Reese Hausman is a second-year Games + Simulation major at Miami University with a minor in Studio Art. Her passions lie in the intersection of art and technology to create an immersive narrative experience, specifically through the lens of character design. Her greatest strengths are her organizational skills, creative curiosity, and iterative thinking.

IMS/ART 215 PORTFOLIO

Miami University's 3D Digital Sculpting course teaches industry-standard software and best practices for 3D asset creation in video games, animation, and other media. The six projects shown below demonstrate my development as I progressed through the class.

september 2024 - project 1

Environment Prop :  Rocks

Programs Used: MAYA, MUDBOX

process

  1. Gather references.

  2. Sculpt first rock entirely in Mudbox.

  3. Model second rock in Maya.

  4. Sculpt second rock in Mudbox from base model.

  5. Export and apply displacement & normal maps to Maya model.

  6. Assemble scene & create renders in Maya.

     This project was my first introduction to digital sculpting, as I had only ever modeled before. As I was more used to the rigid nature of polygons, I found sculpting to have a bit of a steep learning curve. As I learned more about the different brushes and texturing, though, I began to enjoy it.
     I especially liked the workflow of the second rock, because I found it easier to work from a model I had created over a default Mudbox sphere. As I moved between software, I began to understand the limits of displacement mapping; I had sculpted deep crevices in Mudbox, but these did not transfer well into Maya.

september 2024 - project 2

Prehistoric Animal :  Anomalocaris

Programs Used: ZBRUSH

process

  1. Gather references.

  2. Import pre-existing base mesh to ZBrush.

  3. Sculpt in ZBrush.

  4. Paint on existing UVs in ZBrush.

      Going into this project, I felt like I had more of a handle on 3D sculpting as a medium, even though we were switching to yet again another new software. I almost completely disregarded the fish base model as I worked, a choice that would burden me with strange artifacts down the road. I think the part I am most proud of with this model is the painting, which I did on a Polypaint layer. The model itself does not really pull off the creature's anatomy. By the end of this project, though, I learned a lot about how to navigate ZBrush.

october 2024 - project 3

Environment Asset :  Jay's Desk

Programs Used: MAYA, ZBRUSH, PROCREATE

process

1. Gather References / Create Concept Art

2. Base Model in Maya

This model was a little complex for the scope of the project, so I scaled down:

3. Sculpt in ZBrush

4. UV Unwrap & Texturing in Procreate

5. Assembling & Lighting in Maya

      Before this project, I had only really done UV projection mapping. There are a few spots with wonky textures because of bad UVs or too few divisions. I wish that I had also thought to apply material properties outside of just color to give the objects more differentiation. Overall, though, I think my first go-around with texturing on a UV map could've gone worse.
      My favorite part of this project was delving into character design through the means of a still life, as this desk is meant to belong to my character Jay from my game Heartlines.

october 2024 - project 4

Prop Model :  Ashley's Sidearm

Programs Used: MAYA, ZBRUSH, ADOBE SUBSTANCE PAINTER, MARMOSET

process

1. Gather References / Create Concept Art

2. Low Poly Base Model in Maya

3. Sculpting in ZBrush

4. Texturing in Substance Painter

5. Render in Marmoset

      After the previous project, I knew I wanted to do another experimentation with character design. This gun belongs to my character Aempyriel (A.K.A. Ashley) from Heartlines, who is a fallen angel. The world of Heartlines concerns itself with travel across time, so I wanted this weapon to include mechanisms from guns across multiple eras. For example, the Desert Eagle is combined with the carvings of an 1880s revolver.
      From a technical lens, I once again had to learn the limits of normal and displacement maps. On the bright side, though, I feel the UV unwrap was successful and I am mostly happy with the Substance Painter textures. I was overjoyed to learn about Marmoset, which saved me so much rendering time.

november 2024 - project 5

Anatomical Study :  Hand

Programs Used: ZBRUSH

process

  1. Gather references & research anatomy.

  2. Import pre-existing base mesh to ZBrush.

  3. Sculpt & paint in ZBrush.

      I found researching anatomy to be useful, as I had a general idea of what hands are like, but the placement of veins was something I hadn't really thought about before. I found the sculpting to be pretty straightforward, though I did learn masking so that I could shorten the pre-existing model's long phalanges. Skin is my favorite thing to paint, so I had some fun with that.

november 2024 - project 6

Final Project :  Ashley Character Model

Programs Used: MAYA, PROCREATE

process

1. Gather References / Create Concept Art

2. Low Poly Model in Maya

3. Pose with Maya's Quick Rig

4. UV Unwrap & Procreate Texturing

5. Render in Maya

      This project was one of those rare times where I executed the final project better than the concept I had imagined for it. I know I still have a lot to learn about efficient character modeling, but for my second time ever doing so, I am pleased with these results. I had a lot of fun trying to make the texturing packed with visual interest, although some smaller details did not really show up. I also found it very enjoyable to contextualize an earlier asset I had made with its rightful owner.