WIP

Alex Roman

2010-02-06T20:40:00.000-08:00

This guy makes it look so easy

The Third & The Seventh
(watch it full screen)

A short behind the scenes

A demo of his workflow

Art Test

2009-05-27T15:07:00.000-07:00

I took an art test for a company in the Chicago area recently. Here are some renders. Comments welcome.

The colors of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky...

2009-01-11T00:12:00.000-08:00

What's that you say?
You want to see all of the Blitz injuries in alphabetical order?
Set to Louis Armstrong's What A Wonderful World?
In HD Youtube quality?
Ta Da!

New Demo Reel Posted

2008-11-18T14:32:00.000-08:00

The games have shipped and I need work so I finally updated my reel as well as the portfolio page in general. Head on over and let me know what you think.

http://chadportfolio.blogspot.com

Messin' with Zbrush

2008-10-31T09:49:00.000-07:00

I finally took the plunge and jumped into Zbrush this week. I don't know what I was waiting for. It's actually pretty easy, and using a Wacom tablet brings you closer to the feel of real life sculpting. Modeling in Zbrush in general feels very natural and intuitive. That helps keep your creativity flowing and not get caught up in tech. It's definitly different than modeling in Maya.

So, I took a base male head and turned it into a monkey. It only took me about a day if you don't count the few times I had to start over. I kept getting trapped in different modes and making ireversible changes. I think I'm past most of that now. I also made some alpha brushes for the finer details. I'm not 100% satisfied, but for a first go it's not bad.

Seattle/Vancouver Summer Trip

2008-07-21T20:02:00.000-07:00

No 3D work, just pictures. I should be updating my demo reel soon so there's that...
(just some favorites)

Photo stitches

Winter Work

2007-12-24T11:51:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's been a while since I posted. I've been busy at work and that stuff can't be displayed until the games are released. Until then here's something I modeled over the weekend for a student sci-fi film. It's a 2001 type computer eye that is located in many of the rooms in the film.

They are in post production now and the stills they're coming out with look great. Some pics can be viewed here.

Latest IGN

2007-08-27T01:03:00.000-07:00

There are some multiplayer images up there also that I helped out with, but they're not that interesting to look at IMO.

More shots, and a new-old one!

2007-08-15T18:40:00.001-07:00

More screenshots. Nothing new except the one in the lower left corner. That's one of the way early screenshots I took. I'm surprised it made it out.

Not 3D related

2007-07-22T14:34:00.001-07:00

Had some fun in Michigan this weekend. Thought I would post some pics. These are of burning embers from a fire being thrown into Lake Michigan. It was pitch black so the framing is a little off and my digital camera is pretty weak. At least it's capable of taking long exposures.

Latest IGN...

2007-07-14T18:24:00.001-07:00

Hardcore Gamer

2007-07-09T08:29:00.001-07:00

My images are scattered along the sides. 6 on pages 1 and 2. The barrage sequence on page 3 is mine too.

GamePro

2007-07-08T20:51:00.000-07:00

The two in the middle (pg. 53) are mine. Oh, and I think I got that Cinematic Artist position I wanted...Kick ass.

More Screenshots....what else is new?

2007-06-14T23:14:00.000-07:00

Showing off action in the Mega and Museum levels! Unfortunately the taking of screenshots has slowed down quite a bit lately. I'm back to doing actual work at Midway which is still fun. I've moved into a new apartment, my sister had a little baby boy, and I'll be turning 25 on the 18th. Now if I can just get hired on and start making some money...

See 'em here: http://media.ps3.ign.com/media/749/749071/imgs_1.html

Then go here: http://strangleholdcentral.ign.com/

Stranglehold on CGSociety

2007-06-04T08:37:00.000-07:00

A nice little article on Stranglehold was posted on CG Society recently. It focuses mainly on Stephan Martiniere and his processes for making the game. Concept art is scattered throughout. Enjoy:

http://features.cgsociety.org/story_custom.php?story_id=4094

'Nother Shot

2007-05-22T14:58:00.000-07:00

Here's another screenshot I took that appeared on IGN May 17th. I think there are a bunch out there. It's just a matter of time before they're used. I'm still taking more, believe it or not, as well as learning Motion Builder, moving, becoming an uncle and oh so much more....

See it here: http://media.ps3.ign.com/media/749/749071/img_4552731.html

Renders for Paintover

2007-05-13T21:14:00.000-07:00

These were rendered out for a quick paint-over. Hopefully they show up brighter than the previous ones.

Finishing off the keyboard

2007-05-10T22:28:00.000-07:00

I've spent some time texturing my latest model this week in order to get it done and out of the way for new projects. I really beat it up. There's still some tweaking needed. I'm going to add a few more small details and completely redo the torn vinyl on the right side of the body. Any comments on the new materials?

Anyone speak German?

2007-04-26T18:16:00.000-07:00

Another screenshot I took was used in Maniac's June '07 issue featuring Stranglehold. The black arrow is pointing to it. The "Ride the Snake" image is right next to it. This is a german magazine so I can't make out the caption, but apparently they talk about the gameplay (which is sweet by the way). The new image was taken in-game. No tweaking necessary. I also included the original.

Ride the Snake

2007-04-11T16:46:00.000-07:00

Been busy lately, like everyone else. Here's something I did for Midway's Stranglehold that was just sent out and popped up on the net. I created it with game assets in Unreal Engine3 under the direction of Jason Kaehler, the Art Director for Stranglehold. I've also received input from Stephan Martiniere (http://www.martiniere.com/) who is the Creative Visual Director at Midway. They are both very talented people. More should be coming out soon. Enjoy.

See it here: http://media.ps3.ign.com/media/749/749071/imgs_1.html

and here: http://www.kotaku.com/photogallery/stranglehold/1707991

2007-02-24T19:06:00.000-08:00

How about red? I thought some broken keys would give it more character.

Tweaking

2007-02-17T23:04:00.000-08:00

Getting lost in the small strokes. Getting some nice scuff detail.

Blacktop and wear

2007-02-14T16:39:00.000-08:00

Switched the top color and added some wear to the backplate. Also, I made the keys a little yellow. Should get this thing done soon.

New project?

2007-01-23T20:10:00.000-08:00

I thought this would be a good item for my portfolio. It already includes my garbage can and is a small environment. I could also work on low-rez models and make the textures do most of the work. Thoughts??

yes, I am working...

2007-01-16T00:59:00.000-08:00

It's been close to a month and I haven't pumped out as much work as I would like to have. Rest assured however I am working and learning. Here is some more Wurlitzer with Marty Murphy-recommended transparency map for the speaker holes. They look ok but they break up when I get close. A higher resolution would work, but is it needed? I will atleast make the holes smaller. I have also learned how to use the High Pass Filter in Photoshop to remove luminous info that ruins the tiling seen on the top of the keyboard. Check out the side by side comparison. I also messed with the accidental keys trying to get a soft wearing feel. I think it looks pretty good.

Then there's Global Illumination of the Garbage Can. I don't have anything too sexy to show except some tweaking. The last image took almost 30 min. to render and it's really slowing my exploration of Mental Ray down.

What am I learning?? Some great tutorials from Midway to start, plus these fine books. I can be such a lazy reader that it's actually my new years resolution to get through these plus some others.

Break

2006-12-27T16:31:00.000-08:00

Nothing to show for now. Animation Portfolio Development is over and I'm taking a small break. There are a few projects I have been kicking around lately. I will be starting them soon as well as finally finishing the Wurlitzer. In the mean time I've been educating myself about Global Illumination, Final Gathering and all else Mental Ray has to offer.

Done?!

2006-12-09T05:51:00.000-08:00

Texturing...

2006-12-06T21:06:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to do this as quickly as possible as I am running out of time for the semester. I'm doing a few new things here I haven't done before. As always any comments would be appreciated.

Complete Garbage

2006-12-02T03:53:00.000-08:00

More mapping. The bottom of this thing was a little difficult to get right. Two or so more objects and it'll be done. Textures need to be done by next week....

Postcard Prep

2006-12-02T03:43:00.000-08:00

Slapped some textures on the keys and added a quick backdrop. Not the most realistic thing in the world but I needed to throw it on the postcard.

TRASH

2006-11-18T01:39:00.000-08:00

Used a lattice to soften the edges of the lid and started mapping the individual pieces....

UV Mapping finished

2006-11-16T19:34:00.000-08:00

Done mapping the keyboard.

Texture test....

2006-11-10T01:30:00.000-08:00

UV Mapping

2006-11-09T20:29:00.000-08:00

Overcame some obstacles this week and managed to get the UV mapping working. Each object seems to get progressively easier I think. There's still more to go. I tried creating a surface for the knobs with a few textures. Everything is lineing up which is great, but the maps just don't look right. The dirt and specualar need work. I'll see what I can do....

Ortho Shots and Chain....

2006-11-03T16:54:00.000-08:00

Some images are a little dark and hard to see. I think you can still make out the basic detail however. On second thought I should round off the lid.

Nice and Smooth

2006-11-02T22:09:00.000-08:00

Smoothed Polys..

The Can Begins...

2006-11-02T21:30:00.000-08:00

Here is the basic shape of the can. I need to add the chain and bolt, but most of the physical details are there. Next are the textures and maps.

Keyboard Texture Tests

2006-11-02T21:19:00.000-08:00

Here are several texture maps I wanted to try out on the keyboard model. I have been having UV problems and haven't been able to apply them yet. I want to know if they work or not.

Friday, More surfacing

2006-10-27T15:52:00.000-07:00

A little more work today. Not as much as I'd prefer. Fixed the black keys and fine tuned some surfaces. I also added a logo on the back plate.

Wurlitzer moves further

2006-10-26T22:24:00.000-07:00

The latest...

Here are the original references and some new renders. I also placed older renders here too. I'm having some problems with shaders. I need to find more texturing techniques.

Here is a black top model with a similar angle.

New References 2

2006-10-12T21:33:00.000-07:00

This transformer caught my eye. I got it off the web so I have no other references. I'm sure I could find some though. My only concern is that it is too much like the garbage can.

Here are some more references.

NEW REFERENCES

2006-10-12T21:27:00.000-07:00

I think it would be a real challenge for me to get the dirt maps, graffiti and various other surface detail working. If I could make it work though I might have a nice, real-looking model.

More Steel

2006-10-12T21:20:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure what else to do here. I know it's not the same, but my Lightwave skills just are not that good. I've been re-working the surface over and over and this seems to be the best I can do. I have a few other ideas of what to try. I think if I slaved over it I could do better, but I'd rather focus on new work in Maya. This was the second thing I ever modeled and I'm tired of it. I could spend a little more time on it maybe.

2006-10-10T17:34:00.000-07:00

Started work on the Wurlitzer. I did bevel the edges, though there are a few spots I could smooth. I'm not sure what's happening at the top of the second image. I will have to rework that. I like the way the sustain pedal came out. I used nurbs for that and I am not very good at nurbs, but it does have the right shape for the real thing. Actually looking at it now it is a bit too high at the top. I wanted to have the whole thing modeled by Friday, but I have had too much to do for other classes.

Back to the Steel

2006-10-09T14:40:00.000-07:00

Spent a little time fine tuning the steel on the body and the look of the rims. I think it's better. The problem was a combination of lighting and surface settings.

Back to the Lightwave

2006-10-05T16:03:00.000-07:00

It wasn't easy going back into Lightwave and creating even a simple scene for my Delorean. But I did it and it looks better than a black background. The renders have finally finished and I can now post them. I read somewhere that you should create a prop lighting setup for the surfaces to reflect. I think it really helped the realism factor to see flourescent lights bouncing around. I'm sure there's more techniques to make it even more believable, but I think I'm gonna close the book with this one and stick with Maya from now on....if i can help it. I know they make for crappy cars but those movies had such an impact on me when i was younger.

More new references

2006-10-04T19:54:00.000-07:00

I love keyboards so I thought I'd model one. It shouldn't be too hard. This is my student-version Wurlitzer Electric Piano. It sounds sweet. Lets see how good it looks in 3D.

More work

2006-10-03T18:15:00.000-07:00

Here are a pair of lovely roses

Here is yet another building I built for the short with a connecting bridge. The concept for the bridge is below. There was no direct concept for the building.

Building 2

2006-10-03T18:11:00.000-07:00

Here is another building I created for the 2D/3D short. At the top is the original concept art with color swatches.

Building 1

2006-10-03T18:03:00.000-07:00

Here is a building I created for a 2D/3D short. There was no concept for this one. I made it extra to fill in space in our 3D city using my amazing imagination and elements from other buildings.