Daniel Matic - Rookies Entry 2023

Medieval Winery

Concept art for a Medieval Winery built on top of a Roman aqueduct. Situated on a mountain path this winery provides the perfect pit-stop for weary travellers. Guests can take a load off, enjoy some wine and a bite to eat. The winery shopfront also offers tastings and the option of purchasing a bottle for the road. My idea was that this design could be used in an arcade game where you manage your own winery.

Wizard House Design

Concept art for a Stylized Wizards house. This design was created for my "3D Modelling for Games" class at CDW Studios/Flinders University, Adelaide.

Shipwreck Fishmonger

Design process for a small shop front project. My idea was that this design could be used in a delivery arcade game, where the player must deliver various items by rowboat to nearby islands. This island would be home to a fishmonger that has set up a fish stall using the remnants of a shipwreck as a building structure.

Thumbnails & Iterations.

Street Fighter - Fan Art Project

Character Design for a Filipino Street Fighter. Based on the Street Fighter video game series.

Gladiator Project - Character Design

A competitor for a dystopian gladiator game where elite warriors must battle each other using weapons and armour from mankind's past, present and future...

Thumbnails & Iterations.

Bob's Burgers/My Hero Academia - Fan Art Project

Character design for Bob's Burgers and My Hero Academia crossover. My take on what Louise would look like if she was a character in My Hero Academia. 

Viking Forge

An interior set design of a Viking blacksmiths forge and workshop.

Sci-Fi Crate Design

Sci-fi Crate Design I created while studying at CDW Studios/Flinders University, Adelaide. The crate is a transport container for a cryo-system which consists of a freeze-etching unit attached to a scanning electron microscope (SEM).

Orthographic Sketches & Thumbnails

Project Downfall

"Project Downfall" is the working title of my idea for an action-adventure video game.
 It is set during the 15th century fall of the Aztec Empire and is heavily influenced by myth, fantasy, and history. The game will be presented from a third-person perspective and will be set in an open world gameplay style. Below is some of the concept art I've created for this project so far. 

Protagonist - Character Design Process

The protagonist is an Aztec weapons creator who steals weaponry and armour from the Spanish Conquistadors in an effort to repurpose them to fight back the invading forces. Realizing his efforts are futile in the face of the growing number of invaders the protagonist must seek guidance from the Aztec gods and goddesses to recover supernatural relics, weaponry and creatures that will aid him in his fight.

The Guardian - Creature Design Process

The protagonist is accompanied by a small lizard creature known as "The Guardian". The two form a buddy relationship after the protagonist awakens the the guardian while exploring a temple.  The Guardian aids the protagonist throughout his adventure by utilizing special attacks & abilities. The player can also control the guardian when solving puzzles and exploring tombs and temples. 

Aztec Shield - Prop Design Process

Created by the protagonist, this shield is intended to be the goal for the first mission of the game. The player must gather materials from the village and surrounding areas in order to create this shield for the village's warrior chief/leader. This mission allows the player to immerse themselves in the open world gameplay.

Village Environment - World Building

The protagonist lives in a small village near Lake Texcoco on the outskirts of the Aztec Empire. Below is some of the concept art I've created for this environment.

The Protagonist's House - Building Design Process

The Protagonist's house is situated on the lakes edge. It features a tree top workshop and a personal dock, which houses the protagonists canoes. Here the player can craft/upgrade weapons & tools, create outfits, or use the canoes to gather or deliver resources. The home also acts as a base where tasks and quests can be acquired as well as a place of rest and comfort.

Other Buildings & Structure Designs

Concept art of various houses and structures that can be found in the village environment.

Sauna House/Temazcal - Building Design Process

Concept art of the villages Sauna House or Temazcal. This building acts as a place of healing for the village. The player can heal the protagonist in the temazcal or gain rewards by gathering water and firewood for it. 

3D Game Art

While studying at Flinders University/CDW Studios, I picked up a few 3D modelling & texturing classes. Below are just a couple of game related pieces I managed to create during that time. The experience I gained from these classes allowed me to better understand the game design pipeline, while also adding new skills to my concept art workflow.

3D Battle Axe - Video Game Asset

3D Battle Axe modelled in Maya, textured in Substance Painter and rendered in Marmoset Toolbag. 

Marmoset Toolbag Turnaround

Basic Maya Blockout with Concept Art Reference

Maya Model & Zbrush Sculpt

Maya Remesh & UV's

Substance Painter Render

Marmoset Toolbag Final Renders

Stylized Environment UE4 - Wizard House

First ever attempt at creating an environment in Unreal Engine. This stylized environment is based on my own Wizard House concept art.

The modelling for this project was done in Maya and sculpted in ZBrush, while the texturing was done in Substance Painter & Designer. 

Thank you for taking the time to go through my portfolio! I Really appreciate it. 

- Daniel Matic