The Dream Catcher Knight
Modeled: Maya/Zbrush
Textured: Substance Painter
Concepts: Paper Pencil
Character Background
The Dream Catcher Knight is a warden of spirits that protects her realm from troubled and lost spirits. Her double bladed sword is used as a seam ripper to tear through nightmared spirit's defenses. The knight then channels energy through the bangles on her arm to cast a magical snare that seals away the spirits.
Design Background
This project began as a challenge to create a character design with aspects from Native American and Medieval European cultures. The Dream Catcher Knight is your classic knight in shining armor with themes of Ojibwe (Chippewa) dream catcher woven into the design. The large halo-like dream catcher framing and capturing the fiery braided hair of the knight symbolizes the cultural significance of dream catchers warding off bad dreams. As for how this translates to visual design, threads are featured throughout the design of the armor and bangles, keeping the plates and jewelry in place while still allowing them to shift for the character in world and in animation. Her sword is designed after a seam ripper, used to tear threads to allow for the sewing of new ones. The choice of a twin blade over a sword was to mimic the use of two knitting needles when the blade is split.
Tatsu "The Searing Fang"
Modeled: Maya/Zbrush
Textured: Substance Painter
Concepts: Photoshop
Character Background
Tatsu comes from a world where humans become amputated and an otherworldly parasite is grafted in place of their limb by a greater power. The abilities this parasite gives them in the deciding factor in their place in society. Tatsu's grafted dragon-like leg is violent in nature and forces her to take up a life of street fighting as "The Searing Fang". Her parasite does not properly replace her leg, and to walk she requires a crutch in which she keeps a hidden blade. Tatsu resents her parasite, blaming it for the life it has given her.
Design Background
Tatsu comes from an animated short in a world about the struggles of amputees and the adversity they face. Part of this character's design reflects the pressure they face to conform to the forced identity of their grafted parasite. Their weapon, which doubles as a crutch when sheathed, symbolizes their habits to rely on force and aggression for support and safety.
K'inno Hun
Modeled: Maya/Zbrush
Textured: Substance Painter
Concepts: Photoshop
Character Background
K'inno comes from a world where humans become amputated and an otherworldly parasite is grafted in place of their limb by a greater power. The abilities this parasite gives them in the deciding factor in their place in society. K'inno, a devoted religious zealot, does not receive a parasite after the amputation of his arm. Feeling cast out by the greater power he worshiped, K'inno turns to a mercantile life to support himself as he is hunted by the government.
Design Background
K'inno hides his amputated arm under a cloth. This acts as a way for him to hide his condition as well as bury the shame he feels for not being gifted a parasite by his god. The cloudlike designs on his cloak, belt, and robes reflect his soft disposition and his past of worshiping a greater power from beyond. His glove design is inspired by the rehabilitation gloves used in physical therapy.
The Empty Inkwell
Modeled: Maya/Zbrush
Textured: Substance Painter
Location Background
The Empty Inkwell is a small, unassuming sushi bar tucked behind the older buildings of the lower city. In appearance it is a small business, barely hanging on in the highly competitive market. However, behind closed doors this bar is far more. In the back rooms of this establishment is the office of a notorious crime boss who harbors vagrants and outlaws. The chimes hung around the exterior are stagnant as no wind can reach the lower city are now replaced by the rushing hum of cold water from the pipes above keeping the temperatures of the lower city habitable. The waterworks of this cooling system is connected to the back rooms of The Empty Inkwell, which helps grant safer passage to those seeking refuge.
Design Background
The designs of The Empty Inkwell are inspired by the local restaurants of Vacaville, California. As a child, each restaurant seemed like it had it's own unique world going on beyond the kitchen. Featuring old antique bottles remaining forever untouched and wooden floors that required constant sweeping or one of a kind rugs to help hide long term stains.
"The Witch" from Literalchemy
Modeled: Maya/Zbrush
Textured: Substance Painter
Concept Artist: Brandon Ma
Character Background
"The Witch" from upcoming game Literalchemy, is the protagonist and player controlled character. "The Witch" or whichever name/identity the player chooses is a kind and intelligent witch who specializes in book crafting and book changing, otherwise known as Literalchemy. They use their magical abilities to pursue their lifelong dream of running a bookshop to help them pay off their student loans.
Model Background
The largest challenge of this model was to remain faithful and accurate to the original concepts done by Brandon Ma while also keeping the polycount low enough for gameplay. Learning best practices of when to cut polycount or detail, and where to better allocate those resources, all in a timely turnaround, was a challenging, yet fun, experience. In the end The full model remained under the 40k polycount and under a 30k polycount when the hat is removed. To achieve this much 3D detail was made up for in textured detail that best fit the style of the game and distance of the character from the screen. An additional challenge was simplifying the topology of the face as the model would not have complex facial animations such as the opening of the mouth for dialogue.