Svörtsál: Real-time Character
Svörtsál is a real-time character based off an original concept developed during a course at the Vertex School.
Svörtsál is a real-time character based off an original concept. As an illustrator turned character artist, I wanted to fully understand the process from ideation to completion. I felt that collaboration would result in a more compelling project, so I worked with a friend and writer who helped flesh out the character with an origin story. This provided me with the raw material to begin sketching out Svörtsál and slowly a visual concept began to emerge. I finished the 2D concept in time for a class in game character art taught by Ackeem Durant and Ryan Kingslien at the Vertex School. Three months later I finished the project as my first real-time character and Svörtsál was born.
In the process of modeling Svörtsál I realized that he would don his fur cloak while traveling, but would doff it before engaging in combat. As such, it became necessary that I model him in both states. I am an avid student of anatomy so this offered me the opportunity to really dig into musculature and form, taking my sculpting skills to the next level.
I greatly enjoyed tackling his physique during the high poly stage in ZBrush. Many images of barbarians and MMA fighters helped during the reference process.
The fur mantle on Svörtsál's cloak was a tough challenge as I was fairly new to the real-time method of hair card texturing and placement. After much trial and error I finally managed to achieve both the volume and the texture of animal fur that I was aiming for.
Throughout the process I aimed for efficiency in overall poly count while balancing a high budget AAA look. If I was to take on Svörtsál again I would have a better handle on how to prioritize quad density. Nevertheless, I am proud of what I accomplished while crossing the chasm from the original 2D concept to a real-time character. Big thanks to my instructors Ackeem Durant and Ryan Kingslien, I learned so much from this experience!
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