Role: Character Art Director

Contents: 2D design, 3D Sculpts, Feedback/Direction
Softwares: Photoshop, zBrush, Maya

2D

3D

Above: Chris typically extends his design process in 3D with a first pass sculpt for the most important characters, to establish design rules and stylistic trends in 3D (with documentation) that his team of 3D Character Artists will implement for all subsequent character models. The 3D Character Artists will take this sculpt directly to retopology to create the low-poly game assets.

This process benefits the pipeline by diminishing the potential for extraneous iterations in 3D. Typically, 3D Character Artists interpret or compromise the design in translation from 2D to 3D which often involves an iterative process with notes from supervisor. But Chris's first 3D pass addresses these concerns upfront, allowing the 3D Character Artist to execute the model 1:1 according to sculpt, then use the same design principles exhibited for subsequent character models.


Below: Obelix - 3D modifications by Chris and his feedback notes to 3D Character Artist.

Above: Sculpt for Wild Boar by Chris - used directly for retopology by 3D Character Artist to make final game asset.

Above: 3D character sculpt by Chris (seen in context below). This model was used as a generic body-type from which a dozen characters were created by his team of 3D Character Artists. The designs for the costumes was an effort also led by Chris with his 2D design team.

Below: The base model provided by Chris was used by his team to create a multitude of NPC character art assets for the game with different costumes, hairstyles and textures. The animation cycles were recycled with minimal re-skin.