Unannounced Game
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Client
Unannounced
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Date
01-10-2025
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Project link
PROJECT DESCRIPTION | Ionart Studios
- Role: Lead Technical Artist
- Core Stack: Houdini, Maya, USD / Solaris, Karma, ACES / OCIO
- Main Focus: Pipeline Architecture, Multi-DCC Synchronization, Layout Automation, Render Optimization
This ongoing project involves a 90-second cinematic trailer for an upcoming sci-fi horror game.
My role on this production was Lead Technical Artist, overseeing the entire technical workflow from asset ingest all the way to final rendering under a tight deadline.
MY TASKS
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Asset Ingest & Karma/USD Setup: We received several in-game models that needed to be converted
into high-quality, production-ready assets.
I managed the translation of these assets into an USD-based workflow, setting them up for lookdev and rendering inside Houdini’s Karma. -
Centralized USD Layout & Parallel Workflows: Animation and directing took place in Maya. To kickstart the production, I built an initial layout template and proxy asset package for our layout artist.
Thanks to a centralized USD asset pipeline, the Maya animation scenes and the final render scenes stayed perfectly synchronized. Any asset updates or geometry fixes populated instantly across all DCCs. - Asset Variants for the Director: I implemented USD variants for key assets directly within the Maya layout stage. This allowed the director to easily toggle and choose between different asset variations on the fly, directly inside their working viewport.
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Non-Linear Light & Render Pipeline: Because the USD hierarchy was structured correctly from day one, lighting and rendering could happen concurrently with animation and layout tweaks.
There was no need to wait for "final" locks; the rendering scene updated progressively as the layout evolved. -
Technical AOVs & Editorial Delivery: I designed the technical render pass (AOV) strategies tailored to the compositing team's specific needs, creating custom utility layers and fine-tuning geometries whenever necessary.
Additionally, I managed the editorial conform/cut deliveries and enforced a strict color management workflow to guarantee that visual consistency was maintained from the first layout playblasts to the final composited frames under a very short schedule.