet creation, sculpting, retopology, UV unwrapping, texturing, setup, and animation (for simplicity, I used Mixamo) as well as 3D rendering.

Here is another collectible I created from scratch in ZBrush. I used Unreal Engine 5 and its sequencer to produce the 3D turntable presented here.

Sonic Super Team

I created all the miniatures for this Sonic tabletop game, released in Europe, using 3D sculpting and printing technologies, combined with my traditional art and molding skills. I also completed the retopology of the meshes for these 8 characters and handled the texturing to support the teaser.

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