Story

As part of my studies at ESNE, I was tasked with creating an original character. I decided to bring to life a creature I had imagined while at the beach: a muscular, four-armed being with a long tail and an eel-like head, giving it an unusually elongated neck.

Objectives

When it came time to work on the character’s muscular anatomy, I used Goro from Mortal Kombat as a reference due to his distinctive physique and four-armed design.

Process

The body and muscle modeling were created in 3ds Max, while the skin details were sculpted in Mudbox and the UV mapping was prepared in Photoshop. I also briefly used Marmoset Toolbag to create the turntable video showcasing the finished character.

Result

I enjoyed the character design so much that I continued using it in other projects throughout my studies. At ESDIP, I created several sketches of the character, while at MasterD, I used it for an animation project, exploring different poses and incorporating lighting effects.

History

At Lightbox Academy, we were asked to create an object, and I decided to create a bladed weapon.

Objetives

I chose to design a weapon that I would personally enjoy owning and using, so I added several distinctive details, including embedded gems and a mechanism that allows the weapon to open and reveal a hidden gun port for firing.

Process

The weapon was modeled in 3ds Max, with additional details sculpted in ZBrush. The UV mapping was also completed in 3ds Max, while Substance Painter was used for painting and texturing to achieve a realistic metallic finish.

Result

A bladed firearm viewed from various angles, enhanced with lighting effects to highlight its design and details.

Story

After designing this character in Photoshop, I decided to take the concept a step further by turning it into a 3D model as a personal project.

Objectives

Originally, I created the entire model in 3ds Max, but after learning how to use ZBrush, I decided to revisit the project and use it to further refine and improve the model.

Process

I started by creating and refining the organic parts in ZBrush, while the robotic elements were modeled in 3ds Max. The UV mapping for the organic parts was also completed in 3ds Max, with the textures painted in Photoshop. Finally, I used Marmoset Toolbag to create the turntable video showcasing the finished character.

Result

A more refined and realistic version of a character I first imagined during my early years of exploring the creative audiovisual world.

Story

After learning more about different modeling and texturing software, I decided to challenge myself by creating another character: a woman wearing a mask and traditional Japanese attire.

Objectives

I wanted the mask to have an authentic Japanese-inspired appearance, so I researched reference images to guide both its design and the painting process.

Process

I modeled the human body in ZBrush and created the mask in 3ds Max, before applying the appropriate textures in Substance Painter. For the clothing, I used Marvelous Designer to design, sew, and texture the garments, creating a realistic outfit for the character.

Result

Although the character itself was a fairly standard human model, I really enjoyed the experience of creating most of the clothing using Marvelous Designer rather than relying on traditional modeling methods such as 3ds Max.

Gameplay

The game challenges the player to navigate a series of rooms while eliminating a specific number of enemies in the shortest time possible. The layout of the rooms changes with each level, keeping the gameplay unpredictable. Along the way, the player can find useful items such as ammunition for reloading their weapon, health items to restore lost health, and bombs.

The player can fight enemies using three different options: sword mode, pistol mode, or bombs. However, choosing the right weapon is essential, as certain enemies are immune to specific types of attacks.

Objectives

My goal was to create a game that wasn’t too complicated, something where each level feels different while still looking familiar at first glance, with the difficulty gradually increasing as you progress, much like the simple but addictive games you often find on mobile devices.

Process

As you can see, the entire process of creating and programming the game was carried out in Unreal Engine, although not every asset was created from scratch. Since creating and rigging characters for animation would have taken too much time, I downloaded a character model with pre-made movement and combat animations from the Internet and used it for both the player and the enemies. Everything else, however, was created by me.

The player’s weapon is a katana with a handle that doubles as a high-tech pistol, inspired by Ezra Bridger’s weapon from Star Wars Rebels. I modeled it in 3ds Max, where I also created the UV map, before applying the appropriate metallic textures in Substance Painter. I followed a similar process for the weapons used by the enemies. One of the enemies does not carry a weapon at all; instead, he wears various objects that act as armor and a helmet for protection. That doesn’t stop him from attacking the player with his fists, however.

The rooms followed a similar workflow, with the main structures modeled in 3ds Max and textured in Substance Painter. I also created different furniture and decorative elements for each room, giving each area its own appearance while following the same modeling and texturing process.

The programming was one of the more challenging parts of the project, mainly due to several bugs that appeared during development. With some outside help, I was able to identify and fix these issues until I achieved the result I was looking for.

Finally, I created the different screens containing game information and gameplay options, along with the scoring system that keeps track of the player’s performance.

Result

Even though this was a CICE end-of-year project, I’m proud of what I managed to create, and I’d love the opportunity to release the game publicly one day so that others can enjoy it as well.