3D Character Portfolio - Kaizan Peralta

Here's my entry to the Rookie Awards. As a self-taught artist/3D hobbyist, I've been putting time into learning the production workflow and pushing my real-time characters to be the best quality they can be. I'm always learning new techniques and keeping up with the latest industry software. There's always new stuff to learn, be it in creative or technical process.

All of my characters featured in this entry are all personal work that reflects my interests and experiments on tackling new challenges as a 3D character artist. 

In terms of my character pipeline, it boils down to these key stages. 

Concept → Modeling → Sculpting → Retopology → UV Mapping → Baking/Texturing → Lighting → Final Image *These stages often go back and forth/switch software depending on various parts of the asset like clothes, armor, props, etc.

All background images from beauty renders are from HDRIs from Marmoset Toolbag Library, Polyhaven, and Pixabay. 

February the Chimera

A two-month character project. I collaborated with a 2D Concept Illustrator Asa Smith. I translated one of his monthly 2D illustrations into a real-time 3D character. This project solely focuses on refining my observation skills to translate from 2D to 3D.

Character Turnaround Reference by 2D Concept Artist Asa Smith. We've been collaborating together for two months in which I've turned his Chimera art illustration into a character real time asset.

UV Layouts/Texture Maps (4K) - Albedo - Normals - Gloss - Metalness - 
Polycount - 117,160 tris

Meruem

A Fanart Personal Project of one of the main villains from the hit anime series Hunter x Hunter. It's one of my favorite anime series of all time. I made my own real-time character of Meruem which is based on a 2D character by famous manga artist/author, Yoshihiro Togashi.

References based on 2D Anime character Meruem from 2011 Hunter x Hunter - Concept Design by Manga Author, Yoshihiro Togashi.

UV Layout/Texture Maps (4K) - Albedo - Normals - Gloss - Specular

Polycount - 26,982 Tris

Archer

This is my own take, my own costume concept design based on a character from the Fate Stay Night Series. Archer is a servant hero who participates in the Holy Grail War against other servant heroes from ancient history. His specialty focused on long-range combat hence the name "Archer".

In terms of costume design, I've made him more modern looking than the original design. Since his backstory is *spoiler* he is from the future. I thought adding visual cues can give a slight hint of his origin timeline. Since he is different from the other servant heroes, I added ancient motifs to make him visually fit in with others from the past timeline.

References gathered for Archer - original character concept design by Takashi Takeuchi.

Bow and Caladborg(Arrow) Concept - I've made different design sketch variations and this was my final concept design. I've intertwined modern and ancient bow designs, having modern bulkier shapes makes the weapon have a bold statement, and adding tribal/ancient patterns adds to the bow's long usage history since the dawn of mankind.

Gray Fox - Cyborg Ninja

A Fanart Personal Project. In Late 2022, it was Metal Gear's 35th Anniversary. I created my own Real-Time Character based on the Gray Fox, the Cyborg Ninja from Metal Gear Solid 1. As a massive fan of the series, I wanted to pay tribute to the series that greatly influenced my life. Concept Art and Design by the legendary artist, Yoji Shinkawa.

References for the Cyborg Ninja from the 1998 game Metal Gear Solid 1 - Original Concept Design by Yoji Shinkawa. This project in particular is one that's fun to pose around. I used some of these references to mimic iconic poses from the art.

UV Layout/Texture Maps (4K) - Albedo - Normals - Gloss - Metalness

Polycount - 67,678 tris

Saber

This is my own redesign concept of Saber from the Fate Series. Just like Archer,  I love to come up with ideas to put my own spin on the character. Whether costume design or prop design, I wanted to express my creativity to show my take on the character. I redesigned her outfit and armor that reflect the historical references to Medieval British armor and weaponry while still visually maintaining her iconic appearance from the series.

Excalibur Concept. Since this is an iconic weapon of the series and an Arthurian legend, I wanted to make a design that visually reflects royalty and high status as a King. This final design I came up with builds upon the mystery and magical sword that Saber drew out of the stone. Using a medieval longsword as a main reference, it's something that can visually fit well into Knights of the Roundtable.

Saber References - I've compiled different variations of her and the original design by Takashi Takeuchi. I took inspiration from historical designs of Medieval European Armor and weaponry. Since Saber's character is originally based on King Arthur, I've implemented new garment/armor designs that reflect that particular time period.

Thank you for taking the time to explore my personal projects. You can check more of my work on my Artstation and Instagram :)